The U.S. women’s national team battled to a scoreless stalemate in front of over 78,000 people at Wembley Stadium in Emma Hayes’ return to England on Saturday night.
Mary Earps registered a three-save clean sheet for the Lionesses while Alyssa Naeher was only called into action once in her penultimate cap with the USWNT.
The Olympic champions controlled the ball and the game flow through the opening half in London but struggled to create chances outside of an early shot opportunity for teenager Alyssa Thompson which ended up as likely the best opportunity of the game.
Casey Kreuger and Sam Coffey forced the only other saves of the night out of Earps with two left-shooted attempts from the corner of the penalty arc at the end of the half but failed to find a breakthrough. The absence of “Triple Espresso” loomed large despite a stellar defensive performance.
The home side picked up offensively in the second half to finally force a single save from legendary goalkeeper Naeher in potentially the final start of her USWNT career.
As one woman began to say her goodbyes to the international stage, another in NWSL Rookie of the Year finalist Ally Sentnor, made her debut. Yazmeen Ryan, Korbin Albert, and Jayden Shaw also featured off the bench for the Americans.
England only made two substitutions in the match with many of its regulars featuring including Beth Mead, Georgia Stanway, and Lucy Bronze.
The USWNT will aim for a winning end to their 2024 schedule as a trip to the Netherlands comes next on Tuesday.
I see a lot of undeserved negativity, IMO. The US pretty much dominated the #2 team in the world on their home ground in front of almost 80,000. Although they didn’t win, it was a friendly and the US played very well and were missing Rodman, Smith, and Swanson, arguably 3 of our best attackers.
not from me Gary to be clear.
lots of positives, more than only the ones I pointed out below, but also the way Coach’s subs again affected the game in the positive for her team; sometimes it’s new players for the same roles or sometimes it’s to change things some or adjust tactics, or whatever. she is fun to follow just from afar, to watch her team show up with belief and intention and prepared to compete and like you said without those you mentioned, others too.
to me Gary, she just appears to be this dynamically gifted person who is able to naturally interact with those around her, and who by now has also earned due respect; that knowing, reassuring, supportive, guiding ease with which she operates only works if it comes from a core of sincerity and integrity. She also appears to passionately enjoy the positive impact on others that her abilities can bring, I mean her players love her and I’m sure she loves them equally as much back. Together with Hayes’ tactical/emotional/strategic leadership skills, what’s cool to me is that another of her passions, soccer, led her to where she is today as she has expressed to the world who she is, this cool person, thru soccer.
anyway I enjoyed that game yesterday, and little by little from afar, am enjoying this ride with Coach Hayes
Lynn Williams is finally playing in her natural position then gets no thru balls, or good passes in scoring position. Coffey isn’t athletic enough to play against certain countries. England being 1 of them. With Albert previous comments, I understand why Hayes didn’t start. Not getting Albert in sooner was frustrating. Lavelle, Horan, & Coffey as your 3 mid’s, & the ladies don’t score. Where’s Master of the Obvious when we need him. It’s similar to the men when you put MMA out there & we never score more than 2 goals. Or you put Ream & Scally in the back line & wonder why the defense is weak. Wait, ….the genius’s have to use advanced stats & analytics to figure this out, when the info is clear in front. Lavelle needs to be playing RW for US for the rest of her international career. Shaw needs to be in the midfield playing with Horan and others. Ryan, Sears, Thompson, the young CF who wore number 9, Sentor are talented. We don’t need a team full of teenagers. Women side can get away with it until we play countries that are good. I watch the match, while Hammers & Gunners scored 7 in a half playing about the same time in the same city. It’s rivalry week in college football, so salute to you futbol fans like myself who watched this match instead of other team sports. 🫡
Friendly reminder: Don’t get mad or upset with me when I say to you that you don’t watch American sports.
haha…I watched this match too, no offense taken in the slightest
0-0 but I enjoyed watching that match, and reading your write up
Ryan looks good every time to me, again yesterday, gets open with tight first touch at speed and able to hold or advance with the dribble or pass, and she looked dangerous around the area more than once. Thompson’s speed and quickness were mitigated in this one as the game wore on and got physical, Bronze shut her down. How about that wicked late yellow from Kelly on Kreuger, who nailed her right back once play resumed? Sears played many balls across that no American found, and one time Fox did really well to get around the end line only to find literally zero American runners for her to try to pick out. so some work to do. I think Albert solves a lot of issues in the midfield and allows the others’ talents to shine better. Naeher another clean sheet, Girma Sonnett played well too, whole backline, as good as I’ve seen from Kreuger in the uni, and Fox is on Girma’s level imho
Bronze given the Harry Maguire treatment at Wembley. that jive does not fly on the continent or anywhere else besides the island…….
the newest jive is awarding a PK to stop the play when you know it will be overturned by VAR. happening more and more, method #________ in how to massage a game…….
What’s going on with Mia Fishel, taking forever for her to come back SMH. Seems like her and Swanson were injured at same time and she has came back good. Hope Mia Fishel makes a. Speedy recovery.
Striker, I looked it, up Feb 19 was the Fishel injury so much later than Swanson. Chelsea gave an injury update mid November saying she is expected back to team training after or shortly after international break. 10 months would be a pretty normal recovery for an ACL.
Thanks JR.
It was a very well played game. In the first half I think the US passed as well as any US team I’ve ever seen and that includes the men. One thing I have noticed in the past is too often our teams will try to pass so much in the box like they want to get a tap in. The game really called for a shot from outside the 6 yard box. I think it was Coffey, not real sure, but she was at the top of the 18 yard box and dribbled across the top of the box and replay showed she had a couple of clear openings at goal, but she waited until she moved so far off center that when she did shoot, it was from a very sharp angle which made the save easy.