Key events
5 mins: Nor does Vietnam’s set-piece taking inspire confidence. Emily Fox gets the ball with her arm, but the free kick at midfield lands in a thicket of US players.
4 mins: Horan expertly dives and gets a call for another free kick chance. Andi Sullivan takes it well, playing it to Ertz to flick on. Was someone supposed to run on to it? In any case – Vietnam’s set-piece defense doesn’t inspire confidence.
2 mins: They bring out the stretcher for Rodman, who declines it. Unless she hit her head, she’s going to be back in.
Free kick that the US tries to take quickly, and Vietnam gets in the way. You’re really not supposed to do that, they tells us refs.
Ball played forward to Horan, but several flicks of the ball result in no shot, and she was probably offside anyway.
Kickoff
The referee is Bouchra Karboubi, who toys with everyone by letting a few seconds elapse after the PA-system countdown.
And just a few seconds in, Trinity Rodman is down in pain after falling backwards while challenging with Tran.
Anthem time, and for those who scrutinize every player to death, note that Lindsey Horan (the captain) was the only one visibly singing along. I’m more worried about Alyssa Naeher, who looked like she was in some distress.
Vietnamese players and fans cheerily sing along with their anthem.
This is rather somber entrance music, isn’t it? I feel like a Marvel character is dying.
Meanwhile in Miami, Messi is sedentary.
First half. Still on the bench.
David Anstaett checks in from slightly closer to New Zealand than I am: “Ready to watch in Maui, Hawaii. Do we know Rose’s timetable? Is she expected to get some minutes today? Making a first appearance since April against the Netherlands seems like jumping into the deep end.”
That’s a good point, and I’m sure she’ll get a few minutes if at all possible.
Good evening to Mary Waltz: “Beau, greetings from California. It’s a great night for Football. The US will win but their will not be a 13-0, nor a 20-nil outcome tonight. Spain had 45 shots on goal but only scored 3 goals, I envision a few more goals but a similar match. Instead of watching the Horrid Fox pre game nationalistic agit prop(I love our team but gawd Fox over does the USA vs the world crap) I am watching Messi’s new vacation team play Cruz Azul until the USA match starts.”
I’ll say the US nets six.
One Vietnam goal wouldn’t completely shock me, given the lack of time the US defenders have played together. If the USWNT was opening against, say, the Netherlands, that could be a problem. But they’ll likely be settled by the time the games truly matter.
Kurt Perleberg asks: “If the USWNT can win group E can they defeat Italy Sweden Spain & Australia/Brazil/England to win their third consecutive FIFA Women’s World Cup?”
Yes. They can. But they might not.
Most oddsmakers have them around +225 or +250, which is more than 2-1 against. Those are the best odds for any team in the tournament. The problem is that there are so many teams that could win it.
Vietnam lineup
GK: Thi Kim Tranh Tran
D: Thi Thu Thuong Luong, Thi The Tran, Thi Loan Hoang, Thi Diem My Le, Thi Thu Thao Tran
M: Thi Tuyet Dung Nguyen, Thi Hai Linh Tran, Thi Thao Thai, Thi Bich Thuy Nguyen
F: Huynh Nhu
US lineup
Stunner in midfield – Savannah DeMelo, a surprise inclusion on the roster given her grand total of zero appearances for the team, starts.
Julie Ertz, who fought her way back into shape to make this roster, is listed at defense.
GK: Alyssa Naeher
D: Crystal Dunn, Julie Ertz, Naomi Girma, Emily Fox
M: Andi Sullivan, Lindsey Horan, Savannah DeMelo
F: Trinity Rodman, Alex Morgan, Sophia Smith
Rose Lavelle is working her way back into fitness. Megan Rapinoe is slated for a supersub role, in case you were wondering.
Carli Lloyd, commenting on Fox, expressed some envy over the suits the US women wore to the game.
Personally, I keep expecting the players to tell me that the nearest emergency exit might be behind me.
Preamble
Last night, I opened by saying we were looking at a potential upset. Nigeria had the firepower and the experience to compete with Canada. That turned out to be the case, which I mention because I don’t always get my predictions right.
Tonight?
We’re not looking at a potential upset here. Anything less than a five-goal win would be a shocker. The biggest suspense in this game might be whether the US manages to show some restraint in its celebrations this time around, unlike the game against Thailand last time around.
That’s not me indulging in a rare bit of American arrogance. Eventually, we’ll have a 32-team Women’s World Cup with more parity than we have now. We’re not there yet.
Can we point to anything that gives Vietnam a chance at making a game of it? Yes. Let’s point to Minh Chien Tu’s team guide:
“Vietnam will play on the counterattack. The strength of this side is that they possess a pair of fast wingers in Tuyet Dung and Thanh Nha, and an agile striker who is also a good finisher, Huynh Nhu.”
And the US has fullbacks who aren’t that young any more.
So … maybe?
We interrupt here with breaking news …
Fox’s on-site crew brought out a furry native animal, intending to have it pick a winner of the World Cup by hopping toward either “USA” or “The World.”
It did neither.
It stayed where it was.
And pooped.
On that note – how’s everyone doing this fine summer/winter day/night?
Beau will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s Jeff Kassouf’s lookahead to the USWNT’s opening match against Vietnam.
