Thanks to Superwoman (Megan Rapinoe), US Top France 2-1 to Reach 8th Straight World Cup Semis

I don't think that it's hyperbole to say that nobody crushed this early week of summer in the world quite like U.S. women's national team icon Megan Rapinoe. From scoring both goals in the U.S.' 2-1 win vs. Spain in the Round of 16 on Monday afternoon, to sparring with the orange buffoon that currently resides in the White House, she was basically everywhere. Proving what a certified baller and legitimate bad ass/role model that she is, Rapinoe left her biggest mark on France in this afternoon's quarterfinal match at the Parc Des Princes (PSG's home stadium) in Paris. Once again, she scored both goals for the Americans as they got out to a 2-0 lead on the French and held on for a mighty impressive 2-1 victory.

Many pundits thought that France (ranked #4 in the latest FIFA world rankings) would represent the toughest test for the top-ranked US and I have to say that the game lived up to the hype and then some. I agree with those that said it's a shame that these two heavyweights had to face off this early in the tournament but I think that also discredits England (ranked #3) who the US now meets in the semifinals on Tuesday afternoon (3, FOX) and Germany (ranked #2) who they could possibly meet in a dream World Cup Final next Sunday.

For days, Rapinoe faced the media and backed up what she said about Donald Trump rather than take the coward's way out by retracting what she had said or even worse, just backing down to the bully. Nope, she faced all the cameras and extra attention but it clearly didn't faze her in the least bit as she gave the U.S. a 1-0 lead five minutes into the match. That means that the U.S. has scored a goal in the first 12 minutes of all five matches in this World Cup which is pretty insane given the quality of their last three opponents (Sweden, Spain and France).

Unlike her two goals vs. Spain which were both on penalty kicks, Rapinoe's first tally against France came via a free kick. Somehow her shot (pass?) found its way through a maze of arms and legs without anybody (not American Julie Ertz, French defenders nor goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi) touching it. Including the U.S.' second goal (which also came during the run of play), eight of their 22 goals at this tournament have come from set pieces. As a team, they are only one goal behind their 1991 squad and 2003 Germany (both Cup winners) for the most goals in a single World Cup.

France dominated possession all game (61-39%) but they were so wasteful once they got in the attacking third of the field: they took twice as many shots as the US (20-10) but the Americans actually put three more (8) on target. The French also had more than twice as many corner kicks (7-3) so you have to conclude that this was close to a defensive masterpiece by the U.S. Trailing 1-0 at halftime, France came out with their hair on fire to start the second half with U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher forced into by far her most stress of this fortnight.

After withstanding that pressure by France, Rapinoe doubled her team's advantage and effectively put a dagger in French hearts around the globe. We had heard that France's backline was a potential weakness against the U.S. and didn't that pan out on the second goal that made it 2-0 in the 65th minute. Tobin Heath had a rare counterattack for the Americans and she made the most of it as Sam Mewis drove to the net but the clever Heath instead hit a changeup slower pass to Rapinoe on the far post that she was able to blast in. France seemed to be in full collapse mode when Heath scored in the 77th minute but for some reason, it was quickly ruled that Crystal Dunn (who gave her the ball) was offsides on the initial pass from Alex Morgan before she found Heath for a one-time finish. With all the VAR delays in this tournament, it was very surprising that this one wasn't looked at least looked at further. Ugh, thankfully it didn't ultimately mean anything.

Speaking of Morgan, she's had a rather bizarre four games (head coach Jill Ellis-who won her 100th game today-sat her vs. Chile): an insane five goals in the laughable opener vs. Thailand but after that no more goals. She's had her chances of course but now Rapinoe along with England striker Ellen White are tied with her for the Golden Boot award (most goals in the World Cup). She's definitely banged up which isn't a total excuse but something to keep in mind when you see her stay on the ground time after time since getting hurt in the Sweden group stage finale. It's not like she's been completely useless as she had the through ball that sprung Heath on the second goal as well.

Credit to France for not completely rolling over though I'm sure they were stunned to be down 2-0. Their massive (6-foot-2) central defender Wendie Renard put in a header from midfielder Gaetane Thiney's free kick in the 81st minute to cut it to 2-1. That was her fourth goal of the tournament, all coming from set pieces where she uses her height and power to head everything in sight. Ellis was a little faster to make a substitution than against Spain as midfielder Rose Lavelle was pulled in the 63rd minute for Lindsey Horan (who should be starting but I digress). Carli Lloyd entered for midfielder Sam Mewis in the 82nd minute and Christen Press replaced Pinoe (her second Woman of the Match award in a row) in the 87th minute. The U.S. used the exact same lineup for the second straight match and Lavelle is the only puzzling decision since even before the game, you questioned it then she went out and played rather terribly.

Rapinoe made some notable history in the win as she became the first American woman to score four straight goals for her team in a World Cup. She was also the first woman since Brazil's Marta in 2007 to get back-to-back braces (2-goal performances). Normally, I would throw out the old cliche that the U.S. has to be careful not to have a letdown vs. England but with so many players still active for them that won the World Cup in 2015 vs. Japan not to mention a few that lost in the heartbreaking Final to the Japanese in 2011 (damn you, penalty kicks!), I doubt that will be an issue. Furthermore, this is the #1 team for a reason, they are always a huge match for any opponent no matter the time or venue so they are used to that constant pressure of living up to their incredible history. Even if they lose to England (who rolled 3-0 over Norway in the quarterfinals), the U.S. is at least assured of another game in France-the third-place match-but who wants to be in that? This team is on a mission and they are two wins away from the fourth Cup title in their storied history joining all the legends from 1991, 1999 and 2015.

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Thanks to A Pair of Shaky PK calls, U.S. Survives vs. Spain 2-1 to Reach the WC Quarterfinals

The good news is that the U.S. women's national team had far from their best performance against Spain this afternoon in the Round of 16 but they were still able to squeak by 2-1 as star forward Megan Rapinoe bagged a pair of penalty kicks (1 in each half). After not allowing any goals in the cruise control group stage, Spain was able to become the first opponent to score vs. the U.S. mostly due to a disastrous clearance attempt by goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher and defender Becky Sauerbrunn. Each decision for the U.S. to earn a pk seemed dubious at best so they should count their lucky stars that they benefited from both of those. Conversely, they have to know that they'll need to ratchet things up on Friday (3, Fox) vs. France in the quarterfinals, a more than worthy opponent that is 2-0-1 in their last three matches vs. the mighty Americans.

From the start, it was a bumpy ride for the U.S. as Spain nearly took a shocking 1-0 lead in the first few minutes but defender Abby Dahlkemper blocked a shot that appeared ticketed for the net. Forward Tobin Heath was taken down in the box for a penalty kick in the ninth minute which was a generous call since there didn't seem to be a whole lot of contact. No matter as Rapinoe stepped up confidently to the spot and blasted a low hard shot into the left hand corner past goalkeeper Sandra Panos who dove in the opposite direction. That early strike continued the U.S.' impressive streak this World Cup of getting their first goal within the opening 12 minutes of action.

There was not much time for celebrations though as Spain answered two minutes later to tie things up at one. Naeher had a free kick that she gave to Sauerbrunn's feet in traffic that was quickly stolen by the Spaniards. Lucia Garcia played it to teammate Jennifer Hermoso who was able to pop a pretty shot over Naher's (caught in no-man's land) outstretched hands and into the goal. I would give Naeher a bit more of the blame since she ultimately made the decision to give Sauerbrunn the ball in a dangerous area but with such an experienced, quality defender, you would expect Sauerbrunn to assess things better and either hit it out of bounds or try to get it to Crystal Dunn who was stationed nearby.

Spain's gameplan was obvious: they would never match the skill and speed of the U.S. so they decided to physically beat them up with countless rough, dangerous tackles. For the most part, it worked. It was still 1-1 at halftime and pretty deep into the second half before the Americans drew an even shadier penalty kick after midfielder Rose Lavelle went down a few strides in the box after getting tapped on the leg. As there should have been, there was a lengthy VAR review of the play but surprisingly, the ref stuck with her initial choice of a pk. There was such a long delay that Alex Morgan at first was lined up to take it but the U.S. coaching staff thought better of that and they let Rapinoe give it another go. Panos guessed correctly this time since Rapinoe again went for the same spot but with her precision and power, it still couldn't be stopped.

The U.S. had 55% of the possession and way more shots (10-4) but only one more on target (2-1) and one additional corner kick (3-2). With an injury in the first half, Spain was forced to make an early substitution and then made their final two moves in the second half before U.S. head coach Jill Ellis finally did something to counter them. Carli Lloyd came on for Morgan in the 85th minute, Lindsey Horan replaced Lavelle in the 89th minute and in the last minute of the allotted seven minutes plus of added time and Christen Press took out Rapinoe-the slam dunk selection for Woman of the Match.

Playing in Paris on Friday against the host nation France should make for a great atmosphere. The French went to extra time to defeat Brazil 2-1 yesterday but they'll be sure to bring an even more difficult test than Spain did. I have faith that the U.S. will bring their collective play up a level or two, otherwise they could be going home. They are still the best team in the world and even when they don't have their best effort (like today), they are able to piece a result together with experience and their trademark exceptional work rate. Leave work early or just don't even go to begin with on Friday because you are not going to want to miss that big-time women's World Cup match.

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Welcome Back Everybody to the USWNT World Cup Bandwagon!

Hello friends, it's been awhile (oh only about 3 years or so) since we last talked on this fine blog but I felt like it was time to return from the internet abyss. After all, our U.S. women's national team is defending their crown at the 2019 World Cup in France as they go for their fourth world title. This afternoon, they took down one of their fiercest rivals-Sweden-2-0 in the final match of the group stage. The Americans (3-0-0) won Group F and in the process set a quite impressive record: their 18 goals scored is the most ever in a group stage, besting Norway's 17 way back in 1995.

If you haven't totally locked in on the USWNT yet in France, you are excused. A 13-0 joke on an opener vs. Thailand did nothing but open up a can of worms for lazy sportswriters who don't know a thing about the beautiful game followed by a pretty dull 3-0 win against Chile that could have at least been by more than double that margin. Sweden is always a stern test for the U.S. and you only have to go back to the 2016 Olympics where the Swedes knocked the Americans out in the quarterfinals to understand why head coach Jill Ellis' squad was looking to exact some revenge.

After sitting seven of her best players vs. Chile, Ellis fielded basically her strongest starting 11 today although center back Julie Ertz (who has become one of their most dependable players) was a late scratch with a hip contusion. No worries though, it sounds like it was just a precautionary move and she should be fine for Monday's Round of 16 match vs. Spain (12, FS1). With this victory, the powerhouse U.S. extended their World Cup winning streak to an incredible 13 matches in a row while also qualifying for the knockout round for the eighth consecutive World Cup.

There was no waiting around by the Americans for the game to pick up as center midfielder Lindsey Horan scored the fastest opening goal in this tournament, just three minutes into regulation. It happened to be a pretty strike too as it all started with a corner kick by Megan Rapinoe that Samantha Mewis flicked on to space right in front of Sweden's goal where Horan was the first one there to knock it in. Both teams were already assured of a place in the knockout round but they still played with a purpose and thankfully, the U.S. did anything but sit back after they got that extremely early lead.

The Americans dominated possession (62%-38%) and eventually wore the Swedes down with more than double the shot attempts (16-7) with twice as many landing on goal (4-2). In addition, the USA also had three more corner kicks (5-2) and they drew six more fouls than Sweden (10-4) who were forced to defend relentless attacks for most of the 90+ minutes. Another injury concern for the U.S. came late in the first half as Alex Morgan took the brunt of a rough slide tackle. She stayed in the game but was subbed off at halftime. In her postgame comments, Ellis noted that her superstar striker had picked up a "knock" but that she should be OK for Spain although Morgan skipped talking to the media which always makes you wonder what's really going on behind the scenes.

Sweden really doesn't have many skilled goal-scorers so when they trailed 2-0 in the 50th minute, you pretty much knew that they were finishing second in Group F. FIFA officially ruled it an own goal on Swedish defender Jonna Andersson but Uncle Sam over here is more than happy to (mostly) credit the strike to the brilliance of U.S. forward Tobin Heath. I can't say I'm an expert on every single player and team in women's soccer these days but I doubt that is a more creative and skilled forward in women's soccer than her in 2019. With the ball at her feet in the box (big mistake Sweden), she lulled Andersson to sleep before blasting a shot that took a slight deflection off her past goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl.

Carli Lloyd replaced Morgan and while she couldn't extend her World Cup record goal-scoring streak to an absurd seven games, she did have a wonderful chance that was stopped by Lindahl. The way that the group stage played out for the U.S., I think that they were lucky in the sense that it went from worst opponent to best. For me, their biggest question mark besides Ertz and Morgan's health is goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher. Is she good? Who would really know? She made a couple plays vs. Sweden but being the U.S. women's goalkeeper is not exactly the most difficult job in sports. No doubt, as they keep progressing in France, they'll need her to step up and prove why she's the starter over something called Adrianna Franch. While Naeher remains a bit of a mystery, I am very confident in her backline of Kelley O'Hara, Abby Dahlkemper, Becky Sauerbrunn and Crystal Dunn. They are probably the best defense in women's soccer and that's a fact. Likewise, the midfield of Horan, Mewis and Rose Lavelle is loaded and the frontline of Rapinoe, Morgan and Heath is ridiculously good. They are the top team in the world for a reason.

Unlike the currently irrelevant U.S. men who just two plus weeks ago lost friendlies to Jamaica (1-0) and Venezuela (3-0!) on home soil, you have to take a completely different mindset into U.S. women's matches. They are so flawless that you have to consider who can even dare to hang with them on a given day let alone beat them. For that reason, I can't say that I expect all that much resistance from Spain. They finished an uninspired 1-1-1 in Group B (2nd place behind Germany) with a middling goal-differential of +1. Not to get too ahead of ourselves but a quarterfinal match against the winner of France/Brazil is much sexier along with a possible meeting with England in the semifinals. Honestly, the other side of the bracket looks a little more daunting with Netherlands, Japan, Germany, Sweden and Canada among the many strong teams over there. For now, let's just sit back and enjoy this very inspiring group of women with personalities for days that happen to be so easy to root for.

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