With scintillating Wembley affair, England and USWNT put focus back on the field

The two teams lived up to the occasion amid a tumultuous backdrop

Ahead of such a big game, England and the U.S. women’s national team would have never dreamed they’d be talking so much about off-field matters.

But four days before kickoff the Yates report was released, upending every pre-game narrative while shaking the world of women’s soccer to its core.

Suddenly, the spotlight was no longer on the huge crowd that would pack Wembley to see the world champions face the European champions. It was no longer on another affirmation of the growth of the women’s game.

It was, once again, about the ugly side of women’s soccer that has bubbled under the surface for so long and recently begun to surface.

But in a scintillating affair at Wembley on Friday, the USWNT and England made sure that, for two hours at least, the focus returned to the field.

England defeated the USWNT 2-1, continuing a stellar 2022 for the Lionesses that has already seen them take home Euro 2022 on home soil.

The U.S. and England acknowledged the turmoil and trauma before the game, but then it was down to business. Both teams were up for it.

England opened the scoring in the 10th minute, showing its ability to break through a suffocating U.S. press. Lauren Hemp and Beth Mead, two of the team’s stars from Euro 2022, combined for the goal, with the former finishing after a mistaken clearance from Alana Cook.

Then it was two of the USWNT’s young stars taking over, as Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman showed why they’ll likely be leading the line for their country for the next decade.

Smith leveled the game after Lindsey Horan forced a turnover high up the pitch and, after Georgia Stanway gave England the lead back from the spot, Rodman finished a fantastic American build-up that was only negated by Smith being called offside by an inch.

The second half didn’t see any more goals, but both teams showed throughout why this could have been a preview of the World Cup final next summer — and maybe even the 2027 final as well.

Several of England’s stars, including the sensational Keira Walsh, are in their early or mid-20s. The USWNT is undergoing a generational shift, but Naomi Girma continues to show she’s more than ready to take over at central defense, while 17-year-old Alyssa Thompson earned her first cap late on in another nod to the future.

There will be plenty more fallout from the Yates report but on Friday, the USWNT and England reminded us why the games matter, and why women’s soccer will continue on an upward trajectory.

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