U.S. women’s team to play January soccer friendly vs. Ireland in San Diego

The World Cup champion U.S. women’s soccer team will play Ireland in a Jan. 23 friendly at San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium in its only public 2016 tune-up for February’s Olympic qualifying tournament.

The two teams will also play a Jan. 25 game behind closed doors.

The U.S., winner of the last three Olympic finals, would become the first women’s team in history to win a World Cup and an Olympic title in consecutive years if it strikes gold again in Rio de Janeiro next summer.

Tickets for the match will go on sale Dec. 10 at 10 a.m. PST at ussoccer.com, by phone at (800) 745-3000 and at all Ticketmaster ticket centers in the San Diego area.

The game will follow the team’s winter training camp in Southern California. The eight-team Olympic qualifier will be played Feb. 10-21 in Texas.

“It will be great to finish our preparation camp in January with an international match,” U.S. Coach Jill Ellis said. “The game against Ireland will give us an opportunity to fine-tune before we begin our quest in February to earn a berth to Rio.”