Once again, the United States enters the Women’s World Cup as one of the favorites, but not the top favorite. That distinction goes to Germany, winner of as many World Cups as the U.S., and 10-0 victors on Sunday. The USWNT has to prove they’re still the class of the women’s game, and they could take a huge step with a convincing win over Australia on Monday.
USA vs. Australia, World Cup 2015: Time, TV schedule and news
The USWNT should win their opener, but it’s hardly a given against the Matildas.
While the Matildas have never defeated the USWNT, they have managed to annoy them on a few occasions. This isn’t a walkover game for the U.S., and while they’ll expect to win, Australia will come into this game thinking they’re capable of grabbing a point.
Australia brought an extremely young team to the last World Cup, something that they’re hoping pays off now and in 2019. While they do have a handful of experienced players, most of their stars are in their early-to-mid-20s. The likes of 20-year-old Caitlin Foord and 23-year-old Kyah Simon will be expected to produce a lot more than they did last time around.
Key player: Carli Lloyd
There's an eternal debate raging between United States fans about Carli Lloyd. Either she's the best midfielder of her generation or a selfish, wasteful player who's best replaced with someone who's better at retaining possession. Whichever side of that debate you fall on, there's no denying that she'll be important. The U.S. will play two midfielders, one of them isn't a real midfielder, and she's the other one. She has to avoid turnovers, do some defensive work and pick her spots to shoot instead of firing off long-range blasts indiscriminately.
Key matchup: Lisa De Vanna vs. herself
Australia have a lot going for them. They have a deep talent pool, they're fast, they're hard-working and they're pretty solid technically. And yet, they only have one player who consistently scores goals. That's Lisa De Vanna, who also frequently disappears from games, gets booked for throwing fits and just generally gets too frustrated and fired up for her own good. Australia won't get anywhere in this World Cup if she isn't at her best.
Match date/time: Monday, 7:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Investors Group Field, Winnipeg, Canada
TV: FOX (U.S.), TSN 1, RDS 2 (Canada), BBC Two (U.K.), SBS One (Australia)
Online: FOX Sports Go and FOX Soccer 2 Go (U.S.), TSN (Canada), BBC iPlayer (U.K.), SBS (Australia)
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