An injury-time equaliser saved the United States’ now 18-game unbeaten record as the Matildas came within seconds of repeating last year’s Tournament of Nations victory over the current World Cup holders.
Australia coach Alen Stajcic came to the University of Connecticut’s Rentschler Field – a 40,000-capacity open concrete bowl home to the American football team – with a plan and the Matildas came close to executing it to perfection.
The visitors began the first half aggressively with a front three of Sam Kerr, Lisa De Vanna and Hayley Raso flooding forward in the early minutes of the game. Megan Rapinoe, nominated for Fifa’s best women’s player of the year, dragged the US back into the game and the 138-game veteran’s duel with defender Ellie Carpenter, a relative rookie with 22 appearances for Australia, told the story of the opening 45 minutes.
In the 16th minute, Rapinoe should have given the US the lead when she robbed Carpenter by the halfway line and, after some short midfield exchanges, again beat Carpenter to go one-on-one with Lydia Williams. Rapinoe, though, sent her curling shot wide. Carpenter had learned a lesson and – in a case of what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger – 10 minutes later was laid out on the pitch when she took a US clearance directly in the face.
While this duel was discretely playing out near the sideline, it was De Vanna who stepped into the spotlight. The US had taken control of the game but were unable to find a way through the Australian defence – the story of much of the match.
On 22 minutes, the Matildas cleared a corner, De Vanna picked up the scraps to dribble half the length of the pitch before sliding the ball through to Chloe Logarzo who had run from her own penalty area to catch up to her teammate.
The Blacktown Spartans midfielder, one-on-one with Alyssa Naeher, stayed cool to confidently slot past the American goalkeeper. Australia led 1-0, totally against the run of play, a view shared by the stunned partisan American crowd.
How would the US respond? With growing frustration they moved the ball around Rentschler Field with confidence but were unable to create convincing opportunities in the final third. Their chance would come, the script usually reads, but star Alex Morgan was corralled by Orlando Pride teammate Alanna Kennedy and Rapinoe, for all her craft seemed to have left her artistry at home. At one point there were seven US attackers camped at the edge of the box waiting for a chance that seemed unlikely to arrive.
For US fans, the highlight seemed to be a header from captain Morgan that looped over the bar but managed to raise squeals from behind the goal. It was as good as it got. Australia seemed to be on the cusp of a classic smash-and-grab – combative and absorbing long periods of pressure. Tackles flew in from both sides but, it is worth noting, there was not a single dive.
Great teams, however, can conjure wins at the death and the US are the World Cup holders. A corner from Rapinoe – disputed by the Australians – swung toward the back post and Lindsey Horan rose to head it into the net. Game saved, record intact.
Friendly –or exhibition, if you need – tournaments are a thing in the United States. On Saturday, Liverpool beat Manchester United at the University of Michigan’s “Big House” in front of over 101,000 fans, part of the International Champions Cup, a competition of brilliant/evil marketing agency genius that sees Europe’s biggest clubs field mish-mash teams in zero consequence pre-season matches in front of giant crowds.
The club tournament includes a sister version with Manchester City, Paris St-Germain Women, Olympique Lyonnais, and NWSL North Carolina Courage playing in Miami the past weekend. The Tournament of Nations, is a friendly tournament organised by the US Soccer Federation featuring four of the biggest non-European teams in international women’s football.
The US-Australia game was played at the Rentschler Field at the University of Connecticut, a game that drew just over 21,500 for a double header that earlier saw Brazil beat Asian champions Japan 2-1. All this for, as they say around here, for exhibitions. A friendly is still a friendly – even if there is a trophy at the end of the tournament.
Next year in France, however, things get real. Australia can look forward to the summer’s tournament with confidence. The US, too, have been reminded they can go deep when the need arises.
