Carli Lloyd and Alex Morgan scored a goal each as the US women’s soccer team beat New Zealand 2-0 on Wednesday to open their 2016 Olympic campaign.
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One Olympian – Carli Anne Lloyd – is the 34-year-old soccer star from Delran Township, New Jersey, who plays for the United States Women’s National Team. Kelley O’Hara has been Ellis’s first-choice right back in most matches since February. Mal Pugh also got her first Olympic start, playing wide right for most of the half. “We feel like it was taken from us”, said Canada captain Christine Sinclair, who was later suspended four games for her comments. “I thought we moved the ball against a very determined team”.
“It’s about the communication and cohesion we have at the back and, with our back four, we’ve been together for so long”.
“It felt really good”.
Though France’s ascension to the top-tier of women’s soccer is well documented, they’ve never truly gotten over the hump. The soccer competition is the longest in these Games, starting more than 48 hours before the opening ceremony and continuing for 16 days.
Lloyd’s fight for recognition has pushed her to become the player she is today.
“It’s about winning”, said Carli Lloyd.
Germany is looking to finally get over the hump with one of the most talented squads in the tournament. France and Colombia, USA’s fellow Group G members, are set to play later tonight.
Lloyd put the Americans ahead with a header in the ninth minute and Morgan added to the lead with a low shot to the near post from inside the area less than a minute into the second half.
The versatile Tobin Heath assisted on Lloyd’s goal, sending a flawless crossing pass that Lloyd headed past New Zealand goalkeeper early in the first half.
Wednesday’s game was played in Belo Horizonte, where spectators in the sparsely populated stadium erupted in whistles and jeers whenever USA goalkeeper Hope Solo touched the ball – seemingly a response to Solo’s now-famous tweet about the Zika virus that showed her wearing a mask and wielding bug spray.
But within the first minute of the second half restart, Alex Morgan collected a ball on the near side and fired a bullet of a left-footed strike into the net to double the lead.
With the US comfortably in charge, the crowd of 9,556 began entertaining itself midway through the second half, raining boos, a vulgar chant and later cries of “Zika!”
Solo, who registered her 101st shutout, was the target of the Brazilian fans who chanted “Zika, Zika” every time the American goalkeeper touched the ball.
“It’s part of the football culture to boo the goalkeeper”.
“We’ve definitely looked at that”, he said on the eve of their Games opener (10am NZ time kickoff).
Alex Morgan celebrates her goal with teammate Meghan Kligenberg.
The World No 17 will open the Olympic Games for the New Zealand team when they walk out onto Mineirão Stadium in Belo Horizonte on Wednesday night as the underdogs but that doesn’t faze two of their experienced players Rosie White and Sarah Gregorius. The match between the United States and New Zealand will take place on Wednesday, August 3, 2016, at 3:00 p.m. ET at the Estadio Governador Magalhaes Pinto in Belo Horizonte.
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What’s at stake: Three points to kick off the competition.
