CHICAGO (March 12, 2020) – Due to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic across the world, U.S. Soccer has canceled the upcoming Men’s and Women’s Senior National Team matches in March and April, and the majority of Youth National Team and Extended National Team camps that were planned through the end of April.
“With the health of our players, coaches, staff and fans as our main priority, U.S. Soccer has decided it was in the best interest to cancel the majority of our upcoming domestic and international camps at all levels, including our senior Men’s and Women’s National Team games in March and April, due to the outbreak of COVID-19,” said U.S. Soccer Chief Medical Officer George Chiampas. “We have been in communication with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as state and local departments of public health, and after those conversations and continuously monitoring the situation, we strongly believe this is the best decision considering the ongoing worldwide health situation.”
With the Under-23 Men’s National Team in Guadalajara, Mexico, for the upcoming Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying tournament from March 20-April 1, U.S. Soccer is keeping in constant communication with Concacaf officials about the status of the competition. U.S. Soccer is also communicating with Concacaf on the status of the 2020 Women’s Under-17 Championship set for April 18-May 3, and the 2020 Futsal Championship from May 1-10.
The two USWNT friendly matches, against Australia on April 10 in Sandy, Utah, and Brazil on April 14 in San Jose, Calif., were the first of six matches on the Road to Japan in preparation for the 2020 Olympics this summer. U.S. Soccer has yet to announce the next four games, and will provide an update in the future as we continue to monitor the situation with COVID-19. U.S. Soccer will also look to reschedule matches with Australia and Brazil in the future.
The USMNT was scheduled to play the Netherlands on March 26 in Eindhoven and Wales on March 30 in Cardiff. The USWNT was scheduled to host Australia on April 10 at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah, and Brazil on April 14 at Earthquakes Stadium in San Jose, Calif.
The team will now shift its focus to the Concacaf Nations League beginning with the semifinal against Honduras on June 4 at BBVA Stadium in Houston, and the Final and Third-Place Match to be played on June 7 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Those two matches are the final competition for the USMNT before beginning the Final Round of 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifying during the September, October and November FIFA international windows.