“Our speed, spacing and ball movement were really good and we executed with precision,” U.S. National Team coach Jill Ellis said.
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The USWNT have repaid the fans for coming out and supporting them by going 3-0, defeating the Central Americans twice in August and now Haiti last Thursday. Nor did she get to rest after an iconic hat trick in the first half of the final against Japan, instead pulled this way and that upon her return to the United States as the face and voice of a team that was one of the sports stories of the summer. Most of the lower level was full, except for the section behind one goal which was closed off. It was the largest US women’s crowd for a standalone match in the southeast. I think our reception everywhere has been very good.
She’s a smart player who can run the flanks and play one-on-one against opposition defenders, or she can cut inside to provide another option alongside the center forward.
The substitutions naturally had their effect on the match, as it took the US some time to get organised again, but Rodriguez immediately converted the first real chance of the second half, making it clear to the visitors that their nightmare wasn’t over yet. Lloyd rose over her defender and flicked a header toward the goal that dipped in over the jumping goalkeeper, clipping the cross bar and falling in. She previously had scored 15 in 2012 and 2014. Morgan finished the day with 7 shots, many of them with a good look at the goal, but only 3 of those were direct.
Dunn was one of the standouts during Thursday’s friendly, and she again made a fantastic impression early on Sunday, darting in and out of play. More chances came in quick succession, and O’Reilly took advantage of a terrible clearance to make it 8-0.
That being said it safe to say that Ellis is not sweating over Press’s absences.
The Haitians, a fill-in for the Australian national team that could not appear due to a dispute within their national federation, struggled to get the ball past midfield against an aggressive American team that was clicking on all-cylinders. She got the entire second half off, along with four other starters, but there was every reason to coast through the first half, too. That’s exactly how Lloyd played, not her alone by any stretch of the imagination but her with perhaps the best excuse not to do so.
“I think she’s just a great professional”, Ellis said. “It’s all about continuing to fight like an underdog and there’s a lot more room to improve that I can do on my end”.
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The second goal eventually came courtesy of a Lloyd penalty after Morgan was barged off the ball inside the box.
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In other words, those asked to stop her in the months ahead may want to rest up.
