That’s all for now. Thanks as always for following along with us and be sure to check out Caitlin Murray’s full match report.
Updated
Full-time: USWNT 1-0 England
And there’s the final whistle. England didn’t make it easy, but the United States have pulled through for a 1-0 victory thanks to a moment of Crystal Dunn brilliance.
Updated
90 min+2: England win a corner. It’s sent into the area but a foul is called and the US will have a free kick.
90 min+1: Three minutes of stoppage time ahead. Whitney Engen entering for Meghan Klingenberg.
90 min: An excellent shot well struck by Christen Press outside the area that beats the keeper but it goes just wide of the far post.
88 min: Another sub for England, their fifth: Aluko comes in for Duggan.
86 min: A note on the attendance.
Tonight's attendance is 13,027. Expect a bigger crowd over the weekend. #USAvENG
— Caitlin Murray (@caitlinmurr) March 4, 2016
85 min: England have it down in the final third. They’ve just won a throw-in and it’s sent well into the area, but the US defenders close in and clear it. The Lionesses just haven’t found a way to break down USA’s disciplined defense.
82 min: England win a corner but it’s easily corralled by Solo.
80 min: Fran Kirby and Karen Carney come on for the Lionesses in place of Jodie Taylor and Fara Williams. The USA also makes a pair of switches: Krieger in for O’Hara and Johnston goes in for Morgan.
74 min: Here’s another look at Dunn’s golazo.
"Well DUNN by Crystal!" Fantastic opening goal for the #USWNT in the #SheBelieves Cup. #USAvENG https://t.co/kmB1JRI3jj
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) March 4, 2016
GOAL! USWNT 1-0 England (Dunn, 72 min)
Klingenberg dribbles along the edge of the area before passing to Crystal Dunn, who spins beautifully off a defender and fires a right-footed thunderbolt into the top-right corner of the goal. Simply magical strike by the 23-year-old and wonderful interplay keyed by Klingenberg, who logs the assist. Here’s a great view from the stands.
The #USWNT gets on the board! Crystal Dunn scores a beauty of a goal! 1-0 USA! #SheBelieves pic.twitter.com/jzP4NyJngs
— Paul Ryan (@WFLAPaul) March 4, 2016
Updated
70 min: Duggan’s corner is sent toward the far post and cleared fairly easily.
69 min: Williams with a long shot from outside the area but it’s blocked by Klingenberg and out for a corner, England’s second of the night.
67 min: From the looks of it England’s Demi Stokes has moved to left back. Now Mallory Pugh exits for the United States making way for Crystal Dunn, who is fresh of winning the golden boot in the Concacaf Olympic qualifying tournament. Pugh was excellent today, running riot for stretches up the wings and generally showing she belongs at this level.
64 min: England make their first switch. Izzy Christiansen in for Alex Greenwood.
.@IzzyChr17 on for @england. If there was an award for most improved player of 2015, Izzy would probably have got it. She's been excellent.
— Kieran Theivam (@KiersTheivam) March 4, 2016
Updated
62 min: Christen Press comes on for Lindsay Horan, the US team’s first sub. (Teams are allowed six subs apiece in this tournament.)
59 min: A wonderful ball forward on the right side to Duggan in space, who doesn’t get a great first touch on it and winds up shooting toward the far post, where it’s easily scooped up by Solo.
57 min: Free kick won by England from a dangerous but it’s thudded into the wall and cleared past the halfway line. The visitors have done well to hold USA at bay but haven’t done much to threaten either.
53 min: Another chance for the US after a quick counter-attack up the right side ends with a perfect through pass to Morgan, but it’s turned away.
51 min: A thoughtful tactical note courtesy of David from Manchester, via email:
Watching the England women’s team, but not greatly impressed by their tactics. Pressing the opposition is fine, but you need a plan for when you get the ball, or you’re going to spend the game chasing the ball instead of playing it. So far England mostly seemed to be pumping hopeful long balls forward in a return to the tactics of yester year. The result is usually a loss of the possession they’ve worked so hard to achieve. It’s not very smart. We have decent players who can control the ball but they aren’t getting much chance to do that. And, by the way, it makes for a rather dull and frustrating game. More football, less chase ball please.
48 min: Ball played down to Morgan in the corner, who tries to beat a defender on her own and is dispossessed. Moments later it falls to Sauerbrunn at the top of the area, who wins a foul to give the United States a free kick from a dangerous area, a click less than 30 yards out. It deflects off the wall and slowly wide of the target for a goal kick.
47 min: A long ball forward to Taylor but Klingenberg speeds in from the flank to take it off her.
46 min: We’re underway in the second half and England burst down the pitch in a hurry. It’s Jill Scott who carries the final 10 yards, muscling her way into the area with the ball before it’s taken off her before she can get a shot off.
Not much longer until the second half gets underway. Here’s the view from Guardian correspondent Caitlin Murray, who is writing tonight’s match report.
Scoreless at the half and credit to England - the #USWNT should be in better form but England is doing very well to hold them off. #USAvENG
— Caitlin Murray (@caitlinmurr) March 4, 2016
Halftime Stats:
— Caitlin Murray (@caitlinmurr) March 4, 2016
USA / ENG
Shots: 3 / 2
SOG: 1 / 0
Saves: 0 / 0
CKs: 0 / 1
Fouls: 7 / 9
Offside: 1 / 0 #USAvENG #USWNT #Lionesses
Half-time: USWNT 0-0 England
Scoreless through 45 minutes and the players head to the locker room. “We knew England was gonna come with the high pressure, that’s what they’re known for,” says Meghan Klingenberg during a quick TV interview. “We just need to be more patient behind the ball.”
45 min+1: A beautiful cross from Lloyd wraps back to Pugh, who tries to head it to her feet but misplays it.
45 min: Fourth official calls for one minute of stoppage time.
44 min: Alex Morgan surges into the area and lays off to Lloyd, but her shot is blocked. Best chance for the USA in a half hour.
42 min: Long ball forward to Morgan who’s got a clear path to the goal and who looks onside ... only she’s not. Flag goes up and England will take over.
39 min: The US have done well keeping possession over the past few minutes but aren’t moving forward with any urgency. Bronze dispossesses Pugh and Pugh responds with a cheeky foul near the touch line. England free kick.
36 min: England win a free kick from 30 yards but it’s turned away. The United States have been excellent on set pieces tonight, not even giving the visitors so much as a glimmer of hope.
35 min: Still scoreless with 10 minutes remaining in the first half. The ball appears to glance off Becky Sauerbrunn’s hand as she’s defending in the box and England appeals to the referee for a hand ball but it’s not given.
33 min: Quick counter by England and Greenwood crosses it into the area from the left side, but Solo is quick to wrap it up before any danger.
32 min: Horan finds herself in space outside the area and has a go on goal, but it sails harmlessly wide for a goal kick.
31 min: Greenwood sees yellow for a blatantly late challenge on Heath near the touch line, England’s seventh foul of the match (to the USA’s four).
28 min: The US is struggling to muster the chances that were coming much easier early on.
25 min: Replay shows that Alex Morgan backed into Greenwood and their bodies were tangled. She looks OK now after dusting herself off and will stay on.
24 min: The training staff is on the pitch attending to a downed England player. Looks like Liverpool’s Alex Greenwood.
23 min: England having more success over the past few minutes holding possession and working it patiently up the pitch. But they win a throw-in deep on the US side and Tobin Heath quickly intercepts it, spoiling the effort.
18 min: Klingenberg surges up the left and crosses, but it’s easily brought in by Bardsley. England have shown a well drilled and organized defense so far. They’re quick to the ball but disciplined within space, frustrating the quick US wingers early.
17 min: Greenwood throws in and England string together a few short passes into space, but the final pass into the area is quickly picked off by the American defender. Now the United States try to work it up the left side.
15 min: England win a free kick about 30 yards from the goal. It’s booted directly into the wall and caroms back past the halfway line.
13 min: Pugh blows by three England players up the left flank – what speed! – and crosses in to Morgan, who can’t direct the volley on target.
12 min: Williams has a go from distance but her speculative shot from way outside the area skids wide left.
9 min: England pressing the United States, a smart move by Sampson philosophically, but here it results in a clumsy foul on Horan as three England players rush forward.
7 min: The corner is cleared by the US and Mallory Pugh leads a corner, but with one woman to beat she has her pocket picked. A relieving save for England.
6 min: Tobin Heath is dispossessed near the touchline and England throw numbers forward with Bronze leading the charge and win a corner.
3 min: The teams trade possession in the midfield before England dispossess the Americans and move it down to the final third, but they can’t generate a clear chance before it’s cleared.
1 min: And they’re off! USA attacking from left to right in all-white kits, England from right to left in all-red strips. And the United States is quickly into the attack! They move the ball rapidly down the right flank and cross it to the center where the England keeper corrals it.
The players have emerged from the tunnel. Now the singing of God Save the Queen followed by the American national anthem.
Kickoff is just minutes away. Here are some notes about tonight’s match courtesy of US Soccer.
- The USA will play in a 4-2-3-1 formation, as it did throughout CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying, with Alex Morgan at striker, Carli Lloyd underneath her and Mallory Pugh and Tobin Heath on the wings. Morgan Brian and Lindsey Horan will roam the center of the midfield.
- U.S. WNT head coach Jill Ellis will use the same starting lineup that took the field for the final match at Olympic Qualifying against Canada on Feb. 21, with the sole exception of defender Emily Sonnett earning a starting spot at center-back alongside Becky Sauerbrunn.
- There are six players on the roster who have played 100 times or more for the USA. Five of them are starting tonight: Lloyd, Hope Solo, Heath, Morgan and Sauerbrunn. The other player is Heather O’Reilly, who will be on the bench.
- Today’s match will be the fourth consecutive start for O’Hara and Pugh. It will also be Pugh’s fourth career start and seventh cap, all coming in 2016.
Hello and welome to tonight’s SheBelieves Cup match between the United States and England. It’s opening night of the six-match competition featuring four of the world’s top five ranked sides and Germany has just won 1-0 over France in the opener on Leonie Maier’s 83rd-minute goal.
That sets the stage for USA v England – the World Cup final that so nearly was – kicking off in just over a half hour’s time. Here’s a look at tonight’s teams.
USA: Solo, O’Hara, Sonnett, Sauerbrunn, Klingenberg, Brian, Horan, Heath, Lloyd (c), Pugh, Morgan
England: Bardsley, Bronze, Houghton (c), Flaherty, Greenwood, Williams, J Scott, Nobbs, Stokes, Duggan, Taylor
Updated
Bryan will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s some news from a World Cup winner:
Brandi Chastain, whose penalty kick gave the United States the 1999 Women’s World Cup title, has pledged her brain for concussion research.
The 47-year-old Chastain announced her donation to the Massachusetts-based Concussion Legacy Foundation on Thursday. Upon her death, her brain will go to the VA-BU-CLF Brain Bank, a joint project with the Department of Veterans Affairs and Boston University School of Medicine.
“It is really about: how I can help impact soccer beyond scoring a goal in 1999 in the World Cup final. Can I do something more to leave soccer in a better place than it was when I began this wonderful journey with this game?” she said.
Researchers are studying the postmortem human brain and spinal cord tissue in hopes of diagnosing and treating chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a degenerative condition caused by a blow or blows to the head.
The research team last month announced that it had found signs of CTE in the brain of former Oakland Raiders quarterback and NFL MVP Ken Stabler. But of the 307 brains in the bank, just seven are from women and none has been found to have CTE.
“We currently know so little about how gender influences outcome after trauma,” said Dr Ann McKee, director of the brain bank program. “Her pledge marks an important step to expand our knowledge in this critical area.”
Chastain isn’t sure she’s had concussions, but suspects she has had at least a couple. In her playing days, there wasn’t the knowledge about concussions that there is today.
