By Tommy Kane

Published: June 20th, 2019

The United States Women’s National Team rounded out their group stage play at the 2019 FIFA World Cup with a 2-0 win against Sweden, a result that has seemed rare for the USWNT while playing the Swedes in recent years. That match took place on Jun. 20, 2019, in Le Havre, France.

With this result against arguably their biggest international rival, the United States will place first in Group F while conceding zero goals in the competition. Nonetheless, of this result, the USWNT punched their ticket to the knockout round by stringing together two huge wins against Thailand and Chile. Thailand was destroyed, 13-0, and Chile was shut-out, 3-0.

Julie Ertz, who scored her first World Cup goal against Chile, was left out of the lineup due to a hip contusion. This was strictly for precautionary reasons and if it was a knockout game, Ertz would play. Head coach, Jill Ellis, confirmed this statement.

At the game, a few World War II Veterans were in attendance due to the recent 75th anniversary of D-Day. God bless those Vets and we thank them for all they have done!

Dream Start For U.S.

The Americans played hard and started off fast when the game started. It was obvious that they dreamed of an early goal, and they got just that.

In the 3rd minute, the United States was able to strike. Coming off a huge corner-kick opportunity, the ball found Lindsey Horan (shown below #9). Horan tapped the ball past Swedish keeper, Hedvig Lindahl. Her goal was the fastest goal scored at the 2019 World Cup.

No other goals were scored in the first half, but the United States was hungry for another one. The midfielders especially played well on the ball, giving out opportunities for the strikers. Lindahl had to make a few critical saves to keep the game 1-0.

Alyssa Naeher, the goalie of the United States, finally got her first real test in the World Cup. She was called on quick to make a few big saves to preserve the first half shutout. There were a few mistakes made by the U.S. defense, which brought Naeher to action.

Above all, the Americans controlled the pace of the game throughout the first half, which is an advantage because that is how they play strongest. It was no surprise that the U.S. wanted to have an aggressive start to a difficult match.

A Satisfying Result

Carli Lloyd came on for Alex Morgan at the start of the second stanza. Morgan was taken down in the first half and it is speculated that Ellis was taking her out for precautionary reasons due to the Americans already advancing. The 1-0 lead could also be a factor.

In the 50th minute, the United States scored their 18th goal of the group stage, which broke the previous record held by Norway for most goals in a World Cup group stage. Tobin Heath (shown below #17) received a perfect pass from Megan Rapinoe (shown below #15) and slightly knocked the ball in off Jonna Andersson’s cleat. Ultimately, the goal was deemed an ‘own goal’ for Andersson. VAR was also called into action because of a possible offside, but it was still ruled a goal.

After that, the Americans seemed to slow down a bit and Sweden earned more opportunities, but couldn’t score one. Naeher did a wonderful job in net to preserve the shutout, her third of the World Cup. She has gone a perfect 3/3 in terms of shutouts.

In the 90th minute, Lloyd attempted to keep her scoring streak alive by finding a breakaway opportunity, but Lindahl was able to get in front of the shot and stop it. Lloyd was looking to break her own goal streak record by scoring in seven straight World Cup matches.

The Stars and Stripes had four shots on target and scored twice, while Sweden had only two shots on net. Unsurprisingly, the Americans controlled the possession 58% of the time throughout the entirety of the game.

The U.S. played a solid game all-around, and Naeher arguably had her best game. Her confidence was clear while preserving the shutout. There was a myriad of doubts about her filling Hope Solo’s shoes, but they should be mostly faded by now.

The touches were great for the most part, as well as the passes. This was against a difficult opponent, considering the level of difficulty the Americans faced in the first two matches as well.

Other than that, Ertz and Morgan should be set for the round of 16 match. As usual, it is important to have a healthy lineup going into the knockout stage.

España Awaits

Because the U.S. won their group, they will face a hungry Spanish side, who placed second in group B. The two teams will play each other on Jun. 24, 2019, at 12 PM EST. The game will take place in Reims, France, and be televised on FS1.

The United States is on a collision course to face France in the Quarterfinals. If the Americans defeat Spain, and France beats Brazil, then the two rivals will face-off on Jun. 28, 2019, at 3 PM EST in Paris. That will be arguably the toughest match for the United States, but it is in the future and it isn’t certain.

For now, the U.S. needs to focus on beating Spain to continue their quest for winning the World Cup for the second-straight time.

GO USA!

Match Stats Against Sweden

Video Highlights Against Sweden