The USWNT’s ambitions for the next nine months are trained on a July 7, 2019 game at Parc Olympique Lyonnais, but their path to the 2019 World Cup final starts tonight in North Carolina. The United States takes on Mexico in their Concacaf qualifying opener, and they’ll be looking to make a statement. When you’re a favorite to the degree that the USWNT is, you can’t just grind it out. The expectations here are to confidently dispatch their trickiest foe in Group A, setting the stage for the rest of the tournament.
Location: Sahlen’s Stadium (Cary, NC)
Kickoff time: 7:30 Eastern
Projected USWNT starting 11: (433) - Alyssa Naeher; Kelley O’Hara, Abby Dahlkemper, Becky Sauerbrunn, Crystal Dunn; Lindsey Horan, Julie Ertz, Morgan Brian; Tobin Heath, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe
Bench: Ashlyn Harris, Emily Sonnett, Casey Short, Hailie Mace, Samantha Mewis, Rose Lavelle, Christen Press, Carli Lloyd, Mallory Pugh
This is the toughest game of the group stage, so Jill Ellis will sending out her best 11 (or at least, the lineup she sees as her best 11, which is actually a very different thing). This team recently scored 10 goals on Mexico in two friendlies, and anything less than a confident victory would be a letdown, regardless of the strange interpretations of where players go and what they can do from the head coach.
There is a chance that we see Sonnett at right back and a return of the asymmetrical 433 that saw Dunn essentially in midfield and Horan having to shuttle out to the touchline, but most likely this more conventional look will be in place.
Available TV: Fox Sports 2, Univision Deportes
Available streaming: Fox Sports Go. Depending on your Fox subscription, you may have more access to streaming options than you normally do:
Those with FS1 TV subscriptions can access FS2 on digital platforms
— Steven Goff (@SoccerInsider) September 29, 2018
For listings in other countries, check out LiveSoccerTV.com.
What do we our friends have to say about it?: Stars and Stripes FC has your preview, which includes the full USWNT roster.
What are you drinking?: Mint julep with rye and brandy instead of the traditional bourbon. In this case, Rittenhouse bottled-in-bond rye and Labiette Castille armagnac, plus homemade mint simple syrup.
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