USA v Republic of Ireland: All you need to know

WOMEN'S INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY

Saturday, 8 April

USA v Republic of Ireland, Austin, 7.30pm (Irish time)

TV

Watch live coverage from 7pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.

ONLINE

Follow the action on our live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app.

WEATHER

Temperatures will peak at 19C with low cloud and sunny spells. The thunderstorms of previous days are forecast to be a factor.

IRELAND TREND OF TAKING ON BIG HITTERS

One of the strategies that paid off for Ireland in the run towards the successful World Cup qualification campaign was the deliberate decision to take on higher-ranked opponents in build-up friendlies.

Defeats against Denmark, Iceland (twice) and Belgium in the first half of 2021 could have proved demoralising, especially coming off the back of the petering out of the European Championship qualifiers.

A win over Australia that September was a first sign that the Ireland side were stepping up a level and so it proved during the qualifiers as history was made with the experience of taking on tougher opponents adding an extra layer of resilience and cohesion.

The same approach is being followed for the build-up to the World Cup itself. In February, they took on perennial qualifiers and world number 13-ranked China in Spain, coming away from that with a creditable 0-0 draw.

But it won't get tougher than two games against the side ranked number one on the planet by FIFA, starting with Saturday's match in Austin before a second fixture in Missourri.

Given the calibre of the opposition, a chastening result is a possibility but Ireland manager Vera Pauw is undaunted.

"When you need to get to a certain point you have to take risks of failure because otherwise you'll not get ready. You have to pull yourself out of your comfort