Mallory Pugh, USWNT Rout New Zealand in 2022 SheBelieves Cup Behind 3 Own Goals
Feb 20, 2022
CARSON, CA - FEBRUARY 20: United States players celebrate a second own goal in their favor during a match between New Zealand and United States as part of SheBelieves Cup 2022 at Dignity Health Sports Park on February 20, 2022 in Carson, California. (Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images)
Coming off a draw in its opening game of the 2022 SheBelieves Cup, the United States women's national team had no problems in a 5-0win over New Zealand on Sunday.
New Zealand did everything in its power to make things easy on Team USA. Meikayla Moore scored a hat trick of own goals in the first half, including two in the first six minutes of the game, to put her squad in a hole it couldn't dig out of.
The third own goal came in the 36th minute when Margaret Purce was attempting to pass the ball to Catarina Macario, but Moore got her left foot out to deflect the ball past goalkeeper Erin Nayler.
The Americans didn't score their first goal against Nayler until the 51st minute. Ashley Hatch, who subbed in for Macario to start the second half, used her head on a pass from Sofia Huerta to put the U.S. up 4-0 in the 51st minute.
Mallory Pugh put the cherry on top of the victory with a goal in the 93rd minute. It's her 19th goal in 69 career appearances for the national team. It was also her first goal in international competition since Oct. 3, 2019, against South Korea.
The goals for Hatch and Pugh were two of only four shots on goal for Team USA, though they did finish with 19 shots total.
There was a moment of concern for the United States midway through the second half. Trinity Rodman was limping and had to be helped up in the 62nd minute when Ria Percival clipped her leg.
However, Rodman remained on the pitch until the 82nd minute. The 19-year-old managed to get a shot off in the 71st minute, but her attempt from the left box was blocked.
The USWNT's defense has been fantastic through two games in the tournament. The Americans have allowed a combined 12 shots (two on goal) against the Czech Republic and New Zealand.
Team USA head coach Vlatko Andonovski is using the SheBelieves Cup to evaluate the roster for the future. Stars like Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Tobin Heath, Christen Press and Sam Mewis aren't with the squad.
Rodman, Alana Cook, Sophia Smith and Ashley Sanchez are expected to be the key players for women's soccer in America for years to come. Their performance on this stage is a good first test to see where they are and what they have to work on.
The United States moved into first place in the tournament standings with Sunday's win. It has four total points and a plus-five goal differential through two games.
Iceland (1-0-0) can move ahead of the U.S. with a win over Czech Republic in the second match of the day.
What's Next?
The USWNT will play Iceland in the final game of the SheBelieves Cup on Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
Trinity Rodman Added to USWNT Roster for 2022 SheBelieves Cup
Feb 7, 2022
WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 07: Trinity Rodman #2 of Washington Spirit looks to the crowd as she is subbed out in overtime of the NWSL Quarterfinals match against North Carolina Courage at Audi Field on November 7, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Ira L. Black - Corbis/Getty Images)
Washington Spirit star forward Trinity Rodman has been added to the USWNT roster ahead of the 2022 SheBelieves Cup.
She'll be replacing San Diego Wave FC defender Abby Dahlkemper, who had to withdraw because of a back injury.
It's the first tournament roster Rodman has made for the USWNT, and it will give her the chance to make her first national team appearance. Goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury is the only other uncapped player on a roster that includes household names like Mallory Pugh, Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle, Kristie Mewis, Kelley O'Hara and Becky Sauerbrunn, among others.
Rodman was initially slated to join the team ahead of the tournament as a training player only, but Dahlkemper's injury bumped her up to the active roster. The plan seems to be to ease her into USWNT duties slowly:
The United States will play three games in the tournament, facing the Czech Republic on Feb. 17 (11 p.m. ET on ESPN), New Zealand on Feb. 20 (3 p.m. ET on ABC) and Iceland on Feb. 23 (9 p.m. ET on ESPN).
Rodman, 19, is one of the most exciting young stars in the sport. She was the NWSL's 2021 Rookie of the Year and is the defending Chipotle U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year award winner.
"To see my name alongside the list of amazing players who have won this award in the past is unbelievable," she said in December after winning the latter award. "It’s an honor to receive this award from U.S. Soccer and our amazing fanbase. This year was a journey for me both mentally and physically as I settled into my new life as a professional."
Trinity Rodman is the highest-paid player in NWSL history.
The 19-year-old signed a four-year, $1.1M guaranteed contract with the Washington Spirit 👏 pic.twitter.com/cx8sPXl1cy
Rodman scored six goals and added six assists for the Spirit this past season across 25 appearances, helping the club win the NWSL title. She was rewarded for her efforts with a four-year. $1.1 million deal with the Spirit, the league's biggest-ever contract, on Feb. 2.
Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan Left off USWNT Roster for SheBelieves Cup
Feb 3, 2022
ORLANDO, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 24: Megan Rapinoe #15 and Alex Morgan #13 of the United States celebrate winning the SheBelieves Cup at Exploria Stadium on February 24, 2021 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
As the United States women's national team looks toward the future, Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan won't be on the squad for the SheBelieves Cup.
Head coach Vlatko Andonovski named Sophia Smith and Ashley Sanchez to the roster for the upcoming tournament:
Trinity Rodman, the 19-year-old who signed the richest contract in National Women's Soccer League history (four years, $1.1 million) with the Washington Spirit, also isn't on the roster.
The decision to not include Rapinoe and Morgan doesn't come as a total surprise.
Andonovski didn't include Rapinoe, Morgan, Christen Press and Tobin Heath on the team's camp roster last month because they have long established their credentials.
Speaking to Jeff Kassouf of The Equalizer in November, Andonovski explained he wanted to use the run up to the 2023 World Cup qualifiers as a way to find the next wave of stars who can lead the American squad.
"In the next chapter up until the qualifiers, the main goal is to identify the players that we believe will help us in the qualifiers, first and foremost, and then will hopefully help us in the World Cup," he said.
More than half of the 22-woman roster who played in two friendlies against Australia in November weren't on the Olympic squad that won the bronze medal in Tokyo over the summer.
Carli Lloyd, who had been on the U.S. team since 2005, announced her retirement from national competition after the Olympics. Rapinoe said after the United States' bronze-medal win at the 2020 Games she is considering retirement, but has yet to make a final decision.
Per ESPN's Caitlin Murray, 11 players on the SheBelieves Cup roster have 25 or fewer caps in their careers.
Murray noted that Rodman is with the team as a training player leading up to the start of the SheBelieves Cup.
This will mark the seventh year of the SheBelieves Cup. Team USA has won this tournament in four of the past six years, including back-to-back titles in 2020 and 2021.
The 2022 SheBelieves Cup will run from Feb. 17-23. The United States will be competing in the round-robin tournament against Iceland, New Zealand and the Czech Republic.
