Road To The 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup Final

Forward Alex Morgan’s five goals tied her with former American great Michelle Akers for most goals in a single World Cup match.  

Forward Megan Rapinoe celebrated her fourth career World Cup goal and first of the 2019 tournament. 

The USA’s match against Thailand was the largest margin of victory in the history of the Women’s World Cup, which is being staged for the eighth time. Seven different players scored for the USA -- tying Germany for most in a World Cup match. 

Midfielder Rose Lavelle’s two goal were her first at a World Cup. Lavelle is the third-youngest American ever to score a brace in a WWC match at 24 years, 28 days old.

Mallory Pugh netted her 16th career goal in her Word Cup debut and became the third-youngest goal scorer in a WWC match in U.S. history.

Veteran forward Carli Lloyd gives her respect to Thailand’s goalkeeper Sukanya Chor after the match.

Midfielder Julie Ertz, who typically plays in the back line, notched her first World Cup goal off a corner to tally an impressive 19 international goals.

In her first start at the 2019 World Cup, Christen Press was a constant threat to score but saw a trio of chances denied by Chile’s top class goalkeeper Christiane Endler.

Lloyd’s brace in the match gave her goals in six consecutive World Cup matches dating back to the final four games of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, breaking the record of Germany’s Brigit Prinz who scored in five straight at the 2003 tournament in the USA.

Defenders Ali Krieger, Becky Sauerbrunn and Tierna Davidson, midfielder Morgan Brian, and attackers Mallory Pugh, Carli Lloyd and Christen Press all earned their first start of the 2019 World Cup. 

Heath’s offense wasn’t the only part of her game to impress against Sweden as the attacker primarily known for her vast bag of tricks put in a strong defensive display. 

The USA’s second goal gave the team 18 in group play – the most any nation has scored during a group stage in the history of the tournament.

The U.S. bagged an impressive 2-0 win against rival Sweden to claim first place in Group F in front of 22,418 fans at Stade Océane. Lindsey Horan’s strike in the third minute was the fastest opening goal of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The U.S. kept their seventh clean sheet in their last eight WWC matches. 

With fifteen minutes remaining and tensions growing, Rose Lavelle set up the winning kick when she was fouled in the Spain penalty area while chasing down a loose ball. After referee Katalin Kulcsar consulted with her VAR team to confirm the penalty kick, Rapinoe once again delivered from the spot.

Megan Rapinoe scored her second and third goals of the 2019 World Cup.

Spain forward Jenni Hermoso’s goal was the first the USA had conceded in World Cup play since the second half of the 2015 final against Japan – a span of 317 minutes.

The USA opened the scoring in the 7th minute after Tobin Heath got on the end of a longball over the backline and was taken down in the penalty area by Mapi León as she cut toward goal.

The skillful play of Tobin Heath helped the USA salt the game away in the late going.

Alyssa Naeher had a stellar game in goal, making four saves as the USA took the sting out of the game in added time by winning a series of free kicks and driving the ball into the corners to haul themselves over the finish line and into the World Cup semifinals. 

The USA withstood a late France surge to keep their World Cup title hopes on track. 

Megan Rapinoe scored both goals for the Americans, one in each half to reach 49 career goals, which moved her into sole possession of 11th place on the all-time U.S. scoring list. She has eight career World Cup goals.

Christen Press and Ashlyn Harris, veterans of the USA’s 2015 World Cup winning team, celebrated winning what was dubbed, “the Final Before the Final.”

The U.S. Women became the only nation to advance to the semifinals of all eight Word Cups that have been contested. The victory was also the 100th of coach Jill Ellis’ career at the helm of the U.S. WNT. Only the late Tony DiCicco (105) has more. 

Alyssa Naeher had the performance of a lifetime with three outstanding saves in the U.S. goal. 

The nations clashed in front of a captivated audience of 53,512 fans at Stade de Lyon. 

Christen Press gave the USA an early lead after powering a header past England’s goalkeeper Carly Telford, marking her first goal of the tournament.

Press and Lindsey Horan entered the USA’s starting XI and proved pivotal in the match as each played a part in the USA’s two goals and put in industrious defensive shifts. 

The Americans got a victory-securing penalty kick stop from Naeher late in the second half. It was the first-ever penalty kick save by a USWNT goalkeeper in regulation time at a World Cup.

The U.S. is unbeaten in its last 16 Women’s World Cup matches (13W-3D), winning the last eleven in a row. They are the only team to win 11 consecutive WWC matches, besting Norway's run from 95 to 99. Six of the USA’s 11 wins have been by multiple-goal margins. 

The USA and England were among the teams tipped to win the tournament at its outset with the defending champions USA the slight favorites. 

Morgan scored what proved to be the game-winner, heading home Horan’s cross for her tournament leading sixth goal. Morgan is the first player in Women’s World Cup history to score a goal on her birthday.