USA v England

:00:00. > :00:30.Hello and welcome to live coverage of a brand-new tournament featuring

:00:31. > :00:33.four of the top five teams in the world. England have a chance to

:00:34. > :00:38.prove themselves once again across the Atlantic, against some mighty

:00:39. > :00:54.foes and some of the biggest stars in the game. It is the USA, Germany,

:00:55. > :01:04.France and England battling it out for the SheBelieves Cup. I am

:01:05. > :01:05.delighted to be joined by Rachel Brown Finne and Rachel Janke who

:01:06. > :01:10.scored. Good Brown Finne and Rachel Janke who

:01:11. > :01:15.scored. Good members Rachel? Great memories. We were positive and

:01:16. > :01:19.produced a goal like. I bet you don't mind watching that back again

:01:20. > :01:25.and again. No, not at all. It was pretty good. Rachel number 2,

:01:26. > :01:30.England would normally be in Cyprus Cup action at this point in time.

:01:31. > :01:39.How important is it for them to playing regularly? I think the

:01:40. > :01:44.Cyprus Cup has created certain difor them. We -- certainty for them. We

:01:45. > :01:49.win it on a fairly regular basis. This is a unique, brilliant

:01:50. > :01:54.opportunity to step up and play the best teams in the world which

:01:55. > :02:00.doesn't come around every day. The USA has proven it's a good recipe

:02:01. > :02:06.for success. It is the world's top three ranked FIFA teams, what do you

:02:07. > :02:09.think the chances are? I I -- I think it will be difficult but you

:02:10. > :02:13.need to challenge yourself. It is difficult because we're not in

:02:14. > :02:17.season. That's a really hard thing. Off the back of the World Cup, I

:02:18. > :02:22.think that's it. It is a good one. Fingers crossed we can do it. OK.

:02:23. > :02:26.Well, let's find out about about the team selection now. Joe Curry has

:02:27. > :02:31.been spoking to Mark Sampson. I think we have a similar team to what

:02:32. > :02:36.played in Germany. That was an excellent performance. We are very

:02:37. > :02:41.strong in both sides of the park. We're strong in transition and to

:02:42. > :02:50.make chances. We have a lot of the players who played in that game.

:02:51. > :02:55.Only one change with -- -- Duggan coming in for Kirby. The Americans

:02:56. > :03:01.are the world champions and best team in the world. There is no fear

:03:02. > :03:09.but respect. We'll do our best to queet a positive result. Just -- get

:03:10. > :03:14.a positive result. Just excited. We're excited to get out there play

:03:15. > :03:18.as a team. It has been a long chance since we've played as a team, not

:03:19. > :03:23.like the Americans, who have played every week since the World Cup. This

:03:24. > :03:28.is a great chance to play as a team, enjoy ourselves together. One player

:03:29. > :03:31.that has more knowledge than anyone of tonight's opponents is Jodie

:03:32. > :03:36.Taylor. She's team-mates with four of the current squad and has seen

:03:37. > :03:42.first-hand the boost the World Cup win has given the American game.

:03:43. > :03:48.Women's soccer has always been massive in the States anyway but we

:03:49. > :03:54.saw a big difference in club games in attendance before and after. My

:03:55. > :03:59.club we were averaging between 14 and 15,000 before the World Cup and

:04:00. > :04:04.post-World Cup we were selling out at 20,000. It is just the attention

:04:05. > :04:14.in general of the US women winning the World Cup. There's a great

:04:15. > :04:18.belief and confidence amongst the team. We all play in Germany and

:04:19. > :04:24.elsewhere. To be honest, anyone can win it but to me, it shows how far

:04:25. > :04:27.we have come and how far we've come along to be competing with the

:04:28. > :04:33.world's best. Rachel, thoughts on team selection tonight? Yes, it's

:04:34. > :04:36.looking good. He's put a strong team together, only one change from the

:04:37. > :04:41.Germany game. It is pretty strong. I'm a little bit confused and

:04:42. > :04:45.looking forward to watching how it goes with Fara Williams playing more

:04:46. > :04:49.on the right side. I've not seen ta before. But, yeah, I think it will

:04:50. > :04:52.be strong and hopefully we can do well. What do you think England's

:04:53. > :04:57.game plan will be tonight? Well, having seen Fara kind of starting on

:04:58. > :05:02.the right I'm anticipate that four in midfield will play fairly narrow

:05:03. > :05:06.and hopefully constrict thement a of possession they can have -- the

:05:07. > :05:12.amount of possession they can have the middle. We know Carli Lloyd is a

:05:13. > :05:17.danger play, so I imagine the stem of flow to that sort of player who

:05:18. > :05:22.can shoot from any distance will be a target for England. It is not just

:05:23. > :05:26.about what the USA can do. I think England will come into this with a

:05:27. > :05:32.positive mentality. It will be about what they can do and what they can

:05:33. > :05:36.take to the USA as well. What is it about the USA, I know they're the

:05:37. > :05:39.world champions, but do they have this aura about them? Yes, simply,

:05:40. > :05:43.they do. Previous England teams I've been a part of have been kind of

:05:44. > :05:49.over-awed by that. It's a powerful thing they've got. It comes from

:05:50. > :05:55.winning games, winning tournaments, winning World Cups, winning

:05:56. > :06:00.Olympics, playing very regularly together. That momentum never stops.

:06:01. > :06:04.How are England perceived now? Before last summer they wouldn't get

:06:05. > :06:08.past the knockout stage. Now they're third. I think I the sheer fact

:06:09. > :06:10.they're at this tournament is that they're viewed very highly and

:06:11. > :06:15.they're a threat to other teams. People now want to play against

:06:16. > :06:18.England. They're scared of what England can actually bring.

:06:19. > :06:27.Predictions, very quickly? I'm still going to go with the 2-1 win to the

:06:28. > :06:33.USA? OK. I'm going you on that. Time to cross live to Tampa, Florida.

:06:34. > :06:40.Commentary from Sue Smith and first Jonathan Pearce. Thank you very

:06:41. > :06:45.much, good evening, everyone. Welcome to the home of the

:06:46. > :06:50.Buccaneers, twice Super Bowl champs. Many people in Canada last summer

:06:51. > :06:52.believed the US would have had a far more difficult task in the final in

:06:53. > :06:56.the World Cup had they been playing more difficult task in the final in

:06:57. > :06:59.England rather than Japan. It will be interesting to see how far both

:07:00. > :07:03.teams have come. England's performances last summer have heard

:07:04. > :07:10.them a place in this invitational tournament. While the USA players

:07:11. > :07:15.have only been apart for two weeks since the World Cup, England's team

:07:16. > :07:19.has only been together for about a fortnight. England have played just

:07:20. > :07:24.five matches, the last back in November, and the players were in

:07:25. > :07:38.the middle of their pre-season training at various clubs. Here

:07:39. > :08:17.comes the various anthems. ENGLISH NATIONAL ANTHEM PLAYING

:08:18. > :08:19.# Can you see by the dawn's early light

:08:20. > :08:25.# What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?

:08:26. > :08:30.# Whose broad stripes and bright stars,

:08:31. > :08:36.# Through the perilous fight, # O'er the ramparts we watched

:08:37. > :08:41.were so gallantly streaming? # And the rocket's red glare,

:08:42. > :09:05.the bombs bursting in air, # Gave proof through the night

:09:06. > :09:07.that our flag was still there. # Oh, say

:09:08. > :09:17.# Does that star-spangled banner yet wave

:09:18. > :09:46.# O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

:09:47. > :10:12.Carli Lloyd, very much, of course, was involved last summer. And she,

:10:13. > :10:16.Sue, is the world Footballer of the Year. Rightly so. She's a key player

:10:17. > :10:21.for the United States. England's defence are going to have to be

:10:22. > :10:29.careful of her and Alex Morgan, the way they link up together. The way

:10:30. > :10:33.Alex Morgan likes to stretch the play and Lloyd will come and

:10:34. > :10:41.receive. She is so effectively where she plays now. The rest of the US A

:10:42. > :10:48.substitutes. Engen was involved in the World Cup squad, Johnston played

:10:49. > :10:58.in the World Cup final as did Krieger. The one thing from the

:10:59. > :11:04.England side that knew 0-0 in -- drew 0-0 Germany, Toni Duggan

:11:05. > :11:08.preferred to Kirby. Fara Williams in her 14th international but only

:11:09. > :11:12.second this season is set to be on the right of the midfield. I'm not

:11:13. > :11:23.too sure they'll stick with that. I'm not either. I think Fara

:11:24. > :11:28.Williams will drop in. I'd probably like Stokes, Demi Scott to drop in.

:11:29. > :11:33.I think her best position is just sitting just in, in front of the

:11:34. > :11:42.back four 6789 A few of those England players have been in the USA

:11:43. > :11:50.for spells, Jodie Taylor has four team-mates from Portland in the US

:11:51. > :11:58.squad. And the goalkeeper was born in the US. Eniola Aluko will be

:11:59. > :12:02.hoping to come off the bench and score as she approaches a milestone

:12:03. > :12:06.in her England career - 98 cups she has. Already seen one game in the

:12:07. > :12:13.tournament. You'll be seeing the highlights of the France-German game

:12:14. > :12:30.at half time -- France-Germany game at half time so we'll keep you in

:12:31. > :12:36.suspense. I tell you what, the national anthem of that match had

:12:37. > :12:42.the German girls in fits of giggles. Holds 70,000 here. Not that many

:12:43. > :12:49.here tonight but women's football very much on the here. For example,

:12:50. > :12:54.in January, they played Ireland in front of 23,000. At the same time

:12:55. > :13:00.the men were playing Iceland in front of just 8,000. It will be a

:13:01. > :13:06.hot evening. Temperatures, round about an hour ago, were 30 degrees

:13:07. > :13:15.Celsius. A little bit cooler now. And England in red. The goal awaits

:13:16. > :13:27.you on your right-hand side in the first half. Captain Steph Houghton

:13:28. > :13:32.raring to go. Alongside Gilly Flaherty, and it is the USA who are

:13:33. > :13:37.off and under way. They're looking for a bright start as they got

:13:38. > :13:39.against Japan in the final. Here is Carli Lloyd looking to team-mate up

:13:40. > :13:43.straightaway the youngster Mallory Pugh. It is only her seventh cap.

:13:44. > :13:50.She was brilliant in Olympic qualifying. She's the youngest

:13:51. > :13:57.player the US have ever had in Olympic qualifiers - 79 days shy of

:13:58. > :14:04.her 18th birthday - and they're talking very, very highly of her.

:14:05. > :14:09.She is a real talent. It is quite novel for a player of her age to be

:14:10. > :14:13.playing for the USA. They normally take them away on camps. But this

:14:14. > :14:19.girl is so good, she's starting with them. She's starting on the

:14:20. > :14:24.right-hand side which means that Tobin Heath starts on the left. She

:14:25. > :14:32.started the World Cup on the right-hand side. Hope Solo has kept

:14:33. > :14:35.five clean sheets in a row and hasn't been beaten in the US goal

:14:36. > :14:39.for 481 minutes. WHISTLE

:14:40. > :14:43.A major factor about this whole US setup is that they treat their

:14:44. > :14:47.national side like a club team. They keep them together. They had a week

:14:48. > :14:53.off at Christmas. After they played Ireland they had a few days after

:14:54. > :14:57.before they prepared for their Olympic qualifying. Once they won

:14:58. > :15:01.that tournament they had a few days off but that's it for the year. It

:15:02. > :15:04.makes a big difference. Our girls don't manage to get together that

:15:05. > :15:08.much. That's why the United States are so good because they do play

:15:09. > :15:13.like a club team. They know exactly how each other play. It obviously

:15:14. > :15:22.works for them. I think that's something we can look into for the

:15:23. > :15:34.future. Fara didn't play any of the group

:15:35. > :15:42.games. There's Mark Sampson. He has recently signed a contract extension

:15:43. > :16:03.to 2019. Marion Spacey, the assistant to Mark.

:16:04. > :16:13.It is 0-0. Not our graphics, I apologise for that. That is Jill

:16:14. > :16:23.Ellis, who has very much an English connection. She was born near

:16:24. > :16:42.Portsouth. England on a raid here. Stokes played at left back in the

:16:43. > :16:48.warm-up for the World Cup throughout the qualifiers, then wask -- then

:16:49. > :16:54.was axed for the World Cup finals but is very much present. It is

:16:55. > :16:58.credit to her she continued to play for her club Manchester City and

:16:59. > :17:03.Mark Sampson picked her again. She is very versatile. She can play left

:17:04. > :17:04.back, left midfield and play in the centre in midfield as well. I think

:17:05. > :17:21.we'll need her energy tonight. Toni Duggan. You'll be able to hear

:17:22. > :17:27.the girls shouting to each other. You won't be able to... Well you

:17:28. > :17:39.might be able to mistake Toni Duggan because her accent very similar to

:17:40. > :17:43.Alex Greenwood, very scuose girls. I don't think they'll mind me saying

:17:44. > :17:51.they have strong accents. Strong characters, the both. I'll tell you

:17:52. > :18:13.what they're saying. This is a bright start by England. Just

:18:14. > :18:21.Harper. Klingenberg, wearing 7, started 38 out of the last 48 games.

:18:22. > :18:35.This is the England captain, Steph Houghton, ever-present. Had a strong

:18:36. > :18:44.World Cup. Emily Sonnett alongside Becky Sauerbrunn, just

:18:45. > :18:59.Heath is switched back to the right-hand side now. Jill Scott wins

:19:00. > :19:03.it for England - tallest player out there tonight. Taylor makes good

:19:04. > :19:09.runs. She is an intelligent footballer. In support here now

:19:10. > :19:13.comes Lucy Bronze. Typical run from her. England have a corner. This is

:19:14. > :19:16.where she proved so useful in fact World Cup final. She scored against

:19:17. > :19:23.Norway, she scored against Canada. And they targeted her at setpieces.

:19:24. > :19:29.Duggan in there as well, of course. U

:19:30. > :19:44.Greenwood will take it, which means it will swing in. Was the youngest

:19:45. > :19:50.in the squad last summer. In it goes to the penalty area. Headed away.

:19:51. > :19:58.Duggan had been holding deep. Williams, that's... Oh, cross-wires.

:19:59. > :20:09.And she's got some pace, Mallory Pugh, the teenager. Klingenberg,

:20:10. > :20:17.goes after the youngster again. CROWD: Boo! Boos from the crowd.

:20:18. > :20:23.They wondering if that should have been a free-kick. If you're

:20:24. > :20:29.wondering what the SheBelieves Cup means, that term 'she believes', was

:20:30. > :20:37.a campaign launched in the run-up to the World Cup, developed by the USA

:20:38. > :20:56.themselves, and it has grown ever since. Morgan Brian had a very good

:20:57. > :20:59.World Cup final. Lindsey Horan played in the Olympic qualifying

:21:00. > :21:11.campaign. They won that mini tournament. They beat Canada in the

:21:12. > :21:19.final 2-0, so they're off to Rio. A foul against the youngster. Yes,

:21:20. > :21:23.she's quick, and she wants to just run direct at players. And I think

:21:24. > :21:28.Jordan Nobbs just actually stopped her in her tracks but I don't know

:21:29. > :21:38.if she picked up a little knock, she's combn limping a lit -- been

:21:39. > :21:49.limping a little bit then but she looks OK. Just got to university,

:21:50. > :21:54.UCLA, and play for the Bruen side there. Kelley O'Hara has lost a lot

:21:55. > :22:03.of international football through injury. Had a very good start to the

:22:04. > :22:09.World Cup qualifying campaign. Hope Solo take it is free kick. Best

:22:10. > :22:30.goalkeeper at the World Cup finals. She get -- she kept a clean sheet

:22:31. > :22:34.there. These USA internationals really stay with the national squad

:22:35. > :22:38.as we've been saying. Don't play as many club games as the English

:22:39. > :22:46.players now play. Lindsey Horan pushes it forward. A very good spell

:22:47. > :22:53.at Saint-Germain, bypassed university to go to Paris. Is now

:22:54. > :23:01.back in the USA, in Portland, team-mate of Jodie Taylor.

:23:02. > :23:15.All eyes on Mallory Pugh. Three state league titles, Colorado, her

:23:16. > :23:27.junior side. Meghan Klingenberg, the left back. She won the Under 20

:23:28. > :23:32.World Cup in 2008. They tend to bring their players through in

:23:33. > :23:36.waves. Four of the current squad won that tournament in 2012, the

:23:37. > :23:41.Understood 20s. I think Mark Sampson mentioned it in his interview there.

:23:42. > :23:45.They get a few of the players, they retire or go off and have babies,

:23:46. > :23:48.and the players they bring through are just as good. I think that's all

:23:49. > :23:53.credit to the American system. You look at Mallory Pugh coming through

:23:54. > :23:59.now and we've only seen glimpse of her but she's a top player. It shows

:24:00. > :24:09.that things are working for them. Becky Sauerbrunn, out to Kelley

:24:10. > :24:14.O'Hara. England are equipping themselves well here at the moment.

:24:15. > :24:20.One or two of them were feeling the effects of jet lag over the past

:24:21. > :24:26.couple of days in the preparation for this. It is too long for Jodi

:24:27. > :24:40.Taylor, who has had her long flight to get here across the USA from

:24:41. > :24:41.Portland on the far coast. O'Hara, Olympic gold medallist in London in

:24:42. > :25:09.2012. Not a good ball. Interesting to hear Rachel's

:25:10. > :25:16.thoughts before the game about the role the Cyprus Cup has played for

:25:17. > :25:21.England and Mark Sampson really came to the fore in winning that

:25:22. > :25:30.competition in 2015, having just taken over a year earlier, he

:25:31. > :25:36.finished runner-up at it. What was she trying to do there, whip it in

:25:37. > :25:41.for Taylor? I'm not sure if she's having a shot at goal there. She has

:25:42. > :25:45.the ability to do that. She's nodding her head. She was trying to

:25:46. > :25:48.test the keeper out. You can see straightaway the four in midfield

:25:49. > :25:51.are staying very, very tight. They're trying to prevent anything

:25:52. > :26:01.from happening in the centre of the park. You can see the four fullbacks

:26:02. > :26:10.are pushing on at every opportunity to try and push the ball. Goodness

:26:11. > :26:15.me, she is is lightning quick Pugh. It was a decent ball looking for

:26:16. > :26:21.Alex Morgan. This is a star in the making - Mallory Pugh. It really is.

:26:22. > :26:25.Very, very direct. Very pacey. Lucy Bronze is quick, so to be able to

:26:26. > :26:29.outpace Lucy Bronze, she's definitely got speed on her side,

:26:30. > :26:39.then a decent ball into the box as welt. Well, if she carries on

:26:40. > :26:54.playing as long as Abby Wombach did, she could be around for the next

:26:55. > :27:01.five World Cups! That's frightening. An interesting front two for the

:27:02. > :27:06.England against the Germany game. I think these two, both of them will

:27:07. > :27:13.run, do like to get into the channels but I think Toni Duggan

:27:14. > :27:17.will come to feed a lot, and the combination of Jodie Taylor and Toni

:27:18. > :27:20.Duggan linking up, I think it will work well for them especially if

:27:21. > :27:27.they're coming for a counterattack, which I'm predicting they'll have to

:27:28. > :27:40.do at times. England call for a free kick. You saw them appealing for it.

:27:41. > :27:44.They've got it. Jill Scott that was. They certainly don't look overawed

:27:45. > :27:54.against the best team in the world at the moment, ranked number 1 in

:27:55. > :28:09.FIFA, and a team not here ranking outside the top four is Japan.

:28:10. > :28:16.Hit the wall, disappointing, Fara Williams. Haven't seen a great deal

:28:17. > :28:24.of the England cat tain at the moment -- captain at the moment.

:28:25. > :28:29.That was offside. There's Hope Solo. She's had a checkered life, I think

:28:30. > :28:34.it's fair to say. She's something... Has been something of a... Well,

:28:35. > :28:39.she's been on the front pages of magazines in the USA, TV shows but

:28:40. > :28:43.shen she's been involved in -- then she's been involved in court cases

:28:44. > :28:47.as well. A controversial character. She's a very controversial character

:28:48. > :29:02.off the pitch, but on the field, fantastic keeper. O'Hara nips in.

:29:03. > :29:10.England covering well. They have the ball and are finding spaces. And

:29:11. > :29:17.when they haven't, they're denying space for the likes of Carli Lloyd.

:29:18. > :29:41.25 games for the USA. 85 goals. 17 this season in 15 appearances.

:29:42. > :29:48.They've played Costa Rica a couple of times and Haiti. In four wins

:29:49. > :29:54.against those two countries they've managed to score 28 goals. They beat

:29:55. > :29:57.Brazil, Trinidad. They had a couple of games against China and lost at

:29:58. > :30:06.home to China in New Orleans. They've loss one home game in 110

:30:07. > :30:24.internationals over 12 years. Lindsey Horan is from Lakewood,

:30:25. > :30:47.California. For -- California. She was at Stanford University.

:30:48. > :30:53.Again, that's the route that so many of these US international players

:30:54. > :30:56.take. She's just off to UCLA. They get their scholarships. They go to

:30:57. > :31:02.college football where they play a lot of games. And they have all the

:31:03. > :31:07.facilities and they get big crowds watching them. So they're used to

:31:08. > :31:12.that sort of standard of play. Horan making that run. Just a natural

:31:13. > :31:17.profession for them into the national team. Makes that run,

:31:18. > :31:23.doesn't she, Alex Morgan. Tries to get in beind and Lloyd lid --

:31:24. > :31:27.behind, Carli Lloyd arrives late. That's what Japan simply couldn't

:31:28. > :31:30.cope. They were blown away. We were blown away in the opening 15

:31:31. > :31:35.minutes. We couldn't quite believe what we were seeing in the World Cup

:31:36. > :31:39.final. It was great to commentate on though, there was loads happening,

:31:40. > :31:48.lots to talk about. Carli Lloyd in the third minute, seconds later it

:31:49. > :31:51.was two. Then Holiday after 4 minutes, then Carli Lloyd's

:31:52. > :31:58.hat-trick with a lob after 16 minutes. So the goals continued to

:31:59. > :31:59.flow. England on the counter here. Jordan Nobbs had an injury-hit World

:32:00. > :32:15.Cup. Just played the one game. Klingenberg was pushed. She's very

:32:16. > :32:19.consistent and is right up there, possibly, at the moment the best

:32:20. > :32:26.left back in the world. One of them anyway. Yeah, I've got the agree

:32:27. > :32:31.with. I also think Kelley O'Hara has really put a name for herself after

:32:32. > :32:36.the Olympic qualification because I know Krieger was one of the, you

:32:37. > :32:41.know, starters and she just, whether it's her attacking ability, O'Hara

:32:42. > :32:45.likes to get forward, and I think that's what Jill Ellis likes,

:32:46. > :32:52.Krieger is very much a stay-at-home defender, and she seems to have

:32:53. > :32:59.cemented her place in the team. Out comes Bardsley, had to get there,

:33:00. > :33:04.and was fouled. She took a real blow there from Alex Morgan. Who had to

:33:05. > :33:10.go for the ball. It was there, hesitation at the pack for England.

:33:11. > :33:13.I -- back for England. I think she's winded, Karen Bardsley. You will

:33:14. > :33:18.remember she had to go off against Canada in Vancouver. She picked up

:33:19. > :33:20.an inflammation of the eye. She was something to do with a reaction to

:33:21. > :33:32.the artificial surface there. Karen Bardsley did the right thing.

:33:33. > :33:40.She had to come out and she had to cover. Just on the blindside of

:33:41. > :33:51.Steph Houghton. She did well, Karen Bardsley. She's from Santa Monica in

:33:52. > :33:59.California. Her parents are English, I think. Yeah, they're from

:34:00. > :34:11.Manchester. And that's where she plays, Manchester City. She played

:34:12. > :34:16.in Estonia earlier this season in one of the qualifiers for Euro 17.

:34:17. > :34:28.England got off to a good start there. Very awkward conditions that

:34:29. > :34:36.day. Toiling with rain, a howling rain and the visitors parked the

:34:37. > :34:41.team bus in front of their goal. Oh, that's a bad, short pass and Duggan

:34:42. > :34:46.can pick it up here! Approaching midway mark in the first half then

:34:47. > :35:01.it comes back to Scott. In this opening game in the SheBelieves Cup.

:35:02. > :35:04.Nobbs. That was a bad pass and Toni Duggan straightaway is onto that,

:35:05. > :35:12.but the American defence, the speed at which they get back, there's two

:35:13. > :35:16.or three players around her and she can't find a space. Becky

:35:17. > :35:26.Sauerbrunn, I remember she should have been sent off in the World Cup

:35:27. > :35:44.final, adamant to this day. Klingenberg has to drop back.

:35:45. > :35:56.England are more than matching the USA in the midfield. They've forced

:35:57. > :36:22.a throw off Tobin Heath. We'll be together for the next

:36:23. > :36:35.England Euro qualifier. You can see it on the BBC. It's at New York

:36:36. > :36:42.Stadium in Rotherham. It is a 7:55 kick-off. Well worth going to

:36:43. > :36:46.support the Lionesses, who are holding the World Champions here. It

:36:47. > :36:52.is really good value for money, the fact that you can take the whole

:36:53. > :36:56.family for under ?25. You probably wouldn't get a ticket in the men's

:36:57. > :37:03.game for that, would you? You wouldn't.

:37:04. > :37:08.This is a bit of a knock to the England fullback, Alex Morgan. She

:37:09. > :37:14.has been in startling goal-scoring form - six in her last six

:37:15. > :37:28.internationals. 10 this season. She's in real pain there. Uhas she

:37:29. > :37:33.popped her shoulder out there? Looks most uncomfortable. Well, Demi

:37:34. > :37:38.Stokes could go back in there. They have... Certainly have alternatives.

:37:39. > :37:52.The rest of the squad can be named on the bench. And they are tonight.

:37:53. > :37:57.Although, Siobhan Chamberlain, one of the cover goalkeepers, has an

:37:58. > :38:03.injury and I don't think will be able to come on. If she's officially

:38:04. > :38:10.named unfit she can't sit on the bench. Themes are -- thems the rules

:38:11. > :38:14.and she'd have to sit up in the stand by herself. That must have

:38:15. > :38:16.been the incident. They sort of got their arms tangled. Thankfully, I

:38:17. > :38:37.think she's OK. 25 minutes gone. Williams is still there with her.

:38:38. > :38:48.Got the cross in. Morgan Brian played a major part in fact World

:38:49. > :38:59.Cup final. Set up the last goal. Emily Sonnett graduated from the

:39:00. > :39:02.University of Virginia. She's the Atlantic Coast Conference College

:39:03. > :39:12.Defender of the Year last year, the 22-year-old. Good shout from Karen

:39:13. > :39:16.Bardsley. Right at the start of the World Cup she had a shaky moment and

:39:17. > :39:24.then she grew in confidence. In the end, I seem to remember was second

:39:25. > :39:38.only to Hope Solo in the goalkeeper rankings.

:39:39. > :39:45.Solo, herself, was a striker until her teenage years. Then someone put

:39:46. > :39:54.her in goal for a game, she stayed. Then she was on a mission to improve

:39:55. > :39:58.the standard of goalkeeping. She was aware that goalkeepers in the

:39:59. > :40:04.women's game had been harshly criticised, according to her, and

:40:05. > :40:08.she wanted to prove people wrong. I think she's probably done that, in

:40:09. > :40:15.her 119th international. She certainly has. So approaching the

:40:16. > :40:20.half-hour mark. A littleway short of that. Thank you very much for

:40:21. > :40:27.staying up and watching it if you're watching it with us in real-time.

:40:28. > :40:39.There's Demi Stokes, who has changed her hairstylesince we last saw her.

:40:40. > :40:42.I still find it strange, she played such a massive role throughout

:40:43. > :40:47.qualifying to the World Cup, then she was axed, now she's back in. She

:40:48. > :40:56.was one of the biggest, I think, shocks of the squad when it was

:40:57. > :41:01.announced. But when questions were raised of young Mark Sampson's Mt --

:41:02. > :41:08.management decisions, she got them all right. He has taken England to

:41:09. > :41:13.their highest position in any World Cup final since Bobby Moore lifted

:41:14. > :41:19.the trophy at Wembley in '66. Here's Carli Lloyd. A big game, a big

:41:20. > :41:27.goal-scorer, twice scored in Olympic finals.

:41:28. > :41:33.Sauerbrunn to Emily Sonnett. Her twin Emma also plays. She's at the

:41:34. > :41:42.University of Georgia. The referee is allowing a fair

:41:43. > :41:47.degree of physicality. WHISTLE

:41:48. > :41:51.We'll have the blow there on the foul on Alex Greenwood, who, it is

:41:52. > :41:55.fair to say, Sue, getting some rough old treatment. She is. I've been

:41:56. > :42:00.really impressed by how England is pressure rising America and stopping

:42:01. > :42:04.them from playing. You can see. So of the American girls are getting

:42:05. > :42:09.frustrated, a few balls are going astray. That's credit to how England

:42:10. > :42:13.are defending at the minute. I'd like to see them when in possession

:42:14. > :42:19.be more creative and keep the ball up top. Defensively, they've been

:42:20. > :42:25.excellent. Haven't conceded a goal in five games. Lost only five of

:42:26. > :42:32.their matches in 2015 in England. 10 of the England players in the

:42:33. > :42:57.squad have played for USA clubs. Certainly cageyer than the opening

:42:58. > :43:00.-- cagier than the opening game between France and Germany. We'll

:43:01. > :43:09.see the action of that at half-time. Greenwood. I don't think the

:43:10. > :43:14.referee... I think she guessed. The assistant didn't help at all. Didn't

:43:15. > :43:31.look particularly interested. Tobin Heath, just that one game in

:43:32. > :43:39.the finals. 111 caps and, this time, there's a little bit of revenge and

:43:40. > :43:45.for that she gets a yellow card and quite rightly so, Alex Greenwood,

:43:46. > :43:57.one of the five England players who started the playoff game against

:43:58. > :44:04.Germany back in the summer. That was a little bit of frustration

:44:05. > :44:09.of grood grood grood. It was -- for Alex Greenwood. It was late. It was

:44:10. > :44:15.a booking. I think she was getting her own back there. I think she was.

:44:16. > :44:21.That was a message, "You may be a World Cup winner but you're not

:44:22. > :44:25.going to get away with the nonsense you've been trying so far." But

:44:26. > :44:30.Heath has goalside, checks back, gets the cross in, important

:44:31. > :44:36.defending by the captain, getting it away and then looped over from

:44:37. > :44:40.Lindsey Horan! Who was a striker when she first came into the squad.

:44:41. > :44:53.Dropped out for a little while. Came back in, now a midfielder.

:44:54. > :45:01.England's first international in the USA since they played in Birmingham,

:45:02. > :45:05.Alabama. They were beaten 6-0 that day. I seem to remember the forwards

:45:06. > :45:10.and especially the wide players not tracking back that day. Bit of a

:45:11. > :45:12.lazy performance by some of the wide players. Were you playing in that?

:45:13. > :45:19.LAUGHS No, I'm sure, I'm sure not. I seem

:45:20. > :45:20.to remember you starting a run one day and finishing it the next.

:45:21. > :45:29.LAUGHS Here's Greenwood. I think that

:45:30. > :45:32.shows, as well, how far England have come and how they've progressed,

:45:33. > :45:40.especially over the last 12 months. The fact that we did get beat 6-0.

:45:41. > :45:45.I'm sure I did track back, but the gulf between the two sides now, it's

:45:46. > :45:50.so much closer. Do you look now, because the facilities are better,

:45:51. > :45:59.the money invested in the women's game, it's jumped so dramatically in

:46:00. > :46:04.the last, what, 36 months, four years let's say, do you regard that

:46:05. > :46:09.with a pang of jealousy or do you think 'this is all fantastic. It is

:46:10. > :46:14.a great story'. I wish I was 10 years younger like I'm sure a lot of

:46:15. > :46:19.us do. But I think it is just great for the game. It is fantastic to see

:46:20. > :46:23.it grow and to see these girls improving and competing with some of

:46:24. > :46:25.the top nations in the world. But, yeah, I am a bit jealous. Just the

:46:26. > :46:38.10 years? Some of us wish we here's Lloyd. Likes to run from

:46:39. > :46:41.these deep positions. We haven't seen Mallory Pugh in recent minute

:46:42. > :46:47.z. Lucy Bronze, good defencing. Didn't look at the body movement of

:46:48. > :46:56.Pugh. Kept her eyes glued on the ball. Of course, was in the All Star

:46:57. > :47:01.team in the summer. Her first thought is to go forward and to run

:47:02. > :47:23.at the defence, Mallory Pugh there. That was well-read by Alex

:47:24. > :47:28.Greenwood. You can hear the England bench shouting to Toni Duggan, "Go

:47:29. > :47:33.on! Go on!" That's when you want your centre forward to pressurise,

:47:34. > :47:37.keep her in there and make sure the team go with her when they're

:47:38. > :47:54.running back towards the goal. She hopes for a third Olympic gold in

:47:55. > :48:00.the summer in Rio. The German coach, who is here, bows out after Rio and

:48:01. > :48:05.she'll be determined to make up for what was a disappointing,

:48:06. > :48:13.ultimately, World Cup for Germany. Early on in the competition while

:48:14. > :48:19.the USA were patchy, Germany looked very good. Oh, she's appealed for

:48:20. > :48:29.handball there and that seemed to bounce up and hit Becky Sauerbrunn

:48:30. > :48:35.on the arm! England win it back and the referee, quite right to pull up

:48:36. > :48:42.Morgan Brian there for the foul. She was dispossessed. Is this handball.

:48:43. > :48:46.I think it is handball and you can tell by Jodi Taylor's reaction. When

:48:47. > :48:50.a player reacts like that. Do you know, I think the telling point as

:48:51. > :48:54.she made the initial run with Jodie Taylor, she lost her bearings and

:48:55. > :48:59.she looked to see where Jodie Taylor was. Then I think she panicked and

:49:00. > :49:03.pushed the ball away with her arm. England should have had a penalty.

:49:04. > :49:16.Yeah, definitely. That was good play by Jodi Taylor as well.

:49:17. > :49:26.WHISTLE Unlucky for the fullback to attack

:49:27. > :49:43.Tobin Heath in the air there. This is Meghan Klingenberg, the left back

:49:44. > :49:53.on the right-hand side. Had a spell at North Carolina Taheals, a very

:49:54. > :50:02.successful university side, that. Well, England should have had a

:50:03. > :50:06.penalty against the wampbs. They come on the -- world champions. They

:50:07. > :50:16.come on the attack now but there's no rhythm and England have played

:50:17. > :50:19.them very well. World champions. They come on the attack now but

:50:20. > :50:23.there's no rhythm and England have played them very well. Let's not

:50:24. > :50:30.forget that the WSL football returns at the end of this month for the

:50:31. > :50:35.next season. Nine teams in the top flight. Including your Doncaster

:50:36. > :50:39.Bells. Yes. It will be nice to compete with the best teams in the

:50:40. > :50:46.country again. I think the fact that these girls haven't played

:50:47. > :50:49.competitive football for a good few months, they're really matching

:50:50. > :50:53.Mathew Leckie in all departments --matching America in all

:50:54. > :50:56.departments. I'm sure we'll see match fitness coming towards the

:50:57. > :51:00.second half but I didn't think they'd have that sharpness. For me,

:51:01. > :51:04.I don't see any signs of them not having played for a few months.

:51:05. > :51:31.Here's Jill Scott. Looking agitated, the world

:51:32. > :51:48.champions. Trying to force one or two things and rushing their

:51:49. > :51:57.control. Here's Lindsey Horan, after winning the Understood 20 Concacaf

:51:58. > :52:05.title --Under 20 Concacaf title. Sauerbrunn, US Defender of the Year

:52:06. > :52:09.on a couple of occasions. The only player to start all 24 games for the

:52:10. > :52:13.USA in that fantastic calendar year of 2015. Here's Klingenberg.

:52:14. > :52:19.WHISTLE Rather significant that that switch

:52:20. > :52:37.from left-to-right seems permanent for her and she's gone on there.

:52:38. > :52:57.No change out of the England midfield or defence.

:52:58. > :53:06.Pugh has given away a free kick here. That's the rashness of youth.

:53:07. > :53:09.It's interesting you mention Carli Lloyd because England have done

:53:10. > :53:13.very, very well to deal with her because she tries to find those

:53:14. > :53:17.little pockets of space and she gets on the ball and makes things happen

:53:18. > :53:26.but you can see she's going deeper and deeper to get on the ball. She

:53:27. > :53:31.scored a hat-trick against Ireland, scored a hat-trick against Haiti.

:53:32. > :53:41.Sixth highest scorer in the US history. We've had a couple of texts

:53:42. > :53:56.in asking us what's happened to the other stars of the US World Cup

:53:57. > :54:04.success. Amy Rodriguez is expecting. Meghan Rapone is injured. And Abby

:54:05. > :54:14.Wambach retired. There you are. Klingenberg down the linement you

:54:15. > :54:20.wander -- you wonder what the future holds for one or two of the English

:54:21. > :54:27.players not included by Mark Sampson. White, I think Moore would

:54:28. > :54:38.have been here but not fit. Danielle Carter is out with the Under 23s.

:54:39. > :54:44.Should one or two of those players be anxious? I think it just shows

:54:45. > :54:50.what quality he has to pick from now. The fact those players you've

:54:51. > :54:56.mentioned aren't even getting in the scaud -- squad. The competition for

:54:57. > :55:13.places means it's even more exciting for England going forward. The next

:55:14. > :55:14.game is against Germany on Sunday. They finish off next Thursday

:55:15. > :55:20.against France. WHISTLE

:55:21. > :55:36.That's offside, against Alex Morgan, running in behind. Has just moved

:55:37. > :55:40.clubs to Florida. She's just joined the Orlando Pride. Very successful

:55:41. > :55:46.in her own right outside of football. She has written a series

:55:47. > :55:51.of books, mind you, that was about football, a teenage player. A series

:55:52. > :55:55.of books called The Kicks, or something like that. But her profile

:55:56. > :56:02.in the USA is much higher than the profile of women's football in the

:56:03. > :56:12.UK still. They're on chat programmes and many of them are on TV shows.

:56:13. > :56:21.They've got a free-kick here, the USA, for a bundling foul on Alex

:56:22. > :56:32.Morgan. Lucy Bronze with her. The girl whose middle name is Tough.

:56:33. > :56:41.Who's half English, half Portuguese. She was short-listed for Sports

:56:42. > :56:45.Personality of the Year. Here comes Pugh, Houghton is there with her,

:56:46. > :56:50.didn't clear. Lloyd gets the shot - blocked! Blocked wheel by Alex

:56:51. > :56:58.Greenwood who was covering across. That's the first chance she's had!

:56:59. > :57:10.Klingenberg gone back to the left! What's this for? Foul by Carli

:57:11. > :57:14.Lloyd. This just show it is pace and the power and they're prepared to

:57:15. > :57:18.run in behind. Gilly Flaherty, it was, with the... Tried to... Well,

:57:19. > :57:22.she got the tackle in but just couldn't quite clear it and Alex

:57:23. > :57:26.Greenwood I had ever so well to see the danger and come across an clear

:57:27. > :57:31.it --and clear it. Apologies to Steph Houghton, it wasn't her

:57:32. > :57:34.mistake, it was Gilly Flaherty. A little bit of inexperience there.

:57:35. > :57:40.Only her fourth international for England. She made her debut against

:57:41. > :57:49.China. She got the touch but couldn't quite get rid of the ball.

:57:50. > :57:54.We're into the last 30 seconds of the half. A good, strong first half,

:57:55. > :58:12.has Alex Greenwood. Hougth hout felt she was fell --

:58:13. > :58:17.Houghton fell she was fouled and Bronze squeezed it back under

:58:18. > :58:25.pressure. She's one of the fastest I've seen in a long while. She

:58:26. > :58:32.really is and she's just not... She isn't scared at all. You can see

:58:33. > :58:36.there that youth where she wants to attack the defenders, she wants to

:58:37. > :58:45.score goals. She's been the main threat. Into the one-minute of added

:58:46. > :58:51.time. Klingenberg back on the left-hand side. Here's Morgan Brian,

:58:52. > :59:11.fourth international. She's still only 23. And plays for Houston Dash.

:59:12. > :59:18.Through the box by Horan - downward header by Pugh, and it's dropped

:59:19. > :59:21.wide... What are your overall thoughts of the first half, Sue? I

:59:22. > :59:25.think defensively, England have been excellent. I think they've stopped

:59:26. > :59:28.America from playing, which was what we were scared of - the two

:59:29. > :59:32.forwards, Carli Lloyd and Alex Morgan. I think England have dealt

:59:33. > :59:36.with them very well. I'd like to see them, when they go forward, with a

:59:37. > :59:39.little bit more quality and maybe giving Jodie Taylor and Toni Duggan

:59:40. > :59:43.a chance. It's a little bit too high - they've got to chest it down or

:59:44. > :59:48.head it on. Just a bit more quality on their forward play. But

:59:49. > :59:53.defensively, excellent. Hope Solo - 526 minutes without conceding a

:59:54. > :59:59.goal. England have gone 3.5 games without conceding a goal. That's

:00:00. > :00:06.why, here in Tampa, the half-time score line is USA 0, England 0.

:00:07. > :00:13.Well, it's a battle, but one that England have been more than up to so

:00:14. > :00:19.far. Chances for both sides, but should USA have paid the penalty?

:00:20. > :00:25.Rachel, your thoughts on the first half? I think it's been very

:00:26. > :00:25.encouraging for all England fans. I think the England

:00:26. > :00:29.encouraging for all England fans. I think the England team have started

:00:30. > :00:32.on the front foot. They look very, very composed, but they also look

:00:33. > :00:35.very, very positive and energised. You can see that they're up for the

:00:36. > :00:39.occasion. So, real positive start for me from the team. OK. Rachel?

:00:40. > :00:43.Yeah, definitely. I mean, Mark Sampson's statement before was that

:00:44. > :00:46.he was not gonna fear anyone, he was gonna show 'em respect, but no fear.

:00:47. > :00:49.That's definitely what they've gone and done. OK. Let's talk about this

:00:50. > :00:54.penalty. Should it have been a penalty - handball? Not for me, to

:00:55. > :00:58.be honest. If it was the other end, and one of our defenders, I think

:00:59. > :01:04.Jodie Taylor just nudges her in the back there, and - it does hit her

:01:05. > :01:07.hand, yes, but I think that nudge in the back puts her off. Yes, you

:01:08. > :01:12.could see them be given. So I wouldn't complain if we did get a

:01:13. > :01:15.penalty, but if it was down the other end, I wouldn't appreciate it.

:01:16. > :01:19.You can see from Jodhi's reaction, she thought it was a penalty

:01:20. > :01:23.straightaway. It certainly redirects the ball away from Jodie Taylor, so

:01:24. > :01:26.you can see why England claim the penalty. Do you think the tactics

:01:27. > :01:34.have paid off in the first half? Certainly. Not only have England

:01:35. > :01:37.reduced the USA to virtually zero chances - they've been banking up

:01:38. > :01:42.very, very well, England, as units in the back four, the midfield four.

:01:43. > :01:46.Their pressing game has been very, very strong right from the front

:01:47. > :01:49.two, through the midfield. Midfield, as we've suggested, has been working

:01:50. > :01:52.very, very narrow, but England have been doubling up fantastically well

:01:53. > :01:58.all around the pitch. We're seeing examples of it here - right from the

:01:59. > :02:03.very, very top, the ball goes past Jordan Nobbs, Jill Scott sweeps for

:02:04. > :02:05.her. The ball goes past Jill Scott, Jordan Nobbs sweeps up for her. All

:02:06. > :02:08.around the pitch, as soon as the ball passes one of the England

:02:09. > :02:15.players, someone else is putting pressure on them. It's causing the

:02:16. > :02:19.USA to - all it's allowing them to do, really, is forcing them into

:02:20. > :02:27.errors and playing these hopeful long balls, which we very rarely see

:02:28. > :02:30.the USA resort to. Andrea Barzagli here was fantastically -- Karen

:02:31. > :02:35.Bardsley was fantastically aware to play that long ball. But the USA

:02:36. > :02:39.playing hopeless, aimless balls is something we don't see very often.

:02:40. > :02:44.They look frustrated, don't they? Can we keep this up for the second

:02:45. > :02:48.half? That's the big question, considering our lack of game time.

:02:49. > :02:51.But look at the subs England have got to bring on - the experience and

:02:52. > :02:55.also the pace of people. I think it will be a good second half for them.

:02:56. > :02:59.I think Mark Sampson was adamant that he didn't want to use England

:03:00. > :03:03.not having many games and just be coming out of pre-season as an

:03:04. > :03:07.excuse. I think we saw the USA maybe creep into it literally the last

:03:08. > :03:11.couple of minutes of the first half, and maybe create the odd opening,

:03:12. > :03:16.but generally if England can come out and play the first 45 - sorry,

:03:17. > :03:18.the second 45 as they did the first 45, they're absolutely flying and

:03:19. > :03:24.have got every chance in this game. OK. Well, half-time and it's 0-0.

:03:25. > :03:29.Earl a E.ON, France met Germany in the opening match of the tournament

:03:30. > :03:33.- a repeat of the World Cup quarterfinal, which was won on

:03:34. > :03:37.penalties by the Germans. Only 11 of the 22 that started that match began

:03:38. > :03:40.tonight, but plenty of quality on show.

:03:41. > :03:46.There were plenty of giggles in the warm-up as the German team found the

:03:47. > :04:20.singing of their national an them... Most amusing.

:04:21. > :04:59.Commentary comes from JP Dellacamera.

:05:00. > :05:15.There's the long shot from distance - that may have gone in...

:05:16. > :05:23.France has the numbers in a five-on-five situation... Back

:05:24. > :05:39.across - far post! Saved! Off the line by Schul!

:05:40. > :05:58.Schul had to come across her line to make the save...

:05:59. > :06:04.Great save by Schul with the right foot! She tried to go to the

:06:05. > :07:13.keeper's right, and the foot keeps it scoreless!

:07:14. > :07:31.That may have been Mayer. We'll see who was lined up there. As that ball

:07:32. > :07:35.came across off the dangerous corner kick, it's 1-0 Germany.

:07:36. > :07:54.What a good start for Germany! Next up is England on Sunday:

:07:55. > :08:02.Kick-off at 10:45. So, Germany - Sunday, England. What

:08:03. > :08:07.do you think? What do England need to look out for? It's always an epic

:08:08. > :08:10.battle, Germany against England. It's been good for England to have

:08:11. > :08:14.the opportunity to have viewed this match, and they'll obviously take it

:08:15. > :08:19.away and analyse it. But it's the same old Germany. Obviously they've

:08:20. > :08:22.lost a couple of names from this summer's World Cup, but another

:08:23. > :08:27.great challenge for England, and a very different challenge, I

:08:28. > :08:30.anticipate, to the USA this evening. Alex Greenwood's going to have to be

:08:31. > :08:35.careful if she wants to play in that match, picking up a booking in the

:08:36. > :08:39.first half. It's a silly booking, as well - a needless booking. This

:08:40. > :08:43.cover - Gilly Flaherty and Jordan Nobbs are both covering her. She

:08:44. > :08:46.doesn't need to do it. I think she's got a little bit frustrated, to be

:08:47. > :08:49.honest. Alex Greenwood's done very, very well against Tobin Heath,

:08:50. > :08:53.against Alex Morgan down that left-hand side. So yeah, that

:08:54. > :08:56.booking was probably a bit disappointing, because it's maybe

:08:57. > :08:59.going to put Alex Greenwood on the back foot a little bit - she's going

:09:00. > :09:03.to have to be careful with challenges of that sort of nature.

:09:04. > :09:06.Until then, I think she's been frustrating the US players. She

:09:07. > :09:11.hasn't had an outstanding game so far. She reads the game so well.

:09:12. > :09:16.Good tackle by Gillibrand, but what a block that is in cover there. We

:09:17. > :09:19.need her on the pitch, really, but we need her to be sensible and

:09:20. > :09:25.disciplined, like she was at the beginning of the game. She'll need

:09:26. > :09:30.more protection from Demi in the second half? Potentially. Alex

:09:31. > :09:35.Greenwood may potentially end up with a second yellow - USA will be

:09:36. > :09:39.clever and push everything onto Alex Greenwood down that side and maybe

:09:40. > :09:42.lead her into that territory. So yes, she'll have to be disciplined

:09:43. > :09:46.in the second half. Demi and the players around her, I'm sure, will

:09:47. > :09:49.cover. We were talking about Claire Rafferty being a big part of the

:09:50. > :09:56.World Cup but not featuring so far... I'm sure Mark Sampson has his

:09:57. > :09:59.reasons for going with Alex Greenwood and Demi Stokes, who

:10:00. > :10:01.obviously wasn't a part of the World Cup squad. But this is her home

:10:02. > :10:04.territory, where she went to university - this is where Demi

:10:05. > :10:09.Stokes has lived for the last five years. It seems that Mark Sampson

:10:10. > :10:14.has a plan and a way he wants to play. I'm sure he would have planned

:10:15. > :10:21.for this 0-0 at half-time, although he would have liked them to be 1-0

:10:22. > :10:25.up. He would have planned to make some changes, maybe to the left back

:10:26. > :10:29.or other players, in the second half. We've come to learn to trust

:10:30. > :10:35.Mark Sampson's cunning plans, I think! Let's see if we can continue

:10:36. > :10:40.to do so. It's 12 months to the day since Steph Houghton led England out

:10:41. > :10:43.against Finland, as the Lionesses beginning their World Cup

:10:44. > :10:49.preparations. Now, the defender's been reflecting on the World Cup and

:10:50. > :10:51.what they achieved in Canada. If you go through the whole tournament, we

:10:52. > :10:59.gained confidence with each match, and we hit a lot of milestones. We

:11:00. > :11:02.reached the first knockout stage, we beat Canada with 50,000 in the

:11:03. > :11:06.stadium. We were so close to beating Japan, and we won a bronze medal. I

:11:07. > :11:10.think, with the squad that we have, we did gain confidence. Don't get us

:11:11. > :11:14.wrong - we have a very, very talented squad, and we have players

:11:15. > :11:17.that are hungry for success on a personal and a team level. The most

:11:18. > :11:21.important thing for us is to stick together. We have a squad of 23, and

:11:22. > :11:25.it's not just about 11 people on the pitch - it's about the 23 as a

:11:26. > :11:30.whole, and that's what our major strength was in the World Cup -

:11:31. > :11:35.being able to be probably the most together team in that tournament. We

:11:36. > :11:39.come against a lot of setbacks, but we also had some joy in that

:11:40. > :11:42.tournament. Now it's all about using that confidence to produce the level

:11:43. > :11:46.on a more consistent basis against the best teams. Most importantly was

:11:47. > :11:49.all about me as an individual playing well and making sure I was

:11:50. > :11:53.in form. I felt as though I did have a World Cup. I mean, to be able to

:11:54. > :11:56.lead my country out was a massive achievement and a massive honour,

:11:57. > :12:02.and I'm very privileged to have the support of all the girls and some

:12:03. > :12:07.fantastic individuals. I feel as though I have grown not only as a

:12:08. > :12:10.player in learning to play at centre-half and how Mark wants us to

:12:11. > :12:13.play here, and playing against the best strikers, but also as a person

:12:14. > :12:16.and a leader. It's something that I do work hard on, and hopefully can

:12:17. > :12:19.continue to develop over the next few years. Steph Houghton played

:12:20. > :12:24.every minute of the World Cup for England. How impressive is she? As

:12:25. > :12:28.captain, she's really got into that role, hasn't she? She certainly has

:12:29. > :12:34.big shoes to fill, for Steph, at a fairly young age. But as soon as

:12:35. > :12:37.Mark Sampson came into the role as manager, he designated her as his

:12:38. > :12:42.captain. As Steph mentioned there, she's had to work at that. She's led

:12:43. > :12:46.her country to its best results so far in its history. She's obviously

:12:47. > :12:51.doing something well, along with the rest of the team. But she's got a

:12:52. > :12:55.job on her hands tonight to lead the team and to - you know, a historic

:12:56. > :12:58.win it would be in the US. Certainly. What do you think Steph

:12:59. > :13:02.would be saying right now in the dressing-room? I think just keep

:13:03. > :13:06.doing what they've been doing. They've been very disciplined and

:13:07. > :13:12.worked hard for each other. I think now they need to concentrate on

:13:13. > :13:15.making sure they keep it at 0-0 but, as it gets to the 70th minute or

:13:16. > :13:19.something like that, really go for it. Make some changes, get some subs

:13:20. > :13:21.on, and really go for the win. It's so important to keep their

:13:22. > :13:25.concentration right now. They nearly got caught out at the death at the

:13:26. > :13:29.end of the first half. That's it. It was literally the switch-off - just

:13:30. > :13:34.that fraction of a second bit slower, and it led to a free,

:13:35. > :13:39.uncontested header, really - not for the debutant, but for the young Pugh

:13:40. > :13:42.for the US. That's as simple as it is. They're the world's best team.

:13:43. > :13:47.They're going to be clinical and make the most of those chances. So

:13:48. > :13:49.England got away with that one. Hopefully they'll have learned the

:13:50. > :13:53.lesson that they cannot afford to switch off. However tired they are,

:13:54. > :13:57.they've got to stay switched on. What do you make of the Americans?

:13:58. > :14:00.How impressed are you with the superstars? They haven't really been

:14:01. > :14:03.in the game, to be honest. I think Pugh's been the superstar. I

:14:04. > :14:06.suppose, for a young kid, you probably wouldn't expect that. It's

:14:07. > :14:09.a big crowd. There's a lot of expectation for her. But there

:14:10. > :14:14.hasn't really been a lot from, you know, the likes of Alex Morgan.

:14:15. > :14:17.Yeah, Carli Lloyd's virtually had no touches until literally... I think

:14:18. > :14:20.that's down to England. You've got to credit them. Absolutely. The

:14:21. > :14:24.pressure throughout the midfield is not allowing the ball to go through

:14:25. > :14:27.the midfield very easily. It's not allowing the ball to be fed and to

:14:28. > :14:30.be kearvel in possession for the forwards. They're not getting any

:14:31. > :14:36.chances. Do you want to change your predictions at this point? Um, yes,

:14:37. > :14:40.I'm glad that England are upsetting my prediction. I want England to go

:14:41. > :14:45.on and win 1-0. I could see them making it 1-0! Let's see! It's

:14:46. > :14:48.goalless at half-time. Time to rejoin Sue Smith and Johnathan

:14:49. > :14:53.Pierce. Thank you very much. Players out for the second half. Doesn't

:14:54. > :14:56.look as if there's any changes to either side. Tobin Heath hasn't been

:14:57. > :15:01.able to get going, really, for the USA. Mallory Pugh, the youngster,

:15:02. > :15:05.has been their star, as we've just heard from back in the studio. The

:15:06. > :15:11.way that England have dealt with Carli Lloyd, I think, has been most

:15:12. > :15:15.impressive - the world's best player, voted Fifa's top woman

:15:16. > :15:19.earlier this year. She's not had a sniff of a chance, really, as

:15:20. > :15:23.England are in red, kicking left to right, getting us off and under way

:15:24. > :15:26.in this second half, with the captain - Steph Houghton - looking

:15:27. > :15:36.for Jill Scott. Lucy Bronze on the attack... Scott wriggling through,

:15:37. > :15:40.and in the end, young Pugh was back defensively, doing an astute job -

:15:41. > :15:44.as she has done going forward! She stopped England there. I thought

:15:45. > :15:47.Jill Scott was just going to wriggle her way through... Good play from

:15:48. > :15:48.Lucy Bronze as well, straight from the off. She's forward, she's

:15:49. > :15:58.looking to play into the box. As you heard from the girls back in

:15:59. > :16:01.the studio, Sue, he does mathematically work out his games,

:16:02. > :16:06.Mark Sampson. He spoke to us in Canada last summer. He said, "If we

:16:07. > :16:11.can do this until 60-75, then I think we can do this in the last 15.

:16:12. > :16:16.If it goes to extra-time, we can do this..." He's very methodical. I

:16:17. > :16:19.think he would certainly have a game plan for the last 30 minutes, if

:16:20. > :16:23.England are still in there with a chance of winning this. Yeah, I

:16:24. > :16:29.totally agree. I think he'll be very happy with 0-0 at half-time. That's

:16:30. > :16:34.probably something he said - "We'll contain America, then go for it from

:16:35. > :16:38.the 70th minute." I wouldn't like to predict what Mark Sampson was going

:16:39. > :16:42.to do! He completely changes things. They called him the Tinker Man in

:16:43. > :16:45.the World Cup. All of his team formations and personnel that he

:16:46. > :16:47.ticked - at times, we questioned it, and it always seemed to work. So

:16:48. > :17:03.he's doing something right. Klingenberg clears it away. Good

:17:04. > :17:16.pressure there from Jodie Taylor. It's a throw to England.

:17:17. > :17:23.We heard what was said in the studio at half-time about the penalty

:17:24. > :17:26.incident. Did it change your mind? Should England have had a spot kick

:17:27. > :17:31.from the handball by Sauerbrunn? I think so. It changed the position of

:17:32. > :17:36.the ball - the ball moved in a different direction. I think Jodie

:17:37. > :17:41.Taylor was right in appealing. I'm going to be slightly biased, though,

:17:42. > :17:50.aren't I? I'm with you - I think it certainly was a penalty.

:17:51. > :18:22.53 games played, 41 wins for the USA coach.

:18:23. > :18:27.They've given away a free kick here for a little nudge on Lindsey Horan,

:18:28. > :18:45.who I think has played well for the USA.

:18:46. > :18:48.They've lost just twice in 34 games since the start of 2014 - such a

:18:49. > :19:11.momentous year. Deflected through. Gilly Flaherty

:19:12. > :19:16.keeps it in play. It was USA's win at the Stadium MK last year against

:19:17. > :19:24.England, back in February, that started their long unbeaten run.

:19:25. > :19:28.Controversy in that game as well, because Jodie Taylor had a goal

:19:29. > :19:38.chalked off that should have stood. That was a very close game, as well.

:19:39. > :19:41.Stuck it in from a rebound, didn't she? And she was flagged for

:19:42. > :19:59.offside. I think Mark Sampson will be really

:20:00. > :20:08.pleased with the high percentage of 50-50s England have won.

:20:09. > :20:16.He mentioned the fact beforehand, the USA are in full flow of another

:20:17. > :20:19.national season - 15 games played since the World Cup, England are in

:20:20. > :20:23.pre-season. He wasn't going to use that as an excuse. I think they've

:20:24. > :20:26.acquitted themselves well in the physical aspect of their game. They

:20:27. > :20:30.really have. When you play America, you've got to match them physically,

:20:31. > :20:45.fitness-wise, and I think England have done that in all departments.

:20:46. > :20:49.Jill Scott scored a very important goal against Bosnia back in

:20:50. > :21:07.Bristol... Will she be frustrated with the role

:21:08. > :21:10.she's been asked to play for? I don't think it's her most effective

:21:11. > :21:13.position. I like to see her just in front of the back four, because she

:21:14. > :21:18.can get on the ball a lot more and make things happen. But she's done a

:21:19. > :21:20.job on that right-hand side. But I know that I'm sure Farah will have

:21:21. > :21:22.preferred to have played in that position, just getting on the ball a

:21:23. > :21:38.bit more. She scored a hat-trick on her debut,

:21:39. > :21:46.and the goals have flowed ever since, really. Scored in major

:21:47. > :21:50.tournaments... Scored three last summer, including a goal that earned

:21:51. > :21:56.the bronze medal against Germany from the spot.

:21:57. > :22:05.You weren't at that game, Sue. Were you watching it at a bar in

:22:06. > :22:06.Vancouver, I seem to remember? May have been drunk...

:22:07. > :22:17.LAUGHS Big screen, wasn't it? What a

:22:18. > :22:20.dramatic place that is - Vancouver, a big screen overlooking the water

:22:21. > :22:22.and mountains in the background, England beating Germany - it was a

:22:23. > :22:34.great day. Really was. Pub up the road called The Elephant

:22:35. > :22:37.In Cars, would you believe? I'm surprised I can remember it so well

:22:38. > :22:52.- it all seems to be a bit of a blur!

:22:53. > :23:03.Lindsey Horan is only 21 - she's outshone the more experienced Morgan

:23:04. > :23:10.Brian at times. That's a foul from Mallory Pugh. Wry smile from Lucy

:23:11. > :23:11.Bronze, with the free kick against the youngster. Played for it and got

:23:12. > :23:20.it. She'll learn... This is a really

:23:21. > :23:47.ever vessant talent... A big women's football week

:23:48. > :23:51.initiative coming up from the FA. Check your county level clubs and

:23:52. > :23:54.schools for information on that. The response to last year's events was

:23:55. > :24:00.huge - they're trying to surpass that this year.

:24:01. > :24:06.If you are a young player, get involved with the game. England need

:24:07. > :24:12.to get involved and closer to Alex Morgan...

:24:13. > :24:14.In the end, a tame shot easily dealt with from Karen Bardsley. She might

:24:15. > :24:18.have hurt herself there - that was a good chance for a player of that

:24:19. > :24:21.quality. She found herself in a lot of space. For me, she should have

:24:22. > :24:24.cut the ball back. There were two players coming in at the edge of the

:24:25. > :24:38.box, and she went for the shot. Wrong decision.

:24:39. > :24:40.Just a little frustrated shrug of shoulders from Lloyd as she came

:24:41. > :24:58.away... You can hear Mark Sampson shouting

:24:59. > :25:01."Tackle, tackle" from the sidelines. England have been playing a

:25:02. > :25:21.high-pressing game - they've been quick to press.

:25:22. > :25:26.Just a sense, ten minutes into the second half, that the USA are

:25:27. > :25:31.beginning to step up a gear. Not a good ball in from O'Hara.

:25:32. > :25:56.Williams mistimed it as well. Technically very gifted centre-half,

:25:57. > :26:03.Becky Sauerbrunn. Didn't miss a minute of the World Cup finals,

:26:04. > :26:10.Sauerbrunn. US College Athlete of the Year when she was at the

:26:11. > :26:21.University of Virginia. Eight years in the squad now.

:26:22. > :26:28.Talk about the USA bringing players through at younger age groups to win

:26:29. > :26:29.things - Lucy Bronze was part of England's Euro under-19 winning

:26:30. > :26:39.squad. Success at junior levels has

:26:40. > :26:46.improved. Again, that's another step forward. In terms of development of

:26:47. > :26:49.the game in the UK, we have to admit we are light years behind the USA.

:26:50. > :26:54.But getting there. We are getting there. I think that's something we

:26:55. > :26:59.have to look back at maybe ten years ago, when we didn't have that

:27:00. > :27:03.structure in place. I think you look at myself, Rachel Brown, Rachel

:27:04. > :27:06.Yankee - we went straight into the full senior squad at 16, 17. Now

:27:07. > :27:14.they've got that development and progression through.

:27:15. > :27:22.If you are involved in a local club out there, you can apply for grants

:27:23. > :27:30.to set up teams, set up girls' teams, women's teams. If you haven't

:27:31. > :27:31.got one, there are more and more charter clubs around, which is good

:27:32. > :27:42.to see... As I mentioned in the first half,

:27:43. > :27:49.their collegiate system for sport is astounding, really. But highly

:27:50. > :28:23.pressurized, I hasten to add. England cutting some frustrated

:28:24. > :28:24.figures out there now... That was a foul. Jodie Taylor

:28:25. > :28:33.pleading her innocence... Look at this for England! Toni

:28:34. > :28:40.Duggan's in here... She had options. Taylor was to her

:28:41. > :28:45.left-hand side... Big chance for England has come and gone.

:28:46. > :28:51.That was a real lapse in concentration from the American

:28:52. > :28:59.defence - Toni Duggan completely free. Just a long pwol over the top

:29:00. > :29:04.by Fara Williams, and she was completely open. You can see she was

:29:05. > :29:05.really disappointed she didn't get that pass. The first touch took her

:29:06. > :29:24.a little bit away from the goal. Hasn't scored since September 2014

:29:25. > :29:27.against Montenegro. Finished off last season in crackerjack fashion

:29:28. > :29:31.for Manchester City after an injury problem. She missed the first three

:29:32. > :29:50.internationals this season with an ankle problem.

:29:51. > :30:00.It's an England throw. The referee's been very good, apart from denying

:30:01. > :30:07.England a blatant penalty - despite what the girls said in the studio.

:30:08. > :30:22.LAUGHS Mind you, England could do with a

:30:23. > :30:23.Rachel Yankee-type goal when in England's last victory against USA.

:30:24. > :30:41.2-1, they won that one. Germany started with a win, which

:30:42. > :30:43.you saw earlier. The right back, Mayer, scored the goal - she had a

:30:44. > :30:55.very, very good World Cup. Mark Sampson yelling constantly from

:30:56. > :31:00.the sidelines. I think that's a problem - when they go Inler ones,

:31:01. > :31:03.they're very isolated. Jodie Taylor was very isolated, but the rest of

:31:04. > :31:07.the team didn't come up. That's when America can play the ball around

:31:08. > :31:12.you. You have to do it in groups, don't you? 10.5 hours of

:31:13. > :31:15.international football now, the USA, without conceding a goal. Mind you,

:31:16. > :31:41.England's record isn't bad at all. Tobin Heath is not a bad player at

:31:42. > :31:42.all. Olympic gold medallist twice - three college titles with the

:31:43. > :31:46.University of North Carolina. I think, at some stage, she's going

:31:47. > :32:27.to get a chance... Lindsey Horan is going to come off,

:32:28. > :32:36.and Christen Press will come on... She scored one goal in the World Cup

:32:37. > :32:41.finals against Australia. More than attacking option.

:32:42. > :32:48.I was just going to say that Horan likes to sit in a little bit,

:32:49. > :32:59.whereas Press will be that runner in behind. They haven't really had

:33:00. > :33:00.that, America. Midfield, at times, have been dominated by England

:33:01. > :33:36.before. Morgan Brian, a World Cup winner

:33:37. > :33:45.back in 2012. Gilly Flaherty clears it away. Well, 63 minutes into a

:33:46. > :33:50.game against the world champions, and though England haven't created

:33:51. > :33:53.much at all, they've denied the USA any sort of space, room to find

:33:54. > :33:56.their rhythm, and they're going to make a substitution themselves here.

:33:57. > :34:00.Izzy Christiansen's going to come on. Alex Greenwood's going to come

:34:01. > :34:04.off. I imagine Demi Stokes will go back to left back. Definitely that's

:34:05. > :34:08.what will happen. I think that's protecting Alex Greenwood after that

:34:09. > :34:32.booking. I think she's had a very good first half.

:34:33. > :34:39.Izzy Christiansen has been ever-present in the past four or

:34:40. > :34:43.five games. She scored in their away game at Estonia in the first of the

:34:44. > :34:45.Euro '17 qualifiers. Manchester City player - was at Everton and

:34:46. > :34:56.Birmingham before that. She was at Manchester United as a

:34:57. > :34:59.youth player. It's strange that Manchester United, in terms of wins,

:35:00. > :35:05.haven't really been competitive. Maybe that will change. Interesting

:35:06. > :35:08.- she's had a very good season with Man City last year, and got a call

:35:09. > :35:13.up to their international set-up. She links up very well with Toni

:35:14. > :35:17.Duggan and Jill Scott. That will be quite good to watch, to see if they

:35:18. > :35:21.can do that on an international stage. She goes a little bit

:35:22. > :35:28.unnoticed - clever, intelligent player.

:35:29. > :35:32.Carli Lloyd has dropped into a deeper position now, getting the

:35:33. > :35:43.ball there with the substitute on, Christen Press.

:35:44. > :35:46.England looking comfortable, but the USA can change a game so very, very

:35:47. > :36:17.quickly. Worked hard for that... That was a

:36:18. > :36:19.clever play by Jodie Taylor. Three USA players around there, and just

:36:20. > :36:28.managed to win her team a foul. I think this is probably England's

:36:29. > :36:31.best opportunity to get a goal from the setpiece, especially with the

:36:32. > :36:38.well-worked setpieces I know Mark Sampson does in training. We've seen

:36:39. > :36:43.them at the World Cup. Germany next up for England on Sunday.

:36:44. > :36:53.The young girl, Mallory Pugh, is going to go off, to be replaced by

:36:54. > :36:55.Crystal Dunn. She was in the preliminary squad for the World Cup.

:36:56. > :37:03.Didn't make the final squad. Played in every game bar two this

:37:04. > :37:16.season - scored ten goals in 13. She picks it up straightaway. She's

:37:17. > :37:23.a runner, too - loves to carry the ball. Like for like - fresh pair of

:37:24. > :37:27.legs. Yeah, she's a real athlete. Can play wingback, so she's used to

:37:28. > :37:28.that. Getting forward, getting back to defending. You can see she's got

:37:29. > :37:42.pace as well. Plays for the Washington Spirit

:37:43. > :37:43.side. She was top-scorer in the NWSL last season, and the Most Valuable

:37:44. > :38:31.Player. Jordan Nobbs has gone through a lot

:38:32. > :38:39.of work off the ball. This is promising - Jill Scott, Fara

:38:40. > :38:40.Williams to the right-hand side. It's deflected away off

:38:41. > :38:50.Klingenberg... Again, a move of promise for

:38:51. > :39:07.England. Hope Solo saying "Watch the

:39:08. > :39:30.runners." No-one has won more games for the USA than her.

:39:31. > :39:44.Demi Stokes covering up at the back. In a quiet way, she's had a very

:39:45. > :39:48.solid game. She's got through a lot of work, like Jordan Nobbs and Jill

:39:49. > :39:56.Scott. When you play America, there is a lot of work off the ball.

:39:57. > :40:05.She's the greatest women's goalkeeper of all time now. Angerer

:40:06. > :40:08.of Germany, who's retired, may have something to say about that.

:40:09. > :40:16.Germany's goalkeeper, Almuth Schult, had a very good save in her game

:40:17. > :40:19.against France earlier today. But Hope Solo's a got to be in the

:40:20. > :41:19.conversation, despite all the controversies about her.

:41:20. > :41:27.Dunn gets inside, shoots, and scores! England are behind! From the

:41:28. > :41:32.moment she cut inside, England were in trouble, and arrowed into the top

:41:33. > :41:36.corner with 19 minutes to go, USA 1, England 0. What a fantastic strike

:41:37. > :41:39.from Dunn there! From the minute she's come on, she's looked lively,

:41:40. > :41:43.she's wanted to get on the ball, she's wanted to dribble and drive.

:41:44. > :41:48.She just literally took the turn - you can see this is good play. Keeps

:41:49. > :41:53.the ball, doesn't force it, and then it's just a little - just turns,

:41:54. > :41:58.steps and gets that yard of space. And that's a rocket into the top

:41:59. > :42:01.corner. Karen Bardsley couldn't do anything about that. Just before she

:42:02. > :42:09.got the ball, she had a look over her shoulder and saw that there was

:42:10. > :42:12.a gap in there, she could turn Houghton and she'd be on goal. I

:42:13. > :42:16.think Steph Houghton will probably be a bit disappointed she didn't get

:42:17. > :42:22.closer to her. But it was a good turn. In the recent Olympic

:42:23. > :42:25.qualifying campaign, she scored five goals in one game against Puerto

:42:26. > :42:34.Rico - that equalled the US record by any one player in a single game.

:42:35. > :42:52.That's her 11th of this season in 14 internationals.

:42:53. > :43:09.One moment of brilliance separates the sides. I think that's what was

:43:10. > :43:16.needed - just a spark, a little bit of something - a bit of quality. I

:43:17. > :43:20.think that's what you can say. Because Pugh was excellent, taking

:43:21. > :43:24.players on and making things happen, but Crystal Dunn's obviously come on

:43:25. > :43:27.and wanted to show what she's all about. That's the strength and depth

:43:28. > :43:30.that the American national team have. They bring players on and they

:43:31. > :43:46.can just change the game. Mark Sampson was saying to me

:43:47. > :43:53.yesterday that, "Just when you think you've seen off the likes of Wambach

:43:54. > :43:58.and Shannon Box and so on, they produce another one, another two,

:43:59. > :44:07.another three..." They have such a huge pool of talent. These girls

:44:08. > :44:12.play from a young age, and the attitudes are different there - it's

:44:13. > :44:17.very much "Get girls into football as early as possible." Really

:44:18. > :44:18.competitive football. There's state titles at junior school level. With

:44:19. > :44:42.that does come extra pressure. England will need her now, in the

:44:43. > :44:47.final third. She's an adventurous midfield player, Jill Scott. England

:44:48. > :44:51.will need her there. She's only missed one of England's last 15

:44:52. > :44:53.games - that was one of the World Cup games.

:44:54. > :46:00.Again, Solo organising her penalty area.

:46:01. > :46:07.The poor girl who was singing the national anthem - I think that's

:46:08. > :46:12.going to go viral - the German players were in fits... It's an

:46:13. > :46:14.interesting speaker system at this arena.

:46:15. > :46:20.Christiansen got in there to support, and she can do that... Her

:46:21. > :46:25.game is scoring goals - nine for Manchester City. She scores vital

:46:26. > :46:27.goals, as well. Just anticipated where it was gonna go. Right idea,

:46:28. > :46:37.just not the best execution. Off goes Fara Williams, on comes

:46:38. > :46:40.Karen Carney, who's not played international football this year.

:46:41. > :46:47.She had a back injury after the World Cup. She was rested so that

:46:48. > :46:49.she could recuperate properly. Just moved clubs from Birmingham after a

:46:50. > :47:17.long while there to go to Chelsea. In comes Michael Kirby and on goes

:47:18. > :47:23.Jodie Taylor - fresh pair of legs up front. She got off to such a

:47:24. > :47:25.fantastic start in the World Cup finals against Mexico. Sat on the

:47:26. > :47:37.bench for the last four. What do you make of those changes,

:47:38. > :47:39.Sue? I spoke about America's strength and depth, and it just

:47:40. > :47:42.shows that England have also got that. Three quality players have

:47:43. > :47:45.come on for England, and all three of them have got the ability to

:47:46. > :47:51.change the game. It's nice to see Karen Carney back - I know she's

:47:52. > :47:54.worked really hard in her rehab programme to get her back back to

:47:55. > :47:59.how it should have been throughout the World Cup. I know she's raring

:48:00. > :48:03.to go and can't wait to get some international football in. Michael

:48:04. > :48:08.Kirby, we've seen what damage she can do. It's nice to see Mark

:48:09. > :48:12.Sampson actually going for this, and going to get the goals now. Whether

:48:13. > :48:20.there'll be a change in formation, I'm not sure.

:48:21. > :48:30.She wants to send on Krieger... Ali Krieger, Washington Spirit -

:48:31. > :48:35.best right back in the tournament at the World Cup finals. Not my words -

:48:36. > :48:42.they were - she was selected as the best right back. She was desperately

:48:43. > :48:50.disappointed to miss out on the Olympics in London. She had a bad

:48:51. > :48:54.knee injury at the time. Jill Ellis seems to be preferring Kelley

:48:55. > :49:01.O'Hara, and I think that's just because of her attacking ability

:49:02. > :49:06.from fullback. Krieger's very much someone who likes to defend and is a

:49:07. > :49:14.solid defender, but doesn't get forward too much.

:49:15. > :49:22.Karen Carney is very experienced - seven major tournaments. Two changes

:49:23. > :49:24.- Julie Johnston's going to come on, at centre-half.

:49:25. > :49:51.CHEERING They're going to keep us waiting -

:49:52. > :49:56.don't change your plans for Christmas, you could still be

:49:57. > :49:58.here... In she goes - on comes Johnston.

:49:59. > :50:12.CHEERING 11 minutes to go. What a

:50:13. > :50:18.conservative move that is - presumably they'll go to three at

:50:19. > :50:23.the back. They've taken off one of the world's best goal scorers, and

:50:24. > :50:28.they've brought on a centreback - the captain of their Under 20 World

:50:29. > :50:31.Cup-winning side of four years ago. Had a very good World Cup, but

:50:32. > :50:42.scored an own goal in the final. Very strong athletic World Cup, I

:50:43. > :50:43.should say. Once or twice, she looked a bit error-strewn, I have to

:50:44. > :50:57.say. She has not been in the game at all

:50:58. > :51:00.- that's all credit to England, to keep out the world's top player,

:51:01. > :51:05.Carli Lloyd. But the score line is no

:51:06. > :51:32.consolation. England will look back to that

:51:33. > :51:37.incident in the first half where they should have had a penalty. A

:51:38. > :51:43.handball by Sauerbrunn. Here's Bronze... Running out of play...

:51:44. > :51:49.Corner? I thought that had gone out of play, I must admit. I think she's

:51:50. > :51:55.got a bit lucky there. The crowd agrees with you, as well... Tobin

:51:56. > :51:58.Heath's been forcing the defence. She's not really got into the game.

:51:59. > :52:13.So there have been positives for England.

:52:14. > :52:18.Hope Solo wins it unopposed. That's disappointing for England. Although

:52:19. > :52:20.she's one of the world's top goalkeepers, she's not the tallest

:52:21. > :52:27.out there. She's very athletic and very

:52:28. > :52:31.commanding. I think when you're taking a corner, you've got to make

:52:32. > :52:34.sure you miss her out or at least get somebody in front of her, making

:52:35. > :52:46.it difficult. That was too easy a catch. Very popular in the USA - her

:52:47. > :52:48.book Solo: A Memoir Of Hope - it got to number three on the bestsellers'

:52:49. > :54:07.list a few years back. Let's just put this in context.

:54:08. > :54:12.She's one of the world's best defenders, Becky Sauerbrunn. Lloyd

:54:13. > :54:16.is the current world number one. Morgan - so talented, such a good

:54:17. > :54:19.goal scorer. Heath - such a good player. Klingenberg - probably the

:54:20. > :55:36.world's best left back. Says he's using this as a major

:55:37. > :55:40.tournament - they're to pick their best team for every game. That

:55:41. > :55:44.doesn't necessarily mean he'll pick the same 11, as we found out in the

:55:45. > :55:50.World Cup - he has his game plan for each separate match. I like that

:55:51. > :55:54.he'll change personnel and change tactics depending on the opposition.

:55:55. > :55:57.But I think it's important to play games like this, and play the top

:55:58. > :56:02.nations in the world, cos that's how you learn. When you're winning games

:56:03. > :56:05.8-0 and 9-0, you don't learn anything from that. You might get a

:56:06. > :56:11.bit of confidence, but you need to be playing these teams. And yes, it

:56:12. > :56:16.might be a defeat, but they will learn lessons from it. Lucy Bronze

:56:17. > :57:10.has given away a free kick here, with four minutes to go.

:57:11. > :57:42.Eniola Aluko's going to come on for England, replacing Toni Duggan.

:57:43. > :57:51.Oh, how she'd love to score here... She felt frustrated in the World Cup

:57:52. > :57:55.finals. She started the first two - she played about an hour against

:57:56. > :58:01.Germany. This is her 99th appearance for England.

:58:02. > :58:09.Made her debut some 12 years ago. We've told the story before, Sue,

:58:10. > :58:15.but it is still a remarkable one. She made a substitution appearance

:58:16. > :58:16.at Euro 2005 against Denmark, just hours after taking a History A-level

:58:17. > :58:38.exam on the same day. The USA have their game in the

:58:39. > :58:55.grip... They'll slow the pace down to hold

:58:56. > :58:58.possession, and manage the game well. England simply will not be

:58:59. > :59:08.able to get enough of the ball to get back into it.

:59:09. > :59:14.It was Press, and it was dipping, and the shot was just wide - but not

:59:15. > :59:19.a bad effort at all from the LA-born striker. It's a quick turn, and just

:59:20. > :59:22.gets a yard and I think Karen Bardsley did have it covered... They

:59:23. > :00:14.just look dangerous at times. You know what they would have been

:00:15. > :00:15.saying on the bench, then, don't you? "Don't foul. Not at this

:00:16. > :00:44.stage." Meghan Klingenberg's going to come

:00:45. > :00:49.off, and Whitney Engen's going to come on. A defender from Torrance,

:00:50. > :00:51.California, who sat on the bench throughout the World Cup finals. 30

:00:52. > :01:07.caps to her name. Last appearance was in January in

:01:08. > :01:10.the win over the Republic of Ireland. Won that game 5-0. ..In San

:01:11. > :01:42.Diego. USA fans screaming for a free kick

:01:43. > :01:48.there - didn't get it... Jordan Nobbs has gone for goal from a long

:01:49. > :01:53.way out. With that, perhaps England's last chance has come and

:01:54. > :01:57.gone. She scored a belter in the Under 19 European Championship final

:01:58. > :02:24.against Sweden a few years ago, but not on this occasion...

:02:25. > :02:32.This could be England's last chance, then!

:02:33. > :02:43.Carney looking for Scott... There was a foul. Surely that means that

:02:44. > :02:46.England have opened up this She Believes Cup Tournament - the first

:02:47. > :02:49.of its kind - with defeat, and the USA will hold on. Your overall

:02:50. > :02:52.thoughts, Sue? I think lots of positives for England. I know

:02:53. > :02:55.they're not going to be thinking that, with a loss in their first

:02:56. > :02:59.game, but they're playing against world champions. They've kept those

:03:00. > :03:04.players quiet that you mentioned - world-class players - and

:03:05. > :03:07.defensively very good, apart from the one maybe little lapse in

:03:08. > :03:17.concentration. But for me, it was just a little bit of brilliance.

:03:18. > :03:23.For a moment, the USA were squirming... I think also the fact

:03:24. > :03:26.that they've matched USA in fitness and physicality - which is something

:03:27. > :03:28.that we've found difficult in the past - is promising. I think they

:03:29. > :03:44.can be proud of themselves. WHISTLE

:03:45. > :03:50.CHEERING The roars you can hear mean that the

:03:51. > :03:54.USA have opened the inaugural She Believes Cup. The champions have

:03:55. > :03:59.kept another clean sheet - for Hope Solo, her sixth in a row. Jill Ellis

:04:00. > :04:03.and her side get off to a winning start, with the only goal of the

:04:04. > :04:07.game scored by Crystal Dunn, so very late on, after a very solid England

:04:08. > :04:09.display. But it's an opening defeat here for England in the USA, beaten

:04:10. > :04:20.by the hosts 1-0. A brave performance from the

:04:21. > :04:25.Lionesses. Very little to separate the teams over the 90 minutes. It

:04:26. > :04:26.took a bit of sparkle from Crystal Dunn to win the game for the

:04:27. > :04:34.Americans. The Americans topped the group on

:04:35. > :04:35.Fifa ranking. That's how it's settled if everything else remains

:04:36. > :04:47.the same: What did you make of the second

:04:48. > :04:50.half? Do you think the score line reflects England's performance?

:04:51. > :04:54.SIGHS I think possibly, but I think

:04:55. > :04:59.England will take great credit and strength from the fact that it's

:05:00. > :05:04.taken something pretty outstanding to separate the two at the end of

:05:05. > :05:08.the day. I think England's performance started very, very,

:05:09. > :05:12.um... Um.....energetically. I just don't think England could maintain

:05:13. > :05:17.that level of energy. Ultimately, that's when things started to open

:05:18. > :05:21.up and the quality of the US kind of... You know, they got the chance,

:05:22. > :05:24.and it was a stunning finish. Crystal Dunn made an impact

:05:25. > :05:28.immediately, as soon as she came on. How impressive was she? She was

:05:29. > :05:32.really good. She was so positive. As soon as she came on, she wanted to

:05:33. > :05:35.run at the players. That's exactly what you needed. She's got good

:05:36. > :05:40.positional awareness. Here, she nicks the ball and she's off down

:05:41. > :05:44.the pitch. There's no second thought - just straightaway, want to take

:05:45. > :05:47.people on. What I've found is that her positional awareness there - to

:05:48. > :05:51.pick up the ball and then straightaway she's going at them,

:05:52. > :05:56.but her passing... She was really tidy, I thought. She's a young

:05:57. > :05:59.player. She hasn't played that much. She might have been a little bit

:06:00. > :06:05.nervous. But she's willing to get into the box. Wants to play things

:06:06. > :06:08.nice and tidy and just be composed on the ball She's certainly very

:06:09. > :06:14.hungry. Every single pass, she was on the move. Finding space in

:06:15. > :06:17.behind. You can see here, she lays it off to Klingenberg, who - again,

:06:18. > :06:21.she's on the move, finding space. You'll see, she just checks her left

:06:22. > :06:26.shoulder, creates a good amount of space, and what a finish! That is a

:06:27. > :06:31.beautiful strike. First touch was amazing. Takes her into so much

:06:32. > :06:35.space. She knew exactly what she was doing there. She knows exactly where

:06:36. > :06:42.Steph's marking her. Brilliant. Into the space. No-one's stopping that.

:06:43. > :06:47.No male or female keeper in the world is stopping that. That's worth

:06:48. > :06:50.the five, six, seven runs of showing this. After five minutes of her

:06:51. > :06:54.being on the pitch, she covered a lot of ground, but ultimately that

:06:55. > :06:56.was top, top world-class. Similar to your goal that you scored against

:06:57. > :06:59.USA a few years ago! LAUGHS

:07:00. > :07:03.Let's talk about the game plan. We talked about it in the fist half -

:07:04. > :07:08.Mark Sampson stuck to it. Putting the pressure on, forcing USA to make

:07:09. > :07:12.mistakes? Yeah, I'd say he stuck to it. Certainly the first half, they

:07:13. > :07:16.were very, very disciplined, England, and they were good at

:07:17. > :07:19.moving up and maintaining space between the backline and the

:07:20. > :07:23.midfield, and basically not giving a lot of room for the USA to play in.

:07:24. > :07:28.That was typical of the first half. It continued in the second half -

:07:29. > :07:32.the pressing from the front, the tight-knit formation of the midfield

:07:33. > :07:37.remaining quite narrow, and again not giving a lot of space for the US

:07:38. > :07:40.to work with. Every time the US were on the ball - whether Carli Lloyd or

:07:41. > :07:45.any of the other players - they didn't have time on the ball. That

:07:46. > :07:50.was forcing errors for the US. Non-typical play by the US. Being

:07:51. > :07:56.knocked off the ball, playing long, hopeless, aimless balls. That's

:07:57. > :07:59.really what England limited the US to. That shot was never going to

:08:00. > :08:04.beat Karen Bardsley from that angle. Yes, it was a ball in from behind,

:08:05. > :08:07.but world-class players were really limited to scraps. Your thoughts on

:08:08. > :08:12.England's offensive tactics? They got in a bit more, didn't they? They

:08:13. > :08:16.did. In the second half... Well, no - I think more so than in previous

:08:17. > :08:20.games, certainly against the US and maybe against Germany... Had a few

:08:21. > :08:23.chances, but I just don't think they were clinical enough. That's

:08:24. > :08:27.probably been the problem. They're getting down the sides, and here we

:08:28. > :08:33.seem to crowd each other out and then run into players and limit our

:08:34. > :08:36.own chances. Ball in from the box. That ball's not good enough. Maybe

:08:37. > :08:38.take one more extra pass to keep it moving. I think we're better at

:08:39. > :08:44.passing the ball to players' feet. This is a good ball into space. It's

:08:45. > :08:49.clever. Toni Duggan here - I think what she sees -- when she sees this

:08:50. > :08:54.back, she'll be disappointed. Obviously she's not gonna hear Jodie

:08:55. > :08:58.at the back post shouting, but she should have looked up. That was the

:08:59. > :09:06.golden chance. Two against one, it really opened up. Great vision from

:09:07. > :09:09.Fara Williams to flick the ball on and have seen that two-versus-one

:09:10. > :09:13.opportunity. I'm sure Toni will be disappointed. They played well,

:09:14. > :09:17.England, and started to create at the end, but I think there needs to

:09:18. > :09:20.be a little bit of quality... Nothing wrong with having a shot

:09:21. > :09:23.there - there wasn't other options - but in future games, they maybe need

:09:24. > :09:27.to take one more extra pass. Possibly the best chance could have

:09:28. > :09:32.been in the first half - if England had had a penalty. I know this has

:09:33. > :09:38.divided opinion on Twitter in the studio... It falls into that cliche

:09:39. > :09:42.category of "Could have been given." As England players and England fans,

:09:43. > :09:48.we want that to be given. I think, if anything, Jodie Taylor kind of

:09:49. > :09:52.earns it by harassing Becky Sauerbrunn from behind, and almost

:09:53. > :09:56.forces her into that error. But it's not a clear-cut one for me. So,

:09:57. > :09:59.England, as much as they were limited to opportunities by the US,

:10:00. > :10:03.we limited them. I think that's something we can take forward.

:10:04. > :10:07.Thoughts ahead of Germany? After tonight's performance? I think it's

:10:08. > :10:11.positive. I think you wouldn't go and fear Germany. I don't think

:10:12. > :10:15.Germany are a better team than USA. So I think they should go in with

:10:16. > :10:17.the same sort of game plan. Just need to get those goals. If

:10:18. > :10:24.anything, England have got the upper hand. They beat Germany in the

:10:25. > :10:27.summer pretty convincingly. They deserved that win, that bronze

:10:28. > :10:34.medal. Certainly England will have nothing to fear and will just want

:10:35. > :10:38.to beat Germany again to compound their how -- compound how much

:10:39. > :10:43.better they've become. Let's cross over to Joe Kerry, who's

:10:44. > :10:48.with Mark Sampson. Only one goal in the game - a bright

:10:49. > :10:51.one from Dunn. It was. She just spun her defender, created enough space

:10:52. > :10:56.for herself... Look at that move right there...

:10:57. > :11:01.OK, I think we've got some problems with sound, but I've interviewed

:11:02. > :11:03.Mark Sampson a few times before - it didn't sound like the female voice

:11:04. > :11:08.we just heard! England need to be tested against

:11:09. > :11:11.the best teams, especially looking ahead to the Euros next year,

:11:12. > :11:15.especially if they're to have a chance to win it. That's no

:11:16. > :11:19.disrespect to the opposition to the qualification in the Euros, but they

:11:20. > :11:23.are not going to provide them with the test they need for the standard

:11:24. > :11:26.of teams they're gonna face in the latter stages of the Euros. England

:11:27. > :11:30.wanted to win the European Championships. This is the best

:11:31. > :11:33.opportunity England have ever had to play against the top nations in the

:11:34. > :11:37.world. And also test the players. You can use a squad - this is just a

:11:38. > :11:41.friendly tournament. You can use everybody and see what players he's

:11:42. > :11:45.got for the Euros. Is this tournament a bigger challenge -

:11:46. > :11:49.playing the world's top three teams - a bigger challenge than the World

:11:50. > :11:54.Cup? I think there's no pressure on this tournament, for a start,

:11:55. > :11:57.because it is a friendly tournament. Not that "friendlies" mean

:11:58. > :12:02.friendlies, but nothing's at stake. I think England will feel pressure,

:12:03. > :12:05.because on the bigger stage they've performed in, they're now in

:12:06. > :12:09.everybody's eye. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been invited to this

:12:10. > :12:15.tournament. They want to consolidate their status as the team to beat,

:12:16. > :12:19.with performances, continued performances, of a certain standard.

:12:20. > :12:22.So in some ways, there'll be pressure within the team to continue

:12:23. > :12:26.these good performances. But it's a wonderful opportunity. If you had to

:12:27. > :12:31.sum up the opening match in a few words? It was brilliant! I think

:12:32. > :12:35.very positive for England. OK! Thank you, both, very much. A reminder -

:12:36. > :12:41.we are back live on Sunday for Germany against England. We kick off

:12:42. > :12:47.on the red button at 10:30. The second half will be straight after

:12:48. > :12:53.Match of the Day two live on BBC One at 11:35.

:12:54. > :12:55.We'll be live on the red button from 9:50 next Wednesday for England's

:12:56. > :12:59.game against France. That's all we have time for. Thank

:13:00. > :13:03.you for watching. Thank you to both reachals. England close but, in the

:13:04. > :13:05.end -- Rachels. England close but, in the end, it was job done for the

:13:06. > :13:07.US. Goodnight.