Carli Lloyd scored her second objective of the event and Hope Solo confirmed why she is taken into account the very best goalkeeper on the earth because the U.S. girls’s nationwide group defeated France 1-0 in Brazil.
BY
John D. Halloran
Posted
August 07, 2016
7:50 AM
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THE UNITED STATES girls’s nationwide group earned one other three factors in Olympic group play on Saturday, slipping previous France 1-0 in Belo Horizonte.
For a lot of the first half, Les Bleues appeared the extra harmful aspect and broke via the U.S. protection on a number of events. Nevertheless, Hope Solo managed to maintain France off the scoreboard with a number of glorious saves within the first 45 minutes.
Within the second stanza, the People got here out with a higher sense of urgency and commenced to search out some seams within the French protection. Then, within the 63rd minute, the U.S. lastly discovered the breakthrough. Morgan Brian picked up a unfastened ball on the high of the field and slotted Tobin Heath in on objective. Heath’s shot ricocheted off the close to submit and in entrance of internet the place Carli Lloyd knocked residence the rebound for the game-winning objective.
GOAL USA! Carli Lloyd. 1-0 USWNT. #USAvFRA https://t.co/oLaZ6KV9DQ
— Ben Jata (@Ben_Jata) August 6, 2016
Listed here are three ideas on the match.
HOPE SOLO GOT IT DONE
Solo earned her two hundredth cap for the U.S. on Saturday and with out her work within the internet, the People couldn’t have received the competition. The goalkeeper repeatedly saved the French at bay over 90 minutes, together with two point-blank stops within the first half and a diving effort to parrying away a headed effort within the 77th minute. She additionally punched away a collection of crosses late within the match as France laid siege to the U.S. objective seeking the equalizer.
In Friday’s pre-match briefing, left again Meghan Klingenberg presciently instructed the media: Solo “makes big saves when we need her to. When sh** hits the fan and we break down at the end, she makes big saves.”
AMERICAN DEPTH PAYS OFF
With an ultra-compressed schedule of six video games in 17 days, successful the Olympic soccer event is actually no simple activity. Additional complicating issues, rosters are restricted to 18 gamers—5 fewer than within the World Cup—which implies that group depth is sort of all the time a key issue.
On Saturday, minor accidents to Julie Johnston (groin soreness) and Mallory Pugh (bruise) known as the People’ depth into query in solely the second recreation of the event.
Crystal Dunn changed Pugh on the wing, whereas Whitney Engen changed Johnston at heart again. Dunn’s current run of type made the change out large no drawback in any respect, however various U.S. followers expressed reservations about whether or not or not Engen might get the job executed within the again.
Engen hadn’t began a recreation for the People since March 9 and up till the ultimate weeks earlier than the Olympics, most observers anticipated Emily Sonnett and never Engen to be the group’s back-up possibility at heart again.
Nevertheless, Engen repaid her supervisor’s religion within the choice on Saturday and made a virtually seamless transition into the backline. Whereas France actually did earn some open seems to be on the U.S. internet, none of these alternatives resulted from Engen errors.
Persistently underrated, Engen has all the time performed nicely for the U.S. when wanted, together with begins in wins in opposition to England and Germany over the previous two years. Most additionally overlook {that a} collection of robust performances early in 2015 appeared to have Engen working her method into the group as a constant starter.
Nevertheless, on the 2015 Algarve Cup, Engen suffered a poorly timed hamstring damage that allowed Johnston to slide into the lineup and take her place within the first XI. Johnston performed nicely in that event, successful the job on a everlasting foundation and went on to play a starring function for the U.S. ultimately summer season’s World Cup.
WHAT’S NEXT?
With two video games down in group play, the U.S. subsequent heads to Manaus to tackle an always-feisty Colombian aspect on Tuesday. The match ought to present head coach Jill Ellis with a possibility to rotate her squad forward of the knockout spherical, particularly necessary contemplating Manaus’ status for sapping group’s energy within the 2014 males’s World Cup.
Two modifications Ellis might contemplate are at left again and within the heart of midfield. Meghan Klingenberg struggled in opposition to France’s tempo down her aspect, permitting a lot of harmful crosses into the realm. That efficiency, mixed with the U.S.’ glorious depth at exterior again, ought to be used to fit Ali Krieger into the beginning XI on the best aspect of the protection and slide Kelley O’Hara over to the left.
Tuesday’s recreation can be a possibility to get Lindsey Horan again into the beginning XI for both Morgan Brian or Allie Lengthy. Brian had arguably the worst efficiency of her profession on Saturday, disappearing for lengthy stretches and making little noticeable affect on the competition. Lengthy, for her half, earned Girl of the Match honors and distributed the ball nicely all through the sport. Nevertheless, Lengthy did poorly on her marking obligations and allowed French defender Wendie Renard to slide previous her on a number of set-piece alternatives.
With Saturday’s win, the U.S. improved to 16-0-1 in 2016. The group’s match in opposition to Colombia kicks off at 6pm ET and shall be broadcast on NBCSN.
