The US will head to France on a constructive word after successful its remaining World Cup sendoff recreation in convincing vogue with a 3-0 win over Mexico in New Jersey. ASN’s John Halloran is right here together with his report.
BY
John Halloran
Posted
Could 26, 2019
4:00 PM
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IN ITS LAST recreation earlier than the 2019 World Cup begins, the US ladies’s nationwide workforce downed Mexico 3-0 in Harrison, New Jersey.
Head coach Jill Ellis fielded a first-choice lineup within the match, with the one attainable departure being a begin for Sam Mewis over Lindsey Horan. Nevertheless, a number of retailers reported that the workforce and Ellis are managing Horan’s workload—as she comes off a latest thigh damage.
The Individuals began the competition shortly, creating quite a few probabilities early within the first half. Within the eleventh minute, they broke by for the opener when Tobin Heath picked off a sloppy cross out of the again, beat a defender, and tucked her effort properly into the facet netting.
Heath makes no mistake. #USAvMEX pic.twitter.com/SM59EnngIb
— Our Sport Journal (@OurGameMagazine) Could 26, 2019
Nevertheless, after that, the American assault—nonetheless creating loads of probabilities—failed so as to add to the scoreline. Within the twenty ninth minute, Crystal Dunn put a beautiful service in from the flank, however Alex Morgan couldn’t end it.
4 minutes after that, Rose Lavelle took a ball out of the air with a incredible contact and put Heath in on aim, however the winger couldn’t make her alternative rely. A minute later, Julie Ertz blocked a Mexican effort to arrange an American counterattack and Megan Rapinoe put Morgan in on a breakaway. Nevertheless, Mexican goalkeeper Cecilia Santiago made the cease on Morgan’s effort.
Rose Lavelle tho pic.twitter.com/6YjXPxOTeB
— Our Sport Journal (@OurGameMagazine) Could 26, 2019
Twice within the remaining minute of the half, Dunn had two extra probabilities to present the U.S. one other aim, however Santiago made two extra nice response saves to maintain each makes an attempt out of her internet. The groups went into the locker room on the half with the Individuals solely holding a 1-0 lead.
To start the second half, Ellis elected to make 5 substitutions and the new-fangled lineup appeared disjointed. Ellis additionally moved Heath to left again, an thought she additionally tried through the U.S.’ ill-fated run within the 2016 Olympics.
One of many subs on the half was Carli Lloyd, who made the biggest impression of the second-half replacements. Solely three minutes into the half, Horan discovered Lloyd in behind the Mexican backline and on their lonesome with Santiago. Lloyd rounded the netminder and bought off a shot on body, however a recovering defender managed to maintain the ball out of the web.
Ultimately, nonetheless, it was Lloyd once more who lastly added to the American lead. On the wing, Lloyd beat her defender to the endline and laid a fast cross right into a flurry of visitors in entrance of the web. Mallory Pugh appeared to get the ultimate contact because the ball ended up in Mexico’s aim.
Then, solely two minutes from time, Christen Press sealed the sport. Selecting up a free ball close to the highest of the 18, she introduced the ball over to her left foot and fired in a wonderfully positioned effort into the facet of the web.
General, the match proved to be unexpectedly shut. Mexico fielded a weakened and largely inexperienced lineup, whereas the U.S. trotted out a close to first-choice XI. Within the first half, Morgan and Heath missed a variety of probabilities and Heath uncharacteristically misfired on the overwhelming majority of her companies from the flank.
Within the second half, the Individuals’ mass substitutions created a lackluster assault that by no means fairly discovered its footing. The protection—which had performed fantastically, although largely untested—by the primary 45 minutes, even leaked a handful of half probabilities to the Mexican facet within the second stanza when the sport was nonetheless solely 1-0.
How it will have an effect on the workforce subsequent month in France, nonetheless, will most likely show negligible. The U.S. opens the event towards two relative minnows in Thailand and Chile and can seemingly haven’t any bother dispatching each with ease.
John D. Halloran is an American Soccer Now columnist. Observe him on Twitter.
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