The United States women’s national team will begin their 2019 schedule by playing France away in Le Havre.

This is a good matchup - not only is France one of the teams promising to be a top contender at the World Cup, but the game itself will be in one of the tournament’s host cities, starting the build toward the event itself.

“They are a top team, in the middle of their domestic league, and playing on home soil, so this is the type of experience we need to be ready for the World Cup in 2019,” said head coach Jill Ellis via US Soccer press release.

As is customary, the USWNT will play two games during their window abroad, although their second opponent has not yet been announced. There are plenty of already-qualified European teams who would make great warmup games, including England, Germany, Spain, and Sweden. These games are all part of their annual January training camp, this time to be held abroad in preparation for the World Cup, instead of at their usual home base in southern California.

This is a nice, tasty matchup to whet the appetite for the main course this summer. What do you want to see out of this game, besides a win? Are there any players you think should get one last shot at a callup before the roster sets? Let us know in the comments below.

USA vs France

Saturday, January 19

2:30 PM ET / 11:30 AM PT

FS1