The women’s soccer qualifying tournament is coming to Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan., on Oct. 15-16.
The 2014 CONCACAF Women’s Championship will directly qualify three teams to go to the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Tickets will go on sale to the public for the first-round games at Sporting Park at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 29, according to an announcement from Sporting Park.
Because of an expected high demand, purchases are limited to series tickets only, according to Sporting Park. A series ticket includes all four games played at Sporting Park.
Fans may purchase series tickets for the Oct. 15-16 games at Sporting Park through ussoccer.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000 and at Ticketmaster ticket centers in the Kansas City area. Tickets will not be sold at the Sporting Park ticket office.
Sporting Park, home to Major League Soccer’s Sporting Kansas City, will play host to doubleheader events on consecutive days. Four sides from Group A (including the USA in the featured game) open the competition Oct. 15, followed by the four Group B squads each playing their first match Oct. 16. The draw to determine the exact match-ups will be held Sept. 5 in Miami.
Eight countries are competing in the 2014 CONCACAF Women’s Championship: the United States and Mexico from North America, Guatemala and Costa Rica from Central America, and four countries from the Caribbean in Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique and Trinidad and Tobago. The tournament’s top three teams will directly qualify for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup from June 6-July 5 in Canada, while the fourth-place team enters a playoff with a team from South America for the final World Cup slot.
Ranked No. 1 in the world, the U.S. Women’s National Team returns to the Kansas City area for the sixth time and will play a second international match at state-of-the-art Sporting Park. In 2011, the U.S. WNT played their first match following the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup at Sporting Park in a 1-1 draw against Canada.
Kansas City, Kan., will serve as host for a senior U.S. National Team for the fifth time since Sporting Park opened in June 2011 — more than any other city in the country over that period. The $200-plus million, award-winning venue is also the only stadium to play host to the U.S. Men’s or Women’s National Team in each of the last four years.
U.S. Women’s National Team in Kansas City:
• Oct. 7, 1999 – U.S. Women’s National Team defeats Finland 6-0 at Arrowhead Stadium in Nike U.S. Women’s Cup 1999 doubleheader
• Aug. 20, 2000 – U.S. Women’s National Team draws Canada 1-1 at Arrowhead Stadium in Nike Road to Glory for 2000 Summer Olympics
• Oct. 22, 2003 – U.S. Women’s National Team draws Italy 2-2 at Arrowhead Stadium in international friendly
• Oct. 16, 2004 – U.S. Women’s National Team defeats Mexico 1-0 at Arrowhead Stadium in international friendly
• Sept. 17, 2011 – U.S. Women’s National Team draws Canada 1-1 at Sporting Park in international friendly
• Oct. 15, 2014 – U.S. Women’s National Team at Sporting Park in 2014 CONCACAF Women’s Championship
U.S. National Teams in Kansas City:
• Nov. 2, 1968: U.S. MNT vs. Bermuda (6-2 W at Municipal Stadium)*
• Oct. 7, 1999: U.S. WNT vs Finland (6-0 W at Arrowhead Stadium)
• Aug. 20, 2000: U.S. WNT vs Canada (1-1 T at Arrowhead Stadium)
• April 25, 2001: U.S. MNT vs Costa Rica (1-0 W at Arrowhead Stadium)*
• Oct. 22, 2003: U.S. WNT vs Italy (2-2 T at Arrowhead Stadium)
• Oct. 16, 2004: U.S. WNT vs Mexico (1-0 W at Arrowhead Stadium)
• June 14, 2011: U.S. MNT vs. Guadeloupe (1-0 W at Sporting Park)
• Sept. 17, 2011: U.S. WNT vs Canada (1-1 T at Sporting Park)
• Oct. 16, 2012: U.S. MNT vs. Guatemala (3-1 W at Sporting Park)*
• Oct. 11, 2013: U.S. MNT vs. Jamaica (2-0 W at Sporting Park)*
• Oct. 15, 2014: U.S. WNT vs. TBD (at Sporting Park)*
*World Cup qualifier
– Story from Sporting KC