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Global Mar 03, 2017

USWNT to continue SheBelieves Cup vs. England Saturday on FOX

USA vs. England
SheBelieves Cup
March 4, 2017 at 5 p.m. ET
Red Bull Arena; Harrison, N.J.

(Via U.S. Soccer) – After a hard-fought 1-0 victory against the world’s No. 2 ranked and reigning Olympic champion Germany to open the 2017 SheBelieves Cup, the U.S. Women’s National Team will face England on March 4 – the second match day of the tournament – in front of what will be a sold-out crowd at Red Bull Arena.

The match will be broadcast on the FOX network with a short pre-game show beginning at 5 p.m. ET. England is coming off an agonizing 2-1 loss to France in which they took the lead in the first half through a goal from Jordan Nobbs, but gave up goals in the 80th and 90+5th minutes, the final one to towering center-back Wendie Renard just seconds before the final whistle. The USA’s match against Germany was its first international match since Nov. 13, 2016, a 5-0 victory vs. Romania in Carson, Calif. The four-month gap in games was the longest for the U.S. Women in almost a decade. The USA trained for a week with 25 players in Orlando, Fla. prior to the tournament before traveling to the northeast with the final 23-player roster.

2017 SheBelieves Cup Schedule

Date Matches Stadium City Kickoff ET Broadcast
Mar. 4 France vs. Germany Red Bull Arena Harrison, N.J. 2:15 pm ET FOXSportsGo
Mar. 4 USA vs. England Red Bull Arena Harrison, N.J. 5 pm FOX
Mar. 7 Germany vs. England RFK Stadium Washington, D.C. 4 pm FOXSportsGo
Mar. 7 USA vs. France RFK Stadium Washington, D.C. 7 pm FS1

Tournament Format: The tournament format is the same as last year as the four teams will each participate in three doubleheader events at three different venues during a seven-day period. The winner of the tournament will be based on total points (three for a win, one for a draw), with the first tie-breaker being overall goal difference, followed by goals scored, then head-to-head result and lastly, FIFA ranking if necessary. The USA is currently ranked No. 1 in the world, followed by No. 2 Germany, No. 3 France and No. 5 England.

2017 SheBelieves Cup Standings

Team GP W L T GF GA GD Points
France 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 3
USA 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 3
England 1 0 1 0 0 1 -1 0
Germany 1 0 1 0 0 1 -1 0

2017 SheBelieves Cup Results

March 1
USA 1, GER 0
FRA 2, ENG 1

March 4
FRA vs. GER
USA vs. ENG

March 7
GER vs. ENG
USA vs. FRA

SheBelieves Campaign: Conceived and developed by U.S. Women’s National Team players, SheBelieves is a movement to inspire young girls and women and encourage them to accomplish their goals and dreams, athletic or otherwise. The campaign was originally launched in the run-up to the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, but has since evolved into a special bond between the team and its fans, taking its powerful message of empowerment into communities across the nation. Through dedication, teamwork, perseverance and success, U.S. WNT players inspire new generations of young girls and women to be better and strive for better; they inspire them to believe.

SheBelieves Hero: On Feb. 21, U.S. Soccer and the U.S. Women’s National Team announced the winner of the SheBelieves Hero contest ahead of the 2017 SheBelieves Cup. The contest aimed to find a girl between the ages of 13-17 that embodied the SheBelieves spirit. A SheBelieves Hero is a leader in their community, a confident and passionate individual who empowers others around her and is working to make a difference. Taking 49 percent of the votes, Danielle Bosland was chosen as the 2017 SheBelieves Hero. Bosland, who wants to be a physical therapist, will travel to Harrison, New Jersey to watch the WNT take on England on March 4.

U.S. SOCCER TO HONOR FORMER CAPTAIN CHRISTIE RAMPONE: Christie Rampone, the second-most capped player in the history of international women’s soccer with 311, will be honored by U.S. Soccer before the USA faces England on March 4 in the SheBelieves Cup. The pre-game ceremony for Rampone, who hails from Point Pleasant, N.J., will take place at Red Bull Arena, just 60 miles north of the small town on the Jersey Shore where she was a three-sport star in high school. Rampone, who played the final match of her 19-year international career on September 20, 2015, against Haiti in Birmingham, Alabama, captained the USA with tremendous class and professionalism from 2008-15. In her final competitive match, she entered the 2015 Women’s World Cup Final in the 86th minute and would triumphantly lift the World Cup Trophy with long-time teammate Abby Wambach. Rampone was the final member of the 20-player 1999 Women’s World Cup Team to retire from international competition (she outlasted her closest teammate by five years) but will enter pre-season with Sky Blue FC in March for her fifth NWSL season and 11th overall in the United States.

U.S. Women’s National Team Roster by Position:
GOALKEEPERS (3):
18- Jane Campbell (Houston Dash), 1- Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars), 24- Ashlyn Harris (Orlando Pride)

DEFENDERS (6): 8- Julie Johnston (Chicago Red Stars), 11- Ali Krieger (Orlando Pride), 5- Kelley O’Hara (Sky Blue FC), 4- Becky Sauerbrunn (FC Kansas City), 7- Casey Short (Chicago Red Stars); 15- Emily Sonnett (Portland Thorns FC)

MIDFIELDERS (8): 6- Morgan Brian (Houston Dash, 17- Tobin Heath (Portland Thorns FC), 9-Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC), 16- Rose Lavelle (Boston Breakers), 10- Carli Lloyd(Manchester City), 20- Allie Long (Portland Thorns FC), 3- Samantha Mewis (NC Courage), 22-Brianna Pinto (CASL),

FORWARDS (6): 19-Crystal Dunn (Chelsea Ladies FC), 14- Jessica McDonald (NC Courage), 13-Alex Morgan (Olympique Lyonnais), 23- Christen Press (Chicago Red Stars), 2- Mallory Pugh(UCLA), 12- Lynn Williams (NC Courage)

JERSEY TIES: U.S. co-captain Carli Lloyd enjoyed her return to an almost sold-out Talen Energy Stadium on March 1 for the USA’s 1-0 victory against Germany. The stadium is just about 30 miles from her hometown of Delran, N.J. Now, she gets to play in her home state against England at Red Bull Arena. Lloyd tied for the team lead in goals last year with 17 (along with a team-high 11 assists, which was her personal best in a calendar year) and was named the FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year for the second year in a row, becoming the fourth woman to win multiple awards and the second American – after Mia Hamm – to win it two years in a row. In addition, the match will also be a homecoming of sorts for 2016 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year Tobin Heath who hails from Basking Ridge, New Jersey, and midfielder Allie Long and forward Crystal Dunn, who grew up on Long Island in Northport and Rockville Centre, respectively.

2016 SHEBELIEVES CUP SUMMARY: The first four matches of the 2017 SheBelieves Cup have so far held to form regarding being low-scoring and tight matches. All six matches of the inaugural SheBelieves Cup were also close affairs, as the USA earned 1-0 results against England and France and downed Germany, 2-1, in the de facto championship game to take the inaugural tournament title. Germany finished second, England was third and France was fourth. None of the games were decided by more than one goal with three 1-0 victories, two 2-1 victories and one 0-0 draw. France failed to score a goal in last year’s tournament so the two late goals against England have already put Les Bleus far ahead of last year’s pace.

Final 2016 SheBelieves Cup Standings

Team GP W L T GF GA GD Pts.
United States 3 3 0 0 4 1 +3 9
Germany 3 2 1 0 4 3 +1 6
England 3 0 2 1 1 3 -2 1
France 3 0 2 1 0 2 -2 1

U.S. ROSTER NOTES:

TEAM

  • With the win against Germany, the U.S. WNT is now 27-4-2 all-time in their opening match of the year. The only losses were to Italy in the WNT’s first international in 1986, to China PR in 2001, to Sweden in 2011 and to France in 2015; all away matches. The USA had played Germany just once before to open a year, drawing 0-0 on Jan. 26, 2007 in Guangzhou, China. Between 1986 and 2000, the USA won 15 openers in a row.
  • Jill Ellis named three goalkeepers, six defenders, eight midfielders and six forwards to the 2017 SheBelieves Cup roster, but numerous players can play multiple positions. Seventeen of the players on the roster played in the inaugural edition of the SheBelieves Cup, including the scorers of all four of the USA’s goals at last year’s tournament: Alex Morgan (2), Crystal Dunn and Samantha Mewis.
  • Goalkeeper Jane Campbell, defender Casey Short, midfielders Rose Lavelle and Brianna Pinto and forwards Lynn Williams and Jessica McDonald all made their first SheBelieves Cup roster. Campbell, Pinto and Lavelle are all uncapped – none of them played against Germany – while Short and Williams both picked up their fifth caps in that game. McDonald has one cap.
  • Four players on the U.S. roster come into the tournament with more than 100 caps: Carli Lloyd (233), Tobin Heath (129), Alex Morgan (121) and Becky Sauerbrunn (120).
  • Eighteen players on the roster will enter NWSL pre-season camps following the tournament.
  • Mallory Pugh, who is in her first academic quarter at UCLA, and high school junior Brianna Pinto are the only two amateur players on the roster.
  • The USA compiled a record of 22-0-3 in 2016 (the penalty kick loss to Sweden in the Olympics officially counts as a tie), earning 15 shutouts while allowing just 10 goals.
  • Last year marked just the third time in a calendar year with 10 or more matches that the U.S. Women were unbeaten in regulation time.
  • The USA’s 15 total shots against Germany on March 1 exceeded its total shots in any single game at last year’s SheBelieves Cup.
  • The 2017 SheBelieves Cup opened up with two games that featured shot totals that exceeded any single game’s shot total from the 2016. The games average 18.3 shots last year while England and France combined for 22 shots on March 1 and the USA and Germany combined for 26 shots.
  • The USA had 56.5% of the possession against Germany, which was almost 13% more than its possession ratio in their matchup against Germany in last year’s SheBelieves Cup match.

FORWARDS

  • Alex Morgan, who joined the USA in Philadelphia after traveling from France where she is playing for Olympique Lyon, has 73 goals and is now within two of tying Cindy Parlow (75) for seventh on the USA’s all-time scoring list. She came off the bench in the 79th minute against Germany and now has 121 caps. She is averaging 0.60 goals per game in her WNT career.
  • Morgan’s two goals on Nov. 10 marked her 20th career multi-goal game. She scored two of the USA’s four goals at last year’s SheBelieves Cup.
  • Before the match against Germany where she set up the game-winning goal, Christen Press had scored in four consecutive games (vs. SUI on 10/19 & 10/23 and vs. Romania on Nov. 10 & Nov. 13) and in five of the USA’s last six matches. She recorded her fourth career hat trick on Nov. 10, scoring three times in the first 38 minutes of the match.
  • Press’ previous hat tricks came at the end of 2014 against Argentina (four goals), against Costa Rica in August of 2015 and against Trinidad & Tobago in December of 2015.
  • Press was the fourth WNT player to score double-digit goals in 2016, along with Carli Lloyd (17), Alex Morgan (17) and Crystal Dunn (14).
  • Press was the fifth player in WNT history to score in double-figures in goals for three consecutive years. Mia Hamm (twice), Abby Wambach (twice), Tiffeny Milbrett, and Carli Lloyd also accomplished the feat (Lloyd over the past three years as well).
  • Press has now moved past April Heinrichs and Sydney Leroux into 14th place on the U.S. WNT all-time goals list. She is averaging a goal for every two games she plays (0.50 goals per game) for the WNT.
  • Press and Crystal Dunn tied for most games played in 2016 as both saw action in all 25 matches, the only two players to accomplish that feat. Dunn has scored 18 international goals, 14 coming in 2016, which was the third-most on the team.
  • Dunn scored five goals against Puerto Rico at the Olympic Qualifying tournament on Feb. 15, 2016, tying a U.S. record for most goals scored in a match. She became the seventh U.S. player to achieve that. The other six were: Brandi Chastain (1991), Michelle Akers (1991), Tiffeny Milbrett (2002), Abby Wambach (2004), Amy Rodriguez (2012) and Sydney Leroux (2012). It was Dunn’s first multi-goal game for the WNT.
  • 2016 NWSL Golden Boot winner Lynn Williams scored 11 times for the Western New York Flash last season, plus two more in her club’s playoff semifinal victory against the Portland Thorns and the dramatic equalizer in overtime of the championship game before her team triumphed in penalty kicks. Last year, she set a record for fastest goal in a WNT debut when she scored 49 seconds after coming on at halftime against Switzerland on Oct. 19. The record would last just four days as forward Kealia Ohai, who also scored 11 goals during the NWSL regular season, did Williams one second better, scoring 48 seconds into her debut on Oct. 23 after coming on as a substitute against Switzerland in the 81st minute. Williams has five caps so far while making four starts.
  • Williams’ fourth start will be a memorable one as she tallied the USA’s lone goal against Germany, finishing after Christen Press had hit the cross bar with her shot and Tobin Heath’s followed up had been blocked by a German defender. It was her second international goal.
  • Mallory Pugh returns to the roster for the first time since the Olympics and against Germany played in her first game since the quarterfinal loss to Sweden in Brazil. Pugh came off the bench in the 58th minute, replacing Crystal Dunn, to earn her 18th cap for the 18-year-old.
  • Pugh spent most of the fall playing with the U.S. U-20 Women’s National Team which she captained at the 2016 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Papua New Guinea where she was one of the top players in the tournament and scored twice. It was Pugh’s second U-20 WWC as she also started for the USA as a 16-year-old in 2014. She is age-eligible for the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
  • In Brazil, Pugh become the youngest American player to start and score at the Olympic Games.
  • Pugh scored in her senior team debut (the 19th U.S. WNT player to score in her first cap) on Jan. 23, 2016, vs. Ireland at 17 years, 8 months and 25 days old, becoming the youngest player to debut for the U.S. in the last 11 years.
  • The 18-year-old Pugh is fifth all-time for most U.S. caps before the age of 18 (11). She is third for most goals before the age of 18 (2), fourth in most starts before the age of 18 (7) and first for most assists before the age of 18 (5).
  • Jessica McDonald, who did not participate in the USA’s pre-tournament camp in Orlando, has one cap, earned against Romania on Nov. 11, 2016.

MIDFIELDERS

  • U.S. co-captain Carli Lloyd – the two-time reigning FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year – returns to the game roster after missing the most recent matches last November due to her wedding and honeymoon. Lloyd is the all-time active caps leader with 233 and is sitting on 96 goals, just four away from becoming the sixth player to score 100 or more goals for the USA. While she has played as a withdrawn forward the majority of the time since the knockout round of the 2015 Women’s World Cup, she is still the highest scoring midfielder in U.S. history.
  • Lloyd scored 36 international goals between the time she debuted six days before her 23rd birthday, and when she turned 30. Remarkably, since she’s turned 30, she has scored 60 goals in about four and a half years.
  • 2016 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year Tobin Heath has 129 caps, tying Amy Rodriguez for 24th on the all-time caps list. Heath had two assists in the 2016 Olympics, both coming on Lloyd’s goals, and now has 29 for her career. She scored against Romania on Nov. 10 for her 18th international tally.
  • Morgan Brian, who is just 24 years old, scored two goals in the final two games of 2016, tallying against Romania on Nov. 10 and Nov. 13. They were her fifth and sixth career goals. Brian reached her 50th cap at the young age of 23 on March 6, 2016. Now with 64 she is in 47th place on the all-time caps list.
  • After earning her first two caps at the 2013 Algarve Cup, now 22-year-old Lindsey Horan got her first three starts at the end of 2015, switching positions to holding midfielder where she excelled in the 2016 Olympic Qualifying tournament and the SheBelieves Cup. Since then, she has played several positions in the midfield.
  • Horan, who was the first American female player to skip college and head overseas to play professionally, left for Europe in July of 2012 after she graduated from high school and spent more than three years in France with Paris Saint-Germain before moving to the NWSL where she helped the Portland Thorns win the regular season title last season.
  • Horan scored her first WNT goal against T&T at the end of 2015 and scored her second to break open a tight match against Canada in the championship of Olympic Qualifying in 2016. Her third was one to remember, coming off the bench in her hometown of Denver on June 2, 2016 to head home a goal in the 89th minute. She came off the bench in the 79th minute, replacing Christen Press against Germany and earned her 31st cap. Horan got a late yellow card in the match and if she earns another against England, she would be suspended for the game against France on March 7.
  • Sixteen-year-old Brianna Pinto made her first WNT game roster for this tournament. In January, she was held over from the U.S. Under-23 WNT training camp and trained for several days with the senior team, becoming one of the youngest call-ups of the modern era of the U.S. Women’s National Team. She turns 17 on May 24. If Pinto gets her first cap, she will become the first player born in the new millennium and first player born after the 1999 Women’s World Cup to earn a senior team cap.
  • She would also become the sixth youngest debutante in U.S. history.
  • Pinto was a starter in the center midfield for the USA at the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Jordan. She finished her U-17 international career with 20 caps and one goal.
  • Rose Lavelle makes her first U.S. WNT game roster. Lavelle was the first overall pick in the 2017 NWSL Draft by the Boston Breakers.
  • Six-foot Samantha Mewis, the tallest player on the roster, had a breakout year of sorts in 2016, playing in 14 games, starting five, and scoring the first four goals of her international career. After starting and playing all 90 minutes against Germany on March 1, she has 19 caps, which has surpassed her sister Kristie, who has 15 caps and one goal.

DEFENDERS

  • Against Canada on Feb. 21, 2016, in the championship game of the Olympic Qualifying tournament, U.S. co-captain Becky Sauerbrunn became the 35th U.S. female player to reach 100 caps. She picked up her third assist of 2016 and fifth of her career on Crystal Dunn’s 70th minute goal against Thailand on Sept. 15. She now has 120 caps, tying Lorrie Fair for 28th on the all-time list.
  • Chicago Red Stars defender Casey Short has started in all five of her caps with the left-footer mostly playing left back in a 3-4-3 formation, although she did play some outside midfield against Switzerland last year. She has played 90 minutes in four of her caps and 45 in one, most recently going 90 minutes against Germany on March 1 to open the SheBelieves Cup.
  • Allie Long, who played well at defensive midfield in the 2016 Olympics, has been playing in the center of a three-woman back line since the match against Switzerland on Oct. 19 of last year. Her three career goals (all on headers) all came in 2016. Long has 21 career caps and played very well on Mach 1 against Germany, going the full 90.
  • Kelley O’Hara picked up her 11th career assist on Carli Lloyd’s first goal on Oct. 23, 2016, vs. Switzerland. She has 91 international appearances and two career goals and has moved past Stephanie Cox into 37th place on the all-time caps list.
  • U.S. defender Ali Krieger has 96 caps and could be the next U.S. player to hit 100, becoming the 36th player in program history to reach the century mark.
  • At the age of 24, Julie Johnston has already played 45 times for the USA and scored eight goals, including three last year. She’s the highest scoring defender currently in the WNT player pool.
  • Emily Sonnett, taken first overall in the 2016 NWSL College Draft by the Portland Thorns, is in her second year in the WNT pool. She played in eight games last year, starting four.

GOALKEEPERS

  • Ashlyn Harris earned her 11th cap on Nov. 10, 2016 against Romania. Alyssa Naeher earned her 11th cap against Germany on March 1, 2017 and picked up her seventh career shutout.
  • They are the 13th and 14th goalkeepers to play 10 or more games in U.S. history.
  • Naeher has allowed just two goals in her 11 caps so far.
  • Jane Campbell makes her first U.S. WNT game roster. Campbell, who first trained with the U.S. WNT at age 17 in January of 2013, making her the youngest goalkeeper called into a full U.S. National Team camp, was taken 15th overall in the second round of the 2017 NWSL Draft by the Houston Dash.

BY THE NUMBERS:
0.40 Goals per game the USA allowed in 2016
1 USA’s FIFA ranking
2 Germany’s FIFA Ranking
3 France’s FIFA Ranking
3.65 Goals per game the USA scored in 2016
4 Goals Carli Lloyd needs to reach 100
5 England’s FIFA ranking
13 Players on the USA’s SheBelieves Cup roster who were on the 2016 Olympic Team.
99 Minutes on the field per goal averaged by Abby Wambach in her career
103 Minutes on the field per goal averaged by Alex Morgan in her career
130 Minutes on the field per goal averaged by Mia Hamm in her career

JILL ELLIS FACT FILE : After leading the USA to the Women’s World Cup title, U.S. head coach Jill Ellis was rewarded with a multi-year contract extension on Aug. 5, 2015. She is the third U.S. coach – and first female American coach — to win a Women’s World Cup at the senior level, following Anson Dorrance (1991) and Tony DiCicco (1999). Ellis was named the 2015 FIFA World Coach of the Year for Women’s Soccer on Jan. 11, 2016, at the FIFA Awards Gala in Zurich, Switzerland. She was also named the CONCACAF Female Coach of the Year. Ellis, who previously served two stints as interim head coach of the U.S. WNT, is the eighth official head coach in U.S. history. She coached seven games as interim coach in 2012 (5-0-2) and two games (1-0-1) as interim in 2014 before she officially came on board, which gave her a 6-0-3 record before she ever was formally named the head coach in May of 2014. She has gone 53-3-10 since then for an overall record of 59-3-13, earning her 50th career WNT win on July 22 vs. Costa Rica. Since taking over as head coach, Ellis has won four tournaments: the 2015 Algarve Cup, the 2015 Women’s World Cup, the 2016 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship and the 2016 SheBelieves Cup. After an early exit from the 2016 Olympics, Ellis will now start focusing on building a team to qualify for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup,

RETURN TO RBA: The USA is 2-0-1 all-time at Red Bull Arena with the two most recent games against Korea Republic. The USA tied Korea there 0-0 in May of 2015 in the send-off match to the Women’s World Cup and on a magical night, famously defeated them 5-0 on June 20, 2013, as Abby Wambach scored four goals in the first half and broke Mia Hamm’s all-time international scoring record. The USA’s first game at Red Bull Arena was a 1-0 win against Mexico in June of 2011.

IN FOCUS: ENGLAND

The Football Association
FIFA World Ranking: 5
UEFA Ranking: 3
Women’s World Cup Appearances (4): 1995, 2007, 2011, 2015
Best Women’s World Cup finish: Third (2015)
Record vs. USA: 3-9-1
Head Coach: Mark Sampson

England Women’s National Team Roster By Position:
GOALKEEPERS (3):
Karen Bardsley (Manchester City), Siobhan Chamberlain (Liverpool), Mary Earps (Reading)

DEFENDERS (9): Laura Bassett (Notts County), Gemma Bonner (Liverpool), Millie Bright (Chelsea), Lucy Bronze (Manchester City), Rachel Daly (Houston Dash, USA), Steph Houghton (Manchester City), Alex Scott (Arsenal), Casey Stoney (Liverpool), Demi Stokes (Manchester City)

MIDFIELDERS (5): Isobel Christiansen (Manchester City), Jade Moore (Notts County), Jordan Nobbs (Arsenal), Jill Scott (Manchester City), Fara Williams (Arsenal)

FORWARDS (6): Karen Carney (Chelsea), Toni Duggan (Manchester City), Nikita Parris (Manchester City), Jodie Taylor (Arsenal), Rachel Williams (Notts County), Ellen White (Birmingham City)

ENGLAND NOTES:

  • England played an excellent first half in its opening game of the SheBelievs Cup, putting a very talented France team on its heels on March 1 at Talen Energy Stadium. Jordan Nobbs made that work count, scoring the first goal of the tournament in the 32nd minute as she struck a hard, dipping shot from distance that skidded under France goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi.
  • Unfortunately, England could not finish off the game and earn its first win over France since 1974, allowing an 80th minute equalizer from Marie-Laure Delie off a diving header before center-back Wendie Renard scored a header off a corner kick five minutes into second half stoppage time. It was the latest goal so far in the short history of the SheBelieves Cup and Renard’s 19th career goal.
  • England was drawn into Group D at the 2017 UEFA Women’s Euro with Portugal, Scotland and Spain and will be the group favorite. An England-Scotland clash opens the tournament for both teams on July 19 in Utrecht, Netherlands.
  • England won Group 7 during qualifying, winning seven matches and drawing just once while scoring 32 goals and allowing just one. Belgium finished second with 17 points to England’s 22.
  • England head coach Mark Sampson, a finalist for 2015 FIFA World Coach of the Year for Women’s Soccer, brought to the SheBelieves Cup 15 of the 23 players that helped England to a historic third-place finish at the 2015 Women’s World Cup.
  • Among them are goalkeeper Karen Bardsley, who grew up in Southern California, and captain Steph Houghton, who played every minute of the Women’s World Cup and scored vs. Norway in the Round of 16.
  • The roster also includes midfielder Fara Williams, who scored three times from the penalty spot during the World Cup, including the game-winner against Germany in overtime of the third-place match.
  • Former University of North Carolina defender Lucy Bronze is also on the roster, and scored twice in the World Cup, including the game-winner against Canada in the quarterfinal match.
  • England will bring a plethora of attacking talent that also includes former Portland Thorns forward Jodie Taylor (six goals in 19 caps), who scored the first goal against Canada at the Women’s World Cup, as well as Karen Carney (123 caps/31 goals), Williams (158 caps/40 goals) and Ellen White (59 caps/19 goals).
  • England’s run at the 2015 Women’s World Cup started with a 1-0 loss to France in the opening group game, but they did not lose again until the semifinal. England’s games were all decided by one goal. The Lionesses defeated Mexico and Colombia by 2-1 scores to finish group play to advance to the Round of 16, where they defeated Norway, 2-1. England then took down the hosts, defeating Canada 2-1 in the quarterfinal and had a chance to defeat Japan in the semifinal, but fell 2-1 due to a crushing own goal by Laura Bassett. England then defeated Germany 1-0 in the third-place match for its historic bronze medal finish.
  • England has kept eight clean sheets in their last 11 international matches.

USA VS. ENGLAND

  • The USA is 9-3-1 all-time against England. The USA has beaten England by 1-0 scores in the two most recent meetings, on Feb. 13, 2015, in Milton Keynes, England with the lone goal coming from an Alex Morgan header and at the SheBelieves Cup last year in Tampa, Fla, on a brilliant goal from Crystal Dunn.
  • England brings back 15 players from last year’s SheBelieves Cup roster.
  • The meeting with England in Milton Keynes, England, sparked a 24-game unbeaten streak which included the run to the World Cup title. England did have a goal controversially waved off due to offside in that match.
  • Prior to the 2015 meeting, the USA and England hadn’t played since a 2011 friendly in London that saw England defeat the USA, 2-1. Prior to that, the teams hadn’t met since the 2007 Women’s World Cup, a 3-0 victory for the USA during the quarterfinal in Tianjin, China.
  • The USA lost its first two matches against England, played in 1985 and 1988, both in Italy.
  • The 1985 match was the third played by the U.S. Women’s National Team, a 3-1 setback.
  • The USA has 13 players on its roster that played in last year’s meeting with England at the SheBelieves Cup, including nine that started, while England has 11, including eight who started.
  • Of the 11 players who started for the USA against Germany on March 1, just four started in the game against England last year.
  • Last year’s game was a tight one defensively on both sides with the USA firing seven shots to England’s six. The USA had three shots on goal to England’s two. But England had five corner kicks to the USA’s zero.

LAST TIME…

On the field for the USA vs. England:
March 3, 2016 – Raymond James Stadium; Tampa, Fla.
2016 SheBelieves Cup

USA 1      Dunn 72
ENG 0

Lineups:
USA: 1-Hope Solo; 5-Kelley O’Hara (11-Ali Krieger, 80), 15-Emily Sonnett, 4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 7-Meghan Klingenberg (6-Whitney Engen, 90), 14-Morgan Brian, 22-Lindsey Horan (12-Christen Press, 63), 17-Tobin Heath, 10-Carli Lloyd (capt.), 2-Mallory Pugh (16-Crystal Dunn, 67), 13-Alex Morgan (8-Julie Johnston, 80)
Subs not used: 3-Samantha Mewis, 9-Heather O’Reilly, 18-Ashlyn Harris, 19-Jaelene Hinkle, 20-Lauren Barnes, 21-Alysssa Naeher
Head coach: Jill Ellis

ENG: 1-Karen Bardsley, 2-Lucy Bronze, 5-Steph Houghton (capt.), 6-Gilly Flaherty, 3-Alex Greenwood (18-Izzy Christiansen, 64), 4-Fara Williams (10-Karen Carney, 72), 8-Jill Scott, 7-Jordan Nobbs, 11-Demi Stokes, 19-Toni Duggan (20-Eniola Aluko, 88), 9-Jodie Taylor (22-Fran Kirby, 78)
Subs not used: 12-Alex Scott, 13-Siobhan Chamberlain, 14-Claire Rafferty, 15-Casey Stoney, 16-Laura Bassett, 17-Katie Chapman, 21-Carly Telford, 23-Gemma Davison
Head coach: Mark Sampson

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