PST: US women to face Canada before Olympics

U.S. Soccer announced Thursday that Canada will be the U.S. women?s national team?s opponent in June 30th?s pre-Olympics send-off match.

The game will be held at Rio Tinto Stadium (home of Real Salt Lake), kick off at 2:00 p.m. ET, and air live on NBC (note: that?s main network, not NBCSN).

The last time the ladies were in Utah was March 2010, where the USWNT got a 1-0 win over Mexico on snow smothered field. Memorably, the team broke into snow angles after Abby Wambach?s game-winner.

While Canada seems like a natural pick for a send-off match (a neighbor who should draw a decent crowd), there are some dangers. The matches between the U.S. and Canada can get a little testy, and after the rout they suffered in the final of CONCACAF Olympic qualifying, it wouldn?t be surprising to see Canada carry a bit of pride into their last pre-Olympics tune-up. It?s not like John Herman to start a team that won?t give 100 percent, and after losing the Cyprus Cup to France, Canada may need another litmus test against a favorite to gauge where they stand ahead of London.

In short: This may not be the smooth 90 a team needs heading into a big tournament.

Check out U.S. Soccer for more info, but send-off game or not, U.S. women versus Canada?s always worth a couple of hours of your time.

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