The USWNT welcomed Mexico to New Jersey in the Final game of the Send-Off Series. Here’s a look at how they ended their World Cup preparations nicely.
The United States Women’s National Team won 3-0 against Mexico in the final match of the Send-Off series before heading off to France for the 2019 World Cup. The Stars and Stripes played in front of 26, 332 fans on a scorching summer day.
Tobin Heath opened up the scoring after 11 minutes in front of her home crowd. Heath’s goal came from an errant pass from the goalkeeper inside the box which she pounced on and made no mistake with the opportunity. This was her 30th international goal.
At half-time,the possession stats were near even with the USWNT at 51% and Mexico at 49% but that was far from the narrative of the game. The U.S. lead the shot count by a large margin, taking 15 in total with just under half meeting the target. Due to the high press and quick recovery from the home side, Mexico were able to get off just one shot, which failed to test Alyssa Naeher.
Wing-backs on both sides of the pitch overlapped their forward counterparts to help add to the attack. Crystal Dunn dribbled her way past several players, crossing the ball in for Alex Morgan and Tobin Heath even trying her shot at goal as well. On the right flank, Kelly O’Hara carried the ball forward drawing in defenders before releasing Heath into space.
Rose Lavelle was constantly creating chances for the forward line with through balls cutting open the middle of the field. Defensively, she recovered possession swiftly for her side as well. Beside her was Julie Ertz who took lead in the midfield directing traffic on and off the ball.
In the second stanza, Jill Ellis made several subs, notably New Jersey native Carli Llyod who made another appearance. The forward did score a goal but it was overturned and ruled offside. The U.S. would add two more goals in the second half, the first from 21-year-old Mallory Pugh in the 76th minute and the second in the 88th minute from Christian Press.
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The team moved from using the wide channels to attack and started to focus their progressions through the middle of the pitch, making good use of Lindsey Horan and Allie Long. Ertz once again showed her versatility moving into the backline alongside Abby Dahlkemper. Mexico had moments of possession but none challenged the American keeper over the 90 minutes as El Tri failed to register a shot on target.
Ellis was proud of her team and their overall performance, but did regret not scoring more goals, ‘I think we created a lot of chances…we could definitely be sharper in the final pass and in the 18 (yard-box).’
The USWNT has come up against opposition who like to sit deep and soak up the pressure but have not done well scoring early on. Against Mexico, that changed, showing adjustments to tactics and personnel are working. Even if the goal did come directly from a Mexico mistake, the early pressure the U.S. were able to exert on their opponents paid dividends.
This week, the United States will travel to England before heading to France for the World Cup. Their first match will be against Thailand on June 11. That is when the real matches get going, but this was a nice performance to put a bow on their title defense preparations.