Opening matches at World Cups are often a practice in figuring out what works. The USWNT’s 3-0 win over Vietnam to launch their three-peat bid suggests they’re not yet an entirely finished productSophia Smith admitted that she was nervous – and she is never nervous. Savannah DeMelo? She had some nerves, too, after finding out less than 24 hours earlier that her first international start would take place in the United States’ opening match of the 2023 World Cup.“I mean, it’s a World Cup,” Smith said of the nerves. “I feel like that just shows how much it means.” Continue reading...
This rip-roaring spectacle delivered a celebratory atmosphere in a vibrant reprise of England captivating an entire nationUnder an almost full moon, England poured a few more golden rays of sunshine. As homecomings go, this ticked most boxes: a celebratory atmosphere; the national stadium near enough full; the palpable sense of occasion as the tube station funnelled its public down on to Olympic Way. Then there was the rip-roaring spectacle delivered inside and the invigorating sense that, while the Lionesses’ summer heroics were its springboard, there is still no telling exactly where they will land.The answer may be known by 20 August, when the World Cup’s two best teams will square off at Stadium Australia. It is hardly outrageous to suggest...
With the Olympics looming and England’s form poor the games in the US in March carry significance – and a chance for revengeFriendly tournaments do not generally warrant much attention. The sponsored mini cup competitions that clubs sign up for in pre-season are a prime example of games that have very little bearing on, well, anything. The US-hosted SheBelieves Cup, though, is seen a little differently generally, as national teams pit themselves against the world champions in their own back yard. This year, for the Lionesses, March’s tournament is about more than bragging rights and the confidence boost of beating the best. Here’s why ... Related: Phil Neville and England relishing tough task of SheBelieves Cup title defence Continue reading...
From kindly taxi drivers to great goals, great games and the universally impressive Megan Rapinoe, here’s how our writers felt about their month in FranceMatch of the tournament England 1 USA 2. Yes, England lost and, on balance, they deserved to be defeated but it was tense and tight and a wonderful advert for the women’s game. An evening when many of those who have long patronised the sport were surely won over, with even the most stubborn refuseniks having to admit that it is rather good after all. Related: Lucy Bronze: Phil Neville is ‘not the best coach’ but made England better Related: USA’s Megan Rapinoe says equal pay talk must ‘move to the next step’ Continue reading...
With attacking prowess, midfield mettle and an outstanding goalkeeper the Netherlands are an ascendant force after reaching final in only their second World CupWhen Vera Pauw returned to the Netherlands after the 2009 Women’s European Championship, she entered her office at the Royal Dutch Football Association expecting plaudits. The pioneering coach, a key force behind the establishment of the women’s Eredivisie, had just guided the national side to the semi-finals of their first major international tournament.Instead, in a nation long agnostic to the female game, she was met with silence. “Nobody in the association ever congratulated me,” Pauw recalled on Friday. Within six months the manager who laid the foundations for women’s football in the Netherlands had resigned, just as...