It’s time. The France vs. USA World Cup game.
I’m sitting here writing this, an “h” in my name and a croissant in my mouth sincerely wondering if the French will actually beat the USWNT, the team billed as the best and the likely tournament champions. Traitorous thoughts.
We’ve been here before. Back in January, the French bested the U.S. during a friendly match:
Admittedly, that U.S. team was missing some pivotal players during that game. Still, the French are a stacked powerhouse. Notably, they have the tallest woman in the Cup, like Wendie Renard (6’2″), whose head seems to magnetically connect with the ball on every corner-kick and set play. The French have been tested this tournament, barely scoring the winning goal in extra time during their round 16 match against Brazil. They’re also prone to mistakes if that own-goal mishap against Norway in the group stage is any indication.
The U.S. was thought to be infallible. But their lackluster performance against Spain on Monday shook my confidence. Hopefully, it didn’t shake theirs.
Speaking of confidence-shakers, team captain and star forward Megan Rapinoe has been directly targeted by Donald Trump’s ire (via Twitter, of course) for comments she made about how she would refuse to go to the White House if invited (she threw the word “fucking” into the mix for some color).
“I’m not going to the fucking White House.” – @mPinoe pic.twitter.com/sz1ADG2WdT
— Eight by Eight (@8by8mag) June 25, 2019
Scrutiny on the team feels like it’s never been higher.
“What people tend to not realize is the U.S. team lives in pressure,” United States Coach Jill Ellis said at a press conference. “When you’re young and you come into this program, there’s always a target on your back. So it’s almost a place where we live regularly.”
It’s anyone’s game. If I had to put money on it I would—hold on, let me knock on wood—say that the U.S. will win this game. But it’ll be a fight if the first knockout round games are anything to go by. In order to squeak out a win, we’ll need striker Alex Morgan to show up this game (she was definitely on the field last time but did she do anything??? Great question) and the defense to stay disciplined.
The game starts at 12 p.m. PDT. I’ll be watching at Reinhaus in Capitol Hill, where Reign FC is hosting a watch party. See you on the other side.
