International Recap: International Window Ends with U.S. Victory
Iceland vs. Wales
Wales and OL Reign midfielder Jess Fishlock battled to a scoreless draw against Iceland over the weekend. Fishlock contributed a solid 63-minute shift, leading the Welsh high press to effectively shut down Iceland’s offensive threat.
One of the first chances of the game came in the ninth minute, thanks to Fishlock’s tenacity in the midfielder. She dispossessed Karolina Vilhjalmsdottir of Iceland and found Rachel Rowe on the run, but the shot was over the crossbar.
The Welsh per presented with many more opportunities during the match, finding eight shots compared to Iceland’s seven. The evenly matched game ended 0-0.
Wales vs. Scotland
The Welsh lined up for their final match of the 2023 Pinatar Cup this morning, this time taking on Scotland. Fishlock played the entirety of the match, leading the Welsh squad’s offensive efforts. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, resulting in an undefeated run in the 2023 Pinatar Cup for Wales.
Misfortune struck early for Wales, as Scotland took the lead in just the eighth minute of the match. Sophie Howard got on the end of a corner with her head, finding the bottom corner.
Before halftime, Wales found an equalizer. The ball started from goalkeeper Olivia before Hannah Cain and Fishlock combined to find Ceri Holland’s run. She took one touch before curling the ball into the back of the net.
In the second half, Wales final chance of the match fell to Fishlock. She worked to get on the end of a low cross from Roberts, but her shot went over the crossbar, bringing the game to a 1-1 draw.
USA vs. Japan
In the USA’s SheBelieves Cup match against Japan, four OL Reign players made an appearance. Defenders Alana Cook and Sofia Huerta started the match, playing 90 minutes and 45 minutes respectively. Defender Emily Sonnett subbed in at halftime and forward Megan Rapinoe subbed in in the 70th minute.
From the first whistle, the United States were challenged by Japan and forced to defend their attacks. In the first half, Japan found six shots, while the U.S. only managed two. Despite this, the United States opened the scoring just before halftime.
Forward Alex Morgan sent forward Mallory Swanson behind the defense on a counterattack. Swanson collected the ball and made it through Japan’s defense, ending the play with a shot to the lower left corner to give the USWNT a 1-0 advantage going into the halftime break.
The United States was forced to defend some great attacking opportunities in the second half, but managed to maintain their second consecutive shutout and earn another three points in the 2023 SheBelieves Cup.
Brazil vs. Canada
Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team earned a 2-0 victory over Brazil in their second game at the 2023 SheBelieves Cup. OL Reign forward Jordyn Huitema came into the match as a sub in 61st minute, while midfielder Quinn was out of the match due to illness.
In the victory over Brazil, Canada was the dominate team and controlled much of the match. Vanessa Gilles and Evelyne Viens scored the goals while goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan and her backline posted the clean sheet.
The first goal was scored in the 31st minute, when Gilles got her head on the end of a corner kick. Canada then doubled its lead in the second half, when Viens volleyed the ball into the back of the net. With this win, Canada moves into second place in the SheBelieves standings. With three points and a goal differential of zero, the team sits behind the United States with six points and above Brazil and Japan.
Canada vs. Japan
Canada wrapped up their 2023 SheBelieves Cup run with a 3-0 loss to Japan. OL Reign forward Jordyn Huitema played the entire second half and midfielder Quinn did not make an appearance.
Canada started the game off strong, controlling play through the opening 10 minutes of the match, but as time went on, Japan began to overpower the Canadian side. The first goal came in the 26th minute when Kiko Seike got on the end of a pass from Rikako Kobayashi. During the play, Canadian goalkeeper Sabrina D'Angelo was injured, and Canada was forced to make an early substitution.
Just before halftime, Japan doubled the score after winning a penalty kick. Yui Hasegawa stepped up to the spot in the 41st minute to make it 2-0 for Japan going into the halftime break.
Japan maintained control of the match through the second half, passing around a tired Canadian team. Throughout the match, Japan outshot Canada 13-3. In the 77th minute of the match, Japan found the final goal of the night when a team passing sequence ended with a ball to Jun Endo in space. Endo was one v. one with the goalkeeper and made no mistake tucking the ball into the back of the net to seal the victory for Japan.
USA vs. Brazil
The U.S. Women’s National Team won its fourth consecutive SheBelieves Cup title with a 2-1 victory against Brazil yesterday. Three OL Reign players appeared in the match. While midfielder Rose Lavelle was the only one to start the match, defender Emily Sonnett and forward Megan Rapinoe subbed into the match in the second half. Defenders Alana Cook and Sofia Huerta were on the bench but did not make an appearance in this match.
From the first whistle, the match was full of intensity and energy as the two teams battled from end to end. Both teams had their share of dangerous moments, but it looked like the United States had used their high press to find the opening goal of the night, when Alex Morgan found the back of the net after a turnover, but the flag raised for offside and the game continued with a 0-0 score line.
In stoppage time of the first half, the United States once again pressed Brazil into conceding possession of the ball. Mallory Swanson had her shot denied, but Morgan was there to clean up the rebound and put the United States up 1-0 going into halftime.
Immediately, the second half started with the same intensity of the first. Brazil smashed a shot off the crossbar in the 49th minute, setting the tone for the energy to come throughout the half. It was the United States who found the back of the net first, once again. This time, it was Swanson on the end of the ball after another successful press from the United States.
Fighting until the very end, Brazil found one goal back in the 90th minute of the match. Bruninha took her space on the right side of the field before crossing the ball into the back post, where Ludmila was able to get her head on the ball, redirecting it into the back of the net.
Despite the late goal, the United States held onto the 2-1 lead and were victorious at the final whistle, winning not only the match but the entire tournament.