Wisconsin Soccer Central

Shannon Smyth (Mequon/Milwaukee DSHA) is back in her homeland for two big matches.

Smyth and the Republic of Ireland will face the U.S. women's national team on Wednesday night in Portland, Ore., and again Saturday in Glendale, Ariz.

The 25-year-old Smyth, a midfielder-forward who plays professionally for Amazon Grimstad FK in Norway's Toppserien, was born in Milwaukee but has dual citizenship because her father, Brendan, hails from Ireland. She's been a regular for the Irish national team the past two years and has 16 career caps.

Ireland was 34th in the latest FIFA World Rankings and was eliminated from UEFA 2013 European Women's Championship qualifying in June. Facing the U.S. will be a daunting task for Smyth and her teammates. The Americans have won all eight meetings between the sides, outscoring the Irish 34-1 in the process.

Interim coach Jill Ellis will lead the U.S., which is ranked first in the world and is on its "Fan Tribute Tour" following its gold-medal performance at the London Olympics over the summer. Tom Sermanni will take over the American team on Jan. 1, once he's completed his duties with the Australian national team.

Wednesday's game kicks off at 9 p.m. and Saturday's match starts at 8:30 p.m.; both games will be televised live on Fox Soccer Channel.