US Needs a Win – Germany Needs a Tie
Soccer News from US Soccer – The U.S. Women’s National Team will face Germany in the third and final match of the 2016 SheBelieves Cup, which will serve as a de facto championship game as both teams won their first two matches of the tournament. The USA needs to win to take the tournament title while Germany just needs a tie, as both teams are tied on points and goal difference, but Germany is ahead on the next tie-breaker, goals scored, having found the net three times over two games to the USA’s two. Germany’s Sara Dabritz is suspended for the match against the USA after receiving yellow cards in the first two games.
The USA defeated England on March 3 with a spectacular late goal from Crystal Dunn and downed France in stoppage time on March 6 off a brilliant pass from Mallory Pugh to Alex Morgan, who finished with class in the first minute of stoppage time. Germany defeated France 1-0 in its first match on a goal from Leonie Maier and then came from a goal down to defeat England 2-1, getting an own goal and a penalty kick from Babett Peter.
The tournament is serving as excellent Olympic preparation for the USA, Germany and France, and with four of the top five ranked teams in the world, three of which made the final four at the Women’s World Cup last summer, all competing in the United States, this is the best four-team women’s international event in the world this year.
The tournament is being played in three doubleheaders: March 3 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida (Germany 1, France 0 – USA 1, England 0), March 6 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee (Germany 2, England 1 and USA 1, France 0) and March 9 at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida (France vs. England and USA vs. Germany). The USA’s match Germany will be broadcast on ESPN3. Fans can also follow all the action from #USAvGER on Twitter @ussoccer_wnt and @ussoccer_esp, and follow the team along its journey on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat (ussoccer_wnt).
2016 SheBelieves Cup Schedule & Standings
Date Matches Stadium City Kickoff TV
Mar. 9 France vs. England FAU Stadium Boca Raton, Fla. 5 p.m. ET
Mar. 9 USA vs. Germany FAU Stadium Boca Raton, Fla. 7:30 p.m. ET ESPN3
| Team | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts. |
| Germany | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 6 |
| United States | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 6 |
| England | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 0 |
| France | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
The most recent meeting between the teams was one of the most watched Women’s World Cup matches to date as nearly 8.4 million people tuned to see Germany fall to the USA 2-0 in Montreal in the semifinal of the 2015 Women’s World Cup. The USA-Germany series between the world’s two most successful women’s soccer nations dates back to 1991 and the second meeting ever came in the semifinal of the 1991 Women’s World Cup in China, a 5-2 upset victory for the United States. The teams have met 30 times, with the USA winning 19 and Germany winning four, along with seven draws.
Source: US Soccer (www.ussoccer.com)
