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As the USWNT continue their preparations for their quarterfinal match against China, they do so knowing they’ll be without two of their best players: Megan Rapinoe and Lauren Holiday.
Both got a yellow card in the match against Colombia Monday night, The pair already received yellow cards in a previous match, which means neither can play against the Chinese.
The U.S. will miss both, but especially Rapinoe, who has made a huge impact for the U.S. in the World Cup.
"Yeah, it totally sucks," Rapinoe said after the game.
"I mean, I knew that [she was on a yellow card] coming in and knew that that (suspension) was part of it."
"It's not going to change the way I play. I have to come out and play hard.
"I felt it was a little undeserving, I think Cheney [Holiday] would feel the same way -- hers even more than mine -- but that's the way it is.
Abby Wambach already expressed her feelings that she felt the refs were against the US and that they made bad calls on purpose.
But while some are concerned that this could hurt the U.S., coach Jill Ellis doesn't seem to worried. She feels her bench can take up the slack.
"I know that the players that come in will be confident of stepping in and doing well. I have utmost confidence in the players we have."
That's a good thing, because the US is going to need every player they have left to defeat the Chinese. China is still a top-20 squad (coming in at no.16 in the world) and despite what some experts think, this may not be as easy as some may think.
The last time the U.S. faced China was back in December, when the two played to a draw, so that should tell you how tough this match-up may be.
The good news is the U.S. still has the services of its three best players: Hope Solo, Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan, which should be the difference in the game.
