The U.S. women’s national soccer team will take the pitch Tuesday for the second of two June friendlies against Colombia.

The match marks the final time on the pitch for the USWNT before the team heads to July’s Concacaf W Championship in Mexico. That tournament will determine four automatic berths to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, as well as one berth to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

How to watch

When: Tuesday, June 28 @ 10 p.m. ET on ESPN

Where: Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah

The USWNT is coming off a 3-0 victory in which Sophia Smith scored a second-half brace and Taylor Kornieck scored in her international debut. But there were questions about the team’s form heading into next month’s tournament, as Colombia challenged an often high-scoring USWNT offense.

Both Andi Sullivan and Kelley O’Hara will not start in Tuesday’s game, with coach Vlatko Andonovski saying in Monday’s media availability that their minutes will continue to be limited as they continue their respective journeys back from injury.

Andonovski also said that one of the team’s three extra players, who will not join the team for the W Championship will start Tuesday. He did not reveal whether it will be Sam Coffey, Jaelin Howell or Carson Pickett.

The U.S. women’s national soccer team rallied after a lackluster first half to take down Colombia 3-0 Saturday in the first of two friendlies between the sides.

Colorado native Sophia Smith led the way, scoring the first two goals of the game in front of her home crowd at DSG Park in Commerce City.

With Colombia set up in a low block and a sweeper, the USWNT struggled to break down their opponent’s backline. Despite holding 71 percent of possession, the USWNT only put three of their 12 shots on goal in the opening 45 minutes, failing to execute in the final third.

The team was awarded a penalty kick in the final seconds of the first half and a breakthrough goal before the break seemed imminent, but Colombia keeper Catalina Perez denied Lindsey Horan from the spot to keep the match deadlocked.

The second 45 minutes were a different story for the USWNT, with Sophia Smith notching the go-ahead goal in the 54th minute, finishing off a perfectly placed ball from Rose Lavelle.

Smith doubled the USWNT’s lead in the 60th minute, again getting on the end of a long ball out of the midfield from Lavelle.

Taylor Kornieck put the icing on the cake for the United States, nodding in a set-piece from Megan Rapinoe in stoppage time for her first USWNT goal in her national team debut.

Three takeaways from Saturday’s win

Sophia Smith shines in her home state

Colorado native Smith put on a show, notching a brace in front of the Commerce City crowd. The attacker played a full 90 minutes and made magic with Lavelle throughout the match, with the duo linking up in both of Smith’s goals.

Smith is tied for the USWNT’s scoring lead with five goals on the year. Heading into the June camp, coach Vlatko Andonovski said it would be “extremely difficult” for a player to take Smith or Mallory Pugh’s starting spot, with Smith’s Saturday night performance further solidifying her place on the front line.

Ashley Sanchez shifts the tempo

Ashley Sanchez and Alex Morgan were subbed on at the half, relieving Horan and Ashley Hatch. The duo immediately made an impact, jump-starting an out-of-sync USWNT offense while upping the game’s tempo.

Sanchez unlocked space, drawing defenders with her skills on the dribble, showing off her creative flair and courage one-on-one. Not only is Sanchez exciting to watch, but she is also effective, especially in breaking down a low block and pulling defenses apart with her dynamic movement on and off the ball.

The star midfielder nearly put Morgan on the board, dishing out a well-executed ball to the forward in the box before she was fouled, drawing a penalty. Lavelle, however, missed from the spot, with Perez once again denying the USWNT.

Sanchez and Morgan marked a handful of second-half substitutions from Andonovski, including Sofia Huerta for Kelley O’Hara, Kristie Mewis for Andi Sullivan, Kornieck for Lavelle and Rapinoe for Pugh.

Taylor Kornieck scores in USWNT debut

Kornieck had a night to remember, with the University of Colorado alum scoring in her first appearance with the USWNT. The San Diego Wave midfielder subbed on in the 73rd minute before heading in a set piece from Rapinoe, putting the score at 3-0 in the final minutes of stoppage time. With her late-game goal, Kornieck became the 22nd player in USWNT history to score in her first appearance.

The U.S. women’s national soccer team is taking the pitch for the first time since April on Saturday for the first of two June friendlies against Colombia.

The matchup is a precursor to July’s Concacaf W Championship, which will serve as a qualifying tournament for the 2023 World Cup and 2024 Olympics.

How to Watch:

When: Saturday, June 25 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Where: Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado.

How to Watch: Tune in to FS1 at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday to watch the USWNT take on Colombia.

Matchup history: Saturday’s game will mark the ninth meeting between the USWNT and Colombia, with the United States holding a 7-0-1 record. The only draw between the two sides came in the 2016 Olympics in the tournament’s group stage.

Most recently, the teams played in a series of friendlies in 2021 in Orlando, with the USWNT downing the visitors 4-0 in the first match and 6-0 in the second, with Catarina Macario logging her first intentional appearance and first USWNT goal in the later contest.

The U.S. women’s national team announced Thursday that it has two games scheduled against Colombia for the June international friendly window.

The first game will take place in Commerce City, Colorado, on June 25, followed by a game in Sandy, Utah, on June 28.

The June window marks the final slate of games before the Concacaf W Championship in July. The USWNT drew Mexico, Jamaica and Haiti in Group A.

Colombia is ranked 26th in the world and second in South America behind Brazil. They will compete in the 2022 Copa América Femenina in July, with three teams qualifying for the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

These two matches will be the USWNT’s ninth and 10th all-time against the South American team. Currently, they are undefeated against Las Cafeteras, having gone 7-0-1.

“Colombia has a good chance to make it to the World Cup and both teams will be in our final preparations for our qualifying tournaments, so I expect some highly competitive matches between players who are competing to represent their countries in some really important games,” U.S. head coach Vlatko Andonovski said in a statement.

“When we get to Colorado, we’ll be coming off a stretch of more than two months that the players have been with their clubs and away from the National Team environment, so we’ll be looking to get maximum value out of our last days and games together before we go to Mexico for qualifying.”