Tag: Alexandra Popp

USWNT on three-game losing streak after unlucky 2-1 defeat against Germany

It’s been over 29 years since the USWNT lost three straight

The U.S. women’s national team got an improved performance, but the results remain the same.

The USWNT, after losing 2-1 to Germany in Ft. Lauderdale Thursday night, is now on a three-game losing streak for the first time since April 1993. It’s the first loss at home for the team since July 27, 2017, and though the USWNT dominated a large chunk of the game, some flat second-half play and individual mistakes extended a worrisome run of form.

Germany’s relentless high pressure left the USWNT with some tricky work in the early stages, but after about 20 minutes they began to solve it. Sophia Smith and Mallory Pugh both spurned excellent chances to set up runners inside the box, while a dubious offside call spoiled another U.S. attack.

Lindsey Horan went closer, firing a shot over Merle Frohms that hit the bar and bounced down onto the goal line — but crucially, not over it — after good work from Rose Lavelle. Shortly thereafter, Alex Morgan’s pass from deep sent Pugh in alone behind the defense. This time, Pugh was decisive, but Frohms produced a huge save to tip her effort wide in the 36th minute.

The one-way traffic continued until halftime, with Horan having a strong penalty shout turned down by referee Odette Hamilton. It may have been frustrating for the USWNT, but the overall performance had far more composure and clarity than either loss to Spain in the last window.

Horan’s almost impossibly bad luck continued, with a spectacular overhead kick early in the second half slapping off the foot of the German post.

If that was cruel, things were about to get so much worse. Germany countered immediately, and while Naomi Girma initially slowed a four-on-two break, Klara Bühl worked the ball over to the right for substitute Paulina Krumbiegel. Krumbiegel’s shot was well-saved by Casey Murphy, but Bühl found the rebound and launched a curler towards goal.

Like Horan, she was denied by the post, but the USWNT couldn’t catch a break. The rebound hit Murphy’s back before bobbling over the line, giving Germany a shock 52nd minute lead.

If the USWNT’s performance up until that point had been very good, the response to the goal was alarmingly flat. Germany substitute Chantal Hagel arrived late on two occasions only to fire excellent chances over the bar, while a triple sub for the U.S. saw a loss of fluency in the midfield.

However, just as it seemed like the USWNT didn’t have an answer, a familiar face arrived to equalize. Megan Rapinoe smashed home an equalizer after the USWNT finally got their counter-press back online, with Morgan blocking Sara Doorsoun’s clearance and teeing up the veteran for a typically clinical finish.

It felt like a typical, old-school U.S. goal: overpowering, opportunistic, and authoritative. Unfortunately, it was followed by some of the hesitancy that has crept into the team lately, with Germany re-taking the lead on the counter just four minutes later.

Lena Oberdorf alertly took a free kick at midfield quickly, lofting the ball out to another substitute, Jule Brand. In isolation against Alana Cook, Brand simply dropped her shoulder and charged past Cook, shrugging off the OL Reign defender’s challenge before squaring for Krumbiegel, who did well to squeeze a shot over Murphy and into the roof of the net from close range.

The late goal left the USWNT with little time to reply, and full time brought some unwanted history, increasing the pressure on head coach Vlatko Andonovski, who has more losses in this unwanted streak than he had in the 49 games that preceeded it.

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Smith says she can learn from Popp ahead of USWNT-Germany clashes

Popp was co-leading scorer at Euro 2022 with six goals

U.S. women’s national team forward Sophia Smith said she can learn a thing or two from German striker Alexandra Popp, her counterpart in two upcoming friendlies.

The USWNT will take on Germany in its final two matches of 2022, the first of which will take place Thursday at DRV PNK Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., with the second on Sunday at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J.

The Euro 2022 runners-up will be led by Popp, who was co-leading scorer at the summer tournament with six goals before unfortunately being forced to miss Germany’s defeat to England in the final with an injury.

Coming off a season in which she was named NWSL MVP and scored in the final to help the Portland Thorns with the league title, Smith said she still has much to learn and Popp can be a model for her.

“Popp obviously is an incredible player,” Smith told the media on Wednesday. “Honestly, her movement in the box, how she gets on the end of crosses is something that I need to work on in my game.

“I watched her [at Euro 2022]. She’s very very good at it. So there’s stuff to learn there. But honestly, all the players on this team are great players and it’s going to be a good test for us for sure.”

After losing back-to-back games last month to England and Spain, Smith said she and her teammates are eager to get a result against Germany — though she stressed that putting in a strong performance was still the most important thing.

“We all have a hunger to get the result that we want and at the same time, we know that there are things we need to work on in these games that we didn’t do well enough in the last few games,” Smith said. “So not putting all the focus on the outcome, I think focusing for the most part on how we can grow from the last few games, how fix the things that we want to fix. I think if we do all those things, if we put together the pieces and do the little things right, we will get the outcome that we want.”

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Catarina Macario, Alex Morgan, Trinity Rodman represent USWNT on 2022 Ballon d’Or shortlist

Three USWNT players made France Football’s list of Ballon d’Or nominees

The 2022 Ballon d’Or nominees are out, and with three USWNT players making France Football’s 20-player shortlist.

Catarina Macario, Alex Morgan, and Trinity Rodman were all nominated for the award, which was inaugurated in 2018 after existing for over 60 years on the men’s side. The Ballon d’Or focuses on the 2021-22 season, rather than a calendar year body of work.

The USWNT has been somewhat curiously overlooked by the Ballon d’Or, with only the 2019 World Cup-winning team really registering with voters. That year, Megan Rapinoe won the Ballon d’Or, with Alex Morgan coming in third, but in 2018 and 2021 (there was no 2020 award due to the Covid-19 pandemic), no USWNT players or NWSL-based players made the top three.

Macario may be injured at the moment, but she emerged as a locked-in starter essentially from the moment she arrived at Lyon. She capped off a spectacular season in France by scoring in the Champions League final as Lyon defeated a Barcelona side that had lost just once all year coming into the match.

Morgan’s return from giving birth has included a change of club, but she’s also had arguably the best club season of her entire career with the San Diego Wave. Morgan has 15 goals in 18 competitive games for San Diego this season, and then won the Golden Ball at the CONCACAF W Championship after helping the USWNT qualify for both the 2023 World Cup and 2024 Olympics.

Rodman was one of the stories of the 2021 NWSL season, winning the Rookie of the Year award and being a crucial factor for the Washington Spirit’s run to their first-ever league championship. Since the start of August 2021, Rodman has posted 12 goals and 8 assists, including an equalizer in last year’s semifinal and the assist on the Kelley O’Hara goal that gave the Spirit their first trophy.

The USWNT trio are joined on the list by a familiar group of players who all happen to call Europe’s biggest clubs their home. Macario is one of five Lyon players nominated, while Barcelona matched that total, meaning that two clubs employ half of the list of nominees.

Arsenal, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, and Wolfsburg had two players on the shortlist each, with the entirety of the NWSL being represented by Morgan and Rodman.

The full list of 2022 Women’s Ballon d’Or nominees

  • Selma Bacha (Lyon)
  • Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona)
  • Millie Bright (Chelsea)
  • Lucy Bronze (Barcelona)
  • Kadidiatou Diani (Paris Saint-Germain)
  • Christiane Endler (Lyon)
  • Ada Hegerberg (Lyon)
  • Marie-Antoinette Katoto (Paris Saint-Germain)
  • Sam Kerr (Chelsea)
  • Catarina Macario (Lyon)
  • Beth Mead (Arsenal)
  • Vivianne Miedema (Arsenal)\
  • Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave FC)
  • Lena Oberdorf (Wolfsburg)
  • Asisat Oshoala (Barcelona)
  • Alexandra Popp (Wolfsburg)
  • Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
  • Wendie Renard (Lyon)
  • Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit)
  • Fridolina Rolfö (Barcelona)

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Germany star Alexandra Popp forced out of Euro 2022 final after injury in warm-up

The striker entered the match as the co-leading scorer in Euro 2022

Germany suffered a major blow in the lead-up to kickoff of the Euro 2022 final against England, as star forward Alexandra Popp was forced out of the match with a muscular injury suffered in the warm-up.

Popp entered the match as the co-leading scorer in Euro 2022, as she was tied with England’s Beth Mead with six goals.

The 31-year-old scored a brace in the semifinal against France, leading Germany to their ninth European Championship final.

Lea Schüller replaced Popp in the lineup ahead of kickoff at Wembley.

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Alexandra Popp had the perfect response to jokes about her joining the Germany men’s team

The Germany star is clearly taking it all in stride

Alexandra Popp has had quite the Euro 2022 so far.

The Germany star is tied for the tournament’s Golden Boot lead with six goals so far, and she produced a signature two-goal performance against France in the semifinal to lead her team to Sunday’s final against England.

Popp’s display has been so good, in fact, that some in Germany have begun to jokingly suggest that Germany men’s coach Hansi Flick should consider calling her up for the World Cup later this year.

“We want to open a new chapter with Alexandra…er Alexander Papp,” read a “quote” from Flick on the satirical website Der Postillon. “She…err… he has excellent positional play, a fantastic nose for goals and is ice cold when finishing.”

Fums Magazine suggested Popp don a mustache and be remade into “Alexander Bopp.”

Popp clearly is taking this all in stride. In a press conference before Sunday’s final at Wembley, the forward removed her mask and revealed a fake mustache before approaching the microphone and, in her deepest voice possible, saying: “Hallo.”

And about that trip to Qatar later this year? Popp has ruled it out.

“I’m still in the Champions League,” the Wolfsburg star said with a laugh.

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Popp, Germany overcome France in taut Euro 2022 semifinal

Germany is in their ninth (!) women’s Euro final

Germany and France produced a tense, back-and-forth Euro 2022 semifinal Wednesday, with Alexandra Popp’s brace eventually being enough to send Germany to their ninth European Championship final on the women’s side by a 2-1 margin.

Germany’s high-pressing system saw them gain the upper hand to start, but France was able to just barely keep them from truly serious chances outside of one Alexandra Popp free kick that Pauline Peyraud-Magnin did very well to save.

However, they got the reward for their dominance in the 40th minute, as Svenja Huth and Jule Brand manufactured some space on the right. Huth clipped the ball to the back post, where Popp’s superb run inside of Ève Périsset allowed her to thump a volley into the roof of the net.

Germany seemed in full control, but France stunningly leveled with virtually the last kick of the half. A simple enough move forward from France saw Kadidiatou Diani receive the ball 25 yards from goal, but with multiple Germany defenders close by. Diani turned into some space before unleashing a rocket that beat goalkeeper Merle Frohms, cracked off the post, and then bounced into the goal off of Frohms’ back.

France, buoyed by the first goal anyone had scored on Germany in this tournament, looked sharper coming out of the locker room. Halftime substitute Selma Bacha saw her goal-bound shot headed away at the last gasp by Kathrin Hendrich, while Frohms denied Wendie Renard on the doorstep on the ensuing corner.

However, Popp couldn’t be denied, jumping into a tie with Beth Mead atop the Euro 2022 goalscorers’ chart in the 76th minute. Germany kept an attack alive through multiple cycles, with Huth tracking down a blocked shot that caromed out to the touchline before whipping a cross into the mixer. Amid the chaos, Popp leapt highest, powering Germany back in front.

Germany’s win sets up a potentially epic final between them and England, who crushed Sweden on Tuesday. The Euro 2022 final is set for Sunday, July 31 at Wembley, with kickoff scheduled for 12:00pm Eastern.

All the goals from Germany beating France

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