Ticket sales have surpassed 45,000 for the SheBelieves Cup featuring the U.S. women’s national team Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Emily Sonnett, a defender on the team and Marietta native, is excited.
“I think crowd’s going to be great,” she said.
The sales are the second-most for a U.S. women’s friendly match. The U.S. will play Japan at 12:30 p.m. Canada will play Brazil at 3:30 p.m. in the second match. The most tickets sold and distributed in the history of the U.S. women’s soccer team for a non-Olympic, non-World Cup match is 49,504, set Aug. 29, 2019, for a match against Portugal in Philadelphia. The second most was 44,028 on Aug 16, 2015, for a match against Costa Rica in Pittsburgh.
It will be the first time that the U.S. women have played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. They played at the Georgia Dome in 2016 against the Netherlands.
“We’re just excited to be in Atlanta, not only for our Atlanta girlies here on the team, but also to get 45,000 and be playing at Mercedes-Benz Stadium,” forward Alex Morgan said.
The U.S. women are training at Atlanta United’s facility, which is 15 minutes from where Sonnett grew up in Marietta. Sonnett, who plays for Gotham in the NWSL, said she trains at Atlanta United during her offseason. Jane Campbell, who also is on the team, grew up in Kennesaw.
Sonnett was in Atlanta during Atlanta United’s first season in 2017. She has been to three of its games and said she didn’t expect the level of support the club would receive.
Now that she’s experienced the city’s affection for the sport, she expects the same Saturday. Should she play, it will be Sonnett’s 89th appearance for the U.S. women.
“Being able to come back and see that energy is, I think, something that we’re going to get for our game here,” she said.
Sonnett also is looking forward to U.S. Soccer building it first national training center in Fayette County. A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled to be held Monday.
Sonnett said her first thought when she heard U.S. Soccer was moving its headquarters from Chicago to Atlanta was that would she be too old to get to take advantage.
“I think it’s really important,” she said of the center. “I think you’re seeing that obviously in Europe, not only in the professional teams, but also their federations. So I think it’s a next step to growth. And it’s obviously very, very important for our development.”
Morgan said she has been looking forward to the training center, whose construction will be helped by a $50 million donation from Arthur Blank, for many years. U.S. Soccer’s goal is to have the center constructed before the 2026 World Cup. Atlanta will host eight matches in the tournament. Atlanta also may be part of the host sites for the 2027 women’s World Cup, should FIFA select the joint bid from the U.S. and Mexico.
“To have that all together is going to be really important for us to have everyone kind of in the same space,” she said. “And just know that we have quality grass fields, and great training facility, locker rooms, everything that we could possibly need in the same space where we can all go before a major tournament, and train at any time of the day or night, is just going to be great for us.”
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Atlanta United’s 2024 schedule
Feb. 24 Columbus 1, Atlanta United 0
March 9 Atlanta United 4, New England 1
March 17 Atlanta United 2, Orlando 0
March 23 Toronto 2, Atlanta United 0
March 31 Atlanta United 3, Chicago 0
April 6 at NYCFC, 7:30 p.m.
April 14 vs. Philadelphia, 2:30 p.m., FOX
April 20 vs. Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.
April 27 at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.
May 4 vs. Minnesota, 7:30 p.m.
May 11 vs. D.C. United, 7:30 p.m.
May 15 at Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.
May 18 at Nashville, 1:30 p.m.
May 25 vs. LAFC, 7:30 p.m.
May 29 at Miami, 7:30 p.m.
June 2 vs Charlotte, 4:30 p.m., FOX
June 15 vs. Houston, 7:30 p.m.
June 19 at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m.
June 22 at St. Louis, 8:30 p.m.
June 29 vs. Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
July 3 at New England, 7:30 p.m.
July 6 at Real Salt Lake, 9:30 p.m.
July 13 at Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
July 17 vs. NYCFC, 7:30 p.m.
July 20 vs. Columbus, 7:30 p.m.
July 26 vs. D.C. United in Leagues Cup, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 4 vs. Santos Laguna in Leagues Cup, 4 p.m.
Aug. 24 at L.A. Galaxy, 10:30 p.m.
Aug. 31 at Charlotte, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 14 vs. Nashville, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 18 vs. Miami, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 21 at Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 28 at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 2 vs. Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 5 vs. Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 19 at Orlando, 6 p.m.
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