After a record-setting performance against Thailand in its opening match of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Reims, the USA now travels to Paris to take on a highly-motivated Chile that will be playing for its tournament lives after a 2-0 loss to Sweden in its first Group F match. The USA set numerous records with its 13-0 win against Thailand, among them being the most goals scored in a World Cup match. With the opening game behind the U.S. team, the Americans now focus on a skillful and tough Chilean side that features one of the tournament’s best goalkeepers in Christiane Endler, who plays for local club Paris Saint-Germain. The match against Thailand marked the 121st game on the bench for U.S. head coach Jill Ellis, tying her for second all-time in most games coached with the late Tony DiCicco. The Chile match will officially move her into second place, just two games behind April Heinrichs on the all-time list. This will be the first-ever match for the U.S. Women’s National Team in Paris.
The two matches Chile played against the USA in the fall of 2018 were the first games between the countries in women’s soccer.
Chile was the 52nd country the U.S. women have faced in full international competition, and the fourth South American team the USA had faced in its history, along with Brazil (35 games), Colombia (6) and Argentina (3).
The matches, which took place in Los Angeles and San Jose, Calif., saw the USA win 3-0 and 4-0. Chile’s goalkeeper Christaine Endler made spectacular saves in both games.
In the first match, Tierna Davidson scored what is her only international goal so far, off a header. The USA benefited from an own goal and Christen Press also scored to tally the scoreboard to 3. It was in that game that Press also had a penalty kick strangely disallowed.
In the second game, Mallory Pugh, Tobin Heath and Carli Lloyd (2) accounted for the scoring.
|
Team |
GP |
W |
L |
T |
GF |
GA |
GD |
Pts. |
|
USA |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
13 |
0 |
+13 |
3 |
|
Sweden |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
+2 |
3 |
|
Chile |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
-2 |
0 |
|
Thailand |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
13 |
-13 |
0 |
|
2019 FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP – USA Group F Schedule |
|||
|
Date |
Opponent |
Kickoff/Result |
Venue; City |
|
June 11 |
Thailand |
13-0 W |
Stade Auguste-Delaune; Reims, France |
|
June 16 |
Chile |
12 p.m. ET |
Parc des Princes; Paris, France |
|
June 20 |
Sweden |
3 p.m. ET |
Stade Océane; Le Havre, France |
GOALKEEPERS (3): Adrianna Franch (Portland Thorns FC; 1/0), Ashlyn Harris (Orlando Pride; 21/0), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars; 47/0)
DEFENDERS (7): Abby Dahlkemper (NC Courage; 41/0), Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars; 20/1); Crystal Dunn (NC Courage; 86/24), Ali Krieger (Orlando Pride; 100/1), Kelley O’Hara (Utah Royals FC; 119/2), Becky Sauerbrunn (Utah Royals FC; 158/0), Emily Sonnett (Portland Thorns FC; 33/0)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Morgan Brian (Chicago Red Stars; 82/6), Julie Ertz (Chicago Red Stars; 83/18), Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC; 69/9), Rose Lavelle (Washington Spirit; 28/9), Allie Long (Reign FC; 45/6), Samantha Mewis (NC Courage; 51/14)
FORWARDS (7): Tobin Heath (Portland Thorns FC; 151/30); Carli Lloyd (Sky Blue FC; 275/111), Jessica McDonald (NC Courage; 7/2), Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride; 164/106), Christen Press (Utah Royals FC; 117/48), Mallory Pugh (Washington Spirit; 54/17), Megan Rapinoe (Seattle Reign FC; 154/45)
The USA set quite a few Women’s World Cup records in its 13-0 sweep against Thailand. Among them were…
The 13 goals were the most scored by any team in a single match and the 10 in the second half were the most scored in a half. The previous Women's World Cup record was set by Germany in 2007 with an 11-0 win over Argentina. The 13 goals were one less than the U.S. record of 14, which was achieved with the 14-0 victory over the Dominican Republic in an Olympic qualifying match in 2012.
Alex Morgan’s three assists to go along with her five goals were the most combined goals and assists a player has ever had in a World Cup game.
Morgan is the fourth player in WWC history with 3+ goals and at least one assist in a single match.
The USA is the first Women's World Cup team to get goals from seven different players in a game: Alex Morgan (5), Sam Mewis (2), Rose Lavelle (2), Lindsey Horan, Mallory Pugh, Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd.
There were just six minutes between the USA's fourth and seventh goals (50’, 53’, 54’, 56’), the fastest four goals that have ever been scored in a single Women's World Cup match in the competition's history. Later in the game, the USA scored four goals just over eight minutes.
Morgan’s five goals tied Michelle Akers’ Women's World Cup record for most goals in a single game. Akers made history in the USA's 7-0 victory over Chinese Taipei in the 1991 Quarterfinals, which was the previous record for biggest win in a World Cup for the USA.
Lloyd tied Birgit Prinz's record set in 2007 when her goal in stoppage time gave her goals in five consecutive World Cup matches. At the 2015 World Cup in Canada, she scored in all four games in the knockout round.
The USA is the first Women's World Cup team to get multi-goal games from three different players: Morgan (5), Mewis (2) and Lavelle (2).
The USA has now had 32 different players (excluding own goals) score at the Women's World Cup, making them the second nation to have as many different scorers in the competition's history after Germany (34).
IN FOCUS: Chile
FIFA World Ranking: 39
CONMEBOL Ranking: 4
Women’s World Cup Appearances: 1 (2019)
Best Women’s World Cup finish: n/a
Record vs. USA: 0-2-0
Head Coach: José Letelier
GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Christiane Endler (Paris Saint-Germain, FRA), 12-Natalia Campos (Universidad Católica), 23-Ryan Torrero (Unattached)
DEFENDERS (9): 2-Rocio Soto (Real Zaragoza, ESP), 3-Carla Guerrero (Rayo Vallecano, ESP), 4-Francisca Lara (Sevilla FC, ESP), 5-Valentina Diaz (Sporting Huelva), 14-Daniela Pardo (Santiago Morning), 15-Su Helen Galaz (Zaragoza CFF, ESP), 17-Javiera Toro (Santiago Morning), 18-Camila Saez (Rayo Vallecano, ESP)
MIDFIELDERS (6): 6-Claudia Soto (Santos, BRA), 8-Karen Araya (Sevilla FC, ESP), 10-Yanara Aedo (Valencia CFF, ESP), 11-Yessenia Lopez (Sporting Huelva, ESP), 16-Fernanda Pinilla (Cordoba CF, ESP), 21-Rosario Balmaceda (Sporting Huelva), 22-Elisa Duran (Sporting Huelva)
FORWARDS (5): 7-Maria Jose Rojas (SK Slavia Praha, CZE), 9-Maria Urrutia (3B Amazônia, BRA), 13-Javiera Grez (CDP Curicó Unido), 19-Yessenia Huenteo (Femenino Caceres, ESP), 20-Daniela Zamora (Universidad de Chile)
Chile put in an admirable performance in its first Group F match against Sweden, holding the European power without a goal until the 83rd minute and then gave up another in the fourth minute of stoppage time for the final 2-0 score line.
Chile was a surprise qualifier to the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, finishing second behind Brazil in the Final Stage of the 2018 Copa América Femenina, which it hosted in April of 2018, to earn its first FIFA Women’s World Cup berth. Chile played in front of large and boisterous crowds on its home soil and emphatically clinched its spot for France with a 4-0 victory vs. Argentina.
In the 2018 Copa América Femenina preliminary stage, Chile finished second in Group A behind Colombia to qualify for the four-team Final Stage. In Group A, Chile started out slowly with two 1-1 draws, against Paraguay and Colombia, and then picked up a 1-0 victory over Uruguay before finishing the group on a high note with a 5-0 win against Peru.
In the Final Stage group that featured Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Colombia, Chile lost to Brazil, 3-1, to open round-robin play, and then tied Colombia, 0-0, setting up a must-win match against Argentina to earn a berth to France. In that 4-0 victory, Chile delighted the packed house with three goals in the first half and one in second half stoppage time.
Camila Sáez scored in the 8th minute and Maryorie Hernández made it 2-0 in the 24th. Chile benefited from an Argentina own goal in the 40th and Francisca Lara pounded home the proverbial nail at 90+2.
One of the main reasons for Chile’s success at the Copa America was the play of their captain, 27-year-old goalkeeper Christiane Endler, who had a phenomenal tournament. The six-foot Endler, whose father is from Germany and whose mother is from Chile, holds both Chilean and German passports. She played college soccer in the USA at South Florida and currently plays for one of the world’s top clubs in Paris Saint-Germain. She speaks Spanish, German and English. Endler also had several stints in England, with Everton and Chelsea, and in Spain with Valencia.
Chile has 14 players playing club soccer outside of their home country, mostly in Spain (10 players), but also has two in Brazil, one in the Czech Republic and Endler in France.
Chile has some experienced players with Endler leading the way with over 60 caps and defender Carla Guerrero, who plays for Rayo Vallecano in Spain with more than 50. Midfielder Francisca Lara, who plays for Sevilla in Spain, also has surpassed 50 caps and scored more than 20 goals.
For the World Cup, Chile named a similar roster to the one they had at the Copa America Femenina 2018, including almost all of their goal scorers: Yanara Aedo (3 goals), Francisca Lara (2), Yesenia López (2), María José Rojas (2) and Camila Sáez (2).
Chile’s head coach, José Letelier, is the only person who has been a champion of the Copa Libertadores in his men's version in 1991, as a goalkeeper, and in the women's version in 2012, as a coach.
He played for Colo-Colo in the 1980s and early 90s and also played in Mexico.
As a coach, he managed Colo-Colo Femenino, winning 10 national titles and a Copa Libertadores Femenina in 2012.
He has been the head coach for Chile since June of 2015.