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USA 3

World Champions Hand Ferns Another Fiver

by Jeremy Ruane

Reigning FIFA Women's World Cup holders the USA handed the Football Ferns a 5-0 beating in front of 35,761 fans at St. Louis' Busch Stadium on May 16, as both nations continued their preparations for France 2019 in less than a month's time.

It was the fifth occasion the USA have recorded this scoreline against the Oceania champions, and came on a day two players made their 100th appearance for their respective nations.

Ali Krieger came off the bench in the second spell to become the 38th American to realise this auspicious milestone, while Rosie White became the Football Ferns' ninth centurion, although her time on the park could have been very short-lived.

A clash of heads with Crystal Dunn just three minutes into the encounter left the Kiwi champion looking up at the stars amid concern aplenty about her welfare. Thankfully, she was able to continue, and responded in a manner fully befitting a warrior in battle.

Annalie Longo worked an opening on the left edge of the penalty area before laying the ball back to Anna Green, who delivered a tantalising fifth minute cross towards the edge of the goal area.

Rising to meet it was White, who controlled the ball in the air then swiveled and struck a fierce rising volley which only just cleared the crossbar, as if she was saying to her opponents, "It's going to take more than a head knock to keep me down today".

Sadly for New Zealand, that shot proved to be their only one fired in anger throughout the entire match. For much of the first half, they played really well, with composure and confidence in abundance, as evidenced by the frequency with which they strung passes together - they matched the USA stride for stride during this period.

But the world champions have playing assets the likes of which New Zealand - and many other nations - can only dream about. Prolific striker Alex Morgan, for instance, this year's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition cover girl - a highly unusual line for a footballer to have on her CV!

In the 21st minute, she volleyed over after Kelley O'Hara had headed down Megan Rapinoe's cross to the far post. Five minutes later, Rapinoe, Lindsay Horan and Dunn combined on the left before the fullback found Morgan arriving at the near post.

Her shot was superbly saved at close quarters by Erin Nayler, who then grabbed Rose Lavelle's header following another Rapinoe cross, the winger having done both White and Katie Bowen a treat prior to delivering quality in the 29th minute.

So the alarm bells were definitely jangling down the Football Ferns' right flank before their defences were finally breached ten minutes before half-time. Abby Dahlkemper played the ball forward to Morgan, who instantly spread play wide to Rapinoe.

She skipped past Bowen once more before angling her cross in behind the defence for the ever-elusive Tobin Heath to stride onto and steer home in one movement, having left the just-booked (and probably still seething) Anna Green in her wake en route to scoring.

1-0 became 2-0 five minutes later, and again, America's left flank was the channel from which the goal was sourced. Rapinoe this time instigated the move, her pass to Dunn inviting the fullback to reward Horan's angled run with a measured pass to feet.

No one in white had tracked the midfielder's run, and the same could be said of the Football Ferns when Horan's delivery picked out the run of Lavelle, whose arrival on the far post was accompanied by a first-time shot at full stretch which soared into the roof of the net.

The USA were eager for more, and before half-time spurned four chances to add to their tally. Dunn blazed over from an acute angle after Abby Erceg had headed Heath's cross away from goal, while Lavelle's rampaging run down the right soon after culminated in a cross which careered across Morgan's bows.

The lethal striker, who usually finds the target when these nations meet - this was the eighteenth clash between the Football Ferns and the USA - fired a shot on the turn narrowly past both Nayler and the far post in the shadows of the half-time whistle, before being denied by the goalkeeper after a cross on the run from Lavelle had the sting taken out of it by Ali Riley's intervention.

It was more of the same early in the second spell - USA pressing, the Football Ferns mounting a rearguard action in an effort to restrict their rivals' threats, the first of which was offered by the menace that is Heath.

Picked out by half-time substitute Sam Mewis' superb cross-field pass, she picked a path into the penalty area before lashing a low drive which nearly deceived Nayler at her near post as the 'keeper anticipated a cross - typical Heath, from whom you

never know what to expect.

She was nearly in again seconds later, darting in at the far post as an option for Rapinoe to exploit as the winger rattled the side-netting on receipt of a Mewis pass - the substitute was making a swift impression upon taking over from Horan.

Vital interventions by Erceg dominated the 56th minute. Katie Duncan's error let in both Rapinoe and Dunn on the left, with Morgan the ultimate beneficiary. Erceg had other ideas, and denied the striker on the edge of the area with her timely challenge, at the expense of a corner.

It was played short to Dunn, whose deep cross found Heath beyond all-comers on the far post. She lobbed it back inside for Morgan to exploit, but the player who has captained the Football Ferns most often in the team's history once more intervened, Erceg heading clear.

To which the USA responded by turning to their bench once more, with Krieger's entry to the fray preceding the biggest roar of the day, as Carli Lloyd, the Steven Gerrard of women's football, made her way onto the park.

The hat-trick heroine of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Final took just 44 seconds to make her mark on this match. Mewis burst past two opponents in central midfield before finding Heath haring through the inside right channel. She drew the defence before angling a pass through for Lloyd to score with her first touch - 3-0.

The Football Ferns made their first change at the same time as Lloyd entered the fray, with Olivia Chance replacing Duncan. Paige Satchell soon followed - Green made way for the speedster, but it was the absent trio of Catherine Bott, Betsy Hassett and Rebekah Stott whom Tom Sermanni most missed in this fixture.

One feels that their availability may well have seen the Football Ferns' impressive first half efforts extend well beyond the 35 minute mark - certainly the flank from which both first half goals emanated would have been more challenging for the USA to exploit, of that be in no doubt.

Hannah Wilkinson's return from her ACL injury fifteen minutes from time was another highlight of the match for the visitors, the tireless Sarah Gregorius - a more selfless front-line display for little reward she has yet to produce - earning a welcome rest from the battle as a result.

The USA, immediately prior to this, had introduced another trio of substitutes, and their fresh legs soon made an impact, with Mallory Pugh heading a Dunn cross over the bar.

In the 83rd minute, the three newcomers combined. Allie Long's tackle on Longo saw the ball break for Pugh, who sent Christen Press scampering down the left. Her first-time cross found Lloyd goal-side of Erceg, and for the 110th time in her USA career, the captain led the goal celebrations.

Sixty seconds later, the USA went nap. Press led the charge once more before feeding Mewis, who let fly from twenty-five yards. Nayler had it covered, but a wild deflection off Ria Percival left the 'keeper stranded and the Football Ferns on the wrong end of another fiver from the nation which has never finished outside of the top three at any of the seven FIFA Women's World Cup Finals held to date.

They weren't satisfied with five goals, either. Nayler grabbed a Pugh attempt after Mewis' cheeky back-heeled pass had created the opening, while Mewis and Lloyd both went close before the final whistle, the latter's effort blocked by the unyielding Meikayla Moore, one of many in the Football Ferns' squad who will benefit from the experience of this challenging international.

The USA look to be well on course to maintain their incredible record in France 2019 - they were in good form throughout this match, with perhaps Morgan their one superstar who wasn't quite at her peak, albeit not far off it.

Tom Sermanni's charges, meanwhile, are back in familiar territory - no matter where or whom they play, they always seem to struggle in their first match when they play abroad.

That said, they'll take plenty of heart from the first thirty-odd minutes of this match, and with games against Mexico - a non-cap-earning international - England and Wales still to come as they fine-tune their preparations for France, they should be primed and dangerous for the quadrennial gathering of women's football's finest, with passage beyond the group stage well within the Football Ferns' capabilities.

USA: Naehar; O'Hara (Krieger, 60), Dahlkemper, Sauerbrunn, Dunn; Lavelle, Ertz (Long, 72), Horan (Mewis, 46); Heath (Press, 72), Morgan (Pugh, 72), Rapinoe (Lloyd, 60)

F'ball Ferns: Nayler; Bowen, Moore, Erceg, Green (booked, 33 (Satchell, 69)); White, Duncan (Chance, 60), Percival, Longo, Riley; Gregorius (Wilkinson, 75)

Referee: Karen Abt (USA)

Road To France & Tokyo