The Australia women's soccer team made history in Seattle on Thursday night, pulling off the upset against the U.S. women in both teams' Tournament of Nations opener. In 27 meetings, the Matildas have never beaten the Americans who have been a perennial powerhouse on the women's stage. July 27, 2017 was a special day, however.
Last month, the USWNT picked up two wins in rather lackluster friendlies against Norway and Sweden. The performances themselves did not do much to ignite the passions, but after the trip, fans and media were buzzing about something else that occurred - or rather, did not occur - during the games. Where was Sydney Leroux?
Megan Rapinoe took her NWSL-leading goal tally to 12 from 15 matches with a remarkable hat trick in Seattle’s 5-4 victory over Sky Blue FC on Saturday. The Reign squandered a 4-0 lead, but Rapinoe rescued her side with an immaculately placed left-footed shot at the death.
Kristine Lilly, a midfielder/forward for the USWNT for 23 years, holds the world record for most international appearances made by a man or woman. To give you some perspective on just how incredible the feat of 354 caps is, the male player with the most international appearances (Egypt’s Ahmed Hassan) has 184.
Kristine Lilly played on the national team over 4 different decades. She witnessed the permed and teased hair of the 1980s and the sidebangs of the early 2010s, the peak of the Michael Jackson era, the rise of Taylor Swift and everything in between.
Alex Morgan undoubtedly has a special relationship with the soccer ball. Her ability to fire shots in the back of the net over the years is clear proof of that fact. However, this goal from last spring shows just the kind of mesmerizing soccer sorcery the forward is capable of.
The United States women's national team has a relatively short history dating back to just 1986. Over the following three decades, the Americans had a tremendous amount of success, dominating opponents and picking up over 25 total championships. Arranged in a 4-3-3 for this best XI, here are the best eleven ladies (and one super sub for good measure) to ever dawn the red, white and blue.
A few of these players have twirls and twinkles toes and others . . . well . . . might have two left feet. We're looking at you, Ozil.
The United States women's national team, ranked No. 2 in the world, failed to really take hold of the game against a strong Norwegian team, ranked No. 11, on Sunday in Sandjeford, Norway. USWNT coach Jill Ellis cotinued her experimentation with personnel and formations — the starting line-up featured just two players that got minutes at the 2015 World Cup.