Harder Stadium Makes History as USWNT Returns to Santa Barbara After 34 Years

Harder Stadium at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) made history on January 27, 2026, as the U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) returned to Santa Barbara after 34 years to defeat Chile. 

The USWNT delivered a strong performance, defeating Chile 5-0. 

The match also marked the team’s first international match on California’s Central Coast, with three players, midfielder Croix Bethune, forward Jameese Joseph and defender Emily Sams, scoring their first international goals, according to U.S. Soccer.

The match was also the second-ever in California to be played north of Los Angeles and south of the San Francisco Bay Area. 

The match also saw Sams stepping in as captain for the first time, after forward Trinity Rodman and midfielder Claire Hutton each captained the team for the first time in their international careers on Saturday. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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For Santa Barbara, the game was more than a resounding victory for one of the best international women’s soccer teams. Harder Stadium hosted an international opponent for the first time in its history.

The international friendly match was played before a sold-out crowd to end the team’s January camp, reinforcing the region’s strong support for the game and its ability to host major sporting events. 

The last time the USWNT played at Harder Stadium was in 1991, when the team played exhibition matches during preparations for the first FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The international team held a training camp at the stadium in fall 1991 before leaving for the 1991 FIFA Women’s World Cup in China. 

USWNT also held training camps in Santa Barbara in March 2019 before participating in a series of friendly matches in April, as well as in late June-early July of 2023, ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. 

The team trained at Harder Stadium in 2019 and also at Westmont College in Montecito in 2023. 

Ranked 45th in the world and fifth in South America, Chile had played the U.S. three times prior to this match. The first two meetings were a pair of friendly matches in California in 2018.

Harder Stadium is an iconic, 17,000-seat outdoor stadium located on the campus of UCSB. The venue currently serves as the home of UCSB’s men and women’s soccer and has previously hosted several prestigious events, including the NCAA College Cup in 2010 and 2018.

Before the January 27, 2026, game, the U.S. last played against Chile during group play at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Paris, which the U.S. won 3-0.