Ball State University Athletics
Roberts to Coach against World Cup Champions
September 14, 2015 | Soccer
MUNCIE, Ind. -- An opening in the Ball State soccer schedule and an unforeseen player issue in Australia have afforded Cardinals coach Craig Roberts an opportunity to match wits with the World Cup Champions this week.
Roberts serves as an assistant with the Haiti Women's National Team, which will play an international friendly Thursday against the United States at Ford Field in Detroit. The game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. and be televised by Fox Sports 1.
Australia, the originally scheduled opponent for the U.S. team, pulled out late last week because of a player strike. Haiti was quickly selected as a replacement.
Haiti will be a heavy underdog entering Thursday's game, but Roberts is excited for the challenge.
“It's sort of a David and Goliath situation, but it's a tremendous opportunity to take on the best in the world,” Roberts said. “It's tremendous to be part of a national team coaching staff, to see the game at the highest level and to be able to share those experiences with our team at Ball State.”
Thursday's game is the first of two meetings over the next week between the teams. They will play again Sunday in Birmingham, Ala., but Roberts will miss that one. He will instead be with his Ball State team at Morehead State for its final non-conference game.
This will be Roberts' second time coaching against the USWNT. He was on the sidelines during a U.S. win over Haiti last fall in World Cup qualifying at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.
