USA v England Women's Football


USA v England

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Hello and welcome to live coverage of a brand-new tournament featuring

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four of the top five teams in the world. England have a chance to

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prove themselves once again across the Atlantic, against some mighty

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foes and some of the biggest stars in the game. It is the USA, Germany,

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France and England battling it out for the SheBelieves Cup. I am

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delighted to be joined by Rachel Brown Finne and Rachel Janke who

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scored. Good Brown Finne and Rachel Janke who

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scored. Good members Rachel? Great memories. We were positive and

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produced a goal like. I bet you don't mind watching that back again

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and again. No, not at all. It was pretty good. Rachel number 2,

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England would normally be in Cyprus Cup action at this point in time.

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How important is it for them to playing regularly? I think the

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Cyprus Cup has created certain difor them. We -- certainty for them. We

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win it on a fairly regular basis. This is a unique, brilliant

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opportunity to step up and play the best teams in the world which

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doesn't come around every day. The USA has proven it's a good recipe

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for success. It is the world's top three ranked FIFA teams, what do you

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think the chances are? I I -- I think it will be difficult but you

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need to challenge yourself. It is difficult because we're not in

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season. That's a really hard thing. Off the back of the World Cup, I

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think that's it. It is a good one. Fingers crossed we can do it. OK.

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Well, let's find out about about the team selection now. Joe Curry has

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been spoking to Mark Sampson. I think we have a similar team to what

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played in Germany. That was an excellent performance. We are very

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strong in both sides of the park. We're strong in transition and to

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make chances. We have a lot of the players who played in that game.

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Only one change with -- -- Duggan coming in for Kirby. The Americans

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are the world champions and best team in the world. There is no fear

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but respect. We'll do our best to queet a positive result. Just -- get

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a positive result. Just excited. We're excited to get out there play

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as a team. It has been a long chance since we've played as a team, not

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like the Americans, who have played every week since the World Cup. This

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is a great chance to play as a team, enjoy ourselves together. One player

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that has more knowledge than anyone of tonight's opponents is Jodie

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Taylor. She's team-mates with four of the current squad and has seen

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first-hand the boost the World Cup win has given the American game.

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Women's soccer has always been massive in the States anyway but we

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saw a big difference in club games in attendance before and after. My

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club we were averaging between 14 and 15,000 before the World Cup and

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post-World Cup we were selling out at 20,000. It is just the attention

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in general of the US women winning the World Cup. There's a great

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belief and confidence amongst the team. We all play in Germany and

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elsewhere. To be honest, anyone can win it but to me, it shows how far

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we have come and how far we've come along to be competing with the

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world's best. Rachel, thoughts on team selection tonight? Yes, it's

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looking good. He's put a strong team together, only one change from the

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Germany game. It is pretty strong. I'm a little bit confused and

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looking forward to watching how it goes with Fara Williams playing more

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on the right side. I've not seen ta before. But, yeah, I think it will

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be strong and hopefully we can do well. What do you think England's

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game plan will be tonight? Well, having seen Fara kind of starting on

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the right I'm anticipate that four in midfield will play fairly narrow

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and hopefully constrict thement a of possession they can have -- the

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amount of possession they can have the middle. We know Carli Lloyd is a

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danger play, so I imagine the stem of flow to that sort of player who

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can shoot from any distance will be a target for England. It is not just

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about what the USA can do. I think England will come into this with a

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positive mentality. It will be about what they can do and what they can

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take to the USA as well. What is it about the USA, I know they're the

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world champions, but do they have this aura about them? Yes, simply,

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they do. Previous England teams I've been a part of have been kind of

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over-awed by that. It's a powerful thing they've got. It comes from

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winning games, winning tournaments, winning World Cups, winning

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Olympics, playing very regularly together. That momentum never stops.

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How are England perceived now? Before last summer they wouldn't get

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past the knockout stage. Now they're third. I think I the sheer fact

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they're at this tournament is that they're viewed very highly and

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they're a threat to other teams. People now want to play against

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England. They're scared of what England can actually bring.

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Predictions, very quickly? I'm still going to go with the 2-1 win to the

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USA? OK. I'm going you on that. Time to cross live to Tampa, Florida.

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Commentary from Sue Smith and first Jonathan Pearce. Thank you very

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much, good evening, everyone. Welcome to the home of the

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Buccaneers, twice Super Bowl champs. Many people in Canada last summer

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believed the US would have had a far more difficult task in the final in

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the World Cup had they been playing more difficult task in the final in

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England rather than Japan. It will be interesting to see how far both

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teams have come. England's performances last summer have heard

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them a place in this invitational tournament. While the USA players

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have only been apart for two weeks since the World Cup, England's team

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has only been together for about a fortnight. England have played just

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five matches, the last back in November, and the players were in

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the middle of their pre-season training at various clubs. Here

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comes the various anthems. ENGLISH NATIONAL ANTHEM PLAYING

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# Can you see by the dawn's early light

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# What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?

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# Whose broad stripes and bright stars,

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# Through the perilous fight, # O'er the ramparts we watched

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were so gallantly streaming? # And the rocket's red glare,

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the bombs bursting in air, # Gave proof through the night

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that our flag was still there. # Oh, say

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# Does that star-spangled banner yet wave

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# O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

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Carli Lloyd, very much, of course, was involved last summer. And she,

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Sue, is the world Footballer of the Year. Rightly so. She's a key player

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for the United States. England's defence are going to have to be

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careful of her and Alex Morgan, the way they link up together. The way

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Alex Morgan likes to stretch the play and Lloyd will come and

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receive. She is so effectively where she plays now. The rest of the US A

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substitutes. Engen was involved in the World Cup squad, Johnston played

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in the World Cup final as did Krieger. The one thing from the

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England side that knew 0-0 in -- drew 0-0 Germany, Toni Duggan

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preferred to Kirby. Fara Williams in her 14th international but only

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second this season is set to be on the right of the midfield. I'm not

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too sure they'll stick with that. I'm not either. I think Fara

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Williams will drop in. I'd probably like Stokes, Demi Scott to drop in.

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I think her best position is just sitting just in, in front of the

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back four 6789 A few of those England players have been in the USA

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for spells, Jodie Taylor has four team-mates from Portland in the US

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squad. And the goalkeeper was born in the US. Eniola Aluko will be

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hoping to come off the bench and score as she approaches a milestone

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in her England career - 98 cups she has. Already seen one game in the

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tournament. You'll be seeing the highlights of the France-German game

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at half time -- France-Germany game at half time so we'll keep you in

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suspense. I tell you what, the national anthem of that match had

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the German girls in fits of giggles. Holds 70,000 here. Not that many

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here tonight but women's football very much on the here. For example,

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in January, they played Ireland in front of 23,000. At the same time

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the men were playing Iceland in front of just 8,000. It will be a

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hot evening. Temperatures, round about an hour ago, were 30 degrees

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Celsius. A little bit cooler now. And England in red. The goal awaits

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you on your right-hand side in the first half. Captain Steph Houghton

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raring to go. Alongside Gilly Flaherty, and it is the USA who are

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off and under way. They're looking for a bright start as they got

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against Japan in the final. Here is Carli Lloyd looking to team-mate up

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straightaway the youngster Mallory Pugh. It is only her seventh cap.

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She was brilliant in Olympic qualifying. She's the youngest

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player the US have ever had in Olympic qualifiers - 79 days shy of

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her 18th birthday - and they're talking very, very highly of her.

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She is a real talent. It is quite novel for a player of her age to be

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playing for the USA. They normally take them away on camps. But this

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girl is so good, she's starting with them. She's starting on the

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right-hand side which means that Tobin Heath starts on the left. She

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started the World Cup on the right-hand side. Hope Solo has kept

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five clean sheets in a row and hasn't been beaten in the US goal

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for 481 minutes. WHISTLE

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A major factor about this whole US setup is that they treat their

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national side like a club team. They keep them together. They had a week

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off at Christmas. After they played Ireland they had a few days after

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before they prepared for their Olympic qualifying. Once they won

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that tournament they had a few days off but that's it for the year. It

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makes a big difference. Our girls don't manage to get together that

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much. That's why the United States are so good because they do play

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like a club team. They know exactly how each other play. It obviously

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works for them. I think that's something we can look into for the

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future. Fara didn't play any of the group

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games. There's Mark Sampson. He has recently signed a contract extension

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to 2019. Marion Spacey, the assistant to Mark.

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It is 0-0. Not our graphics, I apologise for that. That is Jill

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Ellis, who has very much an English connection. She was born near

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Portsouth. England on a raid here. Stokes played at left back in the

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warm-up for the World Cup throughout the qualifiers, then wask -- then

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was axed for the World Cup finals but is very much present. It is

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credit to her she continued to play for her club Manchester City and

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Mark Sampson picked her again. She is very versatile. She can play left

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back, left midfield and play in the centre in midfield as well. I think

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we'll need her energy tonight. Toni Duggan. You'll be able to hear

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the girls shouting to each other. You won't be able to... Well you

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might be able to mistake Toni Duggan because her accent very similar to

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Alex Greenwood, very scuose girls. I don't think they'll mind me saying

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they have strong accents. Strong characters, the both. I'll tell you

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what they're saying. This is a bright start by England. Just

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Harper. Klingenberg, wearing 7, started 38 out of the last 48 games.

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This is the England captain, Steph Houghton, ever-present. Had a strong

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World Cup. Emily Sonnett alongside Becky Sauerbrunn, just

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Heath is switched back to the right-hand side now. Jill Scott wins

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it for England - tallest player out there tonight. Taylor makes good

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runs. She is an intelligent footballer. In support here now

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comes Lucy Bronze. Typical run from her. England have a corner. This is

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where she proved so useful in fact World Cup final. She scored against

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Norway, she scored against Canada. And they targeted her at setpieces.

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Duggan in there as well, of course. U

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Greenwood will take it, which means it will swing in. Was the youngest

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in the squad last summer. In it goes to the penalty area. Headed away.

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Duggan had been holding deep. Williams, that's... Oh, cross-wires.

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And she's got some pace, Mallory Pugh, the teenager. Klingenberg,

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goes after the youngster again. CROWD: Boo! Boos from the crowd.

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They wondering if that should have been a free-kick. If you're

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wondering what the SheBelieves Cup means, that term 'she believes', was

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a campaign launched in the run-up to the World Cup, developed by the USA

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themselves, and it has grown ever since. Morgan Brian had a very good

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World Cup final. Lindsey Horan played in the Olympic qualifying

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campaign. They won that mini tournament. They beat Canada in the

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final 2-0, so they're off to Rio. A foul against the youngster. Yes,

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she's quick, and she wants to just run direct at players. And I think

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Jordan Nobbs just actually stopped her in her tracks but I don't know

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if she picked up a little knock, she's combn limping a lit -- been

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limping a little bit then but she looks OK. Just got to university,

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UCLA, and play for the Bruen side there. Kelley O'Hara has lost a lot

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of international football through injury. Had a very good start to the

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World Cup qualifying campaign. Hope Solo take it is free kick. Best

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goalkeeper at the World Cup finals. She get -- she kept a clean sheet

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there. These USA internationals really stay with the national squad

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as we've been saying. Don't play as many club games as the English

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players now play. Lindsey Horan pushes it forward. A very good spell

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at Saint-Germain, bypassed university to go to Paris. Is now

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back in the USA, in Portland, team-mate of Jodie Taylor.

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All eyes on Mallory Pugh. Three state league titles, Colorado, her

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junior side. Meghan Klingenberg, the left back. She won the Under 20

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World Cup in 2008. They tend to bring their players through in

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waves. Four of the current squad won that tournament in 2012, the

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Understood 20s. I think Mark Sampson mentioned it in his interview there.

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They get a few of the players, they retire or go off and have babies,

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and the players they bring through are just as good. I think that's all

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credit to the American system. You look at Mallory Pugh coming through

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now and we've only seen glimpse of her but she's a top player. It shows

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that things are working for them. Becky Sauerbrunn, out to Kelley

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O'Hara. England are equipping themselves well here at the moment.

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One or two of them were feeling the effects of jet lag over the past

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couple of days in the preparation for this. It is too long for Jodi

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Taylor, who has had her long flight to get here across the USA from

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Portland on the far coast. O'Hara, Olympic gold medallist in London in

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2012. Not a good ball. Interesting to hear Rachel's

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thoughts before the game about the role the Cyprus Cup has played for

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England and Mark Sampson really came to the fore in winning that

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competition in 2015, having just taken over a year earlier, he

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finished runner-up at it. What was she trying to do there, whip it in

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for Taylor? I'm not sure if she's having a shot at goal there. She has

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the ability to do that. She's nodding her head. She was trying to

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test the keeper out. You can see straightaway the four in midfield

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are staying very, very tight. They're trying to prevent anything

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from happening in the centre of the park. You can see the four fullbacks

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are pushing on at every opportunity to try and push the ball. Goodness

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me, she is is lightning quick Pugh. It was a decent ball looking for

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Alex Morgan. This is a star in the making - Mallory Pugh. It really is.

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Very, very direct. Very pacey. Lucy Bronze is quick, so to be able to

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outpace Lucy Bronze, she's definitely got speed on her side,

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then a decent ball into the box as welt. Well, if she carries on

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playing as long as Abby Wombach did, she could be around for the next

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five World Cups! That's frightening. An interesting front two for the

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England against the Germany game. I think these two, both of them will

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run, do like to get into the channels but I think Toni Duggan

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will come to feed a lot, and the combination of Jodie Taylor and Toni

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Duggan linking up, I think it will work well for them especially if

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they're coming for a counterattack, which I'm predicting they'll have to

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do at times. England call for a free kick. You saw them appealing for it.

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They've got it. Jill Scott that was. They certainly don't look overawed

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against the best team in the world at the moment, ranked number 1 in

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FIFA, and a team not here ranking outside the top four is Japan.

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Hit the wall, disappointing, Fara Williams. Haven't seen a great deal

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of the England cat tain at the moment -- captain at the moment.

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That was offside. There's Hope Solo. She's had a checkered life, I think

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it's fair to say. She's something... Has been something of a... Well,

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she's been on the front pages of magazines in the USA, TV shows but

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shen she's been involved in -- then she's been involved in court cases

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as well. A controversial character. She's a very controversial character

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off the pitch, but on the field, fantastic keeper. O'Hara nips in.

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England covering well. They have the ball and are finding spaces. And

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when they haven't, they're denying space for the likes of Carli Lloyd.

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25 games for the USA. 85 goals. 17 this season in 15 appearances.

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They've played Costa Rica a couple of times and Haiti. In four wins

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against those two countries they've managed to score 28 goals. They beat

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Brazil, Trinidad. They had a couple of games against China and lost at

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home to China in New Orleans. They've loss one home game in 110

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internationals over 12 years. Lindsey Horan is from Lakewood,

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California. For -- California. She was at Stanford University.

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Again, that's the route that so many of these US international players

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take. She's just off to UCLA. They get their scholarships. They go to

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college football where they play a lot of games. And they have all the

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facilities and they get big crowds watching them. So they're used to

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that sort of standard of play. Horan making that run. Just a natural

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profession for them into the national team. Makes that run,

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doesn't she, Alex Morgan. Tries to get in beind and Lloyd lid --

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behind, Carli Lloyd arrives late. That's what Japan simply couldn't

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cope. They were blown away. We were blown away in the opening 15

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minutes. We couldn't quite believe what we were seeing in the World Cup

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final. It was great to commentate on though, there was loads happening,

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lots to talk about. Carli Lloyd in the third minute, seconds later it

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was two. Then Holiday after 4 minutes, then Carli Lloyd's

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hat-trick with a lob after 16 minutes. So the goals continued to

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flow. England on the counter here. Jordan Nobbs had an injury-hit World

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Cup. Just played the one game. Klingenberg was pushed. She's very

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consistent and is right up there, possibly, at the moment the best

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left back in the world. One of them anyway. Yeah, I've got the agree

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with. I also think Kelley O'Hara has really put a name for herself after

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the Olympic qualification because I know Krieger was one of the, you

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know, starters and she just, whether it's her attacking ability, O'Hara

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likes to get forward, and I think that's what Jill Ellis likes,

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Krieger is very much a stay-at-home defender, and she seems to have

:32:46.:32:52.

cemented her place in the team. Out comes Bardsley, had to get there,

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and was fouled. She took a real blow there from Alex Morgan. Who had to

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go for the ball. It was there, hesitation at the pack for England.

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I -- back for England. I think she's winded, Karen Bardsley. You will

:33:11.:33:13.

remember she had to go off against Canada in Vancouver. She picked up

:33:14.:33:18.

an inflammation of the eye. She was something to do with a reaction to

:33:19.:33:20.

the artificial surface there. Karen Bardsley did the right thing.

:33:21.:33:32.

She had to come out and she had to cover. Just on the blindside of

:33:33.:33:40.

Steph Houghton. She did well, Karen Bardsley. She's from Santa Monica in

:33:41.:33:51.

California. Her parents are English, I think. Yeah, they're from

:33:52.:33:59.

Manchester. And that's where she plays, Manchester City. She played

:34:00.:34:11.

in Estonia earlier this season in one of the qualifiers for Euro 17.

:34:12.:34:16.

England got off to a good start there. Very awkward conditions that

:34:17.:34:28.

day. Toiling with rain, a howling rain and the visitors parked the

:34:29.:34:36.

team bus in front of their goal. Oh, that's a bad, short pass and Duggan

:34:37.:34:41.

can pick it up here! Approaching midway mark in the first half then

:34:42.:34:46.

it comes back to Scott. In this opening game in the SheBelieves Cup.

:34:47.:35:01.

Nobbs. That was a bad pass and Toni Duggan straightaway is onto that,

:35:02.:35:04.

but the American defence, the speed at which they get back, there's two

:35:05.:35:12.

or three players around her and she can't find a space. Becky

:35:13.:35:16.

Sauerbrunn, I remember she should have been sent off in the World Cup

:35:17.:35:26.

final, adamant to this day. Klingenberg has to drop back.

:35:27.:35:44.

England are more than matching the USA in the midfield. They've forced

:35:45.:35:56.

a throw off Tobin Heath. We'll be together for the next

:35:57.:36:22.

England Euro qualifier. You can see it on the BBC. It's at New York

:36:23.:36:35.

Stadium in Rotherham. It is a 7:55 kick-off. Well worth going to

:36:36.:36:42.

support the Lionesses, who are holding the World Champions here. It

:36:43.:36:46.

is really good value for money, the fact that you can take the whole

:36:47.:36:52.

family for under ?25. You probably wouldn't get a ticket in the men's

:36:53.:36:56.

game for that, would you? You wouldn't.

:36:57.:37:03.

This is a bit of a knock to the England fullback, Alex Morgan. She

:37:04.:37:08.

has been in startling goal-scoring form - six in her last six

:37:09.:37:14.

internationals. 10 this season. She's in real pain there. Uhas she

:37:15.:37:28.

popped her shoulder out there? Looks most uncomfortable. Well, Demi

:37:29.:37:33.

Stokes could go back in there. They have... Certainly have alternatives.

:37:34.:37:38.

The rest of the squad can be named on the bench. And they are tonight.

:37:39.:37:52.

Although, Siobhan Chamberlain, one of the cover goalkeepers, has an

:37:53.:37:57.

injury and I don't think will be able to come on. If she's officially

:37:58.:38:03.

named unfit she can't sit on the bench. Themes are -- thems the rules

:38:04.:38:10.

and she'd have to sit up in the stand by herself. That must have

:38:11.:38:14.

been the incident. They sort of got their arms tangled. Thankfully, I

:38:15.:38:16.

think she's OK. 25 minutes gone. Williams is still there with her.

:38:17.:38:37.

Got the cross in. Morgan Brian played a major part in fact World

:38:38.:38:48.

Cup final. Set up the last goal. Emily Sonnett graduated from the

:38:49.:38:59.

University of Virginia. She's the Atlantic Coast Conference College

:39:00.:39:02.

Defender of the Year last year, the 22-year-old. Good shout from Karen

:39:03.:39:12.

Bardsley. Right at the start of the World Cup she had a shaky moment and

:39:13.:39:16.

then she grew in confidence. In the end, I seem to remember was second

:39:17.:39:24.

only to Hope Solo in the goalkeeper rankings.

:39:25.:39:38.

Solo, herself, was a striker until her teenage years. Then someone put

:39:39.:39:45.

her in goal for a game, she stayed. Then she was on a mission to improve

:39:46.:39:54.

the standard of goalkeeping. She was aware that goalkeepers in the

:39:55.:39:58.

women's game had been harshly criticised, according to her, and

:39:59.:40:04.

she wanted to prove people wrong. I think she's probably done that, in

:40:05.:40:08.

her 119th international. She certainly has. So approaching the

:40:09.:40:15.

half-hour mark. A littleway short of that. Thank you very much for

:40:16.:40:20.

staying up and watching it if you're watching it with us in real-time.

:40:21.:40:27.

There's Demi Stokes, who has changed her hairstylesince we last saw her.

:40:28.:40:39.

I still find it strange, she played such a massive role throughout

:40:40.:40:42.

qualifying to the World Cup, then she was axed, now she's back in. She

:40:43.:40:47.

was one of the biggest, I think, shocks of the squad when it was

:40:48.:40:56.

announced. But when questions were raised of young Mark Sampson's Mt --

:40:57.:41:01.

management decisions, she got them all right. He has taken England to

:41:02.:41:08.

their highest position in any World Cup final since Bobby Moore lifted

:41:09.:41:13.

the trophy at Wembley in '66. Here's Carli Lloyd. A big game, a big

:41:14.:41:19.

goal-scorer, twice scored in Olympic finals.

:41:20.:41:27.

Sauerbrunn to Emily Sonnett. Her twin Emma also plays. She's at the

:41:28.:41:33.

University of Georgia. The referee is allowing a fair

:41:34.:41:42.

degree of physicality. WHISTLE

:41:43.:41:47.

We'll have the blow there on the foul on Alex Greenwood, who, it is

:41:48.:41:51.

fair to say, Sue, getting some rough old treatment. She is. I've been

:41:52.:41:55.

really impressed by how England is pressure rising America and stopping

:41:56.:42:00.

them from playing. You can see. So of the American girls are getting

:42:01.:42:04.

frustrated, a few balls are going astray. That's credit to how England

:42:05.:42:09.

are defending at the minute. I'd like to see them when in possession

:42:10.:42:13.

be more creative and keep the ball up top. Defensively, they've been

:42:14.:42:19.

excellent. Haven't conceded a goal in five games. Lost only five of

:42:20.:42:25.

their matches in 2015 in England. 10 of the England players in the

:42:26.:42:32.

squad have played for USA clubs. Certainly cageyer than the opening

:42:33.:42:57.

-- cagier than the opening game between France and Germany. We'll

:42:58.:43:00.

see the action of that at half-time. Greenwood. I don't think the

:43:01.:43:09.

referee... I think she guessed. The assistant didn't help at all. Didn't

:43:10.:43:14.

look particularly interested. Tobin Heath, just that one game in

:43:15.:43:31.

the finals. 111 caps and, this time, there's a little bit of revenge and

:43:32.:43:39.

for that she gets a yellow card and quite rightly so, Alex Greenwood,

:43:40.:43:45.

one of the five England players who started the playoff game against

:43:46.:43:57.

Germany back in the summer. That was a little bit of frustration

:43:58.:44:04.

of grood grood grood. It was -- for Alex Greenwood. It was late. It was

:44:05.:44:09.

a booking. I think she was getting her own back there. I think she was.

:44:10.:44:15.

That was a message, "You may be a World Cup winner but you're not

:44:16.:44:21.

going to get away with the nonsense you've been trying so far." But

:44:22.:44:25.

Heath has goalside, checks back, gets the cross in, important

:44:26.:44:30.

defending by the captain, getting it away and then looped over from

:44:31.:44:36.

Lindsey Horan! Who was a striker when she first came into the squad.

:44:37.:44:40.

Dropped out for a little while. Came back in, now a midfielder.

:44:41.:44:53.

England's first international in the USA since they played in Birmingham,

:44:54.:45:01.

Alabama. They were beaten 6-0 that day. I seem to remember the forwards

:45:02.:45:05.

and especially the wide players not tracking back that day. Bit of a

:45:06.:45:10.

lazy performance by some of the wide players. Were you playing in that?

:45:11.:45:12.

LAUGHS No, I'm sure, I'm sure not. I seem

:45:13.:45:19.

to remember you starting a run one day and finishing it the next.

:45:20.:45:20.

LAUGHS Here's Greenwood. I think that

:45:21.:45:29.

shows, as well, how far England have come and how they've progressed,

:45:30.:45:32.

especially over the last 12 months. The fact that we did get beat 6-0.

:45:33.:45:40.

I'm sure I did track back, but the gulf between the two sides now, it's

:45:41.:45:45.

so much closer. Do you look now, because the facilities are better,

:45:46.:45:50.

the money invested in the women's game, it's jumped so dramatically in

:45:51.:45:59.

the last, what, 36 months, four years let's say, do you regard that

:46:00.:46:04.

with a pang of jealousy or do you think 'this is all fantastic. It is

:46:05.:46:09.

a great story'. I wish I was 10 years younger like I'm sure a lot of

:46:10.:46:14.

us do. But I think it is just great for the game. It is fantastic to see

:46:15.:46:19.

it grow and to see these girls improving and competing with some of

:46:20.:46:23.

the top nations in the world. But, yeah, I am a bit jealous. Just the

:46:24.:46:25.

10 years? Some of us wish we here's Lloyd. Likes to run from

:46:26.:46:38.

these deep positions. We haven't seen Mallory Pugh in recent minute

:46:39.:46:41.

z. Lucy Bronze, good defencing. Didn't look at the body movement of

:46:42.:46:47.

Pugh. Kept her eyes glued on the ball. Of course, was in the All Star

:46:48.:46:56.

team in the summer. Her first thought is to go forward and to run

:46:57.:47:01.

at the defence, Mallory Pugh there. That was well-read by Alex

:47:02.:47:23.

Greenwood. You can hear the England bench shouting to Toni Duggan, "Go

:47:24.:47:28.

on! Go on!" That's when you want your centre forward to pressurise,

:47:29.:47:33.

keep her in there and make sure the team go with her when they're

:47:34.:47:37.

running back towards the goal. She hopes for a third Olympic gold in

:47:38.:47:54.

the summer in Rio. The German coach, who is here, bows out after Rio and

:47:55.:48:00.

she'll be determined to make up for what was a disappointing,

:48:01.:48:05.

ultimately, World Cup for Germany. Early on in the competition while

:48:06.:48:13.

the USA were patchy, Germany looked very good. Oh, she's appealed for

:48:14.:48:19.

handball there and that seemed to bounce up and hit Becky Sauerbrunn

:48:20.:48:29.

on the arm! England win it back and the referee, quite right to pull up

:48:30.:48:35.

Morgan Brian there for the foul. She was dispossessed. Is this handball.

:48:36.:48:42.

I think it is handball and you can tell by Jodi Taylor's reaction. When

:48:43.:48:46.

a player reacts like that. Do you know, I think the telling point as

:48:47.:48:50.

she made the initial run with Jodie Taylor, she lost her bearings and

:48:51.:48:54.

she looked to see where Jodie Taylor was. Then I think she panicked and

:48:55.:48:59.

pushed the ball away with her arm. England should have had a penalty.

:49:00.:49:03.

Yeah, definitely. That was good play by Jodi Taylor as well.

:49:04.:49:16.

WHISTLE Unlucky for the fullback to attack

:49:17.:49:26.

Tobin Heath in the air there. This is Meghan Klingenberg, the left back

:49:27.:49:43.

on the right-hand side. Had a spell at North Carolina Taheals, a very

:49:44.:49:53.

successful university side, that. Well, England should have had a

:49:54.:50:02.

penalty against the wampbs. They come on the -- world champions. They

:50:03.:50:06.

come on the attack now but there's no rhythm and England have played

:50:07.:50:16.

them very well. World champions. They come on the attack now but

:50:17.:50:19.

there's no rhythm and England have played them very well. Let's not

:50:20.:50:23.

forget that the WSL football returns at the end of this month for the

:50:24.:50:30.

next season. Nine teams in the top flight. Including your Doncaster

:50:31.:50:35.

Bells. Yes. It will be nice to compete with the best teams in the

:50:36.:50:39.

country again. I think the fact that these girls haven't played

:50:40.:50:46.

competitive football for a good few months, they're really matching

:50:47.:50:49.

Mathew Leckie in all departments --matching America in all

:50:50.:50:53.

departments. I'm sure we'll see match fitness coming towards the

:50:54.:50:56.

second half but I didn't think they'd have that sharpness. For me,

:50:57.:51:00.

I don't see any signs of them not having played for a few months.

:51:01.:51:04.

Here's Jill Scott. Looking agitated, the world

:51:05.:51:31.

champions. Trying to force one or two things and rushing their

:51:32.:51:48.

control. Here's Lindsey Horan, after winning the Understood 20 Concacaf

:51:49.:51:57.

title --Under 20 Concacaf title. Sauerbrunn, US Defender of the Year

:51:58.:52:05.

on a couple of occasions. The only player to start all 24 games for the

:52:06.:52:09.

USA in that fantastic calendar year of 2015. Here's Klingenberg.

:52:10.:52:13.

WHISTLE Rather significant that that switch

:52:14.:52:19.

from left-to-right seems permanent for her and she's gone on there.

:52:20.:52:37.

No change out of the England midfield or defence.

:52:38.:52:57.

Pugh has given away a free kick here. That's the rashness of youth.

:52:58.:53:06.

It's interesting you mention Carli Lloyd because England have done

:53:07.:53:09.

very, very well to deal with her because she tries to find those

:53:10.:53:13.

little pockets of space and she gets on the ball and makes things happen

:53:14.:53:17.

but you can see she's going deeper and deeper to get on the ball. She

:53:18.:53:26.

scored a hat-trick against Ireland, scored a hat-trick against Haiti.

:53:27.:53:31.

Sixth highest scorer in the US history. We've had a couple of texts

:53:32.:53:41.

in asking us what's happened to the other stars of the US World Cup

:53:42.:53:56.

success. Amy Rodriguez is expecting. Meghan Rapone is injured. And Abby

:53:57.:54:04.

Wambach retired. There you are. Klingenberg down the linement you

:54:05.:54:14.

wander -- you wonder what the future holds for one or two of the English

:54:15.:54:20.

players not included by Mark Sampson. White, I think Moore would

:54:21.:54:27.

have been here but not fit. Danielle Carter is out with the Under 23s.

:54:28.:54:38.

Should one or two of those players be anxious? I think it just shows

:54:39.:54:44.

what quality he has to pick from now. The fact those players you've

:54:45.:54:50.

mentioned aren't even getting in the scaud -- squad. The competition for

:54:51.:54:56.

places means it's even more exciting for England going forward. The next

:54:57.:55:13.

game is against Germany on Sunday. They finish off next Thursday

:55:14.:55:14.

against France. WHISTLE

:55:15.:55:20.

That's offside, against Alex Morgan, running in behind. Has just moved

:55:21.:55:36.

clubs to Florida. She's just joined the Orlando Pride. Very successful

:55:37.:55:40.

in her own right outside of football. She has written a series

:55:41.:55:46.

of books, mind you, that was about football, a teenage player. A series

:55:47.:55:51.

of books called The Kicks, or something like that. But her profile

:55:52.:55:55.

in the USA is much higher than the profile of women's football in the

:55:56.:56:02.

UK still. They're on chat programmes and many of them are on TV shows.

:56:03.:56:12.

They've got a free-kick here, the USA, for a bundling foul on Alex

:56:13.:56:21.

Morgan. Lucy Bronze with her. The girl whose middle name is Tough.

:56:22.:56:32.

Who's half English, half Portuguese. She was short-listed for Sports

:56:33.:56:41.

Personality of the Year. Here comes Pugh, Houghton is there with her,

:56:42.:56:45.

didn't clear. Lloyd gets the shot - blocked! Blocked wheel by Alex

:56:46.:56:50.

Greenwood who was covering across. That's the first chance she's had!

:56:51.:56:58.

Klingenberg gone back to the left! What's this for? Foul by Carli

:56:59.:57:10.

Lloyd. This just show it is pace and the power and they're prepared to

:57:11.:57:14.

run in behind. Gilly Flaherty, it was, with the... Tried to... Well,

:57:15.:57:18.

she got the tackle in but just couldn't quite clear it and Alex

:57:19.:57:22.

Greenwood I had ever so well to see the danger and come across an clear

:57:23.:57:26.

it --and clear it. Apologies to Steph Houghton, it wasn't her

:57:27.:57:31.

mistake, it was Gilly Flaherty. A little bit of inexperience there.

:57:32.:57:34.

Only her fourth international for England. She made her debut against

:57:35.:57:40.

China. She got the touch but couldn't quite get rid of the ball.

:57:41.:57:49.

We're into the last 30 seconds of the half. A good, strong first half,

:57:50.:57:54.

has Alex Greenwood. Hougth hout felt she was fell --

:57:55.:58:12.

Houghton fell she was fouled and Bronze squeezed it back under

:58:13.:58:17.

pressure. She's one of the fastest I've seen in a long while. She

:58:18.:58:25.

really is and she's just not... She isn't scared at all. You can see

:58:26.:58:32.

there that youth where she wants to attack the defenders, she wants to

:58:33.:58:36.

score goals. She's been the main threat. Into the one-minute of added

:58:37.:58:45.

time. Klingenberg back on the left-hand side. Here's Morgan Brian,

:58:46.:58:51.

fourth international. She's still only 23. And plays for Houston Dash.

:58:52.:59:11.

Through the box by Horan - downward header by Pugh, and it's dropped

:59:12.:59:18.

wide... What are your overall thoughts of the first half, Sue? I

:59:19.:59:21.

think defensively, England have been excellent. I think they've stopped

:59:22.:59:25.

America from playing, which was what we were scared of - the two

:59:26.:59:28.

forwards, Carli Lloyd and Alex Morgan. I think England have dealt

:59:29.:59:32.

with them very well. I'd like to see them, when they go forward, with a

:59:33.:59:36.

little bit more quality and maybe giving Jodie Taylor and Toni Duggan

:59:37.:59:39.

a chance. It's a little bit too high - they've got to chest it down or

:59:40.:59:43.

head it on. Just a bit more quality on their forward play. But

:59:44.:59:48.

defensively, excellent. Hope Solo - 526 minutes without conceding a

:59:49.:59:53.

goal. England have gone 3.5 games without conceding a goal. That's

:59:54.:59:59.

why, here in Tampa, the half-time score line is USA 0, England 0.

:00:00.:00:06.

Well, it's a battle, but one that England have been more than up to so

:00:07.:00:13.

far. Chances for both sides, but should USA have paid the penalty?

:00:14.:00:19.

Rachel, your thoughts on the first half? I think it's been very

:00:20.:00:25.

encouraging for all England fans. I think the England

:00:26.:00:25.

encouraging for all England fans. I think the England team have started

:00:26.:00:29.

on the front foot. They look very, very composed, but they also look

:00:30.:00:32.

very, very positive and energised. You can see that they're up for the

:00:33.:00:35.

occasion. So, real positive start for me from the team. OK. Rachel?

:00:36.:00:39.

Yeah, definitely. I mean, Mark Sampson's statement before was that

:00:40.:00:43.

he was not gonna fear anyone, he was gonna show 'em respect, but no fear.

:00:44.:00:46.

That's definitely what they've gone and done. OK. Let's talk about this

:00:47.:00:49.

penalty. Should it have been a penalty - handball? Not for me, to

:00:50.:00:54.

be honest. If it was the other end, and one of our defenders, I think

:00:55.:00:58.

Jodie Taylor just nudges her in the back there, and - it does hit her

:00:59.:01:04.

hand, yes, but I think that nudge in the back puts her off. Yes, you

:01:05.:01:07.

could see them be given. So I wouldn't complain if we did get a

:01:08.:01:12.

penalty, but if it was down the other end, I wouldn't appreciate it.

:01:13.:01:15.

You can see from Jodhi's reaction, she thought it was a penalty

:01:16.:01:19.

straightaway. It certainly redirects the ball away from Jodie Taylor, so

:01:20.:01:23.

you can see why England claim the penalty. Do you think the tactics

:01:24.:01:26.

have paid off in the first half? Certainly. Not only have England

:01:27.:01:34.

reduced the USA to virtually zero chances - they've been banking up

:01:35.:01:37.

very, very well, England, as units in the back four, the midfield four.

:01:38.:01:42.

Their pressing game has been very, very strong right from the front

:01:43.:01:46.

two, through the midfield. Midfield, as we've suggested, has been working

:01:47.:01:49.

very, very narrow, but England have been doubling up fantastically well

:01:50.:01:52.

all around the pitch. We're seeing examples of it here - right from the

:01:53.:01:58.

very, very top, the ball goes past Jordan Nobbs, Jill Scott sweeps for

:01:59.:02:03.

her. The ball goes past Jill Scott, Jordan Nobbs sweeps up for her. All

:02:04.:02:05.

around the pitch, as soon as the ball passes one of the England

:02:06.:02:08.

players, someone else is putting pressure on them. It's causing the

:02:09.:02:15.

USA to - all it's allowing them to do, really, is forcing them into

:02:16.:02:19.

errors and playing these hopeful long balls, which we very rarely see

:02:20.:02:27.

the USA resort to. Andrea Barzagli here was fantastically -- Karen

:02:28.:02:30.

Bardsley was fantastically aware to play that long ball. But the USA

:02:31.:02:35.

playing hopeless, aimless balls is something we don't see very often.

:02:36.:02:39.

They look frustrated, don't they? Can we keep this up for the second

:02:40.:02:44.

half? That's the big question, considering our lack of game time.

:02:45.:02:48.

But look at the subs England have got to bring on - the experience and

:02:49.:02:51.

also the pace of people. I think it will be a good second half for them.

:02:52.:02:55.

I think Mark Sampson was adamant that he didn't want to use England

:02:56.:02:59.

not having many games and just be coming out of pre-season as an

:03:00.:03:03.

excuse. I think we saw the USA maybe creep into it literally the last

:03:04.:03:07.

couple of minutes of the first half, and maybe create the odd opening,

:03:08.:03:11.

but generally if England can come out and play the first 45 - sorry,

:03:12.:03:16.

the second 45 as they did the first 45, they're absolutely flying and

:03:17.:03:18.

have got every chance in this game. OK. Well, half-time and it's 0-0.

:03:19.:03:24.

Earl a E.ON, France met Germany in the opening match of the tournament

:03:25.:03:29.

- a repeat of the World Cup quarterfinal, which was won on

:03:30.:03:33.

penalties by the Germans. Only 11 of the 22 that started that match began

:03:34.:03:37.

tonight, but plenty of quality on show.

:03:38.:03:40.

There were plenty of giggles in the warm-up as the German team found the

:03:41.:03:46.

singing of their national an them... Most amusing.

:03:47.:04:20.

Commentary comes from JP Dellacamera.

:04:21.:04:59.

There's the long shot from distance - that may have gone in...

:05:00.:05:15.

France has the numbers in a five-on-five situation... Back

:05:16.:05:23.

across - far post! Saved! Off the line by Schul!

:05:24.:05:39.

Schul had to come across her line to make the save...

:05:40.:05:58.

Great save by Schul with the right foot! She tried to go to the

:05:59.:06:04.

keeper's right, and the foot keeps it scoreless!

:06:05.:07:13.

That may have been Mayer. We'll see who was lined up there. As that ball

:07:14.:07:31.

came across off the dangerous corner kick, it's 1-0 Germany.

:07:32.:07:35.

What a good start for Germany! Next up is England on Sunday:

:07:36.:07:54.

Kick-off at 10:45. So, Germany - Sunday, England. What

:07:55.:08:02.

do you think? What do England need to look out for? It's always an epic

:08:03.:08:07.

battle, Germany against England. It's been good for England to have

:08:08.:08:10.

the opportunity to have viewed this match, and they'll obviously take it

:08:11.:08:14.

away and analyse it. But it's the same old Germany. Obviously they've

:08:15.:08:19.

lost a couple of names from this summer's World Cup, but another

:08:20.:08:22.

great challenge for England, and a very different challenge, I

:08:23.:08:27.

anticipate, to the USA this evening. Alex Greenwood's going to have to be

:08:28.:08:30.

careful if she wants to play in that match, picking up a booking in the

:08:31.:08:35.

first half. It's a silly booking, as well - a needless booking. This

:08:36.:08:39.

cover - Gilly Flaherty and Jordan Nobbs are both covering her. She

:08:40.:08:43.

doesn't need to do it. I think she's got a little bit frustrated, to be

:08:44.:08:46.

honest. Alex Greenwood's done very, very well against Tobin Heath,

:08:47.:08:49.

against Alex Morgan down that left-hand side. So yeah, that

:08:50.:08:53.

booking was probably a bit disappointing, because it's maybe

:08:54.:08:56.

going to put Alex Greenwood on the back foot a little bit - she's going

:08:57.:08:59.

to have to be careful with challenges of that sort of nature.

:09:00.:09:03.

Until then, I think she's been frustrating the US players. She

:09:04.:09:06.

hasn't had an outstanding game so far. She reads the game so well.

:09:07.:09:11.

Good tackle by Gillibrand, but what a block that is in cover there. We

:09:12.:09:16.

need her on the pitch, really, but we need her to be sensible and

:09:17.:09:19.

disciplined, like she was at the beginning of the game. She'll need

:09:20.:09:25.

more protection from Demi in the second half? Potentially. Alex

:09:26.:09:30.

Greenwood may potentially end up with a second yellow - USA will be

:09:31.:09:35.

clever and push everything onto Alex Greenwood down that side and maybe

:09:36.:09:39.

lead her into that territory. So yes, she'll have to be disciplined

:09:40.:09:42.

in the second half. Demi and the players around her, I'm sure, will

:09:43.:09:46.

cover. We were talking about Claire Rafferty being a big part of the

:09:47.:09:49.

World Cup but not featuring so far... I'm sure Mark Sampson has his

:09:50.:09:56.

reasons for going with Alex Greenwood and Demi Stokes, who

:09:57.:09:59.

obviously wasn't a part of the World Cup squad. But this is her home

:10:00.:10:01.

territory, where she went to university - this is where Demi

:10:02.:10:04.

Stokes has lived for the last five years. It seems that Mark Sampson

:10:05.:10:09.

has a plan and a way he wants to play. I'm sure he would have planned

:10:10.:10:14.

for this 0-0 at half-time, although he would have liked them to be 1-0

:10:15.:10:21.

up. He would have planned to make some changes, maybe to the left back

:10:22.:10:25.

or other players, in the second half. We've come to learn to trust

:10:26.:10:29.

Mark Sampson's cunning plans, I think! Let's see if we can continue

:10:30.:10:35.

to do so. It's 12 months to the day since Steph Houghton led England out

:10:36.:10:40.

against Finland, as the Lionesses beginning their World Cup

:10:41.:10:43.

preparations. Now, the defender's been reflecting on the World Cup and

:10:44.:10:49.

what they achieved in Canada. If you go through the whole tournament, we

:10:50.:10:51.

gained confidence with each match, and we hit a lot of milestones. We

:10:52.:10:59.

reached the first knockout stage, we beat Canada with 50,000 in the

:11:00.:11:02.

stadium. We were so close to beating Japan, and we won a bronze medal. I

:11:03.:11:06.

think, with the squad that we have, we did gain confidence. Don't get us

:11:07.:11:10.

wrong - we have a very, very talented squad, and we have players

:11:11.:11:14.

that are hungry for success on a personal and a team level. The most

:11:15.:11:17.

important thing for us is to stick together. We have a squad of 23, and

:11:18.:11:21.

it's not just about 11 people on the pitch - it's about the 23 as a

:11:22.:11:25.

whole, and that's what our major strength was in the World Cup -

:11:26.:11:30.

being able to be probably the most together team in that tournament. We

:11:31.:11:35.

come against a lot of setbacks, but we also had some joy in that

:11:36.:11:39.

tournament. Now it's all about using that confidence to produce the level

:11:40.:11:42.

on a more consistent basis against the best teams. Most importantly was

:11:43.:11:46.

all about me as an individual playing well and making sure I was

:11:47.:11:49.

in form. I felt as though I did have a World Cup. I mean, to be able to

:11:50.:11:53.

lead my country out was a massive achievement and a massive honour,

:11:54.:11:56.

and I'm very privileged to have the support of all the girls and some

:11:57.:12:02.

fantastic individuals. I feel as though I have grown not only as a

:12:03.:12:07.

player in learning to play at centre-half and how Mark wants us to

:12:08.:12:10.

play here, and playing against the best strikers, but also as a person

:12:11.:12:13.

and a leader. It's something that I do work hard on, and hopefully can

:12:14.:12:16.

continue to develop over the next few years. Steph Houghton played

:12:17.:12:19.

every minute of the World Cup for England. How impressive is she? As

:12:20.:12:24.

captain, she's really got into that role, hasn't she? She certainly has

:12:25.:12:28.

big shoes to fill, for Steph, at a fairly young age. But as soon as

:12:29.:12:34.

Mark Sampson came into the role as manager, he designated her as his

:12:35.:12:37.

captain. As Steph mentioned there, she's had to work at that. She's led

:12:38.:12:42.

her country to its best results so far in its history. She's obviously

:12:43.:12:46.

doing something well, along with the rest of the team. But she's got a

:12:47.:12:51.

job on her hands tonight to lead the team and to - you know, a historic

:12:52.:12:55.

win it would be in the US. Certainly. What do you think Steph

:12:56.:12:58.

would be saying right now in the dressing-room? I think just keep

:12:59.:13:02.

doing what they've been doing. They've been very disciplined and

:13:03.:13:06.

worked hard for each other. I think now they need to concentrate on

:13:07.:13:12.

making sure they keep it at 0-0 but, as it gets to the 70th minute or

:13:13.:13:15.

something like that, really go for it. Make some changes, get some subs

:13:16.:13:19.

on, and really go for the win. It's so important to keep their

:13:20.:13:21.

concentration right now. They nearly got caught out at the death at the

:13:22.:13:25.

end of the first half. That's it. It was literally the switch-off - just

:13:26.:13:29.

that fraction of a second bit slower, and it led to a free,

:13:30.:13:34.

uncontested header, really - not for the debutant, but for the young Pugh

:13:35.:13:39.

for the US. That's as simple as it is. They're the world's best team.

:13:40.:13:42.

They're going to be clinical and make the most of those chances. So

:13:43.:13:47.

England got away with that one. Hopefully they'll have learned the

:13:48.:13:49.

lesson that they cannot afford to switch off. However tired they are,

:13:50.:13:53.

they've got to stay switched on. What do you make of the Americans?

:13:54.:13:57.

How impressed are you with the superstars? They haven't really been

:13:58.:14:00.

in the game, to be honest. I think Pugh's been the superstar. I

:14:01.:14:03.

suppose, for a young kid, you probably wouldn't expect that. It's

:14:04.:14:06.

a big crowd. There's a lot of expectation for her. But there

:14:07.:14:09.

hasn't really been a lot from, you know, the likes of Alex Morgan.

:14:10.:14:14.

Yeah, Carli Lloyd's virtually had no touches until literally... I think

:14:15.:14:17.

that's down to England. You've got to credit them. Absolutely. The

:14:18.:14:20.

pressure throughout the midfield is not allowing the ball to go through

:14:21.:14:24.

the midfield very easily. It's not allowing the ball to be fed and to

:14:25.:14:27.

be kearvel in possession for the forwards. They're not getting any

:14:28.:14:30.

chances. Do you want to change your predictions at this point? Um, yes,

:14:31.:14:36.

I'm glad that England are upsetting my prediction. I want England to go

:14:37.:14:40.

on and win 1-0. I could see them making it 1-0! Let's see! It's

:14:41.:14:45.

goalless at half-time. Time to rejoin Sue Smith and Johnathan

:14:46.:14:48.

Pierce. Thank you very much. Players out for the second half. Doesn't

:14:49.:14:53.

look as if there's any changes to either side. Tobin Heath hasn't been

:14:54.:14:56.

able to get going, really, for the USA. Mallory Pugh, the youngster,

:14:57.:15:01.

has been their star, as we've just heard from back in the studio. The

:15:02.:15:05.

way that England have dealt with Carli Lloyd, I think, has been most

:15:06.:15:11.

impressive - the world's best player, voted Fifa's top woman

:15:12.:15:15.

earlier this year. She's not had a sniff of a chance, really, as

:15:16.:15:19.

England are in red, kicking left to right, getting us off and under way

:15:20.:15:23.

in this second half, with the captain - Steph Houghton - looking

:15:24.:15:26.

for Jill Scott. Lucy Bronze on the attack... Scott wriggling through,

:15:27.:15:36.

and in the end, young Pugh was back defensively, doing an astute job -

:15:37.:15:40.

as she has done going forward! She stopped England there. I thought

:15:41.:15:44.

Jill Scott was just going to wriggle her way through... Good play from

:15:45.:15:47.

Lucy Bronze as well, straight from the off. She's forward, she's

:15:48.:15:48.

looking to play into the box. As you heard from the girls back in

:15:49.:15:58.

the studio, Sue, he does mathematically work out his games,

:15:59.:16:01.

Mark Sampson. He spoke to us in Canada last summer. He said, "If we

:16:02.:16:06.

can do this until 60-75, then I think we can do this in the last 15.

:16:07.:16:11.

If it goes to extra-time, we can do this..." He's very methodical. I

:16:12.:16:16.

think he would certainly have a game plan for the last 30 minutes, if

:16:17.:16:19.

England are still in there with a chance of winning this. Yeah, I

:16:20.:16:23.

totally agree. I think he'll be very happy with 0-0 at half-time. That's

:16:24.:16:29.

probably something he said - "We'll contain America, then go for it from

:16:30.:16:34.

the 70th minute." I wouldn't like to predict what Mark Sampson was going

:16:35.:16:38.

to do! He completely changes things. They called him the Tinker Man in

:16:39.:16:42.

the World Cup. All of his team formations and personnel that he

:16:43.:16:45.

ticked - at times, we questioned it, and it always seemed to work. So

:16:46.:16:47.

he's doing something right. Klingenberg clears it away. Good

:16:48.:17:03.

pressure there from Jodie Taylor. It's a throw to England.

:17:04.:17:16.

We heard what was said in the studio at half-time about the penalty

:17:17.:17:23.

incident. Did it change your mind? Should England have had a spot kick

:17:24.:17:26.

from the handball by Sauerbrunn? I think so. It changed the position of

:17:27.:17:31.

the ball - the ball moved in a different direction. I think Jodie

:17:32.:17:36.

Taylor was right in appealing. I'm going to be slightly biased, though,

:17:37.:17:41.

aren't I? I'm with you - I think it certainly was a penalty.

:17:42.:17:50.

53 games played, 41 wins for the USA coach.

:17:51.:18:22.

They've given away a free kick here for a little nudge on Lindsey Horan,

:18:23.:18:27.

who I think has played well for the USA.

:18:28.:18:45.

They've lost just twice in 34 games since the start of 2014 - such a

:18:46.:18:48.

momentous year. Deflected through. Gilly Flaherty

:18:49.:19:11.

keeps it in play. It was USA's win at the Stadium MK last year against

:19:12.:19:16.

England, back in February, that started their long unbeaten run.

:19:17.:19:24.

Controversy in that game as well, because Jodie Taylor had a goal

:19:25.:19:28.

chalked off that should have stood. That was a very close game, as well.

:19:29.:19:38.

Stuck it in from a rebound, didn't she? And she was flagged for

:19:39.:19:41.

offside. I think Mark Sampson will be really

:19:42.:19:59.

pleased with the high percentage of 50-50s England have won.

:20:00.:20:08.

He mentioned the fact beforehand, the USA are in full flow of another

:20:09.:20:16.

national season - 15 games played since the World Cup, England are in

:20:17.:20:19.

pre-season. He wasn't going to use that as an excuse. I think they've

:20:20.:20:23.

acquitted themselves well in the physical aspect of their game. They

:20:24.:20:26.

really have. When you play America, you've got to match them physically,

:20:27.:20:30.

fitness-wise, and I think England have done that in all departments.

:20:31.:20:45.

Jill Scott scored a very important goal against Bosnia back in

:20:46.:20:49.

Bristol... Will she be frustrated with the role

:20:50.:21:07.

she's been asked to play for? I don't think it's her most effective

:21:08.:21:10.

position. I like to see her just in front of the back four, because she

:21:11.:21:13.

can get on the ball a lot more and make things happen. But she's done a

:21:14.:21:18.

job on that right-hand side. But I know that I'm sure Farah will have

:21:19.:21:20.

preferred to have played in that position, just getting on the ball a

:21:21.:21:22.

bit more. She scored a hat-trick on her debut,

:21:23.:21:38.

and the goals have flowed ever since, really. Scored in major

:21:39.:21:46.

tournaments... Scored three last summer, including a goal that earned

:21:47.:21:50.

the bronze medal against Germany from the spot.

:21:51.:21:56.

You weren't at that game, Sue. Were you watching it at a bar in

:21:57.:22:05.

Vancouver, I seem to remember? May have been drunk...

:22:06.:22:06.

LAUGHS Big screen, wasn't it? What a

:22:07.:22:17.

dramatic place that is - Vancouver, a big screen overlooking the water

:22:18.:22:20.

and mountains in the background, England beating Germany - it was a

:22:21.:22:22.

great day. Really was. Pub up the road called The Elephant

:22:23.:22:34.

In Cars, would you believe? I'm surprised I can remember it so well

:22:35.:22:37.

- it all seems to be a bit of a blur!

:22:38.:22:52.

Lindsey Horan is only 21 - she's outshone the more experienced Morgan

:22:53.:23:03.

Brian at times. That's a foul from Mallory Pugh. Wry smile from Lucy

:23:04.:23:10.

Bronze, with the free kick against the youngster. Played for it and got

:23:11.:23:11.

it. She'll learn... This is a really

:23:12.:23:20.

ever vessant talent... A big women's football week

:23:21.:23:47.

initiative coming up from the FA. Check your county level clubs and

:23:48.:23:51.

schools for information on that. The response to last year's events was

:23:52.:23:54.

huge - they're trying to surpass that this year.

:23:55.:24:00.

If you are a young player, get involved with the game. England need

:24:01.:24:06.

to get involved and closer to Alex Morgan...

:24:07.:24:12.

In the end, a tame shot easily dealt with from Karen Bardsley. She might

:24:13.:24:14.

have hurt herself there - that was a good chance for a player of that

:24:15.:24:18.

quality. She found herself in a lot of space. For me, she should have

:24:19.:24:21.

cut the ball back. There were two players coming in at the edge of the

:24:22.:24:24.

box, and she went for the shot. Wrong decision.

:24:25.:24:38.

Just a little frustrated shrug of shoulders from Lloyd as she came

:24:39.:24:40.

away... You can hear Mark Sampson shouting

:24:41.:24:58.

"Tackle, tackle" from the sidelines. England have been playing a

:24:59.:25:01.

high-pressing game - they've been quick to press.

:25:02.:25:21.

Just a sense, ten minutes into the second half, that the USA are

:25:22.:25:26.

beginning to step up a gear. Not a good ball in from O'Hara.

:25:27.:25:31.

Williams mistimed it as well. Technically very gifted centre-half,

:25:32.:25:56.

Becky Sauerbrunn. Didn't miss a minute of the World Cup finals,

:25:57.:26:03.

Sauerbrunn. US College Athlete of the Year when she was at the

:26:04.:26:10.

University of Virginia. Eight years in the squad now.

:26:11.:26:21.

Talk about the USA bringing players through at younger age groups to win

:26:22.:26:28.

things - Lucy Bronze was part of England's Euro under-19 winning

:26:29.:26:29.

squad. Success at junior levels has

:26:30.:26:39.

improved. Again, that's another step forward. In terms of development of

:26:40.:26:46.

the game in the UK, we have to admit we are light years behind the USA.

:26:47.:26:49.

But getting there. We are getting there. I think that's something we

:26:50.:26:54.

have to look back at maybe ten years ago, when we didn't have that

:26:55.:26:59.

structure in place. I think you look at myself, Rachel Brown, Rachel

:27:00.:27:03.

Yankee - we went straight into the full senior squad at 16, 17. Now

:27:04.:27:06.

they've got that development and progression through.

:27:07.:27:14.

If you are involved in a local club out there, you can apply for grants

:27:15.:27:22.

to set up teams, set up girls' teams, women's teams. If you haven't

:27:23.:27:30.

got one, there are more and more charter clubs around, which is good

:27:31.:27:31.

to see... As I mentioned in the first half,

:27:32.:27:42.

their collegiate system for sport is astounding, really. But highly

:27:43.:27:49.

pressurized, I hasten to add. England cutting some frustrated

:27:50.:28:23.

figures out there now... That was a foul. Jodie Taylor

:28:24.:28:24.

pleading her innocence... Look at this for England! Toni

:28:25.:28:33.

Duggan's in here... She had options. Taylor was to her

:28:34.:28:40.

left-hand side... Big chance for England has come and gone.

:28:41.:28:45.

That was a real lapse in concentration from the American

:28:46.:28:51.

defence - Toni Duggan completely free. Just a long pwol over the top

:28:52.:28:59.

by Fara Williams, and she was completely open. You can see she was

:29:00.:29:04.

really disappointed she didn't get that pass. The first touch took her

:29:05.:29:05.

a little bit away from the goal. Hasn't scored since September 2014

:29:06.:29:24.

against Montenegro. Finished off last season in crackerjack fashion

:29:25.:29:27.

for Manchester City after an injury problem. She missed the first three

:29:28.:29:31.

internationals this season with an ankle problem.

:29:32.:29:50.

It's an England throw. The referee's been very good, apart from denying

:29:51.:30:00.

England a blatant penalty - despite what the girls said in the studio.

:30:01.:30:07.

LAUGHS Mind you, England could do with a

:30:08.:30:22.

Rachel Yankee-type goal when in England's last victory against USA.

:30:23.:30:23.

2-1, they won that one. Germany started with a win, which

:30:24.:30:41.

you saw earlier. The right back, Mayer, scored the goal - she had a

:30:42.:30:43.

very, very good World Cup. Mark Sampson yelling constantly from

:30:44.:30:55.

the sidelines. I think that's a problem - when they go Inler ones,

:30:56.:31:00.

they're very isolated. Jodie Taylor was very isolated, but the rest of

:31:01.:31:03.

the team didn't come up. That's when America can play the ball around

:31:04.:31:07.

you. You have to do it in groups, don't you? 10.5 hours of

:31:08.:31:12.

international football now, the USA, without conceding a goal. Mind you,

:31:13.:31:15.

England's record isn't bad at all. Tobin Heath is not a bad player at

:31:16.:31:41.

all. Olympic gold medallist twice - three college titles with the

:31:42.:31:42.

University of North Carolina. I think, at some stage, she's going

:31:43.:31:46.

to get a chance... Lindsey Horan is going to come off,

:31:47.:32:27.

and Christen Press will come on... She scored one goal in the World Cup

:32:28.:32:36.

finals against Australia. More than attacking option.

:32:37.:32:41.

I was just going to say that Horan likes to sit in a little bit,

:32:42.:32:48.

whereas Press will be that runner in behind. They haven't really had

:32:49.:32:59.

that, America. Midfield, at times, have been dominated by England

:33:00.:33:00.

before. Morgan Brian, a World Cup winner

:33:01.:33:36.

back in 2012. Gilly Flaherty clears it away. Well, 63 minutes into a

:33:37.:33:45.

game against the world champions, and though England haven't created

:33:46.:33:50.

much at all, they've denied the USA any sort of space, room to find

:33:51.:33:53.

their rhythm, and they're going to make a substitution themselves here.

:33:54.:33:56.

Izzy Christiansen's going to come on. Alex Greenwood's going to come

:33:57.:34:00.

off. I imagine Demi Stokes will go back to left back. Definitely that's

:34:01.:34:04.

what will happen. I think that's protecting Alex Greenwood after that

:34:05.:34:08.

booking. I think she's had a very good first half.

:34:09.:34:32.

Izzy Christiansen has been ever-present in the past four or

:34:33.:34:39.

five games. She scored in their away game at Estonia in the first of the

:34:40.:34:43.

Euro '17 qualifiers. Manchester City player - was at Everton and

:34:44.:34:45.

Birmingham before that. She was at Manchester United as a

:34:46.:34:56.

youth player. It's strange that Manchester United, in terms of wins,

:34:57.:34:59.

haven't really been competitive. Maybe that will change. Interesting

:35:00.:35:05.

- she's had a very good season with Man City last year, and got a call

:35:06.:35:08.

up to their international set-up. She links up very well with Toni

:35:09.:35:13.

Duggan and Jill Scott. That will be quite good to watch, to see if they

:35:14.:35:17.

can do that on an international stage. She goes a little bit

:35:18.:35:21.

unnoticed - clever, intelligent player.

:35:22.:35:28.

Carli Lloyd has dropped into a deeper position now, getting the

:35:29.:35:32.

ball there with the substitute on, Christen Press.

:35:33.:35:43.

England looking comfortable, but the USA can change a game so very, very

:35:44.:35:46.

quickly. Worked hard for that... That was a

:35:47.:36:17.

clever play by Jodie Taylor. Three USA players around there, and just

:36:18.:36:19.

managed to win her team a foul. I think this is probably England's

:36:20.:36:28.

best opportunity to get a goal from the setpiece, especially with the

:36:29.:36:31.

well-worked setpieces I know Mark Sampson does in training. We've seen

:36:32.:36:38.

them at the World Cup. Germany next up for England on Sunday.

:36:39.:36:43.

The young girl, Mallory Pugh, is going to go off, to be replaced by

:36:44.:36:53.

Crystal Dunn. She was in the preliminary squad for the World Cup.

:36:54.:36:55.

Didn't make the final squad. Played in every game bar two this

:36:56.:37:03.

season - scored ten goals in 13. She picks it up straightaway. She's

:37:04.:37:16.

a runner, too - loves to carry the ball. Like for like - fresh pair of

:37:17.:37:23.

legs. Yeah, she's a real athlete. Can play wingback, so she's used to

:37:24.:37:27.

that. Getting forward, getting back to defending. You can see she's got

:37:28.:37:28.

pace as well. Plays for the Washington Spirit

:37:29.:37:42.

side. She was top-scorer in the NWSL last season, and the Most Valuable

:37:43.:37:43.

Player. Jordan Nobbs has gone through a lot

:37:44.:38:31.

of work off the ball. This is promising - Jill Scott, Fara

:38:32.:38:39.

Williams to the right-hand side. It's deflected away off

:38:40.:38:40.

Klingenberg... Again, a move of promise for

:38:41.:38:50.

England. Hope Solo saying "Watch the

:38:51.:39:07.

runners." No-one has won more games for the USA than her.

:39:08.:39:30.

Demi Stokes covering up at the back. In a quiet way, she's had a very

:39:31.:39:44.

solid game. She's got through a lot of work, like Jordan Nobbs and Jill

:39:45.:39:48.

Scott. When you play America, there is a lot of work off the ball.

:39:49.:39:56.

She's the greatest women's goalkeeper of all time now. Angerer

:39:57.:40:05.

of Germany, who's retired, may have something to say about that.

:40:06.:40:08.

Germany's goalkeeper, Almuth Schult, had a very good save in her game

:40:09.:40:16.

against France earlier today. But Hope Solo's a got to be in the

:40:17.:40:19.

conversation, despite all the controversies about her.

:40:20.:41:19.

Dunn gets inside, shoots, and scores! England are behind! From the

:41:20.:41:27.

moment she cut inside, England were in trouble, and arrowed into the top

:41:28.:41:32.

corner with 19 minutes to go, USA 1, England 0. What a fantastic strike

:41:33.:41:36.

from Dunn there! From the minute she's come on, she's looked lively,

:41:37.:41:39.

she's wanted to get on the ball, she's wanted to dribble and drive.

:41:40.:41:43.

She just literally took the turn - you can see this is good play. Keeps

:41:44.:41:48.

the ball, doesn't force it, and then it's just a little - just turns,

:41:49.:41:53.

steps and gets that yard of space. And that's a rocket into the top

:41:54.:41:58.

corner. Karen Bardsley couldn't do anything about that. Just before she

:41:59.:42:01.

got the ball, she had a look over her shoulder and saw that there was

:42:02.:42:09.

a gap in there, she could turn Houghton and she'd be on goal. I

:42:10.:42:12.

think Steph Houghton will probably be a bit disappointed she didn't get

:42:13.:42:16.

closer to her. But it was a good turn. In the recent Olympic

:42:17.:42:22.

qualifying campaign, she scored five goals in one game against Puerto

:42:23.:42:25.

Rico - that equalled the US record by any one player in a single game.

:42:26.:42:34.

That's her 11th of this season in 14 internationals.

:42:35.:42:52.

One moment of brilliance separates the sides. I think that's what was

:42:53.:43:09.

needed - just a spark, a little bit of something - a bit of quality. I

:43:10.:43:16.

think that's what you can say. Because Pugh was excellent, taking

:43:17.:43:20.

players on and making things happen, but Crystal Dunn's obviously come on

:43:21.:43:24.

and wanted to show what she's all about. That's the strength and depth

:43:25.:43:27.

that the American national team have. They bring players on and they

:43:28.:43:30.

can just change the game. Mark Sampson was saying to me

:43:31.:43:46.

yesterday that, "Just when you think you've seen off the likes of Wambach

:43:47.:43:53.

and Shannon Box and so on, they produce another one, another two,

:43:54.:43:58.

another three..." They have such a huge pool of talent. These girls

:43:59.:44:07.

play from a young age, and the attitudes are different there - it's

:44:08.:44:12.

very much "Get girls into football as early as possible." Really

:44:13.:44:17.

competitive football. There's state titles at junior school level. With

:44:18.:44:18.

that does come extra pressure. England will need her now, in the

:44:19.:44:42.

final third. She's an adventurous midfield player, Jill Scott. England

:44:43.:44:47.

will need her there. She's only missed one of England's last 15

:44:48.:44:51.

games - that was one of the World Cup games.

:44:52.:44:53.

Again, Solo organising her penalty area.

:44:54.:46:00.

The poor girl who was singing the national anthem - I think that's

:46:01.:46:07.

going to go viral - the German players were in fits... It's an

:46:08.:46:12.

interesting speaker system at this arena.

:46:13.:46:14.

Christiansen got in there to support, and she can do that... Her

:46:15.:46:20.

game is scoring goals - nine for Manchester City. She scores vital

:46:21.:46:25.

goals, as well. Just anticipated where it was gonna go. Right idea,

:46:26.:46:27.

just not the best execution. Off goes Fara Williams, on comes

:46:28.:46:37.

Karen Carney, who's not played international football this year.

:46:38.:46:40.

She had a back injury after the World Cup. She was rested so that

:46:41.:46:47.

she could recuperate properly. Just moved clubs from Birmingham after a

:46:48.:46:49.

long while there to go to Chelsea. In comes Michael Kirby and on goes

:46:50.:47:17.

Jodie Taylor - fresh pair of legs up front. She got off to such a

:47:18.:47:23.

fantastic start in the World Cup finals against Mexico. Sat on the

:47:24.:47:25.

bench for the last four. What do you make of those changes,

:47:26.:47:37.

Sue? I spoke about America's strength and depth, and it just

:47:38.:47:39.

shows that England have also got that. Three quality players have

:47:40.:47:42.

come on for England, and all three of them have got the ability to

:47:43.:47:45.

change the game. It's nice to see Karen Carney back - I know she's

:47:46.:47:51.

worked really hard in her rehab programme to get her back back to

:47:52.:47:54.

how it should have been throughout the World Cup. I know she's raring

:47:55.:47:59.

to go and can't wait to get some international football in. Michael

:48:00.:48:03.

Kirby, we've seen what damage she can do. It's nice to see Mark

:48:04.:48:08.

Sampson actually going for this, and going to get the goals now. Whether

:48:09.:48:12.

there'll be a change in formation, I'm not sure.

:48:13.:48:20.

She wants to send on Krieger... Ali Krieger, Washington Spirit -

:48:21.:48:30.

best right back in the tournament at the World Cup finals. Not my words -

:48:31.:48:35.

they were - she was selected as the best right back. She was desperately

:48:36.:48:42.

disappointed to miss out on the Olympics in London. She had a bad

:48:43.:48:50.

knee injury at the time. Jill Ellis seems to be preferring Kelley

:48:51.:48:54.

O'Hara, and I think that's just because of her attacking ability

:48:55.:49:01.

from fullback. Krieger's very much someone who likes to defend and is a

:49:02.:49:06.

solid defender, but doesn't get forward too much.

:49:07.:49:14.

Karen Carney is very experienced - seven major tournaments. Two changes

:49:15.:49:22.

- Julie Johnston's going to come on, at centre-half.

:49:23.:49:24.

CHEERING They're going to keep us waiting -

:49:25.:49:51.

don't change your plans for Christmas, you could still be

:49:52.:49:56.

here... In she goes - on comes Johnston.

:49:57.:49:58.

CHEERING 11 minutes to go. What a

:49:59.:50:12.

conservative move that is - presumably they'll go to three at

:50:13.:50:18.

the back. They've taken off one of the world's best goal scorers, and

:50:19.:50:23.

they've brought on a centreback - the captain of their Under 20 World

:50:24.:50:28.

Cup-winning side of four years ago. Had a very good World Cup, but

:50:29.:50:31.

scored an own goal in the final. Very strong athletic World Cup, I

:50:32.:50:42.

should say. Once or twice, she looked a bit error-strewn, I have to

:50:43.:50:43.

say. She has not been in the game at all

:50:44.:50:57.

- that's all credit to England, to keep out the world's top player,

:50:58.:51:00.

Carli Lloyd. But the score line is no

:51:01.:51:05.

consolation. England will look back to that

:51:06.:51:32.

incident in the first half where they should have had a penalty. A

:51:33.:51:37.

handball by Sauerbrunn. Here's Bronze... Running out of play...

:51:38.:51:43.

Corner? I thought that had gone out of play, I must admit. I think she's

:51:44.:51:49.

got a bit lucky there. The crowd agrees with you, as well... Tobin

:51:50.:51:55.

Heath's been forcing the defence. She's not really got into the game.

:51:56.:51:58.

So there have been positives for England.

:51:59.:52:13.

Hope Solo wins it unopposed. That's disappointing for England. Although

:52:14.:52:18.

she's one of the world's top goalkeepers, she's not the tallest

:52:19.:52:20.

out there. She's very athletic and very

:52:21.:52:27.

commanding. I think when you're taking a corner, you've got to make

:52:28.:52:31.

sure you miss her out or at least get somebody in front of her, making

:52:32.:52:34.

it difficult. That was too easy a catch. Very popular in the USA - her

:52:35.:52:46.

book Solo: A Memoir Of Hope - it got to number three on the bestsellers'

:52:47.:52:48.

list a few years back. Let's just put this in context.

:52:49.:54:07.

She's one of the world's best defenders, Becky Sauerbrunn. Lloyd

:54:08.:54:12.

is the current world number one. Morgan - so talented, such a good

:54:13.:54:16.

goal scorer. Heath - such a good player. Klingenberg - probably the

:54:17.:54:19.

world's best left back. Says he's using this as a major

:54:20.:55:36.

tournament - they're to pick their best team for every game. That

:55:37.:55:40.

doesn't necessarily mean he'll pick the same 11, as we found out in the

:55:41.:55:44.

World Cup - he has his game plan for each separate match. I like that

:55:45.:55:50.

he'll change personnel and change tactics depending on the opposition.

:55:51.:55:54.

But I think it's important to play games like this, and play the top

:55:55.:55:57.

nations in the world, cos that's how you learn. When you're winning games

:55:58.:56:02.

8-0 and 9-0, you don't learn anything from that. You might get a

:56:03.:56:05.

bit of confidence, but you need to be playing these teams. And yes, it

:56:06.:56:11.

might be a defeat, but they will learn lessons from it. Lucy Bronze

:56:12.:56:16.

has given away a free kick here, with four minutes to go.

:56:17.:57:10.

Eniola Aluko's going to come on for England, replacing Toni Duggan.

:57:11.:57:42.

Oh, how she'd love to score here... She felt frustrated in the World Cup

:57:43.:57:51.

finals. She started the first two - she played about an hour against

:57:52.:57:55.

Germany. This is her 99th appearance for England.

:57:56.:58:01.

Made her debut some 12 years ago. We've told the story before, Sue,

:58:02.:58:09.

but it is still a remarkable one. She made a substitution appearance

:58:10.:58:15.

at Euro 2005 against Denmark, just hours after taking a History A-level

:58:16.:58:16.

exam on the same day. The USA have their game in the

:58:17.:58:38.

grip... They'll slow the pace down to hold

:58:39.:58:55.

possession, and manage the game well. England simply will not be

:58:56.:58:58.

able to get enough of the ball to get back into it.

:58:59.:59:08.

It was Press, and it was dipping, and the shot was just wide - but not

:59:09.:59:14.

a bad effort at all from the LA-born striker. It's a quick turn, and just

:59:15.:59:19.

gets a yard and I think Karen Bardsley did have it covered... They

:59:20.:59:22.

just look dangerous at times. You know what they would have been

:59:23.:00:14.

saying on the bench, then, don't you? "Don't foul. Not at this

:00:15.:00:15.

stage." Meghan Klingenberg's going to come

:00:16.:00:44.

off, and Whitney Engen's going to come on. A defender from Torrance,

:00:45.:00:49.

California, who sat on the bench throughout the World Cup finals. 30

:00:50.:00:51.

caps to her name. Last appearance was in January in

:00:52.:01:07.

the win over the Republic of Ireland. Won that game 5-0. ..In San

:01:08.:01:10.

Diego. USA fans screaming for a free kick

:01:11.:01:42.

there - didn't get it... Jordan Nobbs has gone for goal from a long

:01:43.:01:48.

way out. With that, perhaps England's last chance has come and

:01:49.:01:53.

gone. She scored a belter in the Under 19 European Championship final

:01:54.:01:57.

against Sweden a few years ago, but not on this occasion...

:01:58.:02:24.

This could be England's last chance, then!

:02:25.:02:32.

Carney looking for Scott... There was a foul. Surely that means that

:02:33.:02:43.

England have opened up this She Believes Cup Tournament - the first

:02:44.:02:46.

of its kind - with defeat, and the USA will hold on. Your overall

:02:47.:02:49.

thoughts, Sue? I think lots of positives for England. I know

:02:50.:02:52.

they're not going to be thinking that, with a loss in their first

:02:53.:02:55.

game, but they're playing against world champions. They've kept those

:02:56.:02:59.

players quiet that you mentioned - world-class players - and

:03:00.:03:04.

defensively very good, apart from the one maybe little lapse in

:03:05.:03:07.

concentration. But for me, it was just a little bit of brilliance.

:03:08.:03:17.

For a moment, the USA were squirming... I think also the fact

:03:18.:03:23.

that they've matched USA in fitness and physicality - which is something

:03:24.:03:26.

that we've found difficult in the past - is promising. I think they

:03:27.:03:28.

can be proud of themselves. WHISTLE

:03:29.:03:44.

CHEERING The roars you can hear mean that the

:03:45.:03:50.

USA have opened the inaugural She Believes Cup. The champions have

:03:51.:03:54.

kept another clean sheet - for Hope Solo, her sixth in a row. Jill Ellis

:03:55.:03:59.

and her side get off to a winning start, with the only goal of the

:04:00.:04:03.

game scored by Crystal Dunn, so very late on, after a very solid England

:04:04.:04:07.

display. But it's an opening defeat here for England in the USA, beaten

:04:08.:04:09.

by the hosts 1-0. A brave performance from the

:04:10.:04:20.

Lionesses. Very little to separate the teams over the 90 minutes. It

:04:21.:04:25.

took a bit of sparkle from Crystal Dunn to win the game for the

:04:26.:04:26.

Americans. The Americans topped the group on

:04:27.:04:34.

Fifa ranking. That's how it's settled if everything else remains

:04:35.:04:35.

the same: What did you make of the second

:04:36.:04:47.

half? Do you think the score line reflects England's performance?

:04:48.:04:50.

SIGHS I think possibly, but I think

:04:51.:04:54.

England will take great credit and strength from the fact that it's

:04:55.:04:59.

taken something pretty outstanding to separate the two at the end of

:05:00.:05:04.

the day. I think England's performance started very, very,

:05:05.:05:08.

um... Um.....energetically. I just don't think England could maintain

:05:09.:05:12.

that level of energy. Ultimately, that's when things started to open

:05:13.:05:17.

up and the quality of the US kind of... You know, they got the chance,

:05:18.:05:21.

and it was a stunning finish. Crystal Dunn made an impact

:05:22.:05:24.

immediately, as soon as she came on. How impressive was she? She was

:05:25.:05:28.

really good. She was so positive. As soon as she came on, she wanted to

:05:29.:05:32.

run at the players. That's exactly what you needed. She's got good

:05:33.:05:35.

positional awareness. Here, she nicks the ball and she's off down

:05:36.:05:40.

the pitch. There's no second thought - just straightaway, want to take

:05:41.:05:44.

people on. What I've found is that her positional awareness there - to

:05:45.:05:47.

pick up the ball and then straightaway she's going at them,

:05:48.:05:51.

but her passing... She was really tidy, I thought. She's a young

:05:52.:05:56.

player. She hasn't played that much. She might have been a little bit

:05:57.:05:59.

nervous. But she's willing to get into the box. Wants to play things

:06:00.:06:05.

nice and tidy and just be composed on the ball She's certainly very

:06:06.:06:08.

hungry. Every single pass, she was on the move. Finding space in

:06:09.:06:14.

behind. You can see here, she lays it off to Klingenberg, who - again,

:06:15.:06:17.

she's on the move, finding space. You'll see, she just checks her left

:06:18.:06:21.

shoulder, creates a good amount of space, and what a finish! That is a

:06:22.:06:26.

beautiful strike. First touch was amazing. Takes her into so much

:06:27.:06:31.

space. She knew exactly what she was doing there. She knows exactly where

:06:32.:06:35.

Steph's marking her. Brilliant. Into the space. No-one's stopping that.

:06:36.:06:42.

No male or female keeper in the world is stopping that. That's worth

:06:43.:06:47.

the five, six, seven runs of showing this. After five minutes of her

:06:48.:06:50.

being on the pitch, she covered a lot of ground, but ultimately that

:06:51.:06:54.

was top, top world-class. Similar to your goal that you scored against

:06:55.:06:56.

USA a few years ago! LAUGHS

:06:57.:06:59.

Let's talk about the game plan. We talked about it in the fist half -

:07:00.:07:03.

Mark Sampson stuck to it. Putting the pressure on, forcing USA to make

:07:04.:07:08.

mistakes? Yeah, I'd say he stuck to it. Certainly the first half, they

:07:09.:07:12.

were very, very disciplined, England, and they were good at

:07:13.:07:16.

moving up and maintaining space between the backline and the

:07:17.:07:19.

midfield, and basically not giving a lot of room for the USA to play in.

:07:20.:07:23.

That was typical of the first half. It continued in the second half -

:07:24.:07:28.

the pressing from the front, the tight-knit formation of the midfield

:07:29.:07:32.

remaining quite narrow, and again not giving a lot of space for the US

:07:33.:07:37.

to work with. Every time the US were on the ball - whether Carli Lloyd or

:07:38.:07:40.

any of the other players - they didn't have time on the ball. That

:07:41.:07:45.

was forcing errors for the US. Non-typical play by the US. Being

:07:46.:07:50.

knocked off the ball, playing long, hopeless, aimless balls. That's

:07:51.:07:56.

really what England limited the US to. That shot was never going to

:07:57.:07:59.

beat Karen Bardsley from that angle. Yes, it was a ball in from behind,

:08:00.:08:04.

but world-class players were really limited to scraps. Your thoughts on

:08:05.:08:07.

England's offensive tactics? They got in a bit more, didn't they? They

:08:08.:08:12.

did. In the second half... Well, no - I think more so than in previous

:08:13.:08:16.

games, certainly against the US and maybe against Germany... Had a few

:08:17.:08:20.

chances, but I just don't think they were clinical enough. That's

:08:21.:08:23.

probably been the problem. They're getting down the sides, and here we

:08:24.:08:27.

seem to crowd each other out and then run into players and limit our

:08:28.:08:33.

own chances. Ball in from the box. That ball's not good enough. Maybe

:08:34.:08:36.

take one more extra pass to keep it moving. I think we're better at

:08:37.:08:38.

passing the ball to players' feet. This is a good ball into space. It's

:08:39.:08:44.

clever. Toni Duggan here - I think what she sees -- when she sees this

:08:45.:08:49.

back, she'll be disappointed. Obviously she's not gonna hear Jodie

:08:50.:08:54.

at the back post shouting, but she should have looked up. That was the

:08:55.:08:58.

golden chance. Two against one, it really opened up. Great vision from

:08:59.:09:06.

Fara Williams to flick the ball on and have seen that two-versus-one

:09:07.:09:09.

opportunity. I'm sure Toni will be disappointed. They played well,

:09:10.:09:13.

England, and started to create at the end, but I think there needs to

:09:14.:09:17.

be a little bit of quality... Nothing wrong with having a shot

:09:18.:09:20.

there - there wasn't other options - but in future games, they maybe need

:09:21.:09:23.

to take one more extra pass. Possibly the best chance could have

:09:24.:09:27.

been in the first half - if England had had a penalty. I know this has

:09:28.:09:32.

divided opinion on Twitter in the studio... It falls into that cliche

:09:33.:09:38.

category of "Could have been given." As England players and England fans,

:09:39.:09:42.

we want that to be given. I think, if anything, Jodie Taylor kind of

:09:43.:09:48.

earns it by harassing Becky Sauerbrunn from behind, and almost

:09:49.:09:52.

forces her into that error. But it's not a clear-cut one for me. So,

:09:53.:09:56.

England, as much as they were limited to opportunities by the US,

:09:57.:09:59.

we limited them. I think that's something we can take forward.

:10:00.:10:03.

Thoughts ahead of Germany? After tonight's performance? I think it's

:10:04.:10:07.

positive. I think you wouldn't go and fear Germany. I don't think

:10:08.:10:11.

Germany are a better team than USA. So I think they should go in with

:10:12.:10:15.

the same sort of game plan. Just need to get those goals. If

:10:16.:10:17.

anything, England have got the upper hand. They beat Germany in the

:10:18.:10:24.

summer pretty convincingly. They deserved that win, that bronze

:10:25.:10:27.

medal. Certainly England will have nothing to fear and will just want

:10:28.:10:34.

to beat Germany again to compound their how -- compound how much

:10:35.:10:38.

better they've become. Let's cross over to Joe Kerry, who's

:10:39.:10:43.

with Mark Sampson. Only one goal in the game - a bright

:10:44.:10:48.

one from Dunn. It was. She just spun her defender, created enough space

:10:49.:10:51.

for herself... Look at that move right there...

:10:52.:10:56.

OK, I think we've got some problems with sound, but I've interviewed

:10:57.:11:01.

Mark Sampson a few times before - it didn't sound like the female voice

:11:02.:11:03.

we just heard! England need to be tested against

:11:04.:11:08.

the best teams, especially looking ahead to the Euros next year,

:11:09.:11:11.

especially if they're to have a chance to win it. That's no

:11:12.:11:15.

disrespect to the opposition to the qualification in the Euros, but they

:11:16.:11:19.

are not going to provide them with the test they need for the standard

:11:20.:11:23.

of teams they're gonna face in the latter stages of the Euros. England

:11:24.:11:26.

wanted to win the European Championships. This is the best

:11:27.:11:30.

opportunity England have ever had to play against the top nations in the

:11:31.:11:33.

world. And also test the players. You can use a squad - this is just a

:11:34.:11:37.

friendly tournament. You can use everybody and see what players he's

:11:38.:11:41.

got for the Euros. Is this tournament a bigger challenge -

:11:42.:11:45.

playing the world's top three teams - a bigger challenge than the World

:11:46.:11:49.

Cup? I think there's no pressure on this tournament, for a start,

:11:50.:11:54.

because it is a friendly tournament. Not that "friendlies" mean

:11:55.:11:57.

friendlies, but nothing's at stake. I think England will feel pressure,

:11:58.:12:02.

because on the bigger stage they've performed in, they're now in

:12:03.:12:05.

everybody's eye. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been invited to this

:12:06.:12:09.

tournament. They want to consolidate their status as the team to beat,

:12:10.:12:15.

with performances, continued performances, of a certain standard.

:12:16.:12:19.

So in some ways, there'll be pressure within the team to continue

:12:20.:12:22.

these good performances. But it's a wonderful opportunity. If you had to

:12:23.:12:26.

sum up the opening match in a few words? It was brilliant! I think

:12:27.:12:31.

very positive for England. OK! Thank you, both, very much. A reminder -

:12:32.:12:35.

we are back live on Sunday for Germany against England. We kick off

:12:36.:12:41.

on the red button at 10:30. The second half will be straight after

:12:42.:12:47.

Match of the Day two live on BBC One at 11:35.

:12:48.:12:53.

We'll be live on the red button from 9:50 next Wednesday for England's

:12:54.:12:55.

game against France. That's all we have time for. Thank

:12:56.:12:59.

you for watching. Thank you to both reachals. England close but, in the

:13:00.:13:03.

end -- Rachels. England close but, in the end, it was job done for the

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US. Goodnight.

:13:06.:13:07.

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