Tag: USWNT

USWNT midfielder Coffey suspended for Olympic quarterfinal

It’s potentially a major blow for the USWNT heading into the knockout phase

Emma Hayes took a risk by starting Sam Coffey against Australia on Wednesday. Early on, it became clear that it didn’t pay off.

Coffey will be suspended for the U.S. women’s national team’s Olympic quarterfinal with Japan on Saturday after she picked up a fourth-minute yellow card in her team’s 2-1 win over Australia.

USWNT coach Hayes made just one change — an injury-enforced swap of Emily Sonnett for Tierna Davidson — from the side that started each of the team’s first two Olympic matches.

The USWNT won both of those games, clinching advancement to the quarterfinal before Wednesday’s group-stage finale against Australia.

That meant Hayes could have rested some of her players — particularly Trinity Rodman and Coffey, who entered the match one yellow card away from a suspension.

Her decision to start Coffey was not made to look wise just four minutes in against the Matildas, as the midfielder was shown a yellow card after she stood on Katrina Gorry’s leg when going into a tackle.

Coffey was also yellow carded in Sunday’s 4-1 win over Germany. That meant the Portland Thorns star will be suspended for the team’s quarterfinal with two yellow cards in the group stage.

Her absence could be a potentially major blow for a USWNT side that has come to rely on her as the holding midfielder.

In Coffey’s place, Hayes could opt to start Korbin Albert as a like-for-like replacement. Sonnett could also be an option to move into a holding midfield spot if Davidson is recovered in time for the quarterfinal.

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Summer Olympics: Australia vs. USWNT odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Wednesday’s Australia vs. USWNT odds and lines, with expert Olympics soccer picks, predictions and best bets.

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The USWNT (2-0-0) battles Australia (1-0-1) Wednesday at Orange Vélodrome in Marseille. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET (USA Network / Telemundo / Peacock). Below, we preview FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the Australia vs. USWNT odds, and make our expert Summer Olympic picks and predictions.

The USWNT has had a dominant 2024, winning the SheBelieves Cup and the Concacaf Gold Cup. It won the Gold Cup with a 1-0 victory over Brazil March 10. It hasn’t had strong showings in international play, having lost early in the 2023 Women’s World Cup. However, it has a revamped roster that is finding its groove, beating Zambia 3-0 Thursday and then Germany 4-1 Sunday.

Australia, which was drawn in the USWNT group in the Olympics which took place in 2021, lost to Germany 3-0 Thursday before beating Zambia 6-5 Sunday. It drew the USWNT 1-1 in its last battle on Nov. 30, 2021. Australia has played 4 friendlies since March, beating Mexico 2-0 and China 2-0 while also drawing China 1-1 and losing to Canada 2-1. It sits 12th in the FIFA Women’s Rankings; the USWNT is No. 5.

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Australia vs. USWNT odds

Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:38 a.m. ET.

  • Moneyline: Australia +410 (bet $100 to win $410) | USWNT -190 (bet $190 to win $100) | Draw +380
  • Over/Under: 3.5 (O: +130 | U: -166)

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Australia vs. USWNT picks and predictions

Prediction

USWNT 4, Australia 1

Moneyline (ML)

TAKE USWNT (-190).

Many would argue this is too expensive to take the USWNT and they may be right. The -190 juice is a steep price to pay, but the USWNT dominated a team (Germany) that dominated Australia. There’s no reason to think this team won’t be able to have a similar performance against Australia.

While it is still a young roster, both MFs Rose Lavelle and Lindsey Horan have triple-digit caps and should own the midfield, retaining possession and finding their forwards. That’s what happened as the USWNT ended with 56.4% possession against Germany, and it’s likely to happen again.

USWNT (-190) is the way to go.

Check out Pro Soccer Wire: For the American soccer fan, USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s website provides a fresh look at the beautiful game.

Over/Under (O/U)

BET OVER 3.5 (+130).

For the sake of value, this is the best play in the match.

The USWNT is coming off a game in which it put 4 on Germany and ended with 13 shots, just a few days after scoring 3 against Zambia. It has a quick and talented frontline, and against a team that gave up 5 goals to Zambia, it should be able to break through early and often.

Australia has tallied 6 goals in 2 Olympic games and scored in its last 6 games leading up to the global event. Five different women have scored in the Olympics for Australia, so it has numerous talented players.

Given the consistently on both attacks, TAKE OVER 3.5 (+130).

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More USA TODAY Summer Olympics coverage:
News | Medal count | Meet Team USA

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Press and Heath say they’ve been in relationship for eight years

The duo kept their romance quiet for several years before becoming more open

Tobin Heath and Christen Press have recently made it more clear they are a couple, but just how long they’ve been together has been a mystery.

Until now.

On a recent episode of Peacock’s “Watch with Alex Cooper,” Press revealed that the pair has been together for eight years.

“Tobin and I were not really friends. We weren’t really running in the same circles. And then as soon as I actually got to know her, there was just, like, a magnetism,” said Press. “And I was like, that’s what I want. And I never looked back. I still feel the exact same way.”

“The other day, someone just said to us, ‘Oh, you guys, these guys just met, you look like you’re in love,’” Press continued. “And I’m like, ‘No, it’s been eight years.’”

That would put the start of their relationship back to 2016, a year the pair were part of the U.S. women’s national team that lost in the Olympic quarterfinal. They would go on to win the World Cup together three years later in France.

Press and Heath were quiet about their relationship in its first years before recently becoming more open.

Press said that it was difficult to be completely transparent when they were both competing for the same spot on the USWNT.

Now, neither has played on the national team in three years and they are working together with their RE-INC media company, making it easier to be more open.

“I think there was something a little bit forbidden when it comes to navigating that situation,” Press said. “We’re both forwards so competing for a spot, competing for time. And then off the field, locking it down, being in a relationship and navigating that through the early, early stages of our relationship.”

Press added. “It wasn’t until we both weren’t playing on the same team that it was a little bit easier for us to come forward and share our relationship a little bit more.”

Though the outside world hasn’t become aware of their relationship until recently, Press said all of their teammates weren’t kept in the dark.

In addition to the USWNT, Press and Heath also played together with Manchester United in 2020 and 2021.

“Our teammates knew. … We were never, like, in the closet, like hiding it. Our people always knew what was going on with us,” Press said.

“It’s kind of this protective bubble,” Heath added. “It was kind of more normal than it sounds.”

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USWNT’s Davidson and Shaw ruled out for Olympic group finale vs. Australia

The duo will both not recover in time from their injuries

The U.S. women’s national team will have to do without Tierna Davidson and Jaedyn Shaw for Wednesday’s Olympic group finale against Australia.

Davidson was forced out of the team’s 4-1 win over Germany on Sunday, coming off in the first half after a knee-to-knee collision with Jule Brand.

The Gotham FC defender was replaced by her club teammate Emily Sonnett, who slotted into central defense alongside Naomi Girma.

On Tuesday, USWNT head coach Emma Hayes told the media Davidson would not recover in time for Wednesday’s match against the Matildas.

“She got a contusion because she got hit in her leg,” Hayes said. “Knee-on-knee situations can create a bit of swelling so that swelling will keep her out of this game.”

Hayes did not indicate who would replace Davidson, but Emily Sams is the only defensive option of the four alternates.

On Wednesday, U.S. Soccer confirmed it would indeed be Sams who replaced Davidson on the gameday squad.

The coach also ruled out Shaw for a third straight match. The San Diego Wave star suffered a “leg injury” in training the day before the team’s Olympic opener against Zambia.

The 19-year-old was replaced on the gameday squad by alternate Croix Bethune, who has yet to see any playing time at the Olympics.

The USWNT has already clinched a berth in the knockout stage with consecutive wins over Zambia and Germany, and can lock up first place in Group B with a win or draw against Australia.

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USWNT 2024 schedule: Results, fixtures, TV channel and streaming

All of the USWNT’s fixtures in 2024, including the Olympics and W Gold Cup

The U.S. women’s national team is looking at a busy 2024.

Two significant tournaments await. The first-ever Concacaf W Gold Cup will come up quickly in February and March, while the 2024 Summer Olympics will be the biggest priority.

New USWNT head coach Emma Hayes will join up in time for a pre-Olympics FIFA window, a short run-up before leading the team to Paris in pursuit of an improved showing after a disappointing 2023 World Cup.

Between those two events, the USWNT will face a revamped SheBelieves Cup in April, while there are multiple friendly windows after the Olympics finish up.

Here is a list of all of the USWNT’s fixtures for 2024.

USWNT to face England at Wembley in November

The USWNT will return to Wembley after losing to England in a 2022 friendly

The U.S. women’s national team is heading back to Wembley Stadium.

U.S. Soccer has announced that the USWNT will face England in a friendly at the famed venue on November 30.

The match will kick off at 12:20 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on TNT, Universo, truTV, Max and Peacock.

After England qualified for Euro 2025 this month, the defending champion became available for the November international window due to not having to play in a playoff.

The USWNT will play one more game in Europe after the match against England, with the opponent and venue to be announced soon.

The match at Wembley will see the U.S. return after losing 2-1 to England in a friendly in October 2022. It will also be a homecoming for head coach Emma Hayes, a London native.

The USWNT and England have played 19 times in their history, with just three of those matches taking place in England.

Currently, the U.S. is in France attempting to win Olympic gold, with its final group-stage match set for Wednesday against Australia.

England, which was designated as the team to qualify on behalf of Team GB, did not reach the competition.

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USWNT star Smith warns opponents: This is only 70 percent of what we can do

The USWNT has seven goals in two games, and there is still room for improvement

The U.S. women’s national team has started the Olympics in devastating form, and forward Sophia Smith offered a warning to any future opponents after a 4-1 rout of Germany.

This team hasn’t yet hit its peak.

Smith and her front-line partners Trinity Rodman and Mallory Swanson have been impossible to stop at the Olympics so far, as the U.S. cruised past Zambia 3-0 before putting global power Germany to the sword on Sunday.

The trio has combined for six goals and three assists at the Olympics, with the USWNT already clinching a spot in the quarterfinal ahead of Wednesday’s group-stage finale against Australia.

Speaking to reporters after Sunday’s game against Germany, Smith insisted that her side still had another level to reach.

“This is probably only game six or seven of us playing up front together,” Smith said in quotes on The Athletic.

“We’re clicking really well, really fast. I think this is only like 70 percent of what we can do.”

The USWNT’s front three had only started one time together before pre-Olympics friendlies this month, but have already formed a partnership that is borderline unstoppable.

With Smith as a nominal No. 9 and Swanson and Rodman to either side, the trio interchange liberally and cause fits for defenders who have to account for their constant movement and overloads.

The team’s attack stands in sharp contrast to last summer’s World Cup, when the U.S. beat Vietnam 3-0 to kick off the tournament and then proceeded to score just one more goal in its final three games en route to a last-16 exit.

This time around, the U.S. has already netted seven times in two games — and there appears to be much more to come.

“We have a lot of really special players and we’re finally starting to connect,” midfielder Rose Lavelle said. “But we know we still have another level in us.”

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USWNT defender Davidson comes off with injury vs. Germany

The defender’s injury could potentially be a major blow for the USWNT’s Olympic hopes

The U.S. women’s national team suffered a potentially major loss against Germany on Sunday, as defender Tierna Davidson left the Olympics match just before halftime with an injury.

Davidson was involved in a 40th-minute collision with Germany’s Jule Brand, who clattered into the center back and made what appeared to be knee-to-knee contact.

The USWNT bench quickly got Emily Sonnett up and ready as soon as it became clear Davidson would not continue.

On the USA Network broadcast, announcer Jon Champion quoted a USWNT press officer as saying Davidson has suffered a “lower leg” injury.

The Gotham FC defender limped off and was replaced by her club teammate Sonnett in the 44th minute, just before the U.S. scored to increase its lead to 3-1.

The USWNT would go on to win 4-1, sealing progression to the quarterfinals.

Should Davidson be forced to miss any time, it would be a significant blow to the USWNT’s gold medal hopes. The 25-year-old has formed an effective partnership with Naomi Girma in central defense, regaining her starting role after missing a long period with a torn ACL suffered in 2022.

If head coach Emma Hayes is forced into a roster change, Emily Sams appears to be the clear like-for-like option. The Orlando Pride defender has been named as an alternate and, per a new roster rule, could swap in on a game-by-game basis.

Davidson is not the only injury concern on the USWNT roster, as attacker Jaedyn Shaw missed her second straight game on Sunday with a foot injury.

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USWNT vs. Germany: How to watch Olympics, TV channel, live stream

The U.S. looks to make it two wins from two to start the Paris Games

The U.S. women’s national team looks to make it two wins from two at the Olympics when it faces Germany on Sunday.

The USWNT kicked off the competition with a 3-0 win against Zambia Thursday, scoring three first-half goals and then easing to a win following a first-half red card for Zambia.

A tougher challenge awaits in game two, with Germany looking formidable after opening its Olympics with a 3-0 win over Australia on Thursday.

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The U.S. got some mixed news on the injury front prior to the match, with Sophia Smith ready to go after coming off injured against Zambia. Meahwhile, Jaedyn Shaw will miss her second straight match with a leg injury.

The USWNT is aiming for its first gold medal since 2012, having lost to Sweden in the quarterfinal in 2016 before falling against Canada in the semifinal in 2021.

After this match, the USWNT will close out Group B play on Wednesday against Australia.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the match.

USWNT vs. Germany (Olympic women’s soccer)

  • When: Sunday, July 28
  • Where: Stade de Marseille (Marseille, France)
  • Time: 3 p.m. ET
  • Channel/streaming: USA Network, Telemundo, Peacock (WATCH NOW)

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Summer Olympics: USWNT vs. Germany odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Sunday’s USWNT vs. Germany odds and lines, with expert Olympics soccer picks, predictions and best bets.

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The USWNT (1-0-0) battles Germany (1-0-0) Sunday at Stade de Marseille in Marseille. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. ET (USA Network / Telemundo / Peacock). Below, we preview FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the USWNT vs. Germany odds, and make our expert Summer Olympic picks and predictions.

The USWNT has had a dominant 2024, having won the SheBelieves Cup and the Concacaf Gold Cup. The USWNT won the former tournament with a 1-0 victory over Brazil March 10. It then won the SheBelieves Cup in a 2-2 (5-4 penalty kicks) victory vs. Canada April 9. It beat Zambia 3-0 in its opening group stage match of these Olympics Thursday and will cap off its first 3 games in the Olympics by taking on Australia Wednesday.

Germany had a decisive win as well, taking down Australia 3-0 Thursday in its opener. It has played well so far in 2024, winning 5 of its last 6 games, all Euro qualification matches. The Germans went 1-1-1 in the 2023 Women’s World Cup, missing the knockout stage cut. F Alexandra Popp, who is 33 years old, is Germany’s most dynamic player, having netted 67 goals in 140 caps, both the most on the roster.

World class soccer coverage all in one place: Get ESPN+

USWNT vs. Germany odds

Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday at 7:15 p.m. ET.

  • Moneyline: USWNT +110 (bet $100 to win $110) | Germany +240 (bet $100 to win $240) | Draw +240
  • Over/Under: 2.5 (O: -112 | U: -121)

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USWNT vs. Germany picks and predictions

Prediction

USWNT 1, Germany  1

Moneyline (ML)

BET DRAW (+240).

Simply put, the USWNT hasn’t been as dominant in international soccer over the last few years despite success so far this year. While it has arguably the most talented roster, it is inexperienced, not having a single defender with 100 or more caps.

The USWNT drew 2 of 3 group stage matches in the 2023 World Cup and also drew its knockout stage match in that event. In Germany, Team USA will be facing the No. 4-ranked team in the world, per the FIFA rankings — the USWNT sits 5th.

Germany is an experienced side with many of its players competing in the Bundesliga. While it has had success as of late and beat up on Australia, it did go just 1-0-1 in its 2 matches earlier in the month, beating Austria 4-0 and losing to Iceland 3-0. Germany will have more experience and less talent. It should be able to keep pace with a young USWNT.

Take DRAW (+230).

Over/Under (O/U)

BET UNDER 2.5 (-121).

Both teams have strong defenses, allowing 0 goals in each team’s opening match.

The USWNT allowed just 1 goal through 4 matches in the 2023 Women’s World Cup, scoring just 1 per game as well. Germany has allowed 0 or 1 goal in 5 of its last 6 matches.

The USWNT has had a clean sheet in 5 straight matches and has scored just 4 goals in its last 3. With those trends in mind, UBACK UNDER 2.5 (-121).

Check out Pro Soccer Wire: For the American soccer fan, USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s website provides a fresh look at the beautiful game.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

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More USA TODAY Summer Olympics coverage:
News | Medal count | Meet Team USA

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