Think women’s sports in America is failing to gain traction? Think again.
On a frigid Saturday evening at Red Bull Arena, the US Women’s National Team faced England for the second annual She Believes Cup, pitting the top soccer nations in the Women’s sporting world against each other. After having previously claimed victory against Germany, the US sought to continue their winning ways against England who themselves struggled against France. Saturday’s match set a new high-attendance record for the competition at 26,500; a sold-out crowd at Red Bull Arena.
Coming out of the gate early on, England took the pressure to the United States to force turnovers in the US’s final third. Yet it would be the US who would look dangerous in the first inklings of the match as they employed a counter-attacking style of play, facilitated by coach Jill Ellis’ recently favored 3-5-2 formation. Having received her first cap for the national team, midfielder Rose Lavelle showed flashes of brilliance cutting into the English box early on.
With the luxury of three dedicated central defenders, the United States looked comfortable when out of possession given the deadly triple threat of England’s Toni Duggan, Karen Carney, and Nikita Parris. Notable strong showings and well timed tackles from US center backs Julie Johnston and Ali Krieger limited England’s service into the box, as they failed to connect with Carney.
US forward Mallory Pugh partnering with fan favorite Alex Morgan up top, provided much of the service into the box early on, launching crosses into the English box who neither Morgan nor captain Carli Lloyd could connect. Despite a successful tenure with the United States during the last Women’s World Cup push, neither Morgan nor Lloyd seemed comfortable in front of goal.
After an unremarkable first half, England would quickly ratchet up the pace of their game in the second half. Midfielder Jordan Nobbs would draw a free kick and deliver a dangerous ball into the US box, prompting a save from goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris who remained wholly untroubled during the game’s first half.
In the dying embers of a cheeky match which saw both sides struggle to put a goal past each other, England would shatter United States hearts. Last minute lapses in concentration with their backs to the wall, the United States would see an English shot hit the cross bar and fall to the feet of forward Ellen White who blasted it past Harris to give England the only goal of the game.
In a post-game press conference, US coach Jill Ellis remained positive despite the heartbreaking defeat. Ellis acknowledged the standout performance of Rose Lavelle who earned her first cap for the United States Saturday, stating she settled into the game quickly and proved to be “one of the best players in the park” operating on the flank. In rounding out the overall US flaws, Ellis pointed to Lloyd’s need to shift back into defense as perhaps one of the key facets limiting the United States’ attacking threats. Despite the defeat, there is much to look forward to for the USWNT notably with the development of Lavelle.
The She Believes Cup concludes on Tuesday March 7th, when the United States plays France in the final match of the competition. France currently sits atop the standings with four points while England and the United States share three points, leaving Germany in dead last.
Scoring Summary:
89′ England: White
Disciplinary Summary:
68′ US: Lloyd, yellow
Starting Lineups:
USA: Harris, Becky Sauerbrunn, Johnston, Krieger, Dunn (64′ Williams), Mewis (76′ Long), Horan (77′ Brian), Lavelle, Lloyd (C) (76′ Heath), Pugh, Morgan (63′ Press)
England: Chamberlain, Stokes, Bronze, Houghton (C), Nobbs (90’+3 Moore), Christiansen (90′ Bright), Bassett, Williams, Duggan (76′ White), Carney (63′ Scott), Parris (77′ Taylor)
USWNT
Photo Recaps
