USWNT fails to impress fans in SheBelieves Cup

VICTORIA BARNES

Copy Editor

 

The United States Women’s National Soccer Team (USWNT) hosted its fourth annual SheBelieves Cup, an international soccer tournament, that encourages women and girls to achieve their dreams. The U.S., Japan, England and Brazil competed in the tournament.

Each team received three points if they won their match, zero points if they lost it and one point if they tied their opponent. Each team played three matches, and the team with the most points at the end of the tournament won the SheBelieves Cup Trophy.  

As the reigning champions and hosts, the U.S. were favored to win. However, lackluster performances in their first two matches of the tournament disappointed fans.  

The U.S. tied Japan 2-2 in their first match on Wednesday, Feb. 27 in Chester, Pa. U.S. forward Megan Rapinoe scored the match’s first goal in the 23rd minute, which was assisted by fellow forward Tobin Heath.

The U.S. dropped their defenses in the second half of the game, which led to Japan midfielder Emi Nakajima scoring in the 67th minute.

The U.S. needed fresh legs, which forward Christen Press provided when she was subbed in during the 76th minute. Fifteen seconds later, Press slotted the ball to forward Alex Morgan who scored her 99th goal for the team.

The U.S. kept their 2-1 lead until stoppage time. Japan forward Yuka Momiki scored in the 91st minute, tying the game 2-2. The U.S. were unable to score a third goal, and the match ended 2-2.

The U.S. faired the same in their second match, tying England 2-2 on Saturday, March 2 in Nashville, Tenn. U.S. forward Rapinoe scored the match’s first goal again, this time in the 33rd minute.

The U.S. didn’t have much time to relish in their goal. England defender Steph Houghton scored three minutes later in the 36th minute, making the score 1-1.

After halftime, England midfielder Nikita Parris scored in the 52nd minute. The U.S. substituted three players into the match in an effort to even the score. U.S. forward Heath, who’d been playing for the entire match, was the one to tie the score 2-2 in the 67th minute.

The U.S. acted desperate during the final minutes of the game to score a third goal, but their efforts were in vain. The match ended 2-2 in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

U.S. forward players had strong performances in both matches from Heath, Press, Rapinoe and Morgan. However, their midfield felt incomplete with Lindsey Horan being out of the tournament because of a quadriceps injury.

U.S. defense players struggled with miscommunication issues, which included players like Abby Dahlkemper and Crystal Dunn not clearing balls and making dangerous backpasses.

After their poor performances in their first two matches, the U.S. has a chance to redeem themselves against Brazil on Tuesday, March 5 in Tampa, Fla. Their midfield will need to play in a more compact shape, and their defense will need to communicate better in order to beat Brazil.

However, the U.S. struggling in the SheBelieves Cup left fans wondering how they’d perform in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup this summer. They won the 2015 World Cup and are favored to win this year’s cup. A disjoined midfield and mistake-prone defense might ruin their chances of winning like it did in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.

 

*This article was written on Sunday, March 3, so it doesn’t reflect the results from the match between the U.S. and Brazil on Tuesday, March 5. It also doesn’t include the winner of the SheBelieves Cup.

USWNT fails to impress fans in SheBelieves Cup

 

VICTORIA BARNES

Copy Editor

 

The United States Women’s National Soccer Team (USWNT) hosted its fourth annual SheBelieves Cup, an international soccer tournament, that encourages women and girls to achieve their dreams. The U.S., Japan, England and Brazil competed in the tournament.

Each team received three points if they won their match, zero points if they lost it and one point if they tied their opponent. Each team played three matches, and the team with the most points at the end of the tournament won the SheBelieves Cup Trophy.  

As the reigning champions and hosts, the U.S. were favored to win. However, lackluster performances in their first two matches of the tournament disappointed fans.  

The U.S. tied Japan 2-2 in their first match on Wednesday, Feb. 27 in Chester, Pa. U.S. forward Megan Rapinoe scored the match’s first goal in the 23rd minute, which was assisted by fellow forward Tobin Heath.

The U.S. dropped their defenses in the second half of the game, which led to Japan midfielder Emi Nakajima scoring in the 67th minute.

The U.S. needed fresh legs, which forward Christen Press provided when she was subbed in during the 76th minute. Fifteen seconds later, Press slotted the ball to forward Alex Morgan who scored her 99th goal for the team.

The U.S. kept their 2-1 lead until stoppage time. Japan forward Yuka Momiki scored in the 91st minute, tying the game 2-2. The U.S. were unable to score a third goal, and the match ended 2-2.

The U.S. faired the same in their second match, tying England 2-2 on Saturday, March 2 in Nashville, Tenn. U.S. forward Rapinoe scored the match’s first goal again, this time in the 33rd minute.

The U.S. didn’t have much time to relish in their goal. England defender Steph Houghton scored three minutes later in the 36th minute, making the score 1-1.

After halftime, England midfielder Nikita Parris scored in the 52nd minute. The U.S. substituted three players into the match in an effort to even the score. U.S. forward Heath, who’d been playing for the entire match, was the one to tie the score 2-2 in the 67th minute.

The U.S. acted desperate during the final minutes of the game to score a third goal, but their efforts were in vain. The match ended 2-2 in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

U.S. forward players had strong performances in both matches from Heath, Press, Rapinoe and Morgan. However, their midfield felt incomplete with Lindsey Horan being out of the tournament because of a quadriceps injury.

U.S. defense players struggled with miscommunication issues, which included players like Abby Dahlkemper and Crystal Dunn not clearing balls and making dangerous backpasses.

After their poor performances in their first two matches, the U.S. has a chance to redeem themselves against Brazil on Tuesday, March 5 in Tampa, Fla. Their midfield will need to play in a more compact shape, and their defense will need to communicate better in order to beat Brazil.

However, the U.S. struggling in the SheBelieves Cup left fans wondering how they’d perform in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup this summer. They won the 2015 World Cup and are favored to win this year’s cup. A disjoined midfield and mistake-prone defense might ruin their chances of winning like it did in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.

 

*This article was written on Sunday, March 3, so it doesn’t reflect the results from the match between the U.S. and Brazil on Tuesday, March 5. It also doesn’t include the winner of the SheBelieves Cup.