USWNT Finally Looks the Part in Women’s World Cup Quarterfinal Win over China

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: June 27, 2015

commentComment        

Carli Lloyd headed in a goal in her 200th international appearance as the United States advanced to the FIFA Women's World Cup semifinals with a 1-0 victory over China on Friday night in Ottawa. 

The result sets up a highly anticipated clash between the world's top two teams on Tuesday in Montreal. And after turning in a confident, composed display against China, the U.S. finally looks capable of beating top-ranked Germany.

That's not to say it will definitely happen. Even after playing 120 grueling minutes against France and going through the extreme stress of a penalty shootout, Germany will represent by far the most formidable opposition the U.S. has faced in Canada. But if coach Jill Ellis learns the lessons of the China game, the Americans could cause Germany problems.

Lloyd noted the unified team effort in defeating China (via Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl): 



If so, it will start with midfield. With Megan Rapinoe and Lauren Holiday suspended because of accumulated yellow cards, Ellis drafted Morgan Brian and Kelley O'Hara into her starting lineup. Brian partnered Lloyd in central midfield, and O'Hara played on the right, sending Tobin Heath to Rapinoe's favored left-sided role.

The changes worked very well on nearly all conceivable levels. Most importantly, Brian played a deeper, more defensive role than Holiday, freeing Lloyd to attack without saddling her with too much defensive responsibility. Defense is not Lloyd's best attribute anyway, so it was little surprise that Brian's disciplined defensive work gave the U.S. midfield more balance than at any previous point in the World Cup.

Lloyd and Brian are teammates with the Houston Dash in the National Women's Soccer League. Their understanding was key to the Americans' success Friday night, as Graham Hays noted at espnW.com:

With Lloyd and Holiday next to each other, it felt like the roles of the...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!