USA vs. Australia, 2021 friendly: What to watch for

The United States Women’s National Team are back in action tomorrow morning when they take on Australia at the McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle. The USWNT throttled the Matildas 3-0 just a couple days ago behind goals from Ashley Hatch, Rose Lavelle, and Lindsey Horan. They will look to continue their dominance against an Aussie side that has always played tough but looked out of sorts in Sydney.

What To Watch For

Continue the midfield dominance. The midfield of Andi Sullivan, Lindsey Horan, and Rose Lavelle really controlled the match last weekend in Sydney, and head coach Vlatko Andonovski will want the same from his midfield tomorrow.

The kids are alright. The youth that was displayed in Sydney really showed well, and we saw some players get some great experience against quality competition. Fans should hope to see more from the younger players. Catarina Macario and Sophia Smith, who did not dress the other night due to groin issues and concussion protocol, respectively, are out again tomorrow, but let’s see if Andonovski starts some more of the youth to see what they can do.

Let Midge cook. Watching the match the other night, there were times where people could argue without hesitation that Midge Purce was the best player on the field. Because she was. Having her up front on the wing with all the space in the world is a dream scenario for the USWNT. She’ll create at least 1 goal (if she doesn’t score it herself), so the offense should be set up to give her as much space as possible to operate.

Prediction

Fans should expect another dominant performance from the USWNT, though the Matildas will also get on the board. The USWNT wins this 3-1.