Portugal women come from behind to beat the USWNT in fall schedule opener | OneFootball

The US Women’s National Team kicked off a busy autumn schedule with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Portugal. The team has the opportunity to avenge this defeat as they take on the Portuguese side two days later, before finishing a three-game run of matches in Kansas against New Zealand.

Despite the defeat, the US will remain favourites for their second match against Portugal, with offshore gambling sites offering a variety of markets on correct scores, goalscorers, match betting, stats, and more. Fans could also get great value as Head Coach Emma Hayes continues to experiment with younger players.

This was the case in the first game, with a defensive lineup of Patterson, McKeown, Sonnett, and Fox starting together for the first time. Sam Coffey, Michelle Cooper, Alyssa Thompson, and Catarina Macario also made the starting lineup, with Phallon Tullis-Joyce continuing a promising start to her international career, earning her 4th cap in goal.

Despite the young lineup, Team USA raced into an early lead thanks to one of their more experienced stars, Rose Lavelle. Lavelle netted in just 33 seconds, coming close again in the 9th minute when her effort was parried onto the post by the Portuguese stopper Inês Pereira.

Portugal settled into the game after this, coming close, with Catarina Amado being denied by Tullis-Joyce. The resulting corner saw Diana Gomes level the game with a header, with the game tied at 1-1 going into the half-time break.

Portugal’s Andreia Jacinto battles for possession against Emily Sonnett of the United States. (Photo: Heather Barry/Getty Images)

The US team started quickly again with a few good opportunities before Hayes made some changes with around 20 minutes of the game remaining. International friendlies are a great way to test new formations and give younger players a chance. Emma Sears, Lily Yohannes, Yazmeen Ryan, and Claire Hutton came on, but the fresh legs weren’t enough to deny Portugal their winner.

A deflected effort from Fátima Pinto had enough on it to evade Tullis-Joyce, and despite the team rallying for an equaliser, Portugal held on for a surprise win.

The match was attended by 17,297 fans at the Subaru Park in Chester, PA, with the USA having 13 shots to Portugal’s 7. Portugal’s shooting was more accurate, with 4 from their 7 efforts on target compared to the US team’s 5 from 13.

Emma Hayes’ success as a head coach is well documented, and this result won’t worry those behind the scenes who are keen for her to discover the best young talent breaking through. Portugal’s head coach, Francisco Neto, will be delighted to secure the victory, his team’s first since they beat Belgium 1-0 in February.

Neto’s Portugal team had been under some pressure following heavy defeats in the UEFA Women’s Nations League, with back-to-back 7-1 and 6-0 defeats to Spain and England, respectively.

The USWNT take on Portugal again on the 26th of October at East Hartford in Connecticut before their match in Kansas against New Zealand. November 28th and December 1st will give Hayes another chance to experiment and test her team with a double-header against Italy in Florida.