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Lloyd records hat trick, USWNT cruises past Ireland

Soccer: Post WWC Tour-Haiti at USA

Although legendary forward Abby Wambach has long since retired and Megan Rapinoe is on the road to recovery following a brutal ACL injury, the U.S. Women’s National Team kicked off its 2016 campaign in style.

Last year’s World Cup hero and FIFA Ballon d’Or award winner Carli Lloyd paced the Americans on Saturday, recording a first-half hat trick against Ireland. The U.S. veteran was subbed off at halftime.

Alex Morgan, who is expected to shoulder more of the team’s attacking load without Wambach, added a fourth goal for the USWNT leading up to the halftime interval.

The U.S. went on to win the match 5-0 after Mallory Pugh headed home a close-range Christen Press cross in the 83rd minute.

Jill Ellis’ side will return to the field on Feb. 10, when the Americans begin its CONCACAF qualification process for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The U.S. Women will face Costa Rica, Mexico and Puerto Rico in the group stage, and the final two teams will advance to the Olympics.

What did you think of the team’s win? Will the U.S. Women win the 2016 Olympic Games?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. It was 5-0 BTW and a hat trick is a hat trick. You can’t blame Carli for whomever gets put in front of her, but you can commend her for not losing focus against lesser competition.

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  2. I support the USWNT but have a hard time watching their games when 90% of them are like this. There are fewer that 10 legitimately good women’s teams in the world on the international level. It’s difficult to keep interest when the only entertaining games are during the Olympics or World Cup

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  3. It’s going to be real interesting to see if Ellis has the stones to finally drop Leroux…she just doesn’t have a place via form, injury and if the USWNT is really distancing itself from route 1 soccer, their style of play.

    Morgan similarly, falls into that category as well. She brings a little bit more to the overall attack than Leroux, but she’s a one-footed player (the female Robben), her finishing touch has absolutely deserted her, and right now, the only thing that keeps her viable as a starter is the “threat of Alex Morgan,” teams still have to fear a “return to form.”

    I just don’t know if that’s coming with the new wave of talent coming in, especially with players like Horan, who’s spent the last couple seasons getting seasoned in the European school of play, out there. That’s to say nothing of Press, who is clearly the team’s most overall talented striker.

    Speed is great, but if the USWNT is truly getting away from route 1 soccer and the days of hoofing it over the top and letting AM run onto it, round the ‘keeper and score, then they need to play the type of players that can actually take on defenders in tight spaces w/o getting dispossessed, make good hard runs into the box, and to the end line, and serve the ball in with either foot….and it seems like Dunn and now, Pugh, perhaps are even better options than certain established players.

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  4. It was a garbage Ireland team. I believe they had 1 shot with 95% of the game in their own end. I fail to see how scheduling games against teams this weak tells us anything.

    Getting by that, Ellis has to find a way to get Press on the field more. I’m thinking dropping Lloyd deeper as a withdrawn forward and putting Press in as forward. Lloyd can still press forward and might actually be in a better position to score then when up front.

    If I was Tobin Heath, I’d be worried about Pugh.

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  5. To those saying “It’s just Ireland.”, Lloyd has tore up everyone the past 12-18 months. She’s on a rare level regardless of competition.

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