Football: Rapinoe brace boosts US in 6-0 SheBelieves Cup win over Argentina

ORLANDO -- Megan Rapinoe scored twice in the first half and the United States romped to a 6-0 victory over Argentina Wednesday to retain the SheBelieves Cup friendly football title.

Led by Rapinoe, the tournament's top scorer with three goals, the United States finished with a maximum nine points with three wins from three matches in the four-nation round-robin tournament.

Second place went to Brazil, who capped their tournament with a 2-0 victory over Canada earlier on Wednesday at Exploria Stadium in Orlando.

Canada finished third with three points and Argentina, in their first appearance, came away with zero points.

Argentina, the only team in the event outside the top-10 in the FIFA rankings, were a last-minute replacement for Japan.

They had an early setback with three players ruled out of their opening match just hours before kickoff because of Covid-19 protocols.

They were overwhelmed early by a United States team that scored four goals in the first half.

The first two came from Rapinoe, who tapped in a ball from Rose Lavelle in the 16th minute.

The 2019 FIFA Player of the Year doubled the lead in the 26th when she finished off a through ball from Carli Lloyd.

"We wanted to come out fast as always," Rapinoe said. 'It's always dangerous to leave teams hanging around."

Lloyd herself made it 3-0 in the 35th off a cross from Kristie Mewis on the left side of the box.

Mewis made it 4-0 in the 41st.

Alex Morgan lofted a shot over Argentine goalkeeper Solana Pereyra in the 84th -- her first goal since the birth of her daughter, Charlie, in May.

Christen Press finished off the scoring with a header in the 88th.

The reigning World Cup champions haven't lost a game since a defeat to France in January 2019.

In the first match of the day's double-header, goals from Debinha and Julia Bianchi lifted Brazil over Canada.

Debinha scored her second goal of the tournament to put the Brazilians up 1-0 in the 15th minute, knocking in a rebound after a shot from Adriana ricocheted off the post.

Brazil, guided by former US coach Pia Sundhage, doubled the score in the 39th, taking advantage of a defensive lapse by the Canadians, who twice failed to clear a ball in their area.

It ended up at the feet of Bianchi, who fired a shot into the top corner of the net.

Agence France-Presse

Football: USA down Japan 3-1 to capture SheBelieves Cup

LOS ANGELES -- Megan Rapinoe and Christen Press scored early goals and the World Champion United States beat Japan 3-1 on Wednesday to win the SheBelieves Cup friendly women's football tournament.

Lindsey Horan added a goal in the 83rd minute to seal the victory in Frisco, Texas, which saw Vlatko Andonovski improve to 10-0 as coach of the US women.

Japan's Mana Iwabuchi scored in the 58th minute -- the first goal allowed by the United States since they conceded two to Sweden in Andonovski's debut as coach on November 7.

Rapinoe, who swept the individual prizes at the 2019 World Cup in leading the US to a second straight triumph, opened the scoring in the seventh minute, firing home a free kick after a foul on Lindsey Horan.

Press doubled the score in the 26th, spinning on the top edge of the area and chipping over the Japanese keeper.


Iwabuchi's goal galvanized Japan, but they were unable to find an equalizer.

The match was played amid rising tension over the US women's gender discrimination lawsuit against the US Soccer Federation.

US Soccer president Carlos Cordeiro apologized Wednesday for the "offense and pain caused" by language used by the federation in court documents in defense of pay differences between the men's and women's national teams.

Before the match the women warmed up with their jerseys turned inside out in apparent protest of the federation's claims that the men's national team play carries more responsibility and "requires a higher level of skill based on speed and strength" than what is demanded of the women.

In the opening match of the double-header at Toyota Stadium, Alexia Putellas's 84th-minute strike gave Spain a 1-0 victory over England.

Spain had a series of chances in the second half, with England keeper Carly Telford denying Ainhoa Moraza and Marta Cardona from close range.

But FC Barcelona's attacking midfielder Putellas had plenty of room in the box to head home the winner off a corner kick.

England, unable to convert chances for Ellen White and Nikita Parris in the first half, slumped to their seventh defeat in 11 games.

Agence France-Presse

USA clinches Women's World Cup berth

CHESTER - Carli Lloyd scored two goals as the United States qualified for the 2015 Women's World Cup tournament with a one-sided 3-0 win over Mexico on Friday.

Christen Press scored for the Americans in the contest which also doubled as a semi-final game at the CONCACAF Women's Championship.

The USA started quickly as Lloyd scored inside of six minutes. She worked her way to the front of the Mexico goal before redirecting a header past keeper Pamela Tajonar.

Tobin Heath dribbled into the box on the left and was tripped by Christina Murillo, allowing Lloyd to send the goalkeeper the wrong way from the penalty spot to make it 2-0.

Sydney Leroux set up Press in the 56th minute with a precision through ball that allowed Press to step around the goalkeeper and roll the ball into the empty cage.

Lloyd almost had a hat trick as she had the ball in the back of the net, but the goal was called back because of an offside. Press then hit the post in the final 10 minutes with the Americans dominating play.

The US returns to action in the final of the tournament on Sunday against Costa Rica, which beat Trinidad and Tobago on penalty kicks in the other semi.

The women's World Cup will be staged in the Canadian cities of Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal and Moncton from June 6 to July 5 next year.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com