The United States Women’s National Team takes on Portugal for the second game of the Victory Tour coming off their fourth World Cup win. Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field will host the two teams in front of more than 44,000 fans, breaking the record for the largest stand-alone friendly game crowd in USWNT history. Kickoff is set for 7 pm EST and will air on FS1. The USWNT has met Portugal seven times previously, most meetings taking place in the Algarve Cup. The Algarve Cup is an annual tournament hosted in the spring in the Algarve region of Portugal for the past 25 years. The USWNT has won all seven previous meetings, most recently in November 2018.
Portugal Preview
Portugal is currently ranked 30th in the world and did not qualify for the World Cup in 2019. Portugal’s best showing on the world stage was during the 2017 Euro’s when they won one game in the group stage. Portugal is currently looking ahead to the 2021 Euros which they start qualifying for in October. In 2019 Portugal has a 4-1-2 record, with its most notable result beating third-place World Cup finisher Sweden at the Algarve Cup. Portugal will face the World Cup winners once in Philadelphia then a few days later at Allianz Field in St. Paul Minnesota.
Jéssica Silva, the 24-year-old forward, has recently made the move from Spanish club Levante to powerhouse club Olympic Lyon. Silva made her debut with the Portuguese Women’s National Team in 2011 at only age 16. Her contract with Lyon signed in June is for two years.
Roster Additions and Injuries
The USWNT has brought in Casey Short and Kristen Hamilton to fill in for injured World Cup players. Tierna Davidson, Alyssa Naeher, Morgan Brian, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Kelley O’Hara, Allie Long, and Rose Lavelle are all dealing with injuries. Short is a right back for the Chicago Red Stars, most likely filling in for O’Hara. Hamilton, 27, forward for the North Carolina Courage was named to the U-23 squad ahead of the Nordic Tournament as an overage player.