NWSL & Sky Blue Home Opener Announced

The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) announced yesterday the schedule of home openers for the 2015 regular season. Sky Blue FC will first look to extend its franchise record five-match winning streak when it travels to defending NWSL Champions FC Kansas City to kick off the regular season in Week 1, with the date and time to be announced. The New Jersey side will then make its home debut at Yurcak Field the following weekend on Saturday, April 18th, hosting the Houston Dash.

"With this announcement, we can now put more emphasis on these games," Sky Blue FC head coach and technical director Jim Gabarra stated. "Knowing these dates helps to solidify some things in terms of planning, not only for the opponent but also for the surface."

Sky Blue FC will be playing its sixth professional season this year at Yurcak Field, which is located on the campus of Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey. The team will play a 20-match split of 10 home and away games in 2015, with the NWSL taking a brief two-week break during the group stages of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada.

"With the announcement of our regular season and home openers, the 2015 preseason is officially underway," Sky Blue FC President and General Manager Tony Novo remarked. "This coming Friday at the NWSL College Draft, we will have a better image of what our 2015 roster will look like, so all of our focus is now geared towards making sure that this season is as successful as possible. It is certainly a very exciting time to be a fan of the women’s game and New Jersey’s professional franchise."

The 2015 regular season will conclude in the middle of September and be followed by the league playoffs, which kicks off with two semifinal matches on the weekend of September 12-13th. The 2015 NWSL Championship Game will then be played on the weekend of September 26-27th to avoid potential FIFA dates.