07' 0-0 Lavelle chases backward along right touch, slides down to hook ball back in play -- but her trailing right knee digs into the frozen tundra and sticks, and her momentum wrenches her own leg. Stoppage, trainers, Lavelle winces while holding the inside of her right knee. Could be ... an abrasion? No sub. 10' 0-0 Lavelle walks off, play resumes. 11' 0-0 Lavelle returns!
I have always felt that any kind of "tribute" like that has NOTHING to do with the people supposedly being honored but everything to do with the egos of the people doing the "honoring" or, more often, with the upholstered parasites that thought the silly idea up. It is like "Veterans Day" that is really all about making those that did not and do not serve feel better.
They keep talking about Franch getting her first cap but did she not sub in a match earlier this year. If she did that would be a "cap."
Wambach.Serena.Burke.RBG.The #USWNT will wear the names of iconic and influential women on the back of their @Nike jerseys today.https://t.co/6gz1QS22eg— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) March 2, 2019
The last US attack had 3 (if you count a player well off the ball) US players against 7 English players. How does the US expect to score with those numbers.
21' 0-0 Brief stoppage: #4 Walsh is down above own arc right with -- right foot pain? In the last ~4', Pugh has tried two long through-ball tries, both scuffed away by England congesting the lanes. That's a new-ish wrinkle. Our spacing looks a tad wide between our lines, as we're clearly trying to stretch the field vertically. 24' 0-0 USA breakout above own box top left, characteristic long ground pass to midfield circle left for Morgan(?) coming back to ball. Good one-touch tap wide left into Rapinoe's stride, Rapinoe goes to ~30m and passes square right. Morgan steps over ball, Lavelle collects behind her, shoots long from ~24m arc left, high. The pace is there, and some decent hook-and-ladder ideas, but not really connecting yet. We're not Japan
The US has reverted to shooting and missing. You MUST actually hit the goal to score or you might as well not shoot!
28' 0-0 Franch dribbles in own 6-box, nearly gets caught, but delivers a precise-enough designed clearace to O'Hara at own ~27m right touch. We rely on ~10m ground passes with one-touch wide triangle-ish pings, and it kind of works: England get only two interceptions , promptly clang both right back to us. Also clearly by design, Ertz pounces on the last of these, blasts one-touch long forward pass over midfield, hits Heath in-stride up wide right lane through 30m, a step or two behind LB Stokes(?). Heath pulls up a bit through box top right to 14m -- then inexplicably leans away from ball, toward the oncoming CB -- draws contact and goes sprawling, but no call. It looked like she went hunting for contact, and did it to herself. And meanwhile, she never even took a swing at the ball. Sigh.
Heath alters her run in the box and intentionally runs into a defender while moving away from the ball to try to draw a foul. It was a real attempt at cheating and should have received a card if the ref had any guts.
Well that was horrible communication on a bad backpass to set up that indirect free kick. That was just unfocused and not smart all around. 1-1 We all saw that coming.
33' 1-0 O'Hara drifts into 28m box right, swings a high cross toward Morgan at 13m mid-left. Daly heads ball away, only out to Rapinoe's chest at 18m 6-left. Rapinoe chest-juggles once, half volley topspin blast dives into left 90. Rapinoe doing Rapinoe things, every SBC Perfection doesn't exi—💥 @mPinoe 💥 pic.twitter.com/0Zgdrmq1Zi— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) March 2, 2019 34' 1-0 Off the restart, White chases a bouncing ball to ~12m mid-left, Franch comes out and catches high -- but then steps into White's space, and initiates elbow-vertical contact with ribs? Oh, I see: it was a backpass Ref promptly whistles -- an indirect fk for England inside the box. 36' 1-1 Houghton lines up right instep bend around the wall, Ertz(?) tries to time the beat and encroach space -- and ends up closer than 10m, but England don't care. Houghton finally calls hike, and hits it perfectly, around the wall into right side netting just behind right post. Everybody knew that was the only angle available, and Franch's dive still couldn't get there.
The English goal can be blamed directly on Franch. I hope she recovers mentally and plays the rest of the match well. That kind of mistake can really hurt a keeper.