The U.S. Women’s National Team got off to a rocky start to their Four Nations Tournament, opening the competition with a 2-1 loss to Sweden on Friday. An 11th minute goal from midfielder Carli Lloyd gave way to a 16th minute equalizer from Stina Segerström. In the second half, former Chicago Red Stars attacker Kosovare Asllani’s 61st minute goal sealed the USWNT’s loss.
USWNT Opens Four Nations Tournament With 2-1 Loss To Sweden
The States’ strong start came when midfielder Megan Rapinoe struck a near post corner targeting forward Lauren Cheney, whose flicked-on found Lloyd. From five yards out, Lloyd finished high into the net, recording her 23rd international goal.
Five minutes later it was Sweden converting from a corner kick. Therese Sjogran’s ball from the right side was allowed to bounce through the area, eventually finding Segerström, whose shot from 16 yards out beat Nicole Barnhart to equalize.
In the 61st minute, an attack built down Sweden’s right flank led to a ball played for Asllani. The 21-year-old attacker’s finish from 10 yards out gave Sweden their first win over the United States since 2004.
The U.S. now gets a day off before facing Canada on Sunday. The Canadians opened their tournament with a 3-2 win over host nation China, who was up two goals after 26 minutes. A injury time winner from captain Christine Sinclair, her second goal of the match, completed the comeback, with Melissa Tancredi scoring the Canadian’s first goal in the 56th minute.
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