Ticket Sales Surge Past 30,000 Mark as Pittsburgh Gets Set to Host World Cup Champs

CHICAGO (July 7, 2015) – More than 30,000 tickets have been sold for the U.S. Women’s National Team’s first post-Women’s World Cup match against Costa Rica on Sunday, Aug. 16, at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Following the U.S. WNT’s historic Women’s World Cup victory on July 5, ticket sales increased rapidly, forcing the upper level stands of Heinz Field, home of the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers, to be opened in order to accommodate the large number of fans  wanting to see the World Cup Champions live. The game will kick off at 1:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1. Tickets are still available. (TICKETS)

The return to Pittsburgh will be a homecoming of sorts for U.S. defender Meghan Klingenberg, who hails from nearby Gibsonia. Klingenberg was one of five players who played every minute during the USA’s run to the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup title, as well as part of the backline that shut down opponents for 540 consecutive minutes, the second-best streak in WWC history. Over the course of seven games, the U.S. Women only allowed three goals.

The WNT’s match in Pittsburgh marks the team’s second visit to Heinz Field, after defeating Iceland there by a 3-0 score in 2004, following the USA’s Olympic gold medal run in Greece. The USA has played 15 times previously in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Three days after facing Costa Rica in Pittsburgh, the World Cup Champs will play a second friendly against its CONCACAF rival in front of over 20,000 fans at Finley Stadium on Wednesday, Aug. 19 in Chattanooga, Tennessee (6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2). Tickets for that match are sold out, with the number setting a WNT attendance record in the state.