The USWNT will continue their play in Europe as they travel to Norway. This past Thursday they faced Sweden and saw a 1-0 victory as midfielder Rose Lavelle scored in the second half with an assist from Crystal Dunn. The match will take place at Komplett Arena in Sandefjord and will be aired on FOX at 1p.m. ET.
Norway History
The U.S. and Norway have met many times on the pitch since 1987. This match will mark the 50th time that the two teams have faced each other. Norway has had 19 victories against the U.S within the past 17 years and currently stands in 11th place according to FIFA rankings.
The most recent match against these two competitive countries last took place at the 2015 Algarve Cup, where the two teams reunited for the opening match of the tournament in which Norway took a 1-0 lead. In the first half, midfielder Carli Lloyd pulled through and scored two goals to complete the win for the U.S.
U.S. veterans being ruled out, player injuries take their toll
Out of the numerous meetings with these teams, only three have been played in Norway. The first two matches these players took part in resulted in a 1-1 tie and the last was a 2-0 loss for the U.S. Norway will have the advantage as they are the hosts and that may even be motivation for them to dominate the proceedings.
These games took place in 2008 and since then, much has changed with the U.S. roster and coaching staff. Lloyd stands as the only U.S. player who made an appearance in these matches.
Head coach Jill Ellis has made plenty of changes to her roster by bringing in many players from the NWSL to join the squad. Defenders Emily Sonnett and Ali Krieger were not listed on the roster to hold down the backline, while goalkeeper Abby Smith of the Boston Breakers earned her first call up as Ashlyn Harris is still recovering from her injury.
Last week, it was announced that forward Lynn Williams of the North Carolina Courage would replace Alex Morgan. Morgan was ruled out due to a left hamstring injury which took place early on in the UEFA Women’s Champions League final.
These roster changes definitely impact the flow of the game and will be revealed through the final score. The several player injuries will also take its toll as proper recovery time is vital to players return.
Since Lloyd is the only player who has personal experience on the field against this team, she has expectations of what to see on the filed. The other 11 players will have to be tentative and ready for whatever may come their way as this match is against an entirely new team.