Christen Press and Megan Rapinoe rescued the United States Women’s Team Sunday afternoon against the Brazilian Women’s National Team. The USWNT needed to win if they wanted any chance of taking the tournament title. After winning, the USWNT overtook Brazil’s lead and is now at the top of the standings once again.
It is known that the USWNT likes to get the ball rolling early, taking the lead right from the start. This game was no different, and Press curled one into the back of the net in the opening 11 minutes of the match, assisted by Lindsey Horan. Press now has 10 goals in her last 13 matchups, her 59th international one overall.
The elapsed time between the goals and end of the game was unsettling; neither team had control of the ball, and it was all over the field. Overall, the performance and effort levels from both groups were inferior, and it showed as the teams went back and forth with the ball, no more than a few passes made at a time before the pressure caved on a player and they whiffed the ball away. Needless to say, it was hard to watch.
Things got even messier on the USWNT when they subbed off starters Press and Alex Morgan late in the match; Carli Lloyd and Rapinoe replaced them, and the lack of ball control became even worse than before. Instead of connecting to feet, many balls were sent over the heads of forwards, leaving them to run and chase the ball and run out of gas. Sophia Smith also made an appearance nearly halfway through the second half, surprising many with the substitution as she took off Lynn Williams, but Smith gave an exceptional performance.
In the closing minutes, the USWNT found their groove again; Horan crossed the ball to Rapinoe, who volleyed it into the near corner, ensuring a victory. Rapinoe has a usual celebration pose once she scores, but rather than doing that this time, she made a baby rocking gesture. This celebration was reportedly noted as an honor to her teammates Ali Krieger and Ashlynn Harris, who recently adopted a baby girl named Sloane.
Many fans credit the players in the starting lineup for keeping their squad in the lead and successfully winning the match. Press was back in the starting 11, as well as Morgan. This was Morgan’s first start for the women’s team since the World Cup Final back in 2019. Alyssa Naeher also contributed substantially, blocking multiple opportunities from Brazil from a close range. Naeher earned her 10th straight shutout in this match as well.
With another win over the Brazilians, the USWNT record against Brazil is now 20-0-2, on home turf. Now, they have won 5straight matches against Brazil since last playing them.
Up Next
The USWNT takes on Argentina, for the final match of the SheBelieves Cup, on Wednesday, February 24th. Kickoff is at 7:00 ET at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
Brazil takes on Canada in their last match of the tournament, at Exploria Stadium on Wednesday, February 24th. The clock is set for 4:00 ET.
