Not only is the City defender likely to make history as part of the Stars and Stripes squad which will compete in the Q2 Stadium’s first match, the encounter will also mark the first time she will play in front of her husband since the pair married.
Dahlkemper wed Aaron Schoenfeld in early January before joining City and making the move to Manchester at the end of the month, meaning the newlyweds have been apart for most of their married life.
Also a soccer player, Schoenfeld actually plays for Austin FC and will see his wife in action in person for the first time since her switch, as the USWNT officially open the new stadium, which will house the men’s Austin team.
The scheduling means Dahlkemper will grace the ‘putting green’ turf before her husband – and she cannot wait.
“I think everyone at Austin FC is jealous!” Dahlkemper smiled.
“I know the guys are opening it up this weekend. They’ve had a long, hard road game and they’re excited to be home.
“They will be in attendance tomorrow, bringing their children – boys and girls – and their spouses as well.
“It’s going to be really fun. It will be an honour to play in front of Aaron and break in the Q2. I’m really excited.
“The buzz around the town is so exciting, I see hats, flags, jerseys everywhere…
“The fans in Houston were amazing – it was electric and I’m definitely expecting the same from Austin.”
The final Summer Series encounter marks the United States’ last game before Head Coach Vlatko Andonovski names their 18-player Olympic squad.
Dahlkemper, who gained the most minutes for her country in 2019 and 2020 and kept her seventh successive clean sheet in the 4-0 win over Jamaica, will be hoping to be included – and highlighted the significance of these warm-up games in preparation for Tokyo.
“These games are important for us,” she added. “We’re focusing on one game at a time – the game against Nigeria and then the send-off series.
“Nigeria is a really quality side. For the backline, we need to be able to pay attention to their speed and physicality.
“They have very dangerous attackers and so it’s going to be really important for us to be turned on for the 90 minutes and be ready for the transition, wanting to go direct and behind early.
“We have a very big task ahead of us but hopefully, we can get the job done and finish off a successful Summer Series.
“We’re trying to take every protocol necessary to be safe, to be able to go to Tokyo, compete and win gold.
“Focusing on things we can control is the most important thing. We’ll be ready when the time comes.”
