U.S. WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM TO FACE RUSSIA ON FEB. 12 IN ATLANTA

Match at Georgia Dome Marks First Appearance for U.S. Women in City of Atlanta

CHICAGO (Jan. 15, 2014) The U.S. Women’s National Team will face Russia for a second time in a span of four days when both teams travel to Atlanta for a game at the Georgia Dome on Wednesday, Feb. 12. Kickoff for the USA’s first match in the city of Atlanta and first in the area since 2010 is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and will follow a Feb. 8 meeting at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, Fla. (3:30 p.m. ET kickoff). Fans can watch both games live via streaming video on ussoccer.com and also follow the action via Twitter @ussoccer_wnt

Tickets for the game in Atlanta go on sale to the public Saturday, Jan. 18, at 10 a.m. ET through ussoccer.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000 and at all Ticketmaster ticket centers throughout the Atlanta area (including many Publix stores), as well as the Georgia Dome ticket office (open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.).

Groups of 20 or more can obtain an order form at ussoccer.com or call 312-528-1290. Ultimate Fan Tickets (special VIP packages that include a premium ticket, a custom-made official U.S. National Team jersey with name and number, VIP access to the field before and after the game, and other unique benefits) are also available exclusively through ussoccer.com.

As a sponsor of U.S. Soccer, Visa is pleased to offer all Visa cardholders access to an advance ticket sale for this match before the sale to the general public. This advance sale starts Friday, Jan. 17, at 10 a.m. ET and runs until Saturday, Jan. 18, at 8 a.m. ET at ussoccer.com. Visa will be the only payment method accepted through the Visa presale and is the preferred card of U.S. Soccer. Terms and conditions apply.

The USA will embark on an almost three-week road trip that begins in Texas with a match against Canada on Friday, Jan. 31, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas (FOX Sports 1, 8 p.m. CT kickoff). The U.S. team will then travel to Boca Raton for the first match against Russia before moving up to Atlanta to finish the three-game set.

The USA has not faced Russia in more than a decade, with the last meeting on Sept. 29, 2002 – a 5-1 U.S. victory in Uniondale, N.Y. Russia put in a respectable performance in group play at last summer’s UEFA Women’s Championship, falling to France 3-1 before tying England and Spain, both by 1-1 scores.

Additional Notes:

• The U.S. Women’s National Team’s visit to the city of Atlanta and the Georgia Dome will be its first in the 29-year history of the program.
• The USA last played in the Atlanta area on Oct. 2, 2010, during a 2-1 victory against China PR at the Kennesaw State University Soccer Stadium.
• The USA is 7-0-0 all-time in the state of Georgia, including three games in nearby Decatur, one match in Clarkston, the aforementioned visit to Kennesaw, and the 1996 Olympic semifinal and gold medal matches in Athens.
• The WNT last played indoors on Oct. 20, 2013, in San Antonio, Texas. The USA is 10-0-0 all-time under a roof, playing its first match indoors at the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan in 1993.
• The USA has an all-time record of 5-0-1 against Russia.
• The USA did play Russia twice in the early 1990s, winning both games handily.
• The single draw against Russia came on Aug. 15, 2000, a 1-1 tie in College Park, Md., that was the final start of Michelle Akers’ career. Akers also scored her final international goal against Russia two days earlier in a 7-1 victory at Annapolis, Md.
• Russia did not advance to the quarterfinal round of last summer’s UEFA Women’s Championship, finishing in third place in Group C behind France and Spain.
• The U.S. team is ranked No. 1 in the latest FIFA Women’s World Rankings, while Russia is No. 21.