There are no expectations that the winner of Tuesday’s United States-Germany semifinal will cruise to the FIFA Women’s World Cup title this weekend, but there’s no doubt this is the most anticipated match of the tournament.
Germany entered the World Cup atop FIFA’s world rankings, with the U.S. at No. 2. It was the first time the Americans had ever entered a Women’s World Cup as anything but the top-ranked team in the world. The fact that they ended up in the same side of the bracket and are meeting now instead of in the finals is unfortunate, but it should make for quite a show Tuesday at the old home of the Montreal Expos.
What, Where, When:
Semifinal game at Olympic Stadium, Montreal
Tuesday, June 30, 7 p.m. ET, Fox
Different approaches: Germany’s attack has been prolific in the tournament, scoring 20 goals in five matches. Of course, 10 of them came in the opening game against Ivory Coast, but Germany dropped four goals on Sweden in the round of 16 just days after the Swedes held the Americans to a 0-0 draw. Celia Sasic (six goals) and Anja Mittag (five) are Germany’s top scorers, but nine different players have found the back of the net.
On the other side, the U.S. has been the best defensive team in the tournament, holding opponents scoreless since an Australia goal 27 minutes into the opener. America has only managed only seven goals of their own across five games, which remains a concern, but this could very well be a classic great offense vs. great defense matchup.
Back at full strength: The U.S. survived its quarterfinal against China without the services of midfielders Megan Rapinoe and Lauren Holiday, who watched from the stands while serving yellow-card suspensions. Both will presumably be back in the lineup against Germany and U.S. coach Jill Ellis can only hope that the extra minutes played Friday by the likes of Morgan Brian, Amy Rodriguez, Kelley O’Hara and Christen Press pay off in one of the last two matches of the tournament.
Combination game: The lineup shuffling hasn’t helped, but the Americans have had difficulty generating a sustained attack no matter who has been on the field through the first three weeks of play. The China match saw Abby Wambach start on the bench and come on for an 86th-minute cameo, which should leave the world’s all-time leading scorer well-rested for the semifinal. The question remains whether she and Alex Morgan can rekindle their form of four years ago up top. If nothing else, having the dangerous Rapinoe back in the mix will provide a boost, and Carli Lloyd should be playing with confidence after scoring in each of the last two matches.
Golden girl: Julie Johnston already has cemented herself as the out-of-nowhere sensation of the tournament for the U.S., and she might just end up taking home some serious hardware on Sunday. Should the U.S. win the title, Johnston would have to be in contention for the Golden Ball award, which is given to the outstanding player of the tournament. The U.S. hasn’t had a Golden Ball winner since Carin Jennings took the honors for the first Women’s World Cup in 1991, though Abby Wambach and Hope Solo collected the Silver and Bronze balls behind Japan’s Homare Sawa in 2011. Whatever happens on the award front, Johnston has been a revelation in her work in the U.S. central defense while also playing a valuable role at the other end of the field. She’s a constant threat near the goal on set pieces and delivered a gorgeous ball that Lloyd headed home for the only goal against China.
Up next: The winner faces the winner of Wednesday’s Japan-England semifinal for the title on Sunday in Vancouver. The loser meets the Japan-England loser in the third-place match Saturday
Via- Marc Lancaster, Perform Media