US Women’s Soccer Team Looks To Win Against Spain To Recover From Loss To England
Posted on: October 11, 2022, 07:55h.
Last updated on: October 11, 2022, 04:35h.
The US Women’s National Team (USWNT) is back on the soccer field today for its second friendly in as many weeks. The first, against England last Friday at Wembley Stadium, didn’t go according to plan, and the team will be looking to prove themselves as they now face Spain.
The USWNT will wrap up its two-game series in Europe at El Sadar Stadium in Pamplona, ??Spain. The USWNT’s 13-game unbeaten streak came to an end after they lost to England.
This is the fourth time in as many years the team has faced Spain, and it hasn’t lost in the previous three contests. However, the same thing was said before the match against England.
Running With the Bulls
Since the beginning of last year, the USWNT has faced eight European teams. They include Sweden, England, the Netherlands, Portugal, France, the Czech Republic, and Iceland. Following these contests, the US has a record of 3-2-3 against UEFA teams, with a 1-1-1 record for games it played on European soil.
England beat the US, the reigning Women’s Soccer World Champion, 2-1 in their first game at Wembley since the Lionesses became European champions last July. A goal by Lauren Hemp and another from a penalty by Georgia Stanway gave the English victory. For the Americans, Sophia Smith had equalized the score before England got the go-ahead goal in minute 33.
As if that were not enough, England beat the Americans for the first time since 2017. The last setback for the US was in the semi-finals of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, when they fell 0-1 to Canada.
The US-England proved popular with soccer fans. 76,893 fans attended the game, most cheering on the home team. Still, the attendance wasn’t as high as it should have been, as media reports before the game indicated that all 90,000 tickets were sold within 15 minutes of opening the sales window.
England was the favorite to win that game on DraftKings and other sportsbooks. Heading into today’s game, the US is out in front, getting -135 to Spain’s +270. Given that Spain won’t be able to rely on Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas because of injury, the US side has an advantage.
USWNT Training For the World Cup
The USWNT continues preparing for the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand next year. As part of the training, it announced two more games. The team will face Germany on November 10 and 13 in Miami and New Jersey, respectively.
Through a statement, the USWNT confirmed that the European runners-up will join the list of top teams they will face. The last confrontation between the USWNT and Germany was in the 2018 edition of the She Believes Cup, in which the US team emerged victorious.
These two have faced each other 33 times, of which 22 have produced wins for the US. Germany took seven of the matches and the rest were draws.
The team selections for the USWNT’s friendlies aren’t a coincidence. The US will face England, Spain, Germany and Nigeria in the World Cup. It played Nigeria twice in September, winning both games.