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Sophia Smith scored twice for the USA within the opening half and the two-time defending champions kicked off the Girls’s World Cup with a 3-0 victory over event first-timers Vietnam on Saturday.
Lindsey Horan added a purpose for the favored People, who’ve received 4 World Cups general and are vying for an unprecedented three-peat on this yr’s event.
Vietnam drew comparisons to Thailand, the group the People routed 3-0 in of their 2019 World Cup opening sport. However Vietnam was surprisingly resilient, saved the sport nearer than anticipated, and goalkeeper Tran Thi Kim Thanh stopped Alex Morgan’s first-half penalty try.
Morgan was knocked to the sphere clutching her calf after attempting for the rebound off her missed penalty, however she rapidly returned. It was simply her second penalty miss for the USA.
Smith, certainly one of 14 People enjoying of their first-ever World Cup, confirmed why she was named each U.S. Soccer’s Participant of the 12 months and the Nationwide Girls’s Soccer League MVP final yr along with her two first-half objectives.
Smith scored off a move from captain Lindsey Horan within the 14th minute. Smith and Horan celebrated with a choreographed handshake after the purpose. She scored once more in first-half stoppage time to make it 2-0 going into the break. The USA was at first flagged as offside earlier than a video evaluation confirmed the purpose.
The U.S. group was infused with younger expertise together with Smith and Trinity Rodman after settling for a disappointing bronze medal on the Tokyo Olympics. Among the many veterans, 38-year-old Megan Rapinoe made her two hundredth worldwide look towards Vietnam.
Rapinoe, who scored within the World Cup remaining in France and was named that event’s greatest participant, didn’t begin. She introduced earlier than the group left for New Zealand that this is able to be her final World Cup and she or he would retire from her skilled group on the finish of the season.
Rapinoe and midfielder Rose Lavelle, who had been each restricted by accidents within the run-up to the event, each got here in as substitutes within the 63rd minute. Rapinoe sported brilliant blue hair.
The youngest participant on the group, 18-year-old Alyssa Thompson, was additionally a second-half sub.
Horan scored right into a wide-open web off a move from Smith, who was rushed by the goalkeeper and deftly despatched the ball again to her. Horan, who was not too long ago engaged, kissed her ring in celebration.
There was early drama when Rodman, the daughter of former NBA nice Dennis Rodman and one of many younger newcomers on the group, appeared injured after falling laborious on her again when she was tackled by defender Tran Thi Thu. Rapinoe warmed up on the sidelines and a stretcher was introduced out on the filed, however Rodman stood and returned to the match a number of moments later.
Saturday’s sport was the primary assembly between the USA and Vietnam. The Vietnamese misplaced two exhibition matches forward of the event and fell 9-0 to Spain in a closed-door tune-up match in Auckland final Friday.
Additionally in Group E are the Netherlands and Portugal, which meet Sunday in Dunedin. Portugal can also be making its first World Cup look.
The group performs all of their matches in New Zealand, which is co-hosting the event with Australia. The USA performs the Netherlands in a 2019 remaining rematch on Thursday in Wellington.
Ought to the USA prime the group, the group will head to Sydney for the spherical of 16.
Again house in the USA, an indication was erected on the North Garden of the White Home that mentioned “Go Group USA! We’re all behind you.”
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