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USWNT vs. Germany score, takeaways: Americans continue rough run of form, lose third straight friendly

The United States women's national team lost 2-1 to Germany on Thursday night. The two teams kicked off a two-game series at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to close out the calendar year. The loss is the USWNT's third consecutive and caps its worst run of losses since 1993. There were quality opportunities for both teams during the first 45 minutes, but the breakthrough on goal did not occur till the second half. Megan Rapinoe scored the lone goal for the United States, while Klara Bühl forced an own goal and Paulina Krumbiegel recorded the game-winner for Germany.

A manageable game turned into another loss

The USWNT were under early pressure from Germany in the opening 15 minutes of the match before regaining momentum. Alana Cook and Naomi Girma were tasked as the center-back duo, their fifth time anchoring the backline together with Casey Murphy in goal. The trio was able to help the defense maintain its shape as the USWNT front six attempted to regain control of the game. 

Mallory Pugh, Alex Morgan, and Sophia Smith were in charge of generating an attack, but they were unable to capitalzie on their time in the final third together. The final pass and touch were missing at times, perhaps due to a lack of matches as Pugh has played just one club game over the past month. 

Rose Lavelle was also a bright spot in the first 45 minutes with a stellar end-line play that led to a shot off the post just past the half-hour mark. The attempt was one of two on target for the team before halftime.

Momentum turned into chasing a game

There were no substitutions from USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski for the second half. The team continued to generate set-piece opportunities but failed to convert or recycle the set pieces. Horan was a frequent target on corners and nearly pulled off a bicycle kick inside the box, but the shot hit the post.

Failure to retain the ball after Horan's attempt led to a quick transition for Germany the opposite way. Murphy made a stop on the initial shot, but a second attempt by Buhl beat Murphy as the ball nicked the goalpost and hit off Murphy's back into the goal.

The game was mostly even in possession during the first half, with the U.S. leading in total shot attempts. But conceded early in the second half, which changed the tempo of the game for the team as the outside backs continued to struggle against Germany's solid marking. Rapinoe, Ashley Sanchez, and Trinity Rodman brought a spark off the bench for the Americans and an eventual equalizer. A good counterpress from Sanchez and Morgan led to a turnover for the team's lone tally. 

Is it time to hit the panic button?

Not quite, though there is cause for worry. Eight months are remaining for the team in the lead-up to the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, and it is outright uncharacteristic for this program to have a three-game losing streak at this point in its history.

The mental game of the USWNT has long been the catalyst for game-changing moments. The late-game equalizer crafted by team veterans Morgan and Rapinoe is not earth-shattering information for the coaching staff; it's why they were called into these camps. But the lapses in judgment loom larger against competition among the top 10 ranked teams in the world where the margins for error are already so slim. It was why Germany's game-winner was particularly disappointing -- a heads-up play in a late-game scenario by 20-year-old midfielder Lena Oberdorf, who quickly played a free kick. 

What's next

The USWNT will close out their two-game series against Germany on Sunday at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ. The match will be the final game for the team in 2022 before they reunite in New Zealand for January camps. 

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Live updates
 
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USWNT Starting Lineup

USWNT Starting XI 18-Casey Murphy; 3-Alana Cook, 8-Sofia Huerta, 9-Mallory Pugh, 10-Lindsey Horan (Capt.), 11-Sophia Smith, 12-Naomi Girma, 13-Alex Morgan, 16-Rose Lavelle, 17-Andi Sullivan, 23-Emily Fox

Available Subs: 1-Alyssa Naeher, 2-Ashley Sanchez, 4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 5-Hailie Mace, 6-Trinity Rodman, 7-Ashley Hatch, 14-Sam Coffey, 15-Megan Rapinoe, 19-Crystal Dunn, 20-Taylor Kornieck, 21-Adrianna Franch, 22-Kristie Mewis

Not dressing: Alyssa Thompson

 
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@USWNT via Twitter
 

Starting XI's have dropped

Casey Murphy getting the start in net over Alyssa Naeher and Adrianna Franch, with Alana Cook and Naomi Girma as the centerback duo in front of her. A slight shift from the teams' trip to Europe where Cook nd Girma fot the start in front of Naeher in the 2-1 loss against England. 

Offensively we get to see the retrun of head coach Vlatko Andonovski's current preffered front line of Sophia Smith, Alex Morgan, and Mallory Pugh. Morgan and Pugh return to the lineup after previously missing the pair of European friendlies last month. 

 

Germany Starting Lineup

Germany Starting XI: 1- Merle Frohms, 4-Sophia Kleinherne, 8-Maximiliane Rall, 10-Laura Freigang, 11-Alexandra Popp. 14- Lena Lattwein, 17-Felicitas Rauch, 19-Klara Bühl, 20-Lina Magull, 23- Sara Doorsoun, 24-Sjoeke Nüsken

Available Subs:  12-Almuth Schult; 30-Ann-Katrin Berger; 2-Carolin Simon; 3-Kathrin Hendrich; 5-Jana Feldkamp; 6-Lena Oberdorf; 9-Svenja Huth; 16-Linda Dallmann; 22-Jule Brand; 25-Nicole Anyomi; 26-Chantal Hagel; 27-Paulina Krumbiegel

  
 
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Storylines: Germany

Led by head coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, the 2022 UEFA Euro runners-up are considered a deep threat to the USWNT in the midfield where there have been some lingering issues with the middle third unable to connect with the front line. The struggles could be an opportunity for the Germans who have been strong in the middle third with talents like Lena Oberdorf and Lina Magull among others. Klara Buhl and Jule Brand are wingers who can make things difficult for the USWNT out wide.

All but two players called in for the matches play their club soccer in Germany in the Frauen-Bundesliga. Nine players compete for reigning league champions VfL Wolfsburg, with an additional five players each from Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayern Munich. The only players currently playing their club soccer outside of Germany are goalkeepers Almuth Schult, who joined Angel City FC in NWSL after the Euro, and Ann-Katrin Berger, who players for reigning WSL champions Chelsea in England.

 

Storylines: USWNT

Andonovski and the team will close out their 2022 against a massive opponent in Germany. The 24-player roster is another familiar group of players that featured in the Concacaf W Championship. However, the final matches of the year likely symbolize a final opportunity for players to leave an impression on the coaching staff. The team is currently on a two-game losing streak after dropping results in Europe against England and Spain.

Alex Morgan and Taylor Kornieck are back in camps following injury from the European tour last month, and Mallory Pugh also returns after a family commitment. Several players who competed in the NWSL Championship final are also available for selection, including Kansas City Currentgoalkeeper A.D. Franch, and defender Hailie Mace, Portland Thorns defensive midfielder Sam Coffey, center back Becky Sauerbrunn, and NWSL MVP and 2022 final MVP Sophia Smith.

With the recent announcement of a future January camp to be held in New Zealand, co-host of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, players will need to show enough against Germany to be considered essential players as 2023 approaches. The Concacaf W Championship roster was largely impacted by injuries and players out on maternity leave. Current player inclusion may see a shift as players out rehabbing injuries will eventually be rotated back in.

"I've said this, before that we are moving in the right direction, but for unfortunate reasons like injuries, there were setbacks there. Now, with some of the players coming back, I know that some things will be fixed. But then as we're moving forward, we're gonna have few more players back and the model or our game model is going to evolve organically," Andovnoski said in pregame comments.

The games could big opportunity for the coaching staff to try and have players capitalize on a transitional game with great attacking players in Smith, Pugh, and Trinity Rodman available. We will find out quickly if the matches against Germany will have a heavier emphasis on lingering evaluations or tactical analysis ahead of the January camps. The answer is likely a mix of both, as Andonovski and the coaching staff looked for different challenges in each opponent this year.

"There's certain things that we're gonna have to improve regardless of who's on the field, or who is healthy or not within the roster. And that's why we're playing these tough games, so we can dig even deeper and find out every little thing that we need to fix so before the World Cup."

 

Tropical Storms in Florida

After some tropical storm warnings that elevated to some hurricane warnings in the area, tropical storm Nicole passed through and left heavy rains and some flooding. U.S. Soccer had previously monitored the situation, and the game will progress as scheduled. 

 

Listen to a USWNT preview with Attacking Third

 

Viewing information

Here's how you can watch tonight's match between USWNT and Germany:

  • Date: Thursday, November 10 
  • Time: 7 p.m. ET
  • Location: DRV PNK Stadium -- Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
  • TV: Fox Sports 1
  • Live stream: fuboTV (try for free)
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