Just a couple days away, so its definitely time for a match thread. The US will begin play in the SheBelieves Cup with a match against the defending Olympic champions, Germany. The game is in Chester, PA, and kickoff is at 7 pm ET (The match is preceded by the England v France match at 4 pm ET). It will be shown on FoxSports 1 and FoxSoccer2Go. US roster: GOALKEEPERS (3): Jane Campbell (Houston Dash), Ashlyn Harris (Orlando Pride), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars) DEFENDERS (6): Julie Johnston (Chicago Red Stars), Ali Krieger (Orlando Pride), Kelley O’Hara (Sky Blue FC), Becky Sauerbrunn (FC Kansas City), Casey Short (Chicago Red Stars), Emily Sonnett (Portland Thorns FC) MIDFIELDERS (8): Morgan Brian (Houston Dash), Tobin Heath (Portland Thorns FC), Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC), Rose Lavelle (Boston Breakers), Carli Lloyd (Manchester City), Allie Long (Portland Thorns FC), Samantha Mewis (NC Courage), Brianna Pinto (CASL) FORWARDS (6): Crystal Dunn (Chelsea Ladies FC), Jessica McDonald (NC Courage), Alex Morgan (Olympique Lyonnais), Christen Press (Chicago Red Stars), Mallory Pugh (UCLA), Lynn Williams (NC Courage) Germany roster: GOALKEEPERS (3): 12-Laura Benkarth (SC Freiburg), 1-Almuth Schult (VfL Wolfsburg), 21-Lisa Weiß (SGS Essen) DEFENDERS (9): 2-Josephine Henning (Olympique Lyonnais), 3-Kathrin Hendrich (1. FFC Frankfurt), 5-Babett Peter (VfL Wolfsburg), 7-Pauline Bremer (Olympique Lyonnais), 14-Anna Blässe (VfL Wolfsburg), 17-Isabel Kerschowski (VfL Wolfsburg), 23-Verena Faißt (Bayern München), 24-Kristin Demann (1899 Hoffenheim), 29-Felicitas Rauch (1. FFC Turbine Postdam) MIDFIELDERS (6): 4-Leonie Maier (Bayern München), 9-Alexandra Popp (VfL Wolfsburg), 10-Dzsenifer Marozsan (Olympique Lyonnais), 13-Sara Däbritz (Bayern München), 27-Sara Doorsoun (SGS Essen), 31-Linda Dallman (SGS Essen) FORWARDS (5): 11-Anja Mittag (VfL Wolfsburg), 15-Mandy Islacker (1. FFC Frankfurt), 18-Lena Petermann (SC Freiburg), 20-Lina Magull (SC Freiburg), 26-Hasret Kayikci (SC Freiburg) This will be the first time the USWNT have faced Germany since they won the Olympics, and also the first time since Steffi Jones became head coach. USSF's match preview: http://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2017/02/08/16/24/20170208-preview-wnt-v-germany-shebelieves-cup
Tomorrow's games in Chester, PA could run into some weather problems. Cloudy and breezy with some showers, and 60% chance of heavy thunderstorms in the evening. http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/chester-pa/19013/daily-weather-forecast/2215792?day=2
THEY'RE BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCK They have once again assembled. They are once again together. Tomorrow we get to see Carli Lloyd..Alexandra The Great..Becky…Tobin..Malloryyyyyyy and THIS TEAM. I’ve been in a constant state of Hyperventiation for the past week. I made arrangements with the good folks at Talen to tether me to the stadium floor. This 107-day Planetary Nightmare is almost over - - 29 hours and 34 minutes to Kick my little soccer buddies. The Journey with these women, with this Team will always….be….GLORIOUS STRONG ALONE UNSTOPPABLE TOGETHER
From USSF's Facebook page: "We are aware of the forecast and are monitoring the weather closely. As of now, the match is set to go on as scheduled. If things change, we will provide updated information asap."
The weather held for England-France. Thunderstorm odds in Chester at 50-60% per my weather app. Of course, rain is ok we just need the lightning to stay away.
Looks to be a 3-5-2 (or 3-4-3 if Lloyd doesn't feel like playing defense). --------------Naeher---------------- ------Brunn--Long--Short-------- ----------Mewis---Brian----------- ---Dunn------Lloyd------Heath--- -----------Press----Williams------- We're baaaaaaaaack! 🇺🇸Introducing your #USWNT Starting XI for #USAvGER. Lineup notes: https://t.co/ewx0c4Fk23 pic.twitter.com/FarjpHaODy— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) March 1, 2017
Germany lineup: Schult; Kerschowski, Peter, Henning, Blässe; Däbritz, Marozsan, Maier; Mittag, Popp, Petermann Front six for Germany are strong, but I think we can cut up the defense with pace and ball movement. The two center backs are slow as molasses, not sure why Steffi Jones is sticking with them.
Highlights from last Shiba Leaves. Great goal by Alex Morgan. Schult really flubbed Mewis' goal, she will be hoping for a better performance today.
It seems to be their thing to have a green away jersey for the Euros. For example the men wore this for the 2012 Euros:
Indeed, our own WNT has worn black a few times (2011, 2016), and in 2008 even had a gold jersey. No joke.
From a 2014 ESPN article. "The reason the German second kit used to be green and white is that these are the official colours of the German FA (DFB) since around 1925. Opinion is divided over why exactly the DFB changed its look at that point and replaced the colours of the Reich with the much less symbolically charged green and white. The matter is made the more confusing by the fact that the logo -- in which the letters D, F and B were black, white and red -- remained unchanged until April 1940, when the DFB (like all other sports governing associations) was dissolved because athletic activities were controlled and organised by the party and the state. And so it wasn't until after the war that green really became the DFB's signature colour. When the association was re-formed on July 1, 1949, in Stuttgart, the decision was made to use a new logo, designed by the artist and football coach Ernst Fuhry. For obvious reasons, the colours of the Reich were now a total no-no and discarded in favour of what also happen to be the colours that define a football pitch: green and white. (For many decades, the postwar logo consisted only of the characteristic green letters. It wasn't until the new millennium that the letters became white and the colours of the Federal Republic -- black, red and gold -- were discreetly added to the logo.)" http://www.espnfc.us/blog/world-cup-central/59/post/1845021/a-colourful-history-for-germany
I know the men wore anthracite, but are you sure nike didn't call at least one of those black uniforms anthracite too?
After the first half I would give fair to good marks only to the defenders for the US -- Sauerbrunn, Long, and Short....The three back system is holding up. The rest of the team...well,...not bad, not good. Germany seems a little better on the ball than the US. Not the most exciting game I've ever seen. England vs France, now, that was a good game. Much more entertaining than this one. I hope for better in the second half.