Spain deserved their 1-0 victory over England in Sydney. They looked the more dangerous squad for most of the game. The goal came from superb play down the Spanish left side after England's right back Lucy Bronze unwisely tried to carry the ball through the midfield and lost it. The ball was quickly sent into the area Bronze had vacated (she was walking back, a cringeworthy look she won't want to watch videos of) and Olga Carmona raced up from her left back position to overload that part of England's defense, and she lined up and first-timed a marvelous pass into the far bottom corner with enough pace to beat the keeper--any keeper, really. Before that, England had a shot hit the bar, and they had some good chances later, but Spain had 60% possession and more shots on goal for the game, despite England's efforts for well over an hour to equalize.
The USWNT coach resigned, and he has to take his share of the blame for the Americans' lackluster results. I haven't really liked any of our coaches after Sundhage. The job should be a very attractive one and we can surely do better.
I anticipate a better performance from the US team next time. Our era of dominance is over, but we still can expect to field a team as strong as anyone else.
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