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USA vs. France, 2019 World Cup: Final Score 2-1 as Yanks Bounce Hosts to Advance to the Semifinals

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7 years ago

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The United States Women’s National Team is on to the semifinals after winning a titanic showdown with host nation France, winning 2-1 at Parc des Princes in Paris. Megan Rapinoe scored both goals for the U.S., which looked a bit out of sorts at times, but considering the opponent was the world’s No. 4-ranked team, did well enough to survive and advance.

The win snapped a three-game winless streak against France for the USWNT (0-2-1) dating back to the  a 1-0 win in the 2016 SheBelieves Cup. The United States improved to 18-3-3 in the all-time series between the two nations, but more importantly earned the right to face England in the semifinals next Tuesday in the Lyon suburb of Décines-Charpieu.

Jill Ellis went with the same lineup that faced Spain just four days ago.

Early forays into each end resulted in a Julie Ertz shot that Sarah Bouhaddi handled comfortably in the first minute and Amel Majri going down in the penalty area a bit too easily to get a call, much to the chagrin of the host nation’s fans.

The U.S. broke through just five minutes into the match on a set piece after Alex Morgan was fouled. Rapinoe took a free kick to the left of the penalty area and drove a low ball into traffic, where it missed everyone and skipped into the net for a 1-0 lead.

Majri found Eugenie Le Sommer with a cross in the 13th minute but the header was no trouble for Alyssa Naeher. The U.S. came back the other way and Rapinoe found Morgan but the Pride striker didn’t get much on her shot effort and it was easily collected by Bouhaddi.

Bouhaddi made a huge play to deny Rapinoe a scoring chance in the 16th minute, coming out of her area to get to a gorgeous long ball just ahead of the USWNT’s left wing and making a critical chall

Morgan went down with what appeared to be a knock to the head at the half hour mark but was able to continue. The USWNT then settled into a routine of turning the ball over cheaply — passing at just a 68% rate for the opening half — or just playing kickball to clear the ball away, ceding lots of extra possession to France. The French didn’t generate much of an attack out of it but did create a few set piece opportunities, although nothing much came from them.

The United States took its 1-0 lead into the break but France looked the better side for the final quarter of an hour of the opening 45 minutes.

The USWNT came out of the locker room with some urgency and nearly doubled the lead in the first minute. Sam Mewis forced a diving save from Bouhaddi in the 46th minute and Tobin Heath’s put-back attempt was stopped by the foot of the French keeper as she recovered from the initial save just in time. The ensuing corner kick fell to the feet of Morgan, who saw her shot blocked by Amandine Henry.

A free kick two minutes later was just out of Ertz’s reach at the near post but it fell to Crystal Dunn’s feet. Dunn took too heavy a touch and France cleared.

After withstanding the USWNT’s burst of energy, France started creating issues for the U.S. back line again. Le Sommer headed a corner kick cross over the bar in the 53rd minute, then sent in a cross three minutes later but Kelley O’Hara blocked it out for a corner. After a Mewis turnover, Le Sommer ended up with the ball at the back post but could only hit side netting from the tough angle in the 58th minute. A moment later, Dunn was beaten inside by Kadidiatou Diani but recovered to block the shot.

The hosts kept coming. O’Hara needed a minute to recover after taking a Majri shot in the chest at the top of the box in the 62nd minute. Two minutes later, Naeher made a diving save to catch a header by Valerie Gauvin, although the shot may have been drifting wide at minute 64.

The U.S. then took a stranglehold on the game a minute later. Morgan sent Heath down the right with a beautiful pass to split the defense. Heath took the ball down the right channel and looked to her left, where Mewis was making a run to the near post. France’s defenders followed Mewis in and Heath sent an agonizingly slow cross through the top of the area. Rapinoe ran onto it and smashed it home to make it 2-0.

It took about five minutes for France to recover and start getting forward again. Gaetane Thiney carved through the U.S. defense in the 70th and found Gauvin, but the play was offside. Majri sent a cross onto the roof of the net two minutes later, and in the 73rd minute Diani baited Mewis into attempting a pass to Dunn, then calmly stepped in front of it, dribbled into the area and earned a corner.

The cross on the ensuing set piece was sent in too high and Le Sommer couldn’t get any power on her header and it popped up nice and easy for Naeher to collect.

The U.S. seemed to put the game away in the 75th minute. Morgan again unlocked the defense with a pass — this time for Dunn, who dribbled down the left and crossed to Heath for the finish. The flag came up and whether there was a review or not is anyone’s guess. The referee never went over to look to see if there was a clear and obvious error. It was a close play but I’m not sure you could definitively call it offside.

France kept coming, encouraged by the non-goal. O’Hara coughed up the ball in the 78th minute above her own area and Henry sent a drive at goal that Naeher stopped. A minute later, Le Sommer sent a chip shot that was headed just under the bar until Naeher tipped it over.

A minute later, O’Hara fouled Henry to the right of the area and France finally made the U.S. pay for sloppy play at the back. Thiney took the set piece and sent a perfect cross into the area to Wendie Renard, who had easily shed second-half sub Lindsey Horan and nodded her free header into the net to make it 2-1 in the 81st minute. The USWNT picked the wrong player to fail to defend, as Renard is easily France’s best threat on set pieces. All Renard had to do was run toward the goal and not miss the cross.

The French became more desperate as time wound down and threw more numbers forward, earning multiple set pieces. Henry nodded wide on a corner kick in the 83rd and Diani bundled a cross wide in the 87th.

But the U.S. was able to grind out the end of the game and kill it off. Morgan, Heath, Dunn, and Press especially worked hard down the stretch to keep the ball in the French end, earning repeated throw-ins and free kicks.

Finally the whistle blew and the United States had survived the host nation.

It doesn’t get any easier on the Yanks’ side of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The U.S. will square off with England on Tuesday afternoon (ET) in the Lyon suburbs.

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Podcasts

SkoPurp Soccer Episode 144: Gotham Rewind, Seattle Preview, and More

The Pride finished their home schedule with a loss to Gotham and hope to finish their road schedule with a win in Seattle.

Published

1 week ago

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October 28, 2026

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Image of Solai Washington running onto a ball behind the Gotham defense.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The Orlando Pride tried to send their fans home happy in their regular-season home finale, but despite an impressive overall performance against the league leaders, the Pride wasted numerous chances in front of goal and paid for two big mistakes at the back in what ultimately ended as a 2-1 loss in a season filled with far too many defeats. Solai Washington did so many things well, but despite a month’s worth of chances, she could only muster one goal. Still, it was a promising outing albeit in a developing story that won’t continue much longer this year.

We discuss the key plays, players, and moments, look back at our score predictions from last week, and select our Player of the Match.

This week’s mailbagbox asked us about Marta, the reasons for the Pride’s struggles in 2026, and more. Remember, you can ask us anything by hitting us up on Twitter at either @TheManeLand or @SkoPurpSoccer and using the hashtag #AskSkoPurp. You can use that same hashtag and hit @TheManeLand.bsky.social up on Bluesky. Or you can visit our show page, scroll down, and fill out the handy form. We’d also appreciate any ratings or reviews you can leave wherever you get your podcasts, and if you do that on Apple Podcasts, we’ll find them easily and read them on the show.

Finally, we look ahead to Sunday’s season finale at the Seattle Reign. The Pride opened their 2026 season with a home loss to the Reign but would like to close it with a road win over Seattle to enter the off-season on a positive note. It won’t be easy, as the Reign are clinging to the last playoff spot and trying to catch rival Portland as multiple teams are trying to catch them. We look at Orlando’s attempt to play spoiler, check back on the series history, compare the teams’ positions in the table, provide our key matchups, and more.

Here’s how Episode 144 went down:

0:15 – The Pride finished their home schedule with a good performance but another poor result against the league’s top team.

20:07 – Our mailbagbox has questions about the GOAT.

38:26 – Seattle was the first 2026 opponent and will be the last 2026 opponent. We preview for the last time this season.

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Podcasts

SkoPurp Soccer Episode 140: Bay FC Rewind, San Diego Preview, and More

The Pride keep their playoff hopes alive by eliminating Bay FC but things get tougher with San Diego visiting Friday.

Published

1 month ago

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September 30, 2026

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Image of Jacquie Ovalle dribbling toward the Bay FC defense.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Justin Glatt

The Orlando Pride remained perfect on the road against Bay FC with a 3-1 win on Sunday. Deuces were wild, as Haley McCutcheon, who wears jersey No. 2, scored in the second minute of both halves, and her two goals in California gave the midfielder her second brace of both the 2026 NWSL season and her career. Barbra Banda figured heavily in pulling defenders out of position on two of the three Orlando goals and assisted on Jacquie Ovalle’s right-footed thunderbolt in stoppage time to put the game away. But make no mistake, it’s not as if the Pride played well, turning the ball over often and conceding 28 shot attempts to the hosts.

We break down a road win that may have been more exhausting to watch than to play in (although I wouldn’t bet on it), check back on our score predictions, and make our selections for Player of the Match.

This week’s mailbagbox asked us about Haley McCutcheon, where to most strongly place the blame for the Pride’s disappointing season, and more. Remember, you can ask us anything by hitting us up on Twitter at either @TheManeLand or @SkoPurpSoccer and using the hashtag #AskSkoPurp. You can use that same hashtag and hit @TheManeLand.bsky.social up on Bluesky. Or you can visit our show page, scroll down, and fill out the handy form. We’d also appreciate any ratings or reviews you can leave wherever you get your podcasts, and if you do that on Apple Podcasts, we’ll find them easily and read them on the show.

Finally, we looked ahead to Friday, when Orlando will host San Diego Wave FC, looking to both complete a season sweep and to keep its faint playoff hopes alive. We look at the series history, provide our key matchups for the contest, and make our predictions for the final score.

Here’s how Episode 140 went down:

0:15 – The Pride improved to 2-1-1 under Yolanda Thomas, but a lot of good Cosette Morche saves were required to get that second win.

20:00- The mailbagbox asks us to play the blame game.

33:36 – The Pride continue to face California-based competition, but Friday’s opponent is much higher in the table than Sunday’s was.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. San Jose Earthquakes: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

Orlando City restarts its 2026 MLS campaign late tonight out west at San Jose.

Published

4 months ago

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July 22, 2026

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Image of Braian Ojeda taking a shot in a friendly against FC Dallas.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Justin Glatt

Welcome to your match thread for a late night midweek matchup tonight between Orlando City (4-9-2, 14 points) and the San Jose Earthquakes (10-3-2, 32 points) at PayPal Park (10:30 p.m., Apple TV). This is the only scheduled meeting between the teams in 2026 and the first time the teams have met since 2024.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of tonight’s match.

History

Orlando City is 3-1-3 in the previous seven MLS meetings with the Quakes since the club joined Major League Soccer in 2015. The Lions got their only away win in the series in the last meeting and enter tonight 1-1-2 on the road against San Jose.

The teams last met on May 18, 2024, with Jack Lynn coming off the bench to score the game’s only goal. Lynn’s strike in the 89th minute broke the scoreless deadlock and lifted the Lions to a 1-0 victory.

The teams met in Orlando most recently way back on June 22, 2021, with the Lions beating the Quakes down, 5-0. Orlando got things started with an early penalty kick goal by Nani, followed by braces from Benji Michel and Daryl Dike to easily put the game away. The lasting memory from the game is Michel’s celebratory dance wearing a cowboy hat that came out of the stands.

Prior to that Orlando City romp, the last time the teams met was on Aug. 31, 2019 when the Lions got freight trained 3-0 at Avaya Stadium, giving the Quakes their first win in the series. San Jose’s offense came via a Chris Wondolowski brace and an early opening goal by Magnus Eriksson. Orlando looked flat and weary out of the gate.

The Lions were victorious in Exploria Stadium in the 2018 meeting on April 21, a 3-2 Orlando win. It was the first win in the series for either side after three straight draws. Chris Mueller, Sacha Kljestan, and Dom Dwyer gave the Lions a 3-0 lead before Florian Jungwirth pulled two back in the game’s late stages.

The Lions led all of the first three matches in the second half only to see San Jose pull level, with two of those tying goals coming late. In the 2017 meeting, Carlos Rivas finally broke the scoreless tie and gave Orlando City the lead in the 81st minute, but Wondolowski spoiled the Lions’ night with an equalizer two minutes later as the teams drew at Avaya Stadium, 1-1.

In 2016, the Lions were gut-punched in the 94th minute in an emotional match that ended in a 2-2 draw. It was the first home match following the Pulse nightclub tragedy and what appeared to be a storybook ending to a cathartic win turned sour on a last-gasp equalizer by Shea Salinas. Seb Hines — now the Orlando Pride’s head coach — opened the scoring for Orlando, only to see Chad Barrett tie it up. Julio Baptista restored the lead in stoppage time, but Salinas ruined everything.

The two teams also drew in the first meeting, a 1-1 affair at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, with the Lions down to 10 men after Brek Shea was sent off in the first half. Kaká and Wondolowski each scored from the penalty spot four minutes apart in that initial meeting.

Overview

The teams meet tonight to get their post-World Cup portion of the season started. Orlando City has been terrible on the road all season long, keeping only one MLS opponent under two goals all year away from home and allowing five goals twice (at New York City FC and Nashville) and six goals twice (at LAFC and in the team’s most recent match away at FC Cincinnati just before the break).

Orlando City is a putrid 1-6-1 on the road this season, and now the Lions must face the Western Conference co-leaders tonight before coming home to face Supporters’ Shield-leading Nashville SC at home on Saturday. They’ll have to play at least tonight’s game without Martin Ojeda, who is out with a thigh injury sustained some time between his first-half goal a week ago in a friendly against FC Dallas and the time the availability report dropped on Tuesday.

But it isn’t all bad news for the Lions, who should have both Antoine Griezmann and Dike in the lineup. Griezmann was the club’s highly prized and widely publicized summer Designated Player signing, while Dike’s return to Orlando came together more recently, following his departure from West Bromwich Albion. They’ll help the club’s offense, but the attack hasn’t been the issue in 2026 — it’s been the historically porous defense, which is on pace to shatter the MLS record for goals conceded.

Meanwhile, San Jose is one of the first half of the season’s biggest surprises, as the Quakes have been outstanding in 2026. Scoring 34 goals while conceding just 15, San Jose is among the league leaders in goals scored (tied for third), goals conceded (third), and goal differential (+19, third).

The Earthquakes are 4-2-1 at home and are coming off a 3-1 road win at Portland in their last game prior to the World Cup break. San Jose boasts Golden Boot challenger Preston Judd, who leads the Quakes with 11 goals, adding two assists in his 15 appearances. Ousseni Bouda has chipped in five goals and three assists. Niko Tsakiris leads the team with seven assists to go along with his two goals, but he’s still recovering from a lower body injury and is not available tonight. However, the arrival of Timo Werner (four goals and five assists in just seven games) has truly elevated Bruce Arena’s Quakes, and he’ll need to be one of the main focal points for the Orlando defense.

To have any shot at taking something from this game, the Lions will need to play better road defense than they have all season. Orlando can score goals, but with Ojeda out, Griezmann will need to adapt quickly, and someone other than the team’s leading scorer will need to find the net.

The Lions will play without Ojeda (thigh), Joran Gerbet (knee), Nolan Miller (knee), Colin Guske (international duty), and Clovis Archage (international duty). In addition, Marco Pasalic may or may not have returned to the team after the World Cup. He was not in training Monday, although interim head coach Martin Perelman said he expected the Croatian back soon. The Earthquakes will be without Nonso Adimabua (lower body), former Lion Earl Edwards Jr. (lower body), DeJuan Jones (lower body), and Tsakiris (you guessed it, lower body…come on, San Jose).

Match Content

Official Lineups:

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Adrian Marin, David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Braian Ojeda, Eduard Atuesta, Tiago.

Forwards: Justin Ellis, Antoine Griezmann.

Bench: Javier Otero, Bernardo Rhein, Tahir Reid-Brown, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Luis Otavio, Harvey Sarajian, Tyrese Spicer

San Jose Earthquakes (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Angus Gunn.

Defenders: Jamar Ricketts, Reid Roberts, Daniel Munie, Benjamin Kikanovic.

Defensive Midfielders: Beau Lerouox, Ronaldo Vieira.

Attacking Midfielders: Timo Werner, Nick Fernandez, Ousseni Bouda.

Forwards: Preston Judd.

Bench: Jonathan Gonzalez, Dave Romney, Paul Marie, Jack Skahan, Jack Jasinski, Ian Harkes, Francesco Montali, Max Floriani, Darius Johnson.

Referees

REF: Elijio Arreguin.
AR1: Adam Wienckowski.
AR2: Mike Nickerson.
4TH: Timothy Ford.
VAR: Jose Carlos Rivero.
AVAR: TJ Zablocki.

How to Watch

Match Time: 10:30 p.m.

Venue: PayPal Park — San Jose, CA.

TV/Live Stream: Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish), Nossa Rádio 1160 AM-WRLZ (Portuguese).

Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.

Enjoy the match. Go City!

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