We’ve all seen him by now, the USWNT assistant coach.
With a broad, reassuring face and hair pulled back tight, he shadows U.S. head coach Jill Ellis on the sidelines, almost brother-like in appearance.
So who is this guy anyway? And what’s with the man-bun?
Guys, say these things to any female fan and she’ll instantly love you. No really, she will.
1. Where’s your boyfriend? You came with him right?
Wouldn’t you like to know.
2. I bet you can’t name five people on the team.
With the USWNT and Spain knotted at 1-1 after the hour mark at the Stade Auguste-Delaune in Reims on Monday, La Roja’s Patricia Guijarro broke free on the left-hand side of the U.S. defense and fizzed a shot just wide of Alyssa Naeher’s far post. It was in this moment that a possible upset of historic proportions went from “there’s no way in hell” to “oh shit, this kinda feels like it’s happening.”
The USWNT overcame a spirited, physical and tactically disciplined Spain to advance to the quarterfinals of the Women’s World Cup and setup an enthralling match with France, but the manner of the victory was hardly assuring.
The U.S. required two penalties from captain Megan Rapinoe — one in the seventh minute and the next in the 76th — to overcome a defensive error that allowed Jennifer Hermoso to score the first goal against the USWNT of this tournament.
Should the U.S. women’s national team make it to the final, it will play seven matches in just under a month. But what do USWNT players do on their days off?
Apparently, they play football from hotel balconies.
Carli Lloyd posted a video to Instagram on Thursday of her making an incredible catch on a football thrown to her from what appears to be at least three stories up and about 40 yards away. Just watch:
For all the crap we put up during the 2018 World Cup from FOX, the U.S. broadcaster is doing better this time around for the 2019 Women’s World Cup. FOX seems to give a damn now that the U.S. is involved, and the broadcasts have improved because of it.
But there remains a group that would rather not listen to JP Dellacamera describe every single second of action when the USWNT plays.
For those viewers, another option has cropped up for how to watch USWNT vs Spain on Monday.
The USWNT discrimination suit may be decided by mediation after the 2019 Women’s World Cup.
The U.S. women’s national team players sued U.S. Soccer in March as part of a long-running fight for equal pay. The women must play and win more games than the men’s national team but still get paid less.