USWNT drop friendly to Portugal

USA Women 1-2 Portugal Women

CHESTER, PA–It started well after 33 seconds, but two goals off corner kicks gave Portugal a surprise 2-1 win over the US Women’s National Team at Subaru Park. It was the first time the two sides had met since the 0-0 draw at the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Auckland.

Rose Lavelle had put the USA up after just 33 seconds. However, things went downhill from the there for the USWNT. Both of Portugal’s goals came off corners. In the 41st minute, Francisca Nazareth’s corner was headed in by Diana Gomes to level the score. In the 72nd minute, another Francisca corner was put in. This time, it was Fatima Pinto putting the ball in past Phallon Tullis-Joyce to give Portugal the lead.

Both corners saw the USA not effectively marking the Portuguese in the box for the corners. Rose Lavelle held here hand up for the second corner.

“I have to put my hand up on the second one,” said Lavelle. “That was my mark, so I have to be better and just like boot it out and get a better clearance.”

For US coach Emma Hayes, she felt it was eleven players in blue out there as opposed to a team.

“We scored a goal and we stopped playing,” Hayes told the TNT broadcast after the match. “We didn’t look like a team the whole evening both sides of the ball.”

The USWNT continue on their three-match tour with a friendly with a second match against Portugal on Sunday at Pratt and Whitney Stadium in East Hartford, CT. Kickoff is at 4pm ET on TNT.

Photos by Alyssa Carr.

(Editor’s note:  A previous version teased a second article from Charlotte Thomas, but it came to the attention of the editor that Charlotte was unable to attend to illness. She will be covering Sunday’s match between Philadelphia Union and Chicago Fire.)

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