WNT Moves into First Place in Group B, Tops Switzerland 3-0 at Algarve Cup

VILA REAL DE SANTO ANTONIO, Portugal (March 6, 2015) – The U.S. Women’s National Team scored three second-half goals and blanked Switzerland 3-0 in Group B action at the 2015 Algarve Cup at Municipal Stadium. Alex Morgan, Amy Rodriguez and second-half sub Abby Wambach each scored a goal in the final 45 minutes as the U.S. moved to 2-0-0 and into first place in Group B. 

The USA will face Iceland in its third and final Group B match on Monday, March 9, before the tournament’s placement stage. Kickoff is at 1:30 p.m. ET at Municipal Stadium in Lagos, Portugal. Due to inadequate lighting at the stadium, a television broadcast will not be available. Fans can follow in-game updates on Twitter (@ussoccer_wnt and @ussoccer_esp).

The USA and France are the only two countries to take six points from their first two games at the Algarve Cup, and thus are in the driver’s seat to make the final. The top two group winners advance to the championship game on March 11.

Goal Scoring Rundown:
USA – Alex Morgan (Lauren Holiday), 54th minute: U.S. midfielder Carli Lloyd earned a free kick from 29 yards out and Holiday took the set piece opportunity. Holiday delivered a strong ball from the right side, over a three-player wall and into the center of the box. Other than Switzerland defender Rahel Kiwic’s unsuccessful header attempt, Morgan was unmarked and redirected the cross with her right foot and into the back of the net for her second goal of the year and 51st of her career. USA 1, SUI 0 (SEE GOAL) 

USA – Amy Rodriguez, 72nd minute: Christen Press started the sequence with a darting run down the left side and a half shot/cross that Stenia Michel batted away. Rodriguez collected the rebound but did not initially have a clear path to shoot. With a quick shuffle, Rodriguez then lifted a shot just inside the left post for her first goal since Sept. 18, 2014, during a 4-0 victory against Mexico. USA 2, SUI 0 (SEE GOAL) 

USA – Abby Wambach, 81st minute: The USA took advantage of a poor back pass from Nicole Remund, who was pressured by a sliding Shannon Boxx. Switzerland’s Caroline Abbe had an opportunity to get to the ball against Wambach, but Wambach beat her to it. From the edge of the box, Wambach chipped the ball over Stenia Michel and into the right of the frame for her first goal of the year. USA 3, SUI 0 (FINAL) 

Key Saves and Defensive Stops:
SUI – Lia Walti, 5th minute: The USA caught Switzerland’s defense off guard when Megan Rapinoe took a quick throw-in on the left side to Christen Press. Press dribbled into the box and shot from close range, and Walti tracked back quickly enough for the block to surrender a corner kick. 

SUI – Rahel Kiwic, 14th and 17th minutes: Megan Rapinoe played a deep ball toward left back Meghan Klingenberg, and Switzerland’s back line hesitated in tracking back. Klingenberg caught up with the pass before it reached the end line and crossed from the left side, playing a dangerous ball into the middle of the box that Kiwic turned away with a diving header. Three minutes later, Kiwic came up with another big play with a slide tackle to intercept a well-played Klingenberg through ball headed toward Alex Morgan. 

USA – Hope Solo, 39th minute: Solo read Lara Dickenmann’s corner kick well, rushing up to the middle of the box and punching with her right glove to start a USA counter attack. 

USA – Hope Solo, 60th minute: Switzerland attacked from the right side and crossed just above the box to Lara Dickenmann, whose sweeping right-footed shot was struck toward the left of the frame. Solo read the strike well and parried it away to keep Switzerland off of the score sheet. 

SUI – Stenia Michel, 62nd minute: Michel finished with seven saves on the day, with one of her strongest stops coming against Alex Morgan’s blast from just outside the box on the left side. Michel batted it away to maintain a one-goal deficit at the time. 

Milestone Watch:

• Midfielder Megan Rapinoe earned her 98th cap and is now two away from becoming the 31st WNT player to reach the 100-game milestone.
• Abby Wambach now has 178 goals in her WNT career. She is the USA’s all-time leader and is 20 goals ahead of former record holder Mia Hamm (158 goals from 1987-2004).
• Wambach earned her 236th cap. She is sixth all-time, just three appearances behind fifth-place Joy Fawcett (239 caps from 1987-2004).
• Goalkeeper Hope Solo, the WNT’s all-time shutout leader, posted her 79th-career clean sheet. She had three saves Friday against Switzerland. 

Next on the Schedule:
The U.S. WNT faces Iceland in its third and final Group B match on Monday, March 9, before the placement stage. Kickoff is at 1:30 p.m. ET at Municipal Stadium in Lagos, Portugal.
Broadcast information: No TV due to inadequate lighting at the stadium.
Social: Twitter (@ussoccer_wnt; @ussoccer_esp); Facebook; Instagram 

Additional Notes:

• The USA is now 2-0-0 all-time against Switzerland. The other meeting was a 4-1 U.S. victory on Aug. 20, 2014, at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.
• The U.S. moves to 3-1-0 in 2015.
• Head coach Jill Ellis’ lineup once again featured a 4-4-2 formation and two personnel changes from the 2-1 victory against Norway to open the Algarve Cup.
• Hope Solo returned in goal for a second consecutive game, with a defensive unit that included right back Ali Krieger, center back duo Becky Sauerbrunn and Julie Johnston, and Meghan Klingenberg replacing Lori Chalupny with the start at left back.
• The USA midfield included Lauren Holiday and Morgan Brian centrally, Carli Lloyd on the right and Megan Rapinoe on the left. Rapinoe made her first start in the tournament and Lloyd wore the captain’s armband.
• Alex Morgan and Christen Press were paired up top. Press had played in the midfield against Norway and was pushed up for Friday’s game in place of Abby Wambach, who had started the opener.
• Amy Rodriguez replaced Rapinoe to open the second half. Rodriguez moved up front alongside Morgan and Press dropped into the midfield.
• The U.S. made two subs in the 65th minute, with Kelley O’Hara entering for Krieger and Heather O’Reilly for Brian. It marked O’Reilly’s first appearance of the year and her 216th of her WNT career.
• In another wave of subs, Abby Wambach replaced Morgan and Shannon Boxx entered for Holiday in the 79rth minute. Tobin Heath stepped in for Press in the 80th minute. For Boxx, it was her first appearance since April 5, 2013, against Germany. 

- U.S. Women’s National Team Match Report - 

Match: U.S. Women’s National Team vs. Switzerland
Date: March 6, 2015
Competition: 2015 Algarve Cup - Group B
Venue: Municipal Stadium; Vila Real de Santo Antonio, Portugal
Kickoff: 12 p.m. ET (5 p.m. local)
Attendance: 500 
Weather: 69 degrees; Sunny and breezy 

Scoring Summary:   1          2          F
USA                           0          3          3
SUI                             0          0          0 

USA – Alex Morgan (Lauren Holiday)                       54th minute
USA – Amy Rodriguez                                               72
USA – Abby Wambach                                               81 

Lineups:
USA: 1-Hope Solo; 11-Ali Krieger (5-Kelley O’Hara, 65), 4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 26-Julie Johnston, 25-Meghan Klingenberg; 10-Carli Lloyd (capt.), 12-Lauren Holiday (7-Shannon Boxx, 79), 14-Morgan Brian (9-Heather O’Reilly, 65), 15-Megan Rapinoe (8-Amy Rodriguez, 46), 23-Christen Press (17-Tobin Heath, 80); 13-Alex Morgan (20-Abby Wambach, 79)
Subs Not Used: 2-Sydney Leroux, 6-Whitney Engen, 16-Lori Chalupny, 19-Rachel Van Hollebeke, 22-Crystal Dunn, 24-Ashlyn Harris
Head coach: Jill Ellis

SUI: 1-Stenia Michel; 15-Caroline Abbé (capt.), 9-Lia Wälti, 14-Rahel Kiwic (7-Martina Moser, 58), 5-Noëlle Maritz (6-Selina Kuster, 83), 16-Fabienne Humm (2-Nicole Remund, 73); 18-Vanessa Bürki (20-Florijana Ismaili, 83), 22-Vanessa Bernauer (8-Cinzia Zehnder, 73), 11-Lara Dickenmann, 13-Ana Maria Crnogorcevic, 19-Eseosa Aigbogun (4-Rachel Rinast, 46)
Subs Not Used: 3-Sandra Betschart, 10-Ramona Bachmann, 12-Nadine Böni, 21-Antonia Albisser, 23-Barla Deplazes
Head coach: Martina Voss-Tecklenburg 

Stats Summary: USA / SUI
Shots: 19 / 3
Shots on Goal: 11 / 3
Saves: 3 / 7
Corner Kicks: 4 / 3
Fouls: 6 / 9
Offside: 8 / 1 

Misconduct Summary:
USA – Carli Lloyd (caution)                67th minute
SUI – Lia Wälti (caution)                     70 

Officials:
Referee: Cristina Dorcioman (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Petruta Iugulescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Sanja Rodak (CRO)
Fourth Official: Carina Vitulano (ITA) 

Budweiser Woman of the Match: Amy Rodriguez