Rose Lavelle leads USWNT’s versatile attack in victory despite seeing Nigeria pull off an impressive winning streak
lavender roses scored the first goal and United States women’s national team won the 13th game in a row with a 2-1 win end Nigeria on Tuesday night at Audi Field in Washington, DC The USWNT also benefited from an own goal to extend the team’s unbeaten streak on US soil to 71 games.
The teams meet for the first time on Saturday in Kansas City, Kansas and the United States with 4-0 win. Nigeria is missing six starting players due to injury and visa problems. An own goal gave the United States an early lead in the 24th minute, but Nigeria equalized through Uchenna Kanu after the break.
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That was the first goal the US gave up this year. The goal also marked the Americans’ nine-game record.
The United States took the lead with Lavelle’s goal after a pass from Megan Rapinoe in the 66th minute. It was Lavelle’s fourth goal of the year.
After the match, the American women and the male competitors officially signed collective labor agreements in May with US Soccer, offering players on both sides equal pay.
CLICK: Player Rating | Best/Worst Actor | Outstanding and remarkable moments | Quotes after the game | Key stats | Upcoming furniture
Rapid response
1. Lavelle leads a more flexible attack
Where Rose Lavelle goes, success also follows. On Tuesday, that means wide swaths of the field – not exactly her most ideal location. However, it is all by design. Lavelle started the game as number 10, a role she had owned for some time in the US starting lineup.
But on Tuesday – like in Saturday’s 4-0 win – Lavelle drifted to the right flank of the USWNT to take up space cleared by winger Sophia Smith. The movements are intentional, and they make the USWNT extremely difficult to defend. The United States’ opening goal in the 24th minute was officially an own goal, but again came from patient play, in which Lavelle was the catalyst. In the moments before scoring, Lavelle repeatedly found space to exploit on the right flank as Smith overwhelmed the central areas and left Nigeria’s inexperienced backline scrambling.
Lavelle paid off in the 66th minute when she scored a spectacular goal, a diving header that sent her straining as the ball was delivered behind her back. This is not Lavelle’s first diving header of the year, nor is it the first time she has been at the center of a USWNT attack. Wide area scams were once seen as a problem, a waste when a talented central midfielder was pinned to the touchline. That was the main explanation for her strange 2020-21 season at Manchester City. There, she was often asked to play as a winger.
In this USWNT system, she’s the number 10 encouraged to overload the wide channels. She does so with great success.
2. Impressive trailing has been captured
The USWNT’s last nine-game streak ended in spectacular fashion when Uchenna Kanu, a second-half substitute for Nigeria, fired a shot into the top corner to equalize four minutes after half-time. It was the first goal the USWNT allowed in 880 minutes, tying the record for the third longest in team history. Kanu broke through behind Sofia Huerta on the right of the United States and Huerta misplaced the ball over the cross, allowing Kanu to make a spectacular shot, dodging Alana Cook’s rebound.
It was well-deserved reward for a Nigerian team that played more offensively than in Saturday’s 4-0 loss to the US. It is also used as a psychological test for a relatively inexperienced posterior gland. Cook partnered in the center with Naomi Girma as captain Becky Sauerbrunn was transferred to the bench for this match, while Huerta and Emily Fox remained at full-back.
Fox defended well as Michelle Alozie tried to work with Ifeoma Onumonu on the Nigerian right flank, and it was Fox who passed the ball to Mallory Pugh to open the scoring for the USWNT in the 24th minute. Huerta also continued to advance on the flanks. Opposite and coordinate with the upline.
Kanu’s goal – and similarly, response to it – will raise further questions about the ideal US starting line. Cook was the starter with Sauerbrunn, although Girma provided wider range, as evidenced by her participation in that opening goal. Huerta’s continued push also meant Cook had more moments of contact.
USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski talked about building relationships in small teams of the team. The Cook-Huerta combination on the right is clearly one of them.
3. Need a number 6? Sam Coffey joined the chat
Last week, Andonovski was asked about the number of defensive midfielders he thinks he needs from his 23-man squad for the World Cup. His answer was cheeky: 2.5. Andonovski envisions having two natural sixs and another player able to play there between multiple midfield positions. Lindsey Horan could very well be the utility knife in Andonovski’s mind, who tried her as number 6 last year after Julie Ertz was injured.
Horan is a talented two-way midfielder but playing her at number 6 was part of the team’s disastrous performance in the Olympic opener, a 3-0 loss to Sweden. Andi Sullivan is clearly the sixth to start at this point and Ertz’s future plans are still unknown. She just gave birth to her first child and did not sign a contract with any professional crew. Coffey, then, can swoop in at a relatively quick pace if there’s a backup No. 6 role to take.
She kicked off Tuesday’s game against Nigeria for her first senior US team, just over two months after her first call-up before World Cup qualifiers (and then joining the line-up with as an injured substitute). On Tuesday, Coffey looked natural on both sides of the ball. She had a few moments that could have been better, but even in those moments, she was quick to recover to either make a necessary tackle or regain the ball and start the attack again. All things considered, she set out to make her case.
Player Rating
USA: Casey Murphy, 6. Naomi Girma, 6. Alana Cook, 6. Sofia Huerta, 6. Emily Fox, 7. Sam Coffey, 7. Lindsey Horan, 7. Rose Lavelle, 8. Sophia Smith, 7. Mallory Pugh, 7. Alex Morgan, 6 years old.
Register: Megan Rapinoe, 7. Hailie Mace, 6. Ashley Hatch, 6.
Nigeria: Chiamaka Nnadozie, 6. Osinachi Ohale, 7. Glory Ogbonna, 6. Toni Payne, 6. Blessing Demehin, 5. Michelle Alozie, 6. Christy Ucheibe, 6. Rofiat Adenike Imuran, 5. Onyi Echegini, 5. Rasheedat Ajibade, 6 Ifeoma Onumonu, 7.
Register: Uchenna Kanu, 7. Nicole Payne, 6. Vivian Ikechukwu, 6. Second gift, 6. Amanda Mbadi, 5.
Best and worst performers
BEST: Rose Lavelle, USA
Lavelle appeared everywhere during the night and was the player of the game even before scoring her amazing goal.
THE WORST: Rofiat Adenike ImuranNigeria
Always try to deal with the overload of Smith-Lavelle on that wing.
Outstanding and remarkable moments
After the match, the American women and their male colleagues officially signed the collective bargaining agreement signed in May with US Soccer to provide players of both sides with equal pay.
New collective bargaining agreement SIGNED! pic.twitter.com/sLNu2RAusZ
– United States Soccer (@ussoccer) September 7, 2022
There was a post-match celebration regime before the signing of the new collective bargaining agreement.
A historic moment for football around the world.
Please sign! ️ pic.twitter.com/bQNN4Pjuuq
– United States Soccer (@ussoccer) September 7, 2022
USA captain Becky Sauerbrunn called the new CBA a “big win” for the players.
The captain is speaking. pic.twitter.com/neuHkTNHSi
– United States women’s national soccer team (@USWNT) September 7, 2022
After the game: What the manager, the players say
“If it had to happen, I’m glad it happened in this game. It had to happen, I’m glad it happened now. And in the end, that’s why we play. That’s why we’re playing a team that’s overzealous, intense, and aggressive.” – USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski on conceding a goal
“I think it’s world class [Megan Rapinoe] but I still don’t know how Rose [Lavelle] managed to get her head on that ball. I think it’s completely unbelievable. Very happy for her. We did a lot of work on her runs, our midfield runs in the box, and the fact that we had a midfield finish and got the goal. Match decision making is very satisfying and gratifying because that’s one of the areas we’ve focused on in the last few games. “- Andonovski on the second goal.
“I want to thank you all for your support, all the social media posts, supportive messages, ‘Pay Equal’ chants at really hilarious times, appearing at You guys made the difference and you’re really, really the greatest fans in the world.” – Becky Sauerbrunn in signed CBA
“I have to give a lot of credit to everyone involved, the women’s national team and their PA [players’ association], the men’s national team and their PA and everyone at US Soccer. There are many people who have helped, worked together to make this a reality. “- United States Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone
Key stats (powered by ESPN Stats & Info)
– The USWNT conceded their first goal since April 9, ending a nine-game streak, the third-longest all-time in the team’s history. In a span of 880 minutes, the US overtook their opponents 31-0 in that span.
– Nearly 22 years between Nigeria’s goals against the USWNT – the Super Falcons’ final score against the US was a 3-1 loss on September 20, 2000 at the Olympic Games.
– USWNT currently has a 13-game winning streak, the second longest under coach Vlatko Andonovski (16 games longest from November 2019 to February 2021).
Next
USA: Next will be the big clash on October 7 against Euro champions England at Wembley.
Nigeria: A friendly October 6 visit to Japan.
