Christen Press, Julie Ertz, Lynn Williams, and Allie Lengthy additionally scored as the US ladies’s nationwide crew dominated South Korea, 6-0, in a pleasant in Cary, North Carolina.
BY
John D. Halloran
Posted
October 22, 2017
3:00 PM
SHARE THIS STORY
THE UNITED STATES ladies’s nationwide crew wrapped up its two-game sequence in opposition to South Korea on Sunday with a 6-0 victory in Cary, North Carolina.
Sam Mewis, who performs her membership ball for the North Carolina Braveness, scored twice in entrance of her residence followers within the first half. Her first tally got here within the third minute when she smashed residence a strong header off an Abby Dahlkemper nook kick. Then, within the twentieth minute, she picked up one other when South Korean goalkeeper Kang Gaae may solely parry away a Lindsey Horan service into the world. Mewis, lurking close to the penalty spot, made no mistake with the rebound alternative and doubled the Individuals lead.
Christen Press added a 3rd objective for the U.S. within the thirty fifth minute. Whereas Press struggled to get entangled for a lot of the half, she made essentially the most of her probability, choosing up a move from Alex Morgan exterior the field and curling a 20-yard effort into the higher 90.
— U.S. Soccer WNT (@ussoccer_wnt) October 22, 2017
The floodgates open, Julie Ertz added one other objective simply earlier than the half on one other U.S. nook kick—her fifth tally within the final six video games. Within the second stanza, Lynn Williams and Allie Lengthy additionally discovered the again of the online to spherical out the great win.
The match marked the sixth straight win for the Individuals since implementing a 4-3-3, a formation they’ve regarded more and more comfy in. The assault, now not bereft of concepts, pressured the ball excessive, received again possession shortly, strung collectively tight passing mixtures within the midfield, and capitalized on its set items. The successful streak has additionally come amid a strong slate of video games as head coach Jill Ellis and U.S. Soccer have more and more strengthened the American schedule. Within the final six video games, the U.S. has crushed No. 8 Japan, No. 9 Brazil, No. 15 South Korea (twice), and No. 19 New Zealand (twice).
U.S. followers needs to be joyful to see Williams tally on Sunday. The striker noticed a little bit of a dip in goal-scoring type in 2017, choosing up 9 targets for her membership this season after successful the Nationwide Girls’s Soccer League’s Golden Boot in 2016. Williams troubled South Korea in each October friendlies, repeatedly getting in behind and forcing its backline into errors together with her excessive urgent.
Nevertheless, in each contests, Williams additionally struggled with the technical facet of the sport, losing quite a few possibilities via each poor touches and poor selections. The ahead possesses world-class pace and is usually a actual asset for the Individuals however she must be extra environment friendly within the attacking third together with her possibilities to compete for minutes on a full-strength U.S. squad.
Sunday’s match in opposition to South Korea additionally represented various firsts for the Stars and Stripes. Sofia Huerta earned her first begin for the U.S. and McCall Zerboni earned her first cap.
Huerta now has three appearances with the U.S., and whereas she usually performs as a ahead and winger for her membership, she has performed each sport with the Individuals at proper again. Towards South Korea, Huerta fashioned a powerful mixture with Williams on the correct flank and repeatedly overlapped into the assault to offer service within the attacking third.
So far, Huerta has performed effectively for the U.S., however has seen nearly all of her motion within the attacking phases of play. She has but to be actually examined in her defensive duties within the new place.
Zerboni, 30, grew to become the oldest participant to earn a primary cap with the U.S. The North Carolina Braveness midfielder is a uncommon breed in ladies’s soccer—she has managed to take care of a prolonged skilled profession and not using a nationwide crew contract and has hit profession type later in her profession than the overwhelming majority of gamers.
This season Zerboni earned NWSL Greatest XI honors and helped lead her crew to a second consecutive championship sport. Whereas not referred to as into camp as a part of the unique roster, Ellis introduced her in for late cowl when Mallory Pugh left the crew after struggling a hamstring damage in Thursday’s pleasant and Andi Sullivan returned to Stanford.
The U.S. subsequent performs fifth-ranked Canada on November 9 in Vancouver.