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Post by Admin on Feb 28, 2019 18:00:20 GMT
Exactly 100 days until the Women's World Cup begins in France, Japan reminded the U.S. women that the margin that separates any two of the world's elite teams is small.  And by the time the final whistle blew Wednesday, there was no margin at all. Despite a dominant offensive performance, the U.S. women twice gave up one-goal leads and settled for a 2-2 draw against Japan when Yuka Momiki leveled the score in the first minute of stoppage time in their opening game in the SheBelieves Cup.  It marked the first time since Jill Ellis took over as coach in 2014 that an opponent erased two U.S. leads. "I wasn't disappointed in the players, wasn't disappointed in the performance," Ellis said. "Obviously disappointed in the result." From start to finish, the game was evidence of both how committed the U.S. women are to an attacking identity. And also how perilous that existence can be against quality opponents. Without injured Lindsey Horan, Ellis didn't attempt to make a like-for-like substitution in midfield. She instead started Mallory Pugh alongside Julie Ertz and Rose Lavelle. Relegated to coming off the bench on the front line behind Tobin Heath, Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe in recent months, Pugh in the midfield Wednesday made the United States as attacking-minded as it can be. |
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Post by Admin on Mar 2, 2019 17:47:44 GMT
The top-ranked U.S. Women's National Soccer Team is back on the field Saturday afternoon playing against number four England in Nashville, Tenn. The SheBelieves Cup also includes top-ten powerhouses Brazil and Japan. The U.S. and Japan played to a 2-2 tie on Wednesday.  While the U.S. is hoping for a better result today, the real focus is on preparations for June. That's when the Women's World Cup begins in France. The U.S. is heavily favored as the defending champion (and three-time winner of the event).  At a news conference on Friday, Coach Jill Ellis said these 'international friendly' games in the round-robin tournament are a good gauge to see where the team is strong and where it's not. "The most important piece is we're playing against world class teams before we get ready for the summer," Ellis said. "All of the experiences we take in now are massive in terms of having us be ready." Against Japan, the U.S. attacked repeatedly and controlled the game at key moments. But it gave up two late goals including the equalizer in the 91st minute when it appeared the U.S would finish with a victory. |
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Post by Admin on Mar 3, 2019 18:22:37 GMT
 Some surprising names will be on the field when the U.S. women's soccer team plays England: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, J.K. Rowling and Beyonce. Each American player has a different woman's name on the back of her jersey for Saturday's match in Nashville, Tennessee, part of the SheBelieves Cup. Defender Becky Sauerbrunn's jersey is featuring Ginsburg's name, while midfielder Rose Lavelle's and forward Mallory Pugh's jerseys have the names of Rowling and Beyonce, respectively.   |
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Post by Admin on Mar 4, 2019 18:26:08 GMT
 After a pair of 2-2 draws, vs. Japan on Feb. 27 and England on March 2 , the U.S. WNT will need some help to win the 2019 SheBelieves Cup. The USA has two points from the two draws and sits third in the standings behind first-place Japan and second-place England. Japan drew its first game of the tournament vs. the USA, 2-2, and then defeated Brazil, 3-1, and heads into the final match day on four points, the same as England, which defeated Brazil 2-1 in the first game and then tied the U.S., 2-2.  Japan currently is ahead of England on the first tie-breaker, goal difference at +2, while England is at +1. Nevertheless, the U.S. is still in the running to retain the tournament title it won last year but will need the England-Japan match to result in a tie, combined with a big win against Brazil, in order to claim its third SheBelieves Cup trophy. Brazil, after dropping its first two games, is out of contention for the tournament championship.  Here are the championship scenarios heading into the final SheBelieves Cup matchday on Tuesday, March 5 that will feature England taking on Japan (5 p.m. ET on ussoccer.com), and the USA facing Brazil (8 p.m. ET on FS1) at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. |
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Post by Admin on Mar 5, 2019 18:15:01 GMT
Japan's compactness and technical ability have made them the toughest team to face in the SheBelieves Cup, England women's coach Phil Neville said ahead of the tournament decider between the two sides later on Tuesday in Tampa. Japan and England are top of the standings after two games, tied on four points apiece, with the Asian side ahead on goal difference. Japan are ranked eighth in the world while England are fourth.  "I think it will be our toughest game. I think they've been the best team in the competition so far," Neville told reporters. "They've got a brilliant system, technical players and they've been a real surprise in terms of the quality. They were a team in the Tournament of Nations that I thought were a little bit wide open and looked like you could get at them. "But they've obviously been working really hard on the shape, the compactness. They're technical players that never give the ball away." England's players will certainly be familiar with their opposition as it was Japan who denied the Lionesses in the semi-finals of the 2015 World Cup, with the Asian side winning 2-1 in Edmonton, Canada.  |
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