USA vs Republic of Eire – Soccer match report – 11 Apr 2023

The US Girls beat the Republic of Eire 1-0 in a pleasant Tuesday night time at Metropolis Park in St. Louis, with 18-year-old Alyssa Thompson beginning and taking part in the complete 90 minutes.

Alana Cook dinner scored from lengthy vary on the finish of the primary half with the sport’s solely purpose as the USA edged Eire for the second time in three days.

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Vlatko Andonovski’s facet beat the identical opponents 2-0 in a pleasant on Saturday however victory got here at a value when star striker Mallory Swanson ruptured his patellar tendon and required surgical procedure on Tuesday.

Swanson was the main scorer for the USA this yr, with seven targets. She scored in six straight video games, tied for the fourth-longest streak in crew historical past.

“I believe within the final yr, I’ve seen a number of gamers get injured and we’ve managed to adapt,” mentioned ahead Len Williams, who was an unused substitute on Tuesday. “I believe that’s what the crew will proceed to do, is proceed to adapt. Mal’s absence is a big hole to fill, however we’ve got nice gamers on this squad and we’ll work out a approach to do this.”

With Swanson out, Andonovsky and the 2023 USA NWSL #1 draft decide known as up Thompson and she or he was given the beginning alongside veteran Alex Morgan and 2022 NWSL MVP Sophia Smith within the Individuals’ entrance three line.

The hosts dominated the primary half and deservedly took the lead simply earlier than half-time as Cook dinner’s lengthy cross from exterior the field went over the pinnacle of Irish goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan and into the web.

“Irrespective of who’s injured, this can be a tough second as a result of their careers and futures are affected and the crew is affected,” Andonovsky mentioned. “Mal is arguably the most effective gamers on the earth. It’s unlucky what occurred, however I believe the crew is doing a superb job and so they encourage and bond over unlucky issues like this.”

St. Louis and American captain Becky Sauerbrunn, an in depth quarterback on the World Cup crew, gave approach to Terna Davidson with half an hour to go and was greeted with a standing ovation because the hometown crowd celebrated the 2 hundredth cap of her profession.

Sauerbrunn, who has now appeared in 216 matches, almost scored her first nationwide crew purpose early within the recreation from a layup by Smith and was subbed off within the twenty eighth minute as she had a recreation with NWSL facet, the Portland Thorns, on Friday.

And Julie Ertz and Ashley Hatch entered after the break, with the previous attempting to make her approach on the airplane to Australia and New Zealand after lengthy absences because of harm and the beginning of a kid, and regardless of not at present taking part in for one of many membership’s ranks.

The house crew continued to have higher possession of the ball and regarded extra harmful, however failed to attain within the second forty fifth minute and needed to win by a single purpose.

“I’m pleased to be right here, and I can management what I can management,” Thompson mentioned after her first begin with the nationwide crew. “I’ll do my finest to maneuver ahead and see what occurs.”

The US will face the Netherlands, Portugal and Vietnam in Group E, with all three of their matches going down in New Zealand. Earlier than kick-off on Tuesday, US Soccer introduced that the crew’s closing recreation earlier than the World Cup kicks off will probably be a pleasant in opposition to Wales on July 9 in San Jose, California.

“All of us perceive that we’ve got a job to do after this now and we’ve got to organize for the World Cup,” Andonovsky mentioned. “Now we have to organize and we’ve got to do one thing. And if there’s a crew that has a gaggle of gamers prepared to step in in the mean time, that’s that crew.”