Kansas
U.S. Women’s National Team Cruises Past Nigeria 4-0 In Kansas City Friendly
KANSAS CITY, Kansas (Sept. 3, 2022) – In its return to motion for the primary time since qualifying for the 2023 FIFA Girls’s World Cup and 2024 Paris Olympics, the U.S. Girls’s Nationwide Crew earned a 4-0 victory over Nigeria in entrance of a boisterous crowd of 14,502 at Youngsters’s Mercy Park.
Within the first of two friendlies between the USA and the Tremendous Falcons, U.S. head coach Vlatko Andonovski began the identical XI that defeated Canada 1-0 within the title sport of the Concacaf W Championship title in mid-July.
The USA, which outshot Nigeria 14-8, put their opponents underneath stress from the opening whistle and by the point the primary water break arrived halfway by way of the opening half, the People had a 2-0 lead due to ahead Sophia Smith scoring on a breakaway and midfielder Lindsey Horan changing off a Smith feed in the appropriate aspect of the penalty space. Smith would tack on a second strike in first half stoppage time, giving the USA a commanding 3-0 benefit going into the break.
Quickly after the groups started the second half, ahead Mallory Pugh raced into the Tremendous Falcons’ penalty field on the left aspect the place she was fouled by Nicole Payne. Ahead Alex Morgan dispatched the ensuing penalty with aplomb within the 52nd minute to supply what could be the ultimate margin of victory. It was Morgan’s fourth profession purpose from the penalty spot for the USA.
Andonovski then turned to his bench to maintain the gamers contemporary within the KC warmth. Within the 64th minute, ahead Midge Purce got here on for Smith, ahead Megan Rapinoe changed Pugh and midfielder Ashley Sanchez got here on for Horan. A second set of subs entered within the 70th minute as midfielder Ashley Hatch entered instead of Morgan, midfielder Kristie Mewis subbed on for Rose Lavelle and defender Hailie Mace, she of the native NWSL aspect Kansas Metropolis Present, took over for Emily Fox. It was Mace’s fourth profession cap and first since 2018.
The robust show from the USA earned the staff its ninth consecutive clear sheet which ties the third-longest shutout streak in program historical past and units up the groups’ rematch at Audi Subject in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, Sept. 6 (6 p.m. ET; ESPN2). A capability crowd is predicted for that match, the USWNT’s first-ever at Washington, D.C.’s soccer-specific stadium.
Goalscoring Rundown:
USA – Sophia Smith, 14th minute – A Nigeria purpose kick was headed again into Tremendous Falcons’ territory by the Sofia Huerta and a wild backheel try to clear by Christy Ucheibe despatched the ball again in direction of her purpose and into the trail of Smith. The ahead sped previous the protection and hit a left footed shot into the decrease proper nook for her eighth purpose in her final 9 caps. USA 1, NGA 0
USA – Lindsey Horan (Sophia Smith), 25nd minute – Smith was concerned once more on the USA’s subsequent purpose, this time taking part in supplier for her fellow Coloradan, Lindsey Horan, to bag her 26th profession purpose. After a nook kick from the left aspect, excessive urgent from the WNT gained the ball again simply exterior the Nigeria field and Smith was in a position to stab a go into the stride of Horan in the appropriate aspect of the field. The Olympique Lyon midfielder minimize inside previous a defender earlier than depositing a left-footed strike into the decrease left nook of the online. USA 2, NGA 0
USA – Sophia Smith (Emily Fox), 45+1st minute – Fox earned her first profession help with a wonderful little bit of play to arrange Smith for her second tally of the sport. After initiating the passing sequence, Fox made a future up the left sideline earlier than getting the ball again and sending a fantastic low cross by way of the Nigeria field to the ft of Smith, who solely needed to redirect the ball house for her fourth multigoal sport in crimson, white and blue. USA 3, NGA 0
USA – Alex Morgan (Penalty Kick), 52nd minute – After Mallory Pugh drew a penalty kick, Morgan stepped to the spot and with veteran poise buried her shot within the decrease left nook for the 119th purpose of her profession. USA 4, NGA 0
Further Notes:
- The USA improves to 7-0-0 all time in opposition to Nigeria and 9-0-0 general in opposition to CAF opponents.
- Head coach Vlatko Andonovski is 40-2-6 in 48 video games (two on the finish of 2019, 9 in 2020, 24 in 2021, and 13 thus far in 2022).
- The USA is on a 12-game win streak throughout which it has outscored opponents 50-1. It’s the staff’s longest win streak since profitable 16 in a row from November 2019 to February 2021.
- The staff is presently within the midst of its second longest house unbeaten streak (70 video games) which has lasted greater than 5 years. With a 63-0-7 file, the streak trails solely the WNT’s 104-game house unbeaten streak that lasted from December of 2004 to December of 2015.
- With the clear sheet, the USA has matched its third-longest shutout streak ever. It final achieved 9 straight shutouts from August to November of 2018. The U.S. stored 14 straight clear sheets from July 1990 to Could 1991 and had a 10-game shutout streak from December 2004 to October 2005.
- With Sophia Smith scoring her tenth profession purpose in simply her twenty second profession cap, she’s tied with Michelle Akers for the sixth quickest to double-digit targets in USWNT Historical past.
- Quickest to 10 targets in WNT Historical past: Christie Welsh and Christen Press (14 caps), Abby Wambach (16), Carin Jennings-Gabarra (20), Sydney Leroux (21), Sophia Smith and Michelle Akers (22)
- Along with her purpose, Alex Morgan has now scored in opposition to 31 completely different opponents. It was additionally her first purpose in opposition to an opponent from Africa, giving her targets in opposition to all six FIFA Confederations. Morgan is the 14th USWNT participant to attain in opposition to a staff from every Confederation.
- It was Morgan’s 119th profession purpose and 12th as a mother, placing her inside two targets of turning into the USA’s highest scoring mother in staff historical past. Pleasure Fawcett scored 13 targets as a mother.
- Along with her first purpose of 2022, Lindsey Horan turns into the sixteenth completely different participant to attain for the USWNT thus far in 2022 – Sophia Smith (8), Mallory Pugh (6), Catarina Macario (5), Rose Lavelle (3), Kristie Mewis (3), Alex Morgan (3), Ashley Sanchez (3), Ashley Hatch (2), Trinity Rodman (2), Midge Purce (2), Kelley O’Hara (1), Lindsey Horan (1), Jaelin Howell (1), Andi Sullivan (1), Taylor Kornieck (1) and Emily Sonnett (1).
– U.S. WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM MATCH REPORT –
Match: United States Girls’s Nationwide Crew vs. Nigeria
Date: Sept. 3, 2022
Competitors: Worldwide Pleasant
Venue: Youngsters’s Mercy Park; Kansas Metropolis, Kan.
Attendance: 14,502
Kickoff: 1:30 p.m. ET (12:30 p.m. native)
Climate: 82 levels; cloudy
Scoring Abstract: 1 2 F
USA 3 1 4
NGA 0 0 0
USA – Sophia Smith 14th minute
USA – Lindsey Horan (Sophia Smith) 25
USA – Sophia Smith (Emily Fox) 45+1
USA – Alex Morgan (Penalty Kick) 52
Lineups:
USA: 1-Alyssa Naeher; 8-Sofia Huerta, 3-Alana Prepare dinner, 4-Becky Sauerbrunn (Capt.), 19-Emily Fox (5-Hailie Mace, 70); 17-Andi Sullivan, 10-Lindsey Horan (2-Ashley Sanchez, 64), 16-Rose Lavelle (22-Kristie Mewis, 70); 9-Mallory Pugh (15-Megan Rapinoe, 64), 13-Alex Morgan (7-Ashley Hatch, 70), 11-Sophia Smith (23-Midge Purce, 65)
Substitutes not used: 18-Casey Murphy, 21-Aubrey Kingsbury, 6-Savannah DeMelo, 12-Naomi Girma, 14-Sam Coffey, 20-Taylor Kornieck
Head coach: Vlatko Andonovski
NGA: 16-Chiamaka Nnadozie; 12-Michelle Alozie, 3-Osinachi Ohale (11-Akudo Ogbonna, 76), 4-Glory Ogbonna (5-Blessing Demehin, 56), 7-Toni Payne; 6-Uchenna Kanu (8-Rofiat Adenike Imuran, 46), 19-Deborah Abiodun (17-Nicole Payne, 46), 13-Christy Ucheibe, 2-Reward Monday (10-Amanda Mbadi, 46); 15-Rasheedat Ajibade (Capt.), 9-Ifeoma Onumonu (14-Vivian Ikechukwu, 65)
Substitutes not used: 1-Christy Ohiaeriaku, 18-Onyi Echegini, 20-Esther Onyenezide
Head coach: Randy Waldrum
Stats Abstract: USA / NGA
Photographs: 14 / 8
Photographs on Aim: 9 / 4
Saves: 4 / 5
Nook Kicks: 3 / 3
Fouls: 6 / 11
Offside: 0 / 1
Misconduct Abstract:
NGA – Deborah Abiodun (warning) 28th minute
NGA – Osinachi Ohale (warning) 40
Officers:
Referee: Melissa Borjas (HON)
Assistant Referee 1: Shirley Perello (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Lourdes Noriega (HON)
4th Official: Tori Penso (USA)
Budweiser Lady of the Match: Sophia Smith