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Northern Colorado stars Sophia Smith, Jaelin Howell to play with U.S. National team in Colorado

kevin lytle, fort collins coloradoan
·2 min read

They grew up in Northern Colorado.

Now, they'll get a chance to represent their home state with the national team.

Soccer stars Sophia Smith and Jaelin Howell will be on the U.S. Women's National team roster for a June 25 (5:30 p.m., FS1) friendly against Colombia at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City.

Here's a look at what to know about the game and how to get tickets.

Tickets going fast and for a price

The game is expected to be a sellout in the 18,000-seat stadium.

Portland Thorns FC forward Sophia Smith (9) celebrates her goal scored against the Washington Spirit during the second half at Providence Park.
Portland Thorns FC forward Sophia Smith (9) celebrates her goal scored against the Washington Spirit during the second half at Providence Park.

Tickets are available on various sites, but for a hefty price. The cheapest available seats via Ticketmaster re-sale are $170, but there are also standing-room only tickets for $77 and bleacher seats for $111. The cheapest tickets tickets available on StubHub are $149 a piece, with standing-room only at $76. On SeatGeek the most inexpensive option is $140 a piece. VividSeats has the cheapest option at $131, with standing-room only at $73 and bleacher seats at $105. (Prices as of Thursday afternoon, June 23.)

Those prices have come down as game day approaches as early on most sites had them in the $300 and up range.

Smith, Howell part of large Colorado group

Smith and Howell played on youth club teams together and briefly on the same Fossil Ridge High School team growing up.

They were both part of Youth National Team setups at an early age, starred on national championship teams in college, were picked high in the NWSL draft and are now professionals.

The 21-year-old Smith was the No. 1 pick of the 2020 NWSL draft by Portland after leading Stanford to the 2019 College Cup championship. The speedy forward is a fixture on the national team now, making 15 appearances and scoring four goals.

Resilient: How Sophia Smith recovered from devastating injury to regain form

Smith is part of the 23-player squad who will travel to Mexico for the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship in July with qualifying for the 2023 World Cup and 2024 Olympics at stake.

Howell didn't make the squad for the CONCACAF Championship, but is one of three additions to the June friendly matches. The 22-year-old midfielder was the No. 2 pick in the 2022 NWSL draft by Louisville.

She's a two-time winner of the Hermann Trophy, given to the top college soccer player and won two national titles with Florida State.

Racing Louisville FC midfielder Jaelin Howell (6) kicks the ball past North Carolina Courage in the first half at Lynn Family Stadium.
Racing Louisville FC midfielder Jaelin Howell (6) kicks the ball past North Carolina Courage in the first half at Lynn Family Stadium.

Smith and Howell are part of a large Colorado contingent on the roster.

Midfielder Lindsey Horan is from Golden, forward Mallory Pugh is from Highlands Ranch and both Smith and Howell hail from Windsor. Additionally, midfielder Taylor Kornieck played college soccer at the University of Colorado.

Follow Kevin Lytle at twitter.com/Kevin_Lytle and at facebook.com/KevinSLytle. Coloradoan sports can also be followed on Twitter. Support his work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: USWNT soccer roster vs. Colombia in Denver to feature Colorado natives