2020 SheBelieves Cup – USA vs. Spain

MATCH PREVIEW – 2020 SheBelieves Cup – USA vs. Spain

March 8| Red Bull Arena; Harrison, N.J.

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AFTER CONVINCING WIN VS. ENGLAND, USWNT FACES RISING EURO POWER SPAIN IN 2020 SHEBELIEVES CUP, PRESENTED BY VISA: The U.S. Women’s National Team opened the 2020 SheBelieves Cup with a dominant 2-0 victory against England on goals from Christen Press and Carli Lloyd, and now looks forward to what will be a challenging match against Spain, which downed Japan, 3-1, on the first match day of the tournament. After outscoring its opposition 25-0 at the 2020 Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying tournament and qualifying for the 2020 Olympics in Japan, the U.S. Women’s National Team has embarked on an ambitious pre-Olympic preparation schedule, beginning with the 2020 SheBelieves Cup, Presented by Visa. The USA has participated in all six Olympic Games in which women’s soccer has been contested, winning four gold medals (1996, 2004, 2008, 2012) and a silver (2000).

 

2020 SHEBELIEVES CUP, PRESENTED BY VISA, SCHEDULE/RESULTS

 

Date                          Matches                                    Stadium                                     City                            Kickoff (TV)

Mar. 5                       Spain 3, Japan 1                      Exploria Stadium                    Orlando, Fla.                             

Mar. 5                       USA 2, England 0                   Exploria Stadium                   Orlando, Fla.           

Mar. 8                       Japan vs. England                   Red Bull Arena                        Harrison, N.J.         2:15 p.m. ET on ESPN3

Mar. 8                       USA vs. Spain                          Red Bull Arena                        Harrison, N.J.        5 p.m. ET on ESPN, TUDN    

Mar. 11                    England vs. Spain                   Toyota Stadium                      Frisco, Texas          4:15 p.m. CT on ESPN3       

Mar. 11                    USA vs. Japan                          Toyota Stadium                     Frisco, Texas          7 p.m. CT on ESPNews, TUDN XTRA 1

 

 

 

2020 SHEBELIEVES CUP STANDINGS

 

TEAM	GP	W	L	D	GF	GA	GD	PTS
Spain	1	1	0	0	3	1	+2	3
USA	1	1	0	0	2	0	+2	3
Japan	1	0	1	0	1	3	-2	0
England	1	0	1	0	0	2	-2	0

 

 

 

USA VS. SPAIN

• This meeting will be just the third between the teams at the senior level.

• The USA’s first game against Spain in the history of its program was a 1-0 victory in Alicante, Spain in January of 2019. That featured a 54th minute goal from Christen Press, after a brilliant solo run, in what was the USA’s first-ever match in Spain.

• The second match came in the Round of 16 at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, a 2-1 U.S. win that saw the USA concede its first goal of the tournament in a match that was tied until the 76^th minute when Rose Lavelle was clipped in the penalty area and Megan Rapinoe converted the game-winning PK.

•  After the Round of 16 game in the World Cup, and this meeting at the 2020 SheBelieves Cup, the USA and Spain will now have played three times in 15 months.

USWNT AT RBA: The match against Spain is expected to be a sell-out, meaning for the fourth year in a row, U.S. Soccer is expecting a near-capacity crowd at Red Bull Arena for a USWNT match. The USA played at Red Bull Arena in March of 2017 against England in the SheBelieves Cup, in March of 2018 against France in the SheBelieves Cup and in May of 2019 in its World Cup Send-Off Game against Mexico. All the games drew more than 25,700 fans and the matches in 2017 and 2018 were sell-outs. The match in 2019 was just a few hundred tickets short of capacity. The U.S. team also drew a sell-out crowd at Red Bull Arena in May of 2015 for the World Cup Send-Off game vs. South Korea, meaning the U.S. women have filled Red Bull Arena for matches in four straight years and for five events in a row over the past six years. The USA is 2-1-2 all-time at Red Bull Arena, which for the first time during the 2020 season will be home of Sky Blue FC of NWSL, and of course is also home to the New York Red Bulls of MLS. The USA has played two previous matches at RBA during the SheBelieves Cup, a 1-0 loss to England in 2017 and a 1-1 draw with France in 2018. The USA also famously defeated Korea Republic 5-0 on June 20, 2013, as Abby Wambach scored four goals in the first half and broke Mia Hamm’s all-time international scoring record.

 

CARLI AND TOBIN COME HOME: New Jersey natives Carli Lloyd (Delran) and Tobin Heath (Basking Ridge) could play in front of their home state fans vs. Spain, while Lloyd and Mallory Pugh may also get the chance to play at their club’s home stadium.

 

DUNN-HUNDRED: U.S. defender Crystal Dunn will be honored before the match against Spain for earning her 100^th cap, a milestone she achieved on Feb. 7 against Mexico in the all-important semifinal of the 2020 Concacaf Olympic qualifying tournament. Dunn became the 39^th female player in U.S. history to hit 100 career caps. She debuted for the USA against Scotland in February of 2013 and had an interesting journey to 100 caps. She did not make the 2015 Women’s World Cup Team – she was one of the final cuts – but rebounded to have an MVP season with the Washington Spirit, got back into the USWNT, this time as an outside back, and has played there every since the 2018 SheBelieves Cup. Her performance in defense at the 2019 Women’s World Cup was one of the many keys to the USA’s success. Dunn hails from Rockville Centre, New York, which is about 45 miles from Red Bull Arena.

 

ERTZ HITS 100: Against England on March 5, Julie Ertz earned 100th cap, making her the 40th U.S. female player to hit the century mark. She will be honored for the achievement at a match later in the year. Ertz debuted for the USA on February 9, 2013 against Scotland but earned just five caps with one start before 2015. She was inserted into the lineup at center back in March of 2015 at the Algarve Cup and would famously go on to earn a starting spot, playing every minute of all seven games at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Since then, she has become one of the world’s most impactful players and captained the USA for the first time in her 99^th cap, the 3-0 win vs. Canada in the 2020 Olympic Qualifying championship game. She is the 2019 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year and was named to the 2019 FIFA World XI.

 

 

USWNT SheBelieves Cup Roster by Position (Club; Caps/Goals):

 

GOALKEEPERS (3): Adrianna Franch (Portland Thorns FC; 3), Ashlyn Harris (Orlando Pride; 25), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars; 62)

 

DEFENDERS (8): Abby Dahlkemper (North Carolina Courage; 59/0), Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars; 25/1), Crystal Dunn (North Carolina Courage; 102/24), Ali Krieger (Orlando Pride; 107/1), Kelley O’Hara (Utah Royals FC; 130/2), Becky Sauerbrunn (Utah Royals FC; 175/0), Casey Short (Chicago Red Stars; 31/0), Emily Sonnett (Orlando Pride; 44/0)

 

MIDFIELDERS (5): Julie Ertz (Chicago Red Stars; 100/19), Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC; 84/18), Rose Lavelle (Washington Spirit; 43/12), Samantha Mewis (North Carolina Courage; 65/18), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit; 16/0)

 

FORWARDS (7): Tobin Heath (Portland Thorns FC; 166;33), Carli Lloyd (Sky Blue FC; 292/123), Jessica McDonald (North Carolina Courage; 18/4), Christen Press (Utah Royals FC; 136/57), Mallory Pugh (Sky Blue FC; 62/18), Megan Rapinoe (Reign FC; 166/51), Lynn Williams (North Carolina Courage; 25/9)

 

 

 

U.S. ROSTER NOTES

 

• Nine players have scored so far for the USA in 2020: Lindsey Horan (6), Christen Press (6), Samantha Mewis (4), Lynn Williams (3), Rose Lavelle (2), Carli Lloyd (2), Jessica McDonald (2), Tobin Heath and Megan Rapinoe. Fourteen different players scored for the USA over 2019. Lloyd led the team with 16 goals and Alex Morgan and Rapinoe had nine each.

• The USA is riding a 29-game unbeaten streak and have scored two or more goals in 26 of those games.

• All 20 players that were a part of the Olympic Qualifying were chosen for the training camp roster prior to the SheBelieves Cup and also made the final 23-player roster for the tournament.

• Of the three players on this roster who were not on the Olympic qualifying squad, two were on the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup championship team in forward Mallory Pugh and defender Tierna Davidson.

• Three players who were not on the World Cup Team made the 2020 SheBelieves Cup roster in defender Casey Short, midfielder Andi Sullivan and forward Lynn Williams.

• In just his fifth event as head coach, Vlatko Andonovski has already looked at 50 different players.

• Since its inception in 1985, the USWNT has compiled a record of 527 wins, 66 losses and 77 ties. Over the history of the program, the USA has gone 300-20-31 (90% winning percentage) at home, 53-18-13 away (71%) and 174-28-33 (81%) on neutral ground. Of the USA’s 66 losses, 12 (18%) came at the Algarve Cup in Portugal.

• The USA has scored in 57 consecutive matches and has averaged more than three goals per game in that time. Since the end of the 2015 World Cup, the USA has played 100 matches and has an 85-5-10 record.

• Lloyd has 59 WNT goals since the start of 2015. Morgan, who has 57, is the only other player with more than 30 goals over the four years.

• The USA’s 1-1 draw with Korea Republic on Oct. 6, 2019, ended a streak of scoring multiple goals in 16 consecutive matches. The USA had not scored multiple goals in 14 straight games since March 19-June 13, 1995. That draw also ended the USA’s winning streak at 17 consecutive matches, the third-longest winning streak in team history and one short of a team record. The U.S. Women had not won 15 games in a row since Feb. 10-July 23, 1996. That 17-game streak was the longest since July 25, 1990 – May 25, 1991, which included 18 wins.

• The U.S. Women are unbeaten on home soil over its last 46 matches, 41 wins and five draws. The last loss at home was July 27, 2017 vs. Australia, a 1-0 setback in Seattle.

• Eleven of the USA’s 49 goals in its last 13 games have been headers, including two vs. Haiti, one vs. Panama and one vs. Costa Rica in Olympic qualifying.

• The U.S. scored 21 goals from set pieces in 2019 (27% of the goals scored), including nine at the Women’s World Cup. In 2018, the USA scored 21 of 65 goals (32%) on set pieces and in 2017 there were 8 of 40 goals (20%) scored on set pieces.

• Nine players scored in Olympic Qualifying, led by Lindsey Horan (6 goals) and Christen Press (5). Samantha Mewis had four goals from two braces and Lynn Williams found the net three times, including the game-winner in the title game against Canada.

• All 23 players on the U.S. roster play in the NWSL. The roster features five NWSL No. 1 overall draft picks in Crystal Dunn (2014), Emily Sonnett (2016), Rose Lavelle (2017), Andi Sullivan (2018) and Tierna Davidson (2019).

• USWNT is unbeaten in its last 13 matches in all competitions against European nations, winning the last 11 in a row by an aggregate score of 31-5. The last European nation to beat USA was France in January of 2019 in Le Havre. 

 

 

IN FOCUS: SPAIN

 

Royal Spanish Football Federation

FIFA World Ranking: 13

UEFA Ranking: 6  
Olympic Appearances: 0

Best Olympic finish: N/A

Record vs. USA: 0-2-0
Head Coach: Jorge Vilda

 

 

 

Spain Women’s National Team Roster by Position:

 

GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Lola Gallardo (Club Atlético de Madrid), 13-Sandra Paños (FC Barcelona), 23-Sun Quiñones (Real Sociedad de Fútbol)

 

DEFENDERS (8): 2-Ona Batlle (Levante UD), 3-Ainhoa Moraza (Athletic Club), 4-Irene Paredes (Paris Saint-Germain, FRA), 5-Ivana Andrés, (Levante UD), 7-Marta Corredera (Levante UD), 15-Leila Ouahabi (FC Barcelona), 16-Mapi León (FC Barcelona), 20-Andrea Pereira (FC Barcelona)  

 

MIDFIELDERS (6): 6-Aitana Bonmatí (FC Barcelona), 11-Alexia Putellas (FC Barcelona), 12-Patri Guijarro (FC Barcelona), 14-Virginia Torrecilla (Club Atlético de Madrid), 18-Ángela Sosa (Club Atlético de Madrid), 19-Amanda Sampedro (Club Atlético de Madrid)  

 

FORWARDS (6): 8-Mariona Caldentey (FC Barcelona), 9-Marta Cardona (Real Sociedad de Fútbol), 10-Jennifer Hermoso (FC Barcelona), 17-Lucía García (Athletic Club), 21-Sheila García (Rayo Vallecano de Madrid), 22-Alba Redondo (Levante UD)  

 

 

SPAIN NOTES

• Spain is currently atop its qualifying group for the 2021 UEFA Women’s Euro, having defeated Azerbaijan, 4-1, the Czech Republic, 5-1, while tying Poland 0-0 in Group D so far.

• Spain was drawn into one of the most competitive group at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, facing South Africa, Germany and China PR in Group B.

• Spain started with a bang, downing South Africa, 3-1, with all the Spanish goals coming in the second half via two penalty kick conversions from Jennifer Hermoso and a late score from Lucía García after South Africa had gone up 1-0 in the 25th minute.

• Spain then fell to Germany, 1-0, in a match that could have gone either way. Spain out-shot Germany 16-15 and had 59% of the possession while piling up seven corner kicks to Germany’s two, but Spain only put two shots on goal to Germany’s eight. Half of Spain’s shot were blocked by defenders.

• In its final Group B match, Spain needed a draw to ensure advancement and got just that, tying China 0-0 despite totally dominating the match in all facets, piling up a 24-1 shot margin.

• Spain, which is producing some fantastic young players, won the 2018 U-17 Women’s World Cup which was held in Uruguay under a female coach in Antonia Is.

• While Spain is a growing country for women’s football – they won the 2018 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and finished second at the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup -- they have a young yet experienced roster that is full of skillful and savvy players. The oldest player on the team is 29 and the youngest is 20. Six players have passed the 50-cap milestone on Spain’s 23-woman team, giving them significant experience in international play, but 14 have 30 caps or less.

• Spain’s roster averages 25.2 years of age while the USA (which does have 37-year-old Carli Lloyd) has an average age of 29.3.

• Spain’s coach, Jorge Vilda, was appointed after the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup and has led a renewal for women’s soccer in the country, bringing in new players and new tactics. In 2017, Spain won the Algarve Cup and reached the last eight of the UEFA Women’s Euro while in 2018, Spain won the Cyprus Cup and qualified for its second Women’s World Cup.

• Vilda came from the youth ranks, coaching highly successful teams at the U-17 and U-19 levels for Spain before taking over the senior side.

• Star Spain striker Jenni Hermoso who is back with Barcelon, for whom she played from 2013-2017, after stings with Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid, is bar far Spain’s leading scorer on the roster with 32 goals in 76 caps. Hermoso is known for her ability to be dangerous in the final third as a forward, or coming from behind as a midfielder, and is one of the most experienced players on Spain’s roster.

• Irene Paredes, who plies her trade in France with PSG, scored for times in qualifying despite playing central defender.

• U.S. forward Christen Press played with Hermoso (and roomed with her as well) in Sweden with Tyreso, which was coached by former U.S. assistant coach Tony Gustavsson.

• Spain has four players on the roster at the 2018 U-20 Women’s World Cup, in which Spain finished runners-up to Japan. Midfielder Patricia Guijarro and forward Lucía García were two of the top players in the tournament.

• Spain has players from six Spanish clubs, including a total of 13 from Atletico de Madrid (4) and Barcelona (9).

• Defender Ainhoa Moraza is the only player currently playing outside of Spain. She’s with Paris Saint-Germain.

• Spain has 18 players from its World Cup Team on its SBC roster, second-most of all the teams behind the USA.

• Ten of the 11 players who started against the USA at the World Cup are on the roster. Same for the USA against Spain (minus only Alex Morgan).