USA vs. England: 2019 Women’s World Cup: What to watch for

The United States Women’s National Team have made it to the 2019 Women’s World Cup semifinals, and they’re hoping to book a place in the final Sunday in Lyon. In their way stands England, a team that has reached consecutive semifinals and have worked their way into being one of the best teams in the world. They’ve made the English countryside believe that maybe they have a chance to bring home a World Cup title. However, the USWNT has come off a victory against arguably the best team in the tournament, defeating the host nation France in Paris last Friday. What should we watch for in the match tomorrow?

Will Lindsey Horan start? Lindsey Horan has not started the past couple matches because of fear that she picks up a second yellow card in the tournament and is forced to sit out a match. That fear is now over, as yellow cards reset after the quarterfinals. Will Jill Ellis give her the keys to roam the midfield again? If so, it’s a major advantage for the Americans.

What will Megan Rapinoe do for an encore? Megan Rapinoe has dominated the press over the past few days, with her brace against Spain and then once again against France, with a thought on a possible trip to the White House sandwiched in the middle. She has scored 4 straight goals for the USWNT, and it’s hard not to imagine that she won’t once again rise to the challenge against the Lionesses. Can she score once again, and can her play on the flank really help boost the opportunities for others?

The defense needs to have its best performance yet. The English offense has been stellar the past few matches, and they’ve looked impressive against some tough competition. Still, they’re going up against the defending champions, and the USWNT had what was its best defensive performance to date against France. The defense will need to step it up even more to frustrate the Lionesses and keep the ball moving forward to the midfielders and forwards who can make England pay. Will the USWNT step up and play a team brand of defense that will keep England out of the back of the net?

Tomorrow will be a great one. Hit the comments to let us know what you think we should watch for in the big semifinal.