In a rematch of the 2012 U-20 girls’s World Cup ultimate, Germany defeated the USA final evening in Edmonton, 2-0, to take an early lead in Group B.
BY
John D. Halloran
Posted
August 06, 2014
11:50 AM
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THE UNITED STATES U-20 girls’s nationwide crew opened up its World Cup marketing campaign in Edmonton Tuesday evening, dropping 2-0 to Germany within the first recreation of group play. It was a back-and-forth match filled with probabilities for each side.
Lena Petermann and Theresa Panfil scored second-half objectives for Germany, lifting the 2012 World Cup runners as much as the highest of the standings in Group B.
The loss will put the U.S. within the place of needing outcomes in opposition to its subsequent two group-stage opponents, Brazil (10 p.m. ET; ESPNU) and China. Listed below are 4 ideas on the match.
Katelyn Rowland Was All Over the Place
UCLA junior Katelyn Rowland made a sequence of improbable saves Tuesday evening….matched solely by plenty of equally unhealthy errors.
All through the match, the goalkeeper got here off her line nicely to scoop up balls excessive, punch away companies into the world, and make plenty of point-blank saves.
Nevertheless, she additionally made plenty of critical errors, together with two large ones within the first half. On one, she misjudged a ball excessive and, caught outdoors of the 18, was compelled to go the ball out of hazard. On one other, she got here off her line to punch away a service and missed, and defender Katie Naughton was compelled right into a sliding clearance on the objective line to maintain the ball out of the online.
Early within the second half, Rowland got here out on a ball excessive and missed it fully. By some means, Germany didn’t capitalize on the prospect, hitting the put up because the American defenders frantically fell onto the objective line to guard the U.S.’s open internet.
Nonetheless, Rowland was sturdy for a lot of the match and had plenty of strong saves, retaining the sport degree till the sixty fifth minute and shut at 1-0 till Germany notched its second objective within the ninetieth minute. However going ahead into the event, she’ll additionally should be rather more constant.
Rose Lavelle is One to Watch
One of many few Individuals who persistently impressed Tuesday evening was Wisconsin sophomore Rose Lavelle. Enjoying as one of many U.S.’s holding midfielders, Lavelle was part of almost each productive assault the Individuals mustered.
Her composure on the ball and technical high quality had been spectacular, as was her capacity to see the sphere, change the purpose of assault, and pry open the German protection along with her pinpoint passes.
Though the U.S. senior girls’s crew is well-stocked with high quality heart midfielders, Lavelle may make a push to play with the total nationwide crew sooner fairly than later.
The Attacking Was Missing
Whereas Lindsey Horan was strong up high because the U.S.’s heart ahead, she obtained little in the way in which of assist and didn’t end the probabilities she had. Whereas Horan held the ball up notably nicely and was sturdy within the air, she didn’t capitalize on an opportunity she created within the 53rd minute when she cut up two defenders within the field. She additionally missed a wide-open header on a set piece within the 71st minute.
Horan’s attacking companions additionally must do rather more to assist her. Whereas midfielder Mallory Pugh did present some promising attacking runs, she didn’t produce sufficient within the ultimate third. Broad forwards Savannah Jordan and Margaret Purce, in addition to second-half substitutes Summer time Inexperienced and Makenzy Doniak, additionally didn’t do sufficient to interrupt down the German protection.
The U.S. Protection Was Shaky
The U.S. again line struggled from begin to end. Left again Brittany Basinger regarded fully out of her factor as assault after assault was launched by the Germans down her facet of the sphere. Heart again Katie Naughton additionally struggled at instances, giving the ball away twice within the defensive third—each of which resulted in harmful German probabilities.
Cari Roccaro, who was part of the U.S.’s U-20 crew that received the World Cup in 2012 and who’s captaining the facet this time round, struggled with the German’s tempo up high and will have carried out higher on each objectives the U.S. gave up.
Holding midfielder Andi Sullivan added little to the sport and gave the ball away repeatedly, together with on the play that resulted within the opening objective for Germany. Equally, neither of the U.S.’s outdoors backs contributed a lot on the offensive finish, which restricted the U.S.’s width within the assault.
John D. Halloran is an American Soccer Now columnist. Observe him on Twitter.
