New stars emerge as Team USA heads to the World Cup Final

The US Women's team clocked its fifth straight shutout on Tuesday, beating No. 1 seed Germany 2-0 in Montreal.

|
Ryan Remiorz/AP/The Canadian Press
United States' Carli Lloyd (10) reacts after scoring on a penalty kick against Germany as Meghan Klingenberg (22) follows during the second half of a semifinal in the Women's World Cup soccer tournament, Tuesday, June 30, 2015, in Montreal, Canada.

Five straight shutouts later, and Team USA is headed for the World Cup Final in Vancouver on Sunday.

The US beat Germany in the semifinal Tuesday to become the first country to reach four Women's World Cup finals, and has a shot at being the first to win three titles.

“This was our best game so far,” striker Alex Morgan said after Tuesday’s match. “We’ve been playing better and better each game. I think people were pretty critical of us early on, but today proved just how good we can be.”

Changes to the tactical formation by Coach Jill Ellis and leadership on both ends of the field resulted in the team’s best performance yet in the tournament.

Coach Ellis was convinced to change the lineup after Carli Lloyd was relieved of defending duties and scored the game-winner against China last Friday. Ellis freed her up to focus entirely on offense against Germany, and Ms. Lloyd answered the call, putting a penalty kick away in the 69th minute, and providing the assist to Kelley O’Hara for the team’s second goal in the 84th minute.

"These are the moments I live for," Lloyd told ESPN, "when I roll up my sleeves up and say to myself, 'I need to step up.' "

Alongside Lloyd in midfield were Lauren Holiday and Morgan Brian. Ms. Brian hung back, focusing on holding the line and creating offensive chances for Ms. Holiday, Lloyd, and solo striker Alex Morgan.

Brian is accustomed to defense, so playing a more central role in the midfield this tournament has been a test. But Ellis said the youngest player on the field has delivered. “It’s not a natural role for her, but she makes it look natural,” the coach said after the game.

Defense players, led by keeper Hope Solo, have racked up an eye-popping 513 shutout minutes, according to Sports Illustrated. Their track record held against Germany, despite a penalty kick in the second half; Celia Sasic shot wide and missed. 

The team will either face England or Japan on Sunday, depending on the outcome of Wednesday’s semifinal. England has been a breakout team and the talk of Vancouver this tournament. Wednesday night will be their first appearance ever in semifinal play. With Japan, the US has a shot at revenge: Japan beat the US in penalty kicks in the World Cup final in 2011.

Regardless of who they face Sunday, the players appear to be living up to their team motto, "Peak at the right time."

"It's a dream come true," Lloyd said after the match. "This is what we trained for, the blood, sweat, tears, everything. I know this is a great win, but my eyes are on the final."

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to New stars emerge as Team USA heads to the World Cup Final
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2015/0701/New-stars-emerge-as-Team-USA-heads-to-the-World-Cup-Final
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe