Games in both France and England this weekend meant plenty to pay attention to for USWNT fans.
Goalscoring form continues for Morgan
After finally bagging her first goals in France last weekend with a hattrick against Rodez, Alex Morgan was at it again as Lyon travelled to Albi for a league game. Morgan didn’t start the game but entered as a substitute at half-time, and scored two goals in as many minutes just before the hour mark. Both her goals were assisted by Germany’s Dzsenifer Marozsan. This brace means Morgan has now scored five in the last two games - a good return after a slow start to her season.
FA Cup victories for all
Three Americans were involved in FA Cup action in England this weekend and they all picked up wins, albeit in very different circumstances.
The action kicked off on Saturday, when Carli Lloyd debuted for Manchester City. She playing the full 90 minutes in left-centre midfield, while City struggled to find the net against a defensive Reading side - but a late goal from England’s Lucy Bronze off a free kick stole the win.
Arsenal drubbed third-tier Tottenham Hotspur 10-0 in Sunday’s North London derby. After strong showings in preseason Heather O’Reilly played the full match, and provided an assist to a headed goal from Netherlands international Dominique Janssen.
Although both Lloyd and O’Reilly put in strong performances, the only American to score in the FA Cup this weekend was Chelsea’s Crystal Dunn, playing against Doncaster Rovers Belles. Having scored once in preseason (in a match against Women’s Champions League quarter-finalists Fortuna Hjorring), Dunn started as centre forward. She opened the scoring in the first-half, firing in from close-range after a corner chance was saved. She went on to provide two assists for South Korean star Ji So-yun, before being taken off with 20 minutes remaining.
The draw for the quarter-final of the FA Cup is tomorrow (March 20) and will be played this coming weekend (March 26), and there is a decent chance that two of these Americans could face off.