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USWNT: SheBelieves Cup vs. France Preview

By Eric Harris

Oct 23, 2016; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Team USA forward Lynn Williams (13) congratulates defender Crystal Dunn (16) after her goal in the second half against the Team Switzerland at U.S. Bank Stadium. Team USA beats Team Switzerland 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 23, 2016; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Team USA forward Lynn Williams (13) congratulates defender Crystal Dunn (16) after her goal in the second half against the Team Switzerland at U.S. Bank Stadium. Team USA beats Team Switzerland 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /
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After mixed results in their first two matches, how will the USWNT close out the SheBelieves Tournament?

As long as the first game of Tuesday’s doubleheader avoids some severe wackiness, the final game of the SheBelieves Cup will be the de facto title game between the United States and France. France is the only team in the tournament not to lose a game, getting a late goal to beat England followed by a scoreless draw with Germany. The USWNT are a point behind and need a win to clinch the cup, while a draw would mean either France or England win the second SheBelieves Cup.

Match Info:

Who: United States vs. France

When: Tuesday, March 7th, 7 p.m. (ET)

Where: RFK Stadium, Washington D.C.

How to Watch: FS1, FOX SPORTS GO

Current SheBelieves Cup Standings

  1. France, 4 pts, +1 GD, 2 GS
  2. England, 3 pts, +0 GD, 2 GS
  3. United States, 3 pts, +0 GD, 1 GS
  4. Germany, 0 pts, -1 GD, 0 GS

Team Profile: France

France got a 0-0 draw against Germany and honestly were very fortunate to get a point out of that match. Goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi saved a penalty kick after a foul that she committed. She also saw a long shot hit the crossbar and the follow up go wide after a shanked kick. You can check out all the highlights from that match here.

Against Germany, France was able to possess the ball, but only had three shots on target. After not starting against England, captain Wendie Renard subbed in and scored the game winner. In their next match she played the full 90 minutes and was the imposing figure in the middle of their backline fans have come to expect. The team has done well under new manager Olivier Echouafni, they have posted an undefeated record of 4-0-3 since he took over in September.

Team Profile: United States

The last two times the USWNT has faced France, they pulled out 1-0 wins in the 2016 Olympics and the inaugural SheBelieves Cup. In that last SheBelieves game, Alex Morgan scored a stoppage time game winner.

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The first two games of the cup have seen very different line ups from Jill Ellis. Expect one that looked more like the opener against Germany rather than against England, although I would be very surprised if Rose Lavelle didn’t get another call after her performance against England. This is a sneaky big match for the USWNT. While this tournament doesn’t have the prestige that a lot of other women’s tournament do, not winning it would raise some questions of the direction of the team under Jill Ellis. At the least it would be a continuation of questions already being asked like which keeper is the top replacement to Hope Solo? Or how does the team mesh with a three player backline?

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