The U.S. women’s national team faces France tonight at RFK Stadium for the final game of the SheBelieves Cup. The USWNT currently sits a point behind France and is tied with England, who will play Germany at 4pm. The United States need a win to have a chance at winning the tournament for the second straight year, and an England win earlier that day could jeopardize their shot.
Key player: Carli Lloyd
Lloyd can make or break tomorrow’s game. The U.S. attack has sputtered in this tournament, with just one goal in two games and a 5% shot conversion rate compared to last year’s 21% in the same tournament. With the USWNT’s 3-5-2, the team needs Lloyd to build an attack. Many times this tournament, Lloyd has failed to get meaningfully involved in offensive moves, and in the first game, she failed to press high enough to win the ball in dangerous positions. Christen Press and other forwards have also needed to drop too far back to get the ball from the midfield at times, something Lloyd can help remedy. Defensively, Lloyd can be more of a factor, especially if wide attacks by France require someone from the middle pushing out to the wing to help.
Location: Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium (Washington, DC)
Kickoff time: 7:00pm
Projected USWNT starting 11: (352) - Alyssa Naeher; Becky Sauerbrunn, Allie Long, Casey Short; Mallory Pugh, Samantha Mewis, Carli Lloyd, Lindsay Horan, Rose Lavelle; Christen Press, Lynn Williams
Not really what I’d like to happen but more a product of my cynicism. Jill Ellis has rotated her lineup a decent amount so this is kind of up in the air.
Projected France starting 11: (442) - Sarah Bouhaddi; Laura Georges, Griedge M’bock, Wendie Renard, Sakina Karchaoui; Camile Abily, Amandine Henry, Elise Bussaglia, Kadidiatou Diani; Marie-Laure Delie, Eugenie Le Sommer
France has had a ton of injuries and lineup changes, so neither of these are sure bets.
Available TV: Fox Sports 1
Available streaming: Fox Sports GO, Fox Soccer 2Go
For listings in other countries, check out LiveSoccerTV.com.
What do we have to say about it?: We’ve covered the previous SheBelieves Cup games against England and Germany.
What are you drinking? Jason and I will be in the press box, so water [editors note: Jason will probably do the same, but might enjoy a coffee before arriving at RFK.].
This is the place for all your pre-game, in-game, and post-game discussion. Enjoy!