March International Match Roundup
It was a busy international break for the Reign FC players called up by their national teams. Nine players represented seven different countries as teams squared off in a series of cup competitions and friendlies.
Megan Rapinoe started all three matches and scored two goals for the U.S. Women’s National Team in the SheBelieves Cup. The U.S. finished second in the cup standings after tense draws with England and Japan and a 1-0 win over Brazil Tuesday.
England forward Jodie Taylor notched two assists for the Lionesses in a 3-0 win over Japan, helping her team win the trophy with a 2-1-0 record. Taylor also appeared as a late sub in England’s 2-2 draw with the U.S. Rumi Utsugi saw 23 minutes for Japan as a substitute in a 3-1 win over Brazil.
In the Algarve Cup in Portugal, Theresa Nielsen’s Denmark finished sixth in the competition after a 1-0 loss to Scotland. Nielsen went the full 90 in both the match against Scotland and a 2-1 loss to Norway February 27.
In the same competition, defender Celia Jimenez Delgado appeared as a halftime substitute for the Spanish national team against Poland in a 3-0 loss March 1. Spain finished fifth, beating Switzerland 2-0 in their placement match Wednesday.
Australians Lydia Williams, Steph Catley and Elise Kellond-Knight won the inaugural FFA Cup of Nations. The three all saw the pitch for the Matildas in a 2-0 win against New Zealand Feb. 28 and the cup-clinching victory over Argentina Wednesday. Kellond-Knight also went 64 minutes in a 4-1 win over South Korea.
Jess Fishlock started for Wales in both friendlies against the Republic of Ireland February 28 and March 5. The first match finished in a 0-0 draw, but Fishlock smashed a volley inches over the crossbar in the first half. Ireland got the better of Wales 1-0 in the second match at the Marbella Football Center in Spain.
Fishlock will continue her loan spell with Olympique Lyonnaise through the end of the French club’s UEFA Champions League run. Lyon will next face VFL Wolfsburg in a two-legged quarterfinal on March 20 and 27.
Players on international duty will return to the Reign next week as they continue their preseason training ahead of the club’s first friendly against UCLA on Saturday, March 16, at 12:00 p.m. PT at the SilverLakes Complex in Norco, CA.