Strong US side

The Republic of Ireland women's football squad leaves today for Boston where they will be the first team to play the United States since the Americans won the recent World Cup.

The match will be played at the Foxboro Stadium on Saturday afternoon (9.30 Irish time) and will be followed immediately afterwards by a Major League Soccer match between New England Revolution and Tampa Bay. Given the huge attendances and television audiences for the World Cup it is the women's match, which will be broadcast live on American television, that is likely to prove by far the greater attraction.

Team manager Mick Cooke described the prospect of facing the Americans as "daunting", particularly because contractual obligations arising out of the arrangements for the World Cup oblige the US management to field a strong team.

"The hype over there seems to be phenomenal," he said. For the Americans, who expect a full house at Foxboro, the match is an opportunity to fulfill a commitment given to play in each of the five World Cup venues in which they did not play during the competition itself. The decision to extend an invitation to the FAI to provide the opposition in Boston is hardly a coincidence.

The Irish, meanwhile, will be using the game as preparation for their forthcoming European Championship qualifiers against Scotland and the Czech Republic (both away) as well as Croatia at home.

Ireland Squad: Emma Byrne (St Patrick's Athletic), Emma Merigan (St Brendan's), Rosie Power (WSV, Germany), Paula O'Neill (Shamrock Rovers) Yvonne Tracy (Lifford), Abbey Walsh (Millwall Lionesses), Dolores Deasy (Letterkenny Rovers), Carol Conlon (Arsenal), Ciara Grant (Arsenal), Holly Pearce (Minnesota), Sylvia Gee (Benfica/U.L.), Margaret Saurin (Shamrock Rovers), Susan Heapes (St Catherine's), Grainne Kierans (Fortuna), Emma Kilduff (Maynooth), Claire Scanlon (Alabama), Niamh Connolly (Bealnamulla), Ger O'Shea (Listowel), Sonya Maher (Boston).