OK, so hear me out. I understand that Rapinoe has had an excellent World Cup performance thus far, and she deserves an immense amount of credit for helping get the U.S. to the final. However, when watching the U.S. play England on Tuesday, I saw something that I hadn’t seen from the USWNT all tournament: cohesion on both sides of the ball.
OH WHEN THE YANKS...
Megan Rapinoe’s absence from the starting lineup was the major talking point in the hour before the USWNT’s Women’s World Cup semifinal against England on Tuesday. Was it a tactical decision? Was there some unknown Megan Rapinoe injury? Was it because of what she said about the president?
Leslie Jones, the inimitable comedian of Saturday Night Live and Ghostbusters fame, seems to have just discovered the USWNT and she was losing her shit — in her own unique, lovely way — when the Americans beat England in the Women’s World Cup semifinals on Tuesday.
England’s crusade to knock the USWNT from its perch has ended in failure.
From the British media’s uproar over the Americans’ nerve to celebrate scoring goals at a Women’s World Cup to Phil Neville’s attempts to motivate his charges by trying to claim the U.S. was spying on the team, the USWNT has been Public Enemy No. 1 in England for some time now.
But when it came down to it, there were too many antics and too few goals as the U.S. defeated England 2-1 in the Women’s World Cup semifinals on Tuesday.
In between showing that replay of Chile not scoring on a free kick and talking about Hope Solo, we forgot to give Alyssa Naeher her proper due. She stayed calm and alert despite Becky Sauerbrunn's error against Spain, recorded four saves and withstood France’s second-half flurry last Friday, but still we didn’t take any time to address the U.S. goalkeeper. Now nobody's gonna talk about anything besides Alyssa Naeher.
Kids love to have imaginary tea parties when they’re young. Alex Morgan is still having one in France.
Alex Morgan, who turned 30 on Tuesday, celebrated with a fine cup of imaginary tea after scoring the second goal for the U.S. against England at the Women’s World Cup.
Christen Press, who started in place of Megan Rapinoe, and Ellen White traded goals early on before Morgan gave the USWNT a 2-1 lead in the 31st minute with a headed goal.
The USWNT lineup vs England was announced shortly before the gigantic Women’s World Cup semifinal match in Lyon on Tuesday and the tournament’s biggest star is on the bench.
USWNT coach Jill Ellis put Megan Rapinoe, who has scored two goals in two straight knockout-round matches, on the bench, replacing her with Christen Press at left wing.
OH WHEN THE YANKS...