Then, in the 14 th minute, Japanese defender Azusa Iwashimizu attempted to head the ball out of danger, but it dropped in front of Holiday, who volleyed it into the net. And, two minutes later, Lloyd scored again on another set piece, this one a free kick by Holiday that bounced around in front of the net before Lloyd tapped it in. It was a brilliant set piece and the fastest goal ever scored in a World Cup final match. But, then I watched as space opened in front of the goal and Carli Lloyd streaked through and punched the ball into the back of the net. Just three minutes into the match and I was cursing Rapinoe as her corner kick didn’t make it off the ground and rolled into the penalty area. Hope Solo won the tournament’s Golden Glove award and anchored a stingy defense that shutout opponents for 540 minutes.Įven after watching the team steadily improve, I certainly would not have predicted the 5-2 win against Japan that brought the world cup trophy to the United States after 16 years. Maybe the USWNT was good enough to win the world cup. Solo and the rest of the defense continued their shut-out streak as the US defeated the Germans 2-0 to head to the finals and a rematch with the reigning world champions. The defensive line continued to emerge as a key factor in the success of the team, not allowing a goal in four matches as the Americans headed to their semi-final match against first-ranked Germany. Or maybe she had them in her back pocket the entire time. Ellis would need to make some changes to her lineup, and maybe this was when the final adjustments in the midfield came to Ellis. After defeating Columbia 2-0 to get into the quarterfinals, the Americans defeated China 1-0 without midfielders Meagan Rapinoe and Lauren Holiday, both serving suspensions for yellow card accumulations. Yet, Ellis was still criticized for the uninspiring play from her midfield and for continuing to rely on Abby Wambach, instead of using some of her younger forwards.ĭespite the criticism, the US kept winning. The critics resurfaced – why can’t we score more goals? The team still didn’t look good enough to win the World Cup and unless they could turn more opportunities into goals, I wasn’t sure they would make it out of the group stage.īut, the US not only made it out of the group stage, they won their group. How do you not score against Iceland?Īfter beating New Zealand, Ireland, and Mexico easily in their Send-Off Series, the last game the US played before the World Cup was another scoreless draw, this one against Korea Republic. Still, interspersed in the victories was a scoreless draw against Iceland. The defensive line of Ali Krieger, Julie Johnston, Becky Sauerbraun, and Meghan Klingenberg emerged and looked strong. Add to that the 30-day suspension of goalkeeper Hope Solo by US Soccer and questions surrounding her ability to return to the team and not distract from the team’s mission to bring home the world championship.įor those of us who coach from our living room couches, there seemed to be plenty to criticize: Solo’s off-field behavior and distraction to the team, a defensive line-up that kept changing, not playing wide enough and the wrong mix of players in the midfield – why doesn’t Ellis have a holding midfielder? And, a mix of forwards that should be able to score easily, but just can’t seem to finish.īut, then wins against England and Norway, followed by winning the Algarve Cup in March by beating France 2-0 in the championship game made it look like things were shaping up. Just a few short months ago, I wasn’t sure that the USWNT would make it out of the group stage, especially in the “group of death.” They just didn’t appear to be good enough to win the World Cup.Ī 2-0 loss to France in February raised serious doubts about the team, as well as the coaching abilities of Ellis. The US women’s national team won the World Cup on Sunday and I can’t help but feel like Jill Ellis and the entire USWNT pulled one over on us. Carli Lloyd became the first woman to score a hat trick in a World Cup final.
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