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NBC Sports
3 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Highlights: USWNT vs. China (En Español)
The U.S. women's national team put up a dominant display in its international friendly against China as the Americans cruised to a 3-0 win thanks to goal from Catarina Macario, Sam Coffey and Lindsey Heaps.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Girma returns, LaBonta makes historic debut in U.S. women's 3-0 win over China
China goalkeeper Pan Hongyan (24) grabs a high ball over United States midfielder Lindsey Heaps (10) during the first half of an international friendly soccer match Saturday, May 31, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) United States midfielder Sam Coffey (17), middle right, celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the first half of an international friendly soccer match against China, Saturday, May 31, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) United States forward Catarina Macario (20) celebrates with midfielder Lindsey Heaps (10) after scoring a goal against China during the first half of an international friendly soccer match Saturday, May 31, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) United States midfielder Lindsey Heaps (10) stretches to control the ball during the first half of an international friendly soccer match against China, Saturday, May 31, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) United States midfielder Lindsey Heaps (10) stretches to control the ball during the first half of an international friendly soccer match against China, Saturday, May 31, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) China goalkeeper Pan Hongyan (24) grabs a high ball over United States midfielder Lindsey Heaps (10) during the first half of an international friendly soccer match Saturday, May 31, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) United States midfielder Sam Coffey (17), middle right, celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the first half of an international friendly soccer match against China, Saturday, May 31, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) United States forward Catarina Macario (20) celebrates with midfielder Lindsey Heaps (10) after scoring a goal against China during the first half of an international friendly soccer match Saturday, May 31, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) United States midfielder Lindsey Heaps (10) stretches to control the ball during the first half of an international friendly soccer match against China, Saturday, May 31, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Naomi Girma returned to the national team and Lo'eau LaBonta became the oldest player to make her international debut for the U.S. in a 3-0 win over China on Saturday. Catarina Macario, Sam Coffey and Lindsey Heaps scored while goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce got her second shutout in as many appearances. Advertisement LaBonta, the 32-year-old midfielder for the Kansas City Current in the National Women's Soccer League, came on as a second-half substitute. 'When they called my name, I was sitting being the best cheerleader I could be on the bench, I was like, 'This is amazing. I've never been field view watching the national team.' It was so cool," LaBonta said after the match. "And they were like, `Lo, go.' And I was like, go where? All right, let's go!' The match also marked Girma's first appearance for the national team this year. The 24-year-old defender has been nursing injuries but recently returned to help Chelsea win the Women's Super League title and the FA Cup. Girma commanded a record $1.1 transfer fee when she moved from the San Diego Wave to Chelsea earlier this year. Advertisement 'We've missed her. We really have,' U.S. coach Emma Hayes said. 'Just in terms of the way we controlled the game, her in the deeper spaces making decisions — when to play forward, when not to — just rebuilding the connections again because if you think about the last time Naomi was here, there's been a lot of changes. But she said she was so happy to be back. She didn't realize how much she'd missed it until she drove up in the bus and saw the fans. But she's a world class player and you could see that.' Tullis-Joyce, who plays for Manchester United, started in goal in just her second U.S. appearance as Hayes looks to replace Alyssa Naeher, who retired from the national team last year. Macario scored her 11th international goal after Alyssa Thompson kept the ball alive in a tumble in front of the net in the 28th minute. Coffey made it 2-0 in the 35th minute, taking a pass from Macario out front and banging her second goal for the U.S. past goalkeeper Pan Hongyan with her left foot. Advertisement Heaps, the U.S. captain, scored on a header in the 54th minute. 'I feel like tactically we've gone up another level, I really feel that way," Hayes said. "I feel that there's so many more players, that are so much more in control, that we're able to do more. I was pleased with the performance.' The United States is currently missing several key contributors from last year's Olympic gold medal-winning squad. Sophia Wilson and Mallory Swanson are both on maternity leave. Trinity Rodman is dealing with a nagging back issue. The United States famously defeated China on penalties in the 1999 Women's World Cup final. The teams last met in 2023, with the Americans winning both games. Advertisement The Americans have a 39-9-13 overall record against China, including five straight. The United States was coming off a 2-1 loss to Brazil on April 8. China defeated Thailand 5-1 in its last outing. The U.S. faces Jamaica on Tuesday in St. Louis. ___ AP soccer:
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Girma returns, LaBonta makes historic debut in U.S. women's 3-0 win over China
China goalkeeper Pan Hongyan (24) grabs a high ball over United States midfielder Lindsey Heaps (10) during the first half of an international friendly soccer match Saturday, May 31, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) United States midfielder Sam Coffey (17), middle right, celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the first half of an international friendly soccer match against China, Saturday, May 31, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) United States forward Catarina Macario (20) celebrates with midfielder Lindsey Heaps (10) after scoring a goal against China during the first half of an international friendly soccer match Saturday, May 31, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) United States midfielder Lindsey Heaps (10) stretches to control the ball during the first half of an international friendly soccer match against China, Saturday, May 31, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) United States midfielder Lindsey Heaps (10) stretches to control the ball during the first half of an international friendly soccer match against China, Saturday, May 31, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) China goalkeeper Pan Hongyan (24) grabs a high ball over United States midfielder Lindsey Heaps (10) during the first half of an international friendly soccer match Saturday, May 31, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) United States midfielder Sam Coffey (17), middle right, celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the first half of an international friendly soccer match against China, Saturday, May 31, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) United States forward Catarina Macario (20) celebrates with midfielder Lindsey Heaps (10) after scoring a goal against China during the first half of an international friendly soccer match Saturday, May 31, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) United States midfielder Lindsey Heaps (10) stretches to control the ball during the first half of an international friendly soccer match against China, Saturday, May 31, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Naomi Girma returned to the national team and Lo'eau LaBonta became the oldest player to make her international debut for the U.S. in a 3-0 win over China on Saturday. Catarina Macario, Sam Coffey and Lindsey Heaps scored while goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce got her second shutout in as many appearances. Advertisement LaBonta, the 32-year-old midfielder for the Kansas City Current in the National Women's Soccer League, came on as a second-half substitute. The match also marked Girma's first appearance for the national team this year. The 24-year-old defender has been nursing injuries but recently returned to help Chelsea win the Women's Super League title and the FA Cup. Girma commanded a record $1.1 transfer fee when she moved from the San Diego Wave to Chelsea earlier this year. Tullis-Joyce, who plays for Manchester United, started in goal in just her second U.S. appearance as coach Emma Hayes looks to replace goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, who retired from the national team last year. Advertisement Macario scored her 11th international goal after Alyssa Thompson kept the ball alive in a tumble in front of the net in the 28th minute. Coffey made it 2-0 in the 35th minute, taking a pass from Macario out front and banging her second goal for the U.S. past goalkeeper Pan Hongyan with her left foot. Heaps, the U.S. captain, scored on a header in the 54th minute. The United States is currently missing several key contributors from last year's Olympic gold medal-winning squad. Sophia Wilson and Mallory Swanson are both on maternity leave. Trinity Rodman is dealing with a nagging back issue. The United States famously defeated China on penalties in the 1999 Women's World Cup final. The teams last met in 2023, with the Americans winning both games. Advertisement The Americans have a 39-9-13 overall record against China, including five straight. The United States was coming off a 2-1 loss to Brazil on April 8. China defeated Thailand 5-1 in its last outing. The U.S. faces Jamaica on Tuesday in St. Louis. ___ AP soccer:
New York Times
3 days ago
- General
- New York Times
USWNT midfield stands out in 3-0 win over China, Sam Coffey tallies second U.S. goal
One of the youngest U.S. women's national teams of recent years opened its stretch of friendlies with a commanding 3-0 win over China on Saturday at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota. Head coach Emma Hayes reaffirmed this week that the team is 'on track' to meet her deadline of having a core group set by June. With some consistency and production out of midfield, it was clear things were meshing for the U.S. Advertisement Catarina Macario opened the scoring, cleaning up a strong effort from teammate Alyssa Thompson. However, it was the midfield that took center stage with several crosses into the box and goals from midfielder Sam Coffey and Lindsey Heap. Before the match was over, Hayes added in 32-year-old Lo'eau LaBonta, who became the oldest player to debut for the team. Saturday's game showcased both veteran leadership and emerging talent as Hayes continues to prepare for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. As is often the case for U.S. midfielder Sam Coffey, most of her shift against China was spent doing the game's more thankless work in the trenches. On multiple occasions in the first half, Coffey took contact from opponents, an inevitability for a player who shuttles the ball around on her dribble to draw defenders in. On Saturday, she was rewarded for all of those hard yards, coming into the box as the United States looked for a breakthrough. She collected a pass from Macario and connected with a tidy left-footed finish for her second international goal. (Fittingly, her first goal was also against China on Dec. 5, 2023.) 'I miss plenty of them in practice, so it was about time I made one,' Coffey joked on the TNT Sports broadcast at halftime. 'I feel like I'm working a lot on trying to join the play more, get up in counter-measures. I tend to play it too safe, and think too 'worst-case scenario,' so I was just trying to join. Cat (Macario) did all the work, laid it off.' Coffey has become a mainstay since the start of 2024, making 27 appearances for the USWNT since the start of last year. Her positional awareness has also aided the evolution of the entire midfield, including Heaps and Lily Yohannes' alternating movement against China. While Hayes hasn't yet identified a clear second-choice defensive midfielder, as she continues to test alternatives like Claire Hutton, Hal Hershfelt, and Lo'eau LaBonta, the number 6 role is in good standing as long as Coffey is available. — Jeff Rueter For the first time since the SheBelieves Cup finale against Japan, Hayes started Coffey, Heaps and Yohannes together in midfield. As has often been the case under Hayes, Heaps primarily operated as a playmaker, while Yohannes often stayed alongside Coffey in defense. Unlike past games where Heaps has started, there was more frequent positional interchange between the captain and Yohannes. Depending on China's movement ahead of the USWNT's possessive sequences, the 17-year-old would drift forward to play beneath Cat Macario, with Heaps backtracking into the vacated space. Meanwhile, Coffey shuttled across the field in the central third, working to give teammates an outlet for passing while positioning herself to screen any potential counterattacks. Yohannes seemed to relish her opportunities in the more advanced role, tapping into her bag of tricks to flick the ball over opponents and work give-and-gos with right back Avery Patterson or winger Michelle Cooper. While Yohannes is more of a creator, Heaps operates as a secondary goalscoring threat, patrolling as high as possible to get on the end of crosses, hold up play, or get into scoring positions as the USWNT navigates the final third. Advertisement The start of the second half, however, provided an emphatic reminder of what Heaps brings to the role: a good aerial threat who defenses can easily lose track of as Macario (or other strikers) draw primary attention. Cooper ran onto a ball down the wing, took time to set up her cross without defensive pressure, and found an onrushing Heaps for a well-placed finish without needing to leave her feet. If anything, it's a massive advantage for Hayes to have capable players who can approach such a crucial role in very different ways but still provide an impact. LaBonta is a bit of an anomaly for the U.S. She is both a rookie and an experienced presence on the team with her decade of experience in the NWSL. But on Saturday, she earned a long-awaited first, becoming the oldest player to debut for the U.S. women at 32. LaBonta came into the match for 17-year-old Yohannes in the 70th minute. 'I'm going in expecting nothing, and willing to give everything,' LaBonta told The Athletic before the match. After the game, she told the TNT Sports broadcast that she was focused on how she could help the players who had been on the field from the start. She did not get a chance to show off her signature celebrations, but LaBonta could get another chance to make her mark when the team takes the field against Jamaica in St. Louis on Tuesday. The U.S. will face Jamaica on Tuesday, June 3, in St. Louis at Energizer Stadium. The match kicks off at 8 pm ET.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Target live betting in Champions League final
U.S. Women's Soccer Team returns to Allianz Field [RAW] The U.S. Women's Soccer Team is in St. Paul this week, hosting China in an international friendly on Saturday. The Americans had training on Tuesday at Allianz Field. Players Lily Yohannes and Sam Coffey spoke with reporters after. 11:26 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
