Football: USA look far from World Cup favorites after limping into last 16

 

AUCKLAND, New Zealand -- The United States came into the Women's World Cup as favorites to win a third title in a row but they head into the last 16 looking anything but champions after limping through the group stage.

There were already doubts about Vlatko Andonovski's side after an unimpressive 3-0 win over Vietnam in their opening game was followed by a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands.

Andonovski and his players put a positive spin on those displays but there were very few redeeming features about their performance on Tuesday, when they held on for a 0-0 draw with World Cup debutants Portugal to scrape through to the knockout phase.

Ana Capeta's shot that hit the post in injury time very nearly won the game for Portugal, which would have condemned the holders to an unthinkable group-stage exit.

But aside from surviving that scare, the underlying numbers are concerning for the Americans.

They had less of the possession at Eden Park and failed to score for the first time in 15 World Cup games, since a 0-0 draw with Sweden in the 2015 group phase.

They also had less of the possession in their draw with the Dutch, while their finishing has been poor since the tournament started.

"I don't think that was a good performance all together, starting from the back," admitted Andonovski.

"I don't think we were able to solve the problems that the opponents presented. There were moments where we did and it looked good, but those moments were very few and not enough to be able to walk out of here with several goals."

- Has the world caught up? -

The 46-year-old Andonovski is in the firing line.

It was always going to be a huge task for him to succeed Jill Ellis, who led the team to back-to-back World Cup triumphs in 2015 and 2019 before stepping down.

Andonovski brought a 23-player squad to New Zealand that featured 14 World Cup debutants, with injuries and retirement ruling out several veterans of recent successful campaigns.

There were high hopes placed in many of the novices, and the likes of Sophia Smith, Andi Sullivan and Trinity Rodman have impressed in moments.

But it is hard to escape the feeling that the rest of the world is catching up with the US fast.

The best women's club football these days is surely being played in Europe, where Barcelona have taken over from Lyon as the dominant force in the Champions League.

Yet captain Lindsey Horan, at Lyon, is the only member of the US team currently playing in Europe.

Could it be that the standard of play in the domestic NWSL is not at the level needed to prepare Andonovski's squad for the World Cup stage?

- Failing to fire -

Alex Morgan, who has played for the US in the last three World Cups, repeated an oft-used phrase in this tournament to explain her team's travails against Portugal.

"Every team in this World Cup is going to be difficult to play. The game is growing and the quality is continuing to rise," she said.

The US were the only team among the eight quarter-finalists at the last World Cup to hail from outside Europe, where standards have been rapidly rising.

Their difficulties against the Netherlands and Portugal so far this year suggest they will struggle against top European opposition in the knockout phase.

They now leave New Zealand to head to Australia for a last-16 tie on Sunday in Melbourne which will almost certainly be against Olympic silver medalists Sweden.

Andonovski will go into that game without Rose Lavelle due to suspension, which is a big blow.

He has decisions to make in attack too, with none of his front line firing against Portugal.

If they do make the quarter-finals, they will return to Auckland for a meeting with Norway or an ominous-looking Japan.

Asked by local media if they would be back in New Zealand at this World Cup, Morgan replied: "That is the plan. We want to make it back to the final and that includes coming back to New Zealand."

Right now such bullishness seems misplaced.

Agence France-Presse

Football: USA survive Portugal scare to reach World Cup last 16

AUCKLAND, New Zealand -- Holders the United States survived a huge scare to reach the last 16 of the Women's World Cup on Tuesday after a 0-0 draw against Portugal, who were unlucky not to claim a sensational win at Eden Park that would have taken them through instead.

The USA struggled to impose themselves against opponents ranked 21st in the world and appearing at their first World Cup, and Portugal almost won the game in injury time when substitute Ana Capeta hit the post.

Holding on for the draw means Vlatko Andonovski's side finish in second place in Group E.

The Netherlands go through as group winners after a 7-0 demolition of a Vietnam side who were beaten just 3-0 by the Americans in their first match at the tournament.

That means pre-tournament favorites the USA will move to Australia to play a last-16 tie on Sunday against the winners of Group G, in all likelihood Olympic silver medalists Sweden.

Nothing about their performance here in front of almost 41,000 in Auckland, or in their two previous matches at the tournament, suggests the United States will find it easy going against a side who finished third at the last World Cup.

It is just the second time in Women's World Cup history that the USA have failed to top their group, although on the last occasion, in 2011, they reached the final before losing on penalties to Japan.

They had never before won just one group game, and the regression from four years ago in France is striking.

That time they won all three matches in the first phase, rattling in 18 goals without reply.

Andonovski has insisted a youthful new team will need time to find its feet, but an urgent step-up will be required if they are not to be eliminated early in the knockout phase.

The US have never before failed to reach the semi-finals in the eight prior editions of the World Cup.

- Lavelle handed start -

Andonovski made two changes from the 1-1 draw with the Netherlands, with Rose Lavelle rewarded for her game-changing role off the bench in that game with a first start at the tournament.

Savannah DeMelo made way for her, while Lynn Williams was brought in on the right wing as Trinity Rodman dropped out.

Portugal had to win to go through but played as if there was no pressure on them at all, with Andreia Norton shooting over early on and the lively Jessica Silva dragging a shot wide from a good position soon after.

They had more of the possession, and the much-fancied Americans struggled to match the intensity or aggression of a Portugal team who had beaten Vietnam 2-0 in their last match.

Starting a World Cup match for the first time, Williams found the going tough but did have her team's best chances in the opening half, including a snap-shot in stoppage time that was saved by goalkeeper Ines Pereira.

The US started better in the second half but Andonovski was alarmed enough to call for Megan Rapinoe, the veteran replacing Sophia Smith just after the hour mark.

Yet clear chances remained at a minimum and there were some nervy moments at the other end, like when Naomi Girma was booked for a panicked pull on Silva late on.

There was more panic in the US defence in the first minute of injury time when Capeta, who had just come on, smashed a shot off the upright as the holders grimly held on.

Agence France-Presse

Football: Smith scores twice as holders USA ease to win in World Cup opener

AUCKLAND, New Zealand  -- Sophia Smith scored twice and set up another as a new-look United States launched their bid to win a third Women's World Cup in a row with a 3-0 victory over Vietnam on Saturday.

One of six members of the USA starting line-up making her World Cup debut, lively forward Smith finished a fine move to open the scoring in the 14th minute at Eden Park in Auckland.

Veteran Alex Morgan was then denied from the penalty spot before Smith struck again deep in stoppage time at the end of the first half in front of a crowd of just over 41,000.

She then set up the third goal for captain Lindsey Horan in the 77th minute, after veteran icon Megan Rapinoe had come off the bench to win her 200th cap.

"I think it was a good starting point for our team in this tournament. I also know that we have a lot more that we can give, a lot more to do, little things to work on," said the 22-year-old Smith.

Vlatko Andonovski's title favorites missed a hatful of chances as debutants Vietnam avoided the humiliation that befell Thailand at the 2019 World Cup, when they were thrashed 13-0 by the United States.

There is clearly room for improvement for an American side who will also play Portugal and 2019 runners-up the Netherlands in Group E, as they aim to win an unprecedented third consecutive title.

However, this was a new experience for many of their side, and for Andonovski, taking charge of a World Cup game for the first time having replaced Jill Ellis as coach not long after their triumph at France 2019.

"Unfortunately we didn't capitalize on all the great opportunities that we created and that is something we are certainly going to focus on in the lead-up to the next game, but the first one is in the books and the focus immediately shifts towards game two," said Andonovski.

That will be against the Dutch on Thursday in a re-run of the 2019 final.

With Rapinoe beginning her final World Cup before retirement on the bench, Smith and 21-year-old Trinity Rodman flanked Morgan in attack on their debuts at the finals.

Right-back Emily Fox, centre-back Naomi Girma, and midfielders Andi Sullivan and Savannah DeMelo also made their first World Cup appearances.

"I have to say I was happy with the way the team played. I think that if you look at the team it is the first time this XI have been on the field together," the coach added.

"To see some of the connections and combinations was very positive."

- Morgan squanders spot kick -

Rodman, the daughter of former NBA star Dennis Rodman, needed lengthy treatment after suffering a knock inside the first minute before going on to have an impact on proceedings.

It was Smith who got the breakthrough though, controlling and finishing off a fine move expertly after Morgan flicked on a pass by Horan.

It was one-way traffic but it remained 1-0 until Rodman was clipped by Hoang Thi Loan in the area just before the break and the Moroccan referee gave a penalty after coming over to review the images.

Yet Morgan, playing in her 19th World Cup match, saw her poor kick saved by goalkeeper Tran Thi Kim Thanh diving to the right.

Instead Smith made it 2-0 towards the end of eight added minutes in the first half, firing through the legs of the goalkeeper and in after a Girma cross had been punched away.

The goal was initially ruled out before being given after another lengthy check confirmed there was no offside.

Rapinoe, her hair dyed blue, entered the fray to cheers just after the hour mark alongside Rose Lavelle, the two goal-scorers from the 2019 final.

Teenager Alyssa Thompson also came on for her World Cup bow just before Smith pounced on a Julie Ertz ball forward and supplied a cutback for Lyon midfielder Horan to score.

Lavelle hit the underside of the bar late on as Vietnam escaped with a creditable scoreline on their World Cup bow.

Agence France-Presse

World Cup chance to 'blow lid off' business of women's sports: Rapinoe

LOS ANGELES -- US veteran Megan Rapinoe said the upcoming Women's World Cup feels like a "paradigm shift" in the global business of women's sports even as inequities persist.

The fight for equal pay by Rapinoe and her US teammates was a backdrop to their 2019 World Cup triumph in France, eventually resulting in a collective bargaining agreement with US Soccer that included equal prize money between the men's and women's national teams and more equal benefits in areas including accommodation and travel.

FIFA has guaranteed that ever player at next month's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand will earn at least $30,000, with the winners taking home $270,000.

At a US media day on Tuesday, Rapinoe said there was still work to be done to ensure the world's best women footballers are properly compensated, but there's no doubt that the Women's World Cup has arrived as one of the top sporting events in the world.

"I think, just in general, women's sports right now feels like we're sort of out of just the dogged fight phase," Rapinoe, who played on World Cup-winning teams in 2015 and 2019, said as the team gathered in California to begin final preparations for the tournament.

"It feels like a real opportunity to blow the lid off just in terms of fanfare and media and sponsorships and the sort of larger business around this sport.

"I think everyone is sort of hip to the game now and understands that this is not somewhere that's just like, 'Oh, we should cheer for the Women's World Cup because that's the right thing to do.'

"It is actually terrible business if you are not tuning in -- you are missing out on a large cultural moment ... this is the premier women's sporting event in the world bar none and this is a paradigm shift globally, not just in the US."

- It's infuriating -

Rapinoe acknowledged that progress didn't mean there wasn't "still work to be done."

Canada's women remain locked in a labor dispute with their federation, with captain Christine Sinclair saying last week she expected at least a temporary solution to be reached before the World Cup squad departed.

Jamaica's World Cup side, meanwhile, has resorted to fund-raising campaigns as they prepared for the tournament because of a lack of resources from the federation.

"It's infuriating," Rapinoe said. "It just like doesn't have to be like this. But I do think it's getting better ... I think that there's a lot more resources that these teams can tap into."

The difference, she said, will be seen on the pitch in Australia and New Zealand.

"You're going to see the best product on the field and that's because players are going to be able to be put in a position to just focus on the game and go out there and provide the entertainment everybody wants."

Rapinoe, the 2019 Ballon d'Or winner who helped the United States claim a fourth World Cup crown in 2019, is one of three players in the squad playing in a fourth World Cup.

They're joined by a wealth of young talent that includes 18-year-old Alyssa Thompson, 21-year-old Trinity Rodman and 22-year-old Sophia Smith, the 2022 National Women's Soccer League Most Valuable Player.

The Americans kick off their World Cup campaign against Vietnam in Auckland on July 22.

Agence France-Presse

Football: Swanson injury overshadows US victory over Ireland

LOS ANGELEES -- The United States defeated Ireland 2-0 on Saturday in a match overshadowed by an injury to Mallory Swanson just months before the women's World Cup kicks off.

Swanson was stretchered off the field in distress at the end of the first half in Austin after her left knee buckled following a heavy challenge from Ireland's Aoife Mannion.

Play was held up for several minutes and US coach Vlatko Andonovski came onto the field to comfort Swanson as she received treatment before being carted off.

"We don't know the extent of the injury yet," Andonovski said afterward.

"She's getting checked out as we speak, and I'm hoping for good news in the near future... She's getting checked out and we're waiting for the results."

Swanson was reportedly taken to a local area hospital for assessment.

A serious knee injury would place a major question mark against Swanson's fitness for the Women's World Cup, which kicks off in Australia and New Zealand in July.

The US open the defense of their world title against Vietnam in Auckland on July 21.

Swanson, who turns 25 later this month, is one of the stars of the US national team and has been in blistering form this year with seven international goals in five appearances.

The Chicago Red Stars striker also scored seven international goals in 2022.

Swanson's injury came after she had earlier received treatment following a heavy collision with Ireland goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan as the two chased a loose ball.

Ireland defender Mannion was involved in that incident as well, appearing to nudge Swanson off-balance just before she crashed into Brosnan.

Andonovski insisted Swanson had been fully fit to continue playing after the earlier collision with Brosnan.

"If there was any slight chance that she should have not been back on the field we were gonna keep her off, but she felt good," Andonovski said.

"Everything was fine, so it wasn't a head or a brain injury or anything."

Swanson's worrying knee injury took the shine off another clinical victory for the USA, who extended their winning streak to seven straight games thanks to Emily Fox's maiden international goal and a Lindsey Horan's penalty.

Fox's 37th minute opener came after a period of sustained Irish pressure, the US defender gliding across the edge of the penalty area and unleashing a low shot which beat Brosnan to creep in at the bottom corner.

The US made the game safe in the 79th minute, Horan scoring from the spot after being hauled down in the area by Ireland's Diane Caldwell.

A relieved Horan celebrated after the successful spot-kick, which came just weeks after she missed a crucial penalty in Lyon's Champions League quarter-final defeat to Chelsea last month.

Agence France-Presse

Football: USA beat Canada for 2024 Olympic berth and CONCACAF title

MONTERREY, Mexico -- The United States qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics on Monday by defeating Tokyo Olympic champions Canada 1-0 in the CONCACAF W Championship final.

Alex Morgan scored from the penalty spot in the 78th minute to seal victory as the reigning world champions avenged their upset loss to the Canadians in last year's Olympic semi-finals.

Morgan rifled a left-footed spot-kick into the bottom right corner of the goal after Canadian goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, Morgan's club teammate on the San Diego Wave, dove the opposite way.

It was Morgan's 118th career goal for the US national squad.

The US won the penalty when Canada's Allysha Chapman fouled American Rose Lavelle in the area.

"It always feels good to be called a champion," Morgan said afterwards. "So this game means a lot to us. It's always going to mean a lot. Canada gave us a run for our money. But we prevailed and feel good about the performance."

Morgan's winner continued the veteran striker's recent run of good form. Morgan is leading the NWSL scoring charts with 11 goals for the Wave. 

Morgan only returned to international duty last month after an eight-month hiatus that she says helped her "mentally and physically."

"I feel like I'm in form, and some of the younger players are able to look up to the older players," she said. "Especially in a big tournament like this – you just can't replicate that in friendlies."

The Americans captured a third consecutive CONCACAF crown and ninth overall to secure their ticket to France while Canada was denied a bid for a third North American regional title after 1998 and 2010.

Despite the defeat, the Canadians can still earn a 2024 berth in Paris. They will meet Jamaica next year in a playoff to determine another Paris slot.

Earlier, Kalyssa van Zanten scored in the 102nd minute to give the "Reggae Girlz" a 1-0 extra-time triumph over Costa Rica in the third-place match to advance to that Olympic playoff.

The eight-team North American regional tournament also served as a qualifier for the 2023 Women's World Cup, with the four semi-finalists -- the United States, Costa Rica, Canada and Jamaica -- all securing berths at next year's showdown in Australia and New Zealand.

Agence France-Presse

US women footballers' equal pay lawsuit to go to trial in 2020

LOS ANGELES -- The equal pay lawsuit filed by US women footballers against the US Soccer Federation has been scheduled to go to trial on May 5, 2020, the players' spokesperson said Monday.

The gender discrimination lawsuit regarding unequal pay and working conditions was filed on March 8 by 28 players, and Monday's trial date, set by US District Judge R. Gary Klausner in Los Angeles, comes a week after the players and the federation reached an impasse in mediation.

"We are pleased with the expeditious schedule that has been set by the Court and we are eager to move forward with this case," Molly Levinson, a spokesperson for the US women players, said in a statement. "We very much look forward to the trial in May 2020 when the players will have their day in court.

"We have every confidence that these world champion athletes will get what they legally deserve -— nothing less than equal pay and working conditions."

The May date will put the jury trial amid the team's build up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, although it remains possible a settlement could be reached before then.

The issue was center stage as the United States triumphed in the Women's World Cup in France in July, chants of "equal Pay" raining down on the champions after they defeated the Netherlands in the final.

US lawmakers have proposed legislation that would block federal funding for the 2026 Men's World Cup -- to be hosted jointly by the United States, Mexico and Canada -- until the federation pays its women's national team "fair and equitable wages".

A US Soccer spokesman said the federation was "continuing to work to find a resolution" to the dispute.

Federation president Carlos Cordeiro issued figures last month that he said showed US Soccer had compensated women more than men over the past decade, but the women players said the figures were misleading, noting they included salaries for National Women's Soccer League play.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Football: Ellis to step down as head coach of U.S. women's team

Jill Ellis, who became the first female coach in history to win back-to-back World Cups, will step down as boss of the U.S. women's national team in early October, she said on Tuesday.

Ellis, 52, who steered the U.S. to a record-extending fourth World Cup title in France earlier this month, called the move "bittersweet", but said her decision to walk away after the team's victory tour was in line with the timeline she envisioned when she was first appointed in May 2014.

"It has been an amazing ride," said Ellis, who added that she wanted to spend extra time with her family after more than five years at the helm of the team.

"The timing of this is not just geared toward me on a personal level but also for the program as it prepares to start a new cycle," she told reporters on a conference call.

"It just felt right, it felt good and I'm in a really good place with the decision," added Ellis who won 102 of her 127 matches in charge.

At this year's World Cup in France, Ellis guided her side to victory in each of their seven games in what was arguably the greatest achievement in the team's history, three years after they missed out on a medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

At the end of 2015, Ellis, who won eight tournaments with the U.S. including her two World Cup titles, was named the FIFA World Coach of the Year and CONCACAF Coach of the Year for Women’s Soccer.

Ellis, who was born in England and moved to the U.S. in 1981, said the team would benefit from a fresh perspective.

"I firmly believe that this is not a job that someone should sit in for 10 years. I think change is good," she said.

"A position like this shouldn't be forever."

Ellis will continue to work for U.S. Soccer for at least the next year as an ambassador, which will include representing the Federation at events.

Yet she does not have many other concrete plans.

"When you go through something that's intensive and do it for so long ... I think I just need to take a step back, take it all in and see what next intrigues me and piques my interest," she said.

U.S. Soccer President Carlos Cordeiro said the governing body and the sport of soccer in general owes Ellis a debt of gratitude for all that she has done for the game.

"Jill was always extremely passionate about this team, analytical, tremendously focused and not afraid to make tough decisions while giving her players the freedom to play to their strengths," Cordeiro said in a statement.

"She helped raise the bar for women's soccer in the USA and the world, and given the history of this program, the level of success she achieved is even more remarkable."

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto and Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Peter Graff and Toby Davis)

source: news.abs-cbn.com