USWNT wins 1-0 over Japan, far from a dominant performance.
Nashville, Tennessee (19 February 2023) – The U.S. Women’s National Team continue their winning ways on the back of Mallory Swanson’s impressive form in a 1-0 win against the technically sound Nadeshiko Japan. Swanson’s 45th-minute goal was her sixth goal in her last 4 appearances, her 31st international goal in front of 25,471 fans at Geodis Park on Sunday afternoon.
The USWNT now sits alone on top of the table of the SheBelieves Cup with one match left to play, a date with Brazil in Frisco, Texas. Earning a point would be enough for the USWNT to win their fourth straight SheBelieves Cup title.
For the Nadeshiko Japan, this is now 6 straight losses in the SheBelieves Cup. They ended the tournament back in 2019 with a loss to England 3-0, they lost all three matches and failed to earn a point in the 2020 edition, and now have lost to Brazil and the USWNT in this edition.
USWNT Starting XI:
Casey Murphy (18); Sofia Huerta (8), Alana Cook (3), Naomi Girma (12), Emily Fox (23); Kristie Mewis (22), Lindsey Horan (10 – C), Ashley Sanchez (2); Lynn Williams (6), Alex Morgan (13), Malory Swanson (9).
Head Coach – Vlatko Andonovski
Nadeshiko Japan Starting XI:
Ayaka Yamashita (1), Risa Shimizu (2), Shiori Miyake (5), Saki Kumagai (4 – C), Moeka Minami (3), Hina Sugita (15), Aoba Fujino (20), Yui Hasegawa (14), Fuka Nagano (8), Mawa Iwabuchi (10), Riko Ueki (9)
Head Coach – Futoshi Ikeda
First Half
Japan’s high press caused the USWNT to not effectively play out of the back, leading to frequent pass interceptions inside the defensive half of the pitch. Japan was not able to create any great chances, taking six shots but failing to register a shot on goal. The USWNT had a great chance in the 15th minute, with Williams’ cross nearly finding the back of the net. Yamashita was able to get a hand on the cross, leading to the ball hitting the crossbar and away from the six-yard box.
The first-half goal came on a counter for the USWNT, as Alex Morgan played Mallory Swanson behind the backline of Japan. Swanson took two touches and calmly finished the opportunity by sliding the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal, giving the USWNT the lead heading into the half.
Second Half:
The second half started very similarly to the first half, but Japan started to run out of steam on the high press. Both sides made plenty of substitutions and Japan continued to apply pressure on the USWNT for the entirety of the match.
Japan had some great opportunities in the second half to find the equalizer but with saves by Casey Murphy and a shot by Nagano that only found the crossbar, the match ended as a 1-0 victory for the USWNT.
