Vlatko wins his first game!
That's the final whistle. The USA outlasts Sweden to get a first win in the Andonovski era.
USA 3, Sweden 2
90+1' USA corner kick as Sullivan wastes time.
84' Lloyd called offside as Pugh tries to play her through.
SHE MISSES!
81' Carli Lloyd skies the ball over the net, missing her PK. Too much field goal practicing, I guess.
PENALTY GIVEN!
81' Jakobsson takes down Casey Short in the box for a PK.
Another Sweden GOALLLLL!
79' Casey Short gets caught too far up, Sauerbrunn decides not to clear the ball, and Naeher can't make up the ground. Jacobsson pokes the ball center to Anvegard who gets her second on the night.
77' Carli Lloyd draws a foul at midfield.
Sweden GOALLLLL!
75' Anvergard takes a shot from a crowded center of the box. The assist goes to Bjorn.
USA 3-1 SWE
74' The ensuing kick is blocked out for another corner.
73' Sweden wins a corner kick.
Sweden Substitutions
72'
Anvegard in for Blackstenius.
Karlernas in for Kullberg.
70' Pugh's cross is blocked out for a corner kick on the left side.
66' Lynn Williams takes a close-range shot, but her attempt is blocked out for a corner kick.
Sweden Substitution
64' Bennison comes in for Zigiotti Olme. The 17-year-old substitute is generating a lot of excitement in Sweden. Kullashi also comes in for Asslani.
63' Short wins a corner on the right side. Eventually these will bite Sweden in the butt.
62' Casey Short wins another corner kick.
USA Substitutions
61' Tobin Heath makes way for Mallory Pugh. It's a like-for-like swap. Also, Lavelle comes out for Sam Mewis.
61' Rose Lavelle shoots right at Lindahl from the top of the box.
59' Foul is called against Sweden when Heath is pulled down in her defensive goal box.
59' Sonnett sends a cross in, but it's headed out for another USA corner kick.
57' Lynn Williams slips the ball in to Heath, but her shot is blocked.
56' Lavelle takes a ball over the top and shoots near post, but her shot is deflected out of bounds by Lindahl.
55' Heath gets fouled in the defensive half.
53' Lavelle win's the first USA corner of the second half.
52' Andi Sullivan takes a shot from 25 yards out, but it misses wide right.
51' Horan takes a shot after Lavelle beats five defenders to find her. The shot is easily saved.
48' Becky Sauerbrunn misplays the ball and gives up a corner kick to Sweden.
And we're back!
The second half is underway.
Halftime Subs
USA Substitutes: Lynn Williams in for Christen Press, and Andi Sullivan in for Julie Ertz
Halftime: USA 3, Sweden 0
A dominant opening half for Andonovski's side. Lloyd gets a brace and an assist in the effort.
44' Julie Ertz takes a really hard foul and Zigiotti Olme gets a yellow card for her challenge.
44' Horan heads the ball right into Lindahl's gut
43' Lloyd gets fouled in the attacking third.
43' Julie Ertz gets fouled on the USA side of midfield.
40' Sonnett fouls Hurtig at midfield.
36' Lindsay Horan is booked for a hard foul against Asslani.
And just like that, 3-0
31' Carli Lloyd gets the brace ash she chips the Swedish goalkeeper, Lindahl. This all came from a headed flick from Tobin Heath.
USA 3-0 SWE
Press scores!!!
Second goal for the USA comes in the 28th minute as Press collects a pass from Lloyd, beats three Swedish defenders, and bounces the ball off the goalkeeper and into the net.
USA 2 - 0 SWE
26' Asslani fouls Heath in the USA defensive third.
23' Short commits a foul in the box as she goes for a ball in the air.
22' Lavelle is fouled by Hurtig in the attacking third.
21' Horan concedes another Swedish corner as she tracks back on defense.
19' Short concedes a corner to Sweden's Glas.
17' Sonnett takes down Hurtig in a professional foul, but she avoids the booking for now.
14' Dangerous opportunity for Sweden as Blackstenius crosses the ball in and Sonnett nearly heads in an own goal.
11' Naeher makes a routine save against the first Swedish shot on goal.
9' A third USA corner kick is won by Casey Short. Tobin Heath takes the kick and Lloyd heads the ball on target, but it's right at the keeper.
USA GOALLLLLL!
6' Carli Lloyd takes a shot from the center of the box, assisted by Christen Press.
USA 1 - 0 Sweden
3' Lavelle commits a foul. Sweden free kick in their defensive half.
3' Rose Lavelle wins the second USA corner, but the short chip is cleared away.
Opening Whistle!
The new era of USWNT soccer is underway!
Sweden's Starting Lineup
Sweden Starting XI: Lindahl; Glas, Kullberg, Eriksson, Andersson; Zigiotti Olme, Asslani, Jacobsson; Blackstenius, Hurtig
USWNStarting Lineup
Here's newly appointed head coach Vlatko Andonovski's first starting roster:
Naeher; Short, Sauerbrunn, Dahlkemper, Sonnett; Horan, Ertz, Lavelle; Press, Lloyd, Heath
Welcome back to VAVEL's coverage of the USWNT vs Sweden international friendly soccer match. My name is Aaron Bellamy and I'll be your host for this match.
Do not miss a detail of the match with the with VAVEL. Follow along with us all the details, commentaries, analysis and rosters for this USWNT vs Sweden international friendly match.
How to watch USWNT vs Sweden Live TV and Stream
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USWNT: Last roster
Alyssa Naeher; Casey Short (Jessica McDonald, 82 min.), Becky Sauerbrunn, Julie Ertz (Allie Long, 59 min.), Carli Lloyd (capt.), Tierna Davidson, Megan Rapinoe (Mallory Pugh, 46 min.), Rose Lavelle (Morgan Brian, 46 min.), Tobin Heath (Andi Sullivan, 59 min.), Crystal Dunn (Abby Dahlkemper, 46 min.), Christen Press
Sweden WNT: Last Lineup
Lindahl; Sembrant, Andersson, Ericsson, Glas; Björn, Asllani, Jakobsson, Janogy; Lina Hurtig, Zigiotti-Olme
USWNT: Team news
Outside of the injuries and new players mentioned below, this is the second to last game of the calendar year for the USWNT. They will play one game against Costa Rica on Sunday, November 11th before taking the rest of the year off. When 2020 rolls around, CONCACAF will be hosting its 2020 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in the USA during January and February. These two games are the only real opportunity for Andonovski to evaluate his players before that major tournament.
Sweden: Team news
The biggest news out of Sweden also comes from the World Cup. After coming in on a streak of disappointing performances, Sweden shocked the world by finishing 3rd in the tournament. Their only loss came in the Group Stage against the United Stage. That performance has boosted the team to fifth in the world according to FIFA's rankings, and it guarantees them a spot at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics ahead of powerhouses like Germany and France.
In the meantime, Sweden is working on qualifying for the 2021 UEFA Women's Euro. They are currently first in their group with 3 wins and 0 losses.
Sweden: The perennial rival
Three and a half years ago, back in the summer of 2016, the United States was flying high off of their 2015 Women's World Cup title. As the team flew off to Rio for the 2016 Summer Olympics, everyone expected a repeat championship from the team.
Instead, the USWNT was held to a 2-2 draw against a stubborn Swedish squad, and they were eventually knocked out of the tournament on penalty kicks. It was the first time that the United States had missed a semifinal match in any major knockout tournament. Since that day, Sweden has been the fiercest rival for USA fans.
New blood in the pool
After months of high-pressure game, some of the brightest stars on the USWNT are taking a break due to injury and personal reasons for these friendlies. Notably, Crystal Dunn, Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, and Kelley O'Hara are all unavailable for various reasons.
In their place, Andonovski has called up seven new players. Those new players are Alana Cook (D-Paris Saint-Germain), Casey Short (D-Chicago Red Stars), Imani Dorsey (D-Sky Blue FC), Midge Purce (F-Portland Thorns FC), Andi Sullivan (M-Washington Spirit), Lynn Williams (F-North Carolina Courage), and Aubrey Bledsoe (GK-Washington Spirit).
A new head coach begins his journey
The main storyline in this match is about new USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski and how he will change the team's composition and tactics after former head coach Jill Ellis won back-to-back World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019. Andonovski is a widely popular coach in the National Women's Soccer League, and he coached FC Kansas City to two league championships. He took over as the coach for Reign FC after FCKC folded and helped the team overcome significant injury issues to make the playoffs in both seasons.
Now all eyes are on the new coach as the world waits to see how he does in the new role.
Kick-ff time
The USWNT vs Sweden match will be played at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
The kick-off is scheduled for 7:30 pm ET.
Welcome to VAVEL.com's coverage of the 2019 international friendly match between the United States Women's National Team and Sweden Women's National Team.
My name is Aaron Bellamy and I'll be your host for this game. We will provide you with all the information on VAVEL.