☺ just leavin this here pic.twitter.com/Eq6pXNs68Y
— The Beautiful Game⚽ (@fyeahsoccer17) June 9, 2015
Megan Rapinoe became the first United States player to score to score two goals in one Women’s World Cup match since 2007, helping her side overcome an ugly first half to beat Australia 3-1 in their Group D opener. She also burned the ref after getting booked in the 64th minute.
The US came back from 3-1 down to beat the Netherlands for the first time ever in a friendly at the Amsterdam Arena that was roughly equivalent to a derailed train crashing into a helicopter. Before getting into the match itself, there are two key pieces of information that need to be stated.
1. Since Guus Hiddink replaced Louis van Gaal after the Nethelands finished third at last summer’s World Cup, the Dutch have decided that defending is morally wrong.
2. The US have been blowing leads by conceding late goals like that’s the object of the game.
So with that established, here are some match facts:
With the Women’s World Cup fast approaching, the most talked about players on the U.S. team will inevitably be Abby Wambach, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe and, for better or worse, Hope Solo. But in their 5-1 win against Mexico on Sunday, one player too often under appreciated provided a reminder of why any fan (or opposing player) should watch her closely at next month’s tournament.
Because the world is a strange, nonsensical place, Cologne’s crest and mascot, Hennes, were projected onto the Hoover Dam (yes, the one in the United States) to set a new Guinness World Record for largest ever projection.
But of all the things to project onto the Arizona landmark, why this? Was it part of a court settlement after Hennes was assaulted by a coworker earlier this season?
From Bundesliga.com:
Covering an area of 39,000 square metres, the logo covered practically the whole surface of the infamous American landmark. Cologne-based PR agency Oliver Schrott Kommunikation (OSK) chose the Köln logo to experiment the new powerful lighting system installed, thanks in no small way to the affinity to the club of many of the firm’s employees.
Regardless of the reason, it’s just nice to see Hennes finally get the respect he deserves.
The United States played Ireland in preparation for the Women’s World Cup (which begins next month) and the match’s first goal contained several valuable lessons. Late in the first half, Ireland’s Ruesha Littlejohn attempted to clear a U.S. corner kick, but ended up blasting the defender at the post in the face. This prevented an own goal, but the force of the impact compelled goalkeeper Niamh Reid-Burke to check on her injured teammate.
What if radioactive slime splattered on the New Zealand national team’s socks? Well Nike answers that question with the U.S. Women’s World Cup home kit!
The United States played a friendly against Mexico on what appeared to be an abandoned fairground in San Antonio, Texas. Though the pitch was an abomination, the result was a now familiar one — 2-0 to the USA.
In an attempt to move the U.S. past the deep, deep Bendtner shame they suffered last week, Brek Shea scored a beauty of a free kick at the end of the first half in their friendly against Switzerland. Shea only scored twice before for the U.S., both of which came in 2013. So for at least one U.S. fan who made the trip to Zurich, this occurrence was literally jaw dropping.
Love is in the air at Rio Tinto. #RSL‘s Devon Sandoval had an important question to ask before the game. #MLS Watch: http://t.co/beHPT9rl9Y
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) March 29, 2015
Real Salt Lake striker Devon Sandoval is a man who know how to make the most out of an afternoon. After listening to some Bob Marley tunes, he decided to prepose to his girlfriend. He also knew that he would have a match against Toronto FC on Sunday. So he thought: why not combine this peanut butter and jelly into a soccer-marriage sandwich? Read more
Fantastic atmosphere in the Yankee Stadium. Come on @NYCFC #NYCFC!!! pic.twitter.com/bSHlhRaRwU
— Christine Bleakley (@clbleakley) March 28, 2015
Frank Lampard used the international break to fly to New York and watch NYCFC, the team he pretended to sign for last summer before going on a fake loan with Man City that was later extended until the end of the Premier League season. The 36-year-old midfielder, who has been playing less after an impressive start to the season in Manchester, took in NYCFC’s match against Sporting Kansas City at Yankee Stadium with his partner, Christine Bleakley.