Super Falcons seek first-ever African win against USA in Summer Series showdown

THE Super Falcons go into Wednesday night/Thursday morning’s clash with the United States Women’s National Team hoping to achieve a first.

The two teams face off in the last match of the 2021 Summer Series from 2am Nigerian time in Austin, Texas.

If the Nigerian ladies avoid defeat to the world champions, it will the first time ever that the African champions would escape without defeat against the United States.

The meeting at the brand-new Q2 Stadium — the match will be the first to be ever played at the new home ground of Austin FC — will be the sixth between both teams but the first in a friendly competition.

The US and Nigeria have met five times previously, all at global events – four times at the FIFA Women’s World Cup (1999, 2003, 2007, 2015) and once in the Olympics (2000).

Not surprisingly, the US won all of the matches, including a 7-1 humiliation in the group stages of the 1999 Women’s World Cup.

Incidentally, the Super Falcons took the lead just two minutes into that game before the Americans responded with five first-half goals and two in the second half.

The last time the two sides met was six years ago in the Women’s World Cup group stages when the USA won 1-0.

The World Cup clash in 2007 also ended 1-0 in favour of the USA.

While the Super Falcons have a mostly inexperienced and largely experimental squad available to their American head coach Randy Waldrum, the USA is overflowing with experience.

Four players in the USA’s current squad at the Summer Series featured in that 2015 World Cup win against Nigeria: Becky Sauerbrunn, Alex Morgan, Carli Lloyd and Megan Rapinoe.

Also, nine of the 23 players on the USA’s Summer Series roster have been to the Olympic Games, while 15 were members of the 2019 Women’s World Cup champions.

The Summer Series squad has 20 National Women’s Soccer League players and three from European clubs.

If the Super Falcons somehow avoid defeat to the Americans, they will become the first African team to do so.

The USWNT have a perfect record against African opposition, winning all seven of their matches against Nigeria (five) and South Africa (two).

The USWNT are coming into the match on the back of two victories in the Summer Series — a 1-0 win over Portugal and a 4-0 thrashing of Jamaica.

On the other hand, the Super Falcons lost their first match 1-0 to underdogs Jamaica before recovering from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 with Portugal.