The USWNT dispatched with South Africa in the first of three matches in the World Cup Send-Off Series. The win proved that Jill Ellis has options.
The U.S. Women’s National Team played host to South Africa for the start of the #SendOffSeries at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. This was the first game in the three-match series as the team gears up for the World Cup in France, which is now just 25 days away.
Samantha Mewis scored a goal both in the first and second half of the match to help her side to the 3-0 victory over South Africa. Mewis, a dominant force for club team North Carolina Courage, has been able to bring her presence to the national team after missing much of 2018 due to injury.
She wouldn’t be the only one to have a big night though as Carli Lloyd joined in on the fun, scoring in the closing moments of the game. Lloyd drove a clean hit between the legs of a defender and the keeper from inside the box to make it 3-0.
The goal would mark Lloyd’s 108th for the National Team, passing legend Michelle Akers in the all-time standings. Lloyd is now the fourth-highest scorer in the history of women’s soccer, doing so in 272 caps.
The USA dominated the match against the visitors controlling 70% of the possession. Despite holding much of the ball, it took the Stars and Stripes much longer than expected to net the first goal of the game.
Mewis opened up the scoring with a couple of body feints to get into space before curling the ball past South African keeper Andile Dlamini just outside the box. The goal came in the 37th minute and from an unlikely source.
🐐 status. With 108 goals, @CarliLloyd passes Michelle Akers for fourth all-time #USWNT scorer! 👏 pic.twitter.com/RR0jWpUrPn
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) May 12, 2019
Head coach Jill Ellis elected to field Tobin Heath, Alex Morgan and Christian Press in the front line. Heath and Press had fair performances of their own while Morgan struggled to make an impact on the game; she dropped deep to help build up play but found herself unable to find opportunities in the final third. Her lack of efficiency could be attributed to South Africa’s bunkering approach. But playing against a side ranked 49th in the world and about to make their first World Cup appearance is of concern for an unproductive Morgan.
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The second stanza saw the Americans come out with a higher tempo to the first half and direct style of play. A heads-up play from Megan Rapinoe after being fouled caught South Africa by surprise as she played the ball quickly. The ball was then crossed in and eventually deflected home by Mewis.
Mewis scored two goals against South Korea in 2017, making this her second brace with the national team.
Ellis made use of all of her six substitutions on a sunny afternoon, with Llyod being one of them. Having been with the national team for 14 years, her goal saw the 22,000-plus fans in attendance burst into joy. Ellis had her full roster available, fielding all but two players that will likely make her starting XI less than a month from now. That being said, there is still time for that XI to change as Ellis plays chemist and changes the formula as she sees fit.
There is great depth to this USWNT squad. If the weekend’s win showed anything, it is that Ellis has a great many options to choose from. How she thereby whittles down her selection into just one XI will be fascinating to watch.