The United States Women's National Team enters the quarterfinals already in the hole as two of their best players will be sitting out due to yellow cards received against Colombia. Megan Rapinoe and Lauren Holiday both earned their second yellow cards in that win to secure suspensions against China. Rapinoe and Holiay have been leading the scoring attack for the US which has already been struggling in this tournament. With both sitting out, pressure mounts on Abby Wamback, Alex Morgan and Sydney Leroux to help kick start things against China to get the win.
The United States are preparing to face a very stingy China defense that has held their own in this tournament. The team is organized and disciplined, especially along the backline, which could cause some headaches for the USWNT in the quarterfinals. Head coach Jill Ellis will be forced to stick with a 4-4-2 lineup with Rapinoe and Holiday out meaning pressure is on the midfielders to get moving. Players like Carli Lloyd and Morgan Brian will be the replacements as Ellis remains hopeful they can generate some offense. This will be Brian's second start in the World Cup while Lloyd is the savvy veteran. Tobin Heath will get another starting nod. While she has been forgettable in her first two stars, she has the creativity to get moving.
"[The players] understand that we need to continue to raise our level with each round," Ellis said, via ESPNW.com. "It's not a matter of being satisfied. These are players that love challenges. The coaches in here have high expectations, but it's about getting them to that point. We're capable of a lot more, and that's the expectation on ourselves."
China comes into the tournament ranked No.16 nationally. While they have not blown anyone away in the World Cup, they continue to find ways to win including their 1-0 victory over Cameroon. China operates under a defensive-first mentality which is how they can easily beat the US without two of their best offensive performers. Keeper Wang Fei has been steady all tournament while Li Dongna will operate as the heart of the unit leading them against the US. As a steam they have conceded just three goals in the past four games and look for that to continue.
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