Riding the wave created by star midfielder Carli Lloyd, the U.S. women upset top-ranked Germany, 2-0, at Olympic Stadium on Tuesday night, booking their spot in the Women’s World Cup final for the second time in four years.
A defense that hasn’t allowed a goal in more than 500 minutes did bend Tuesday but didn’t break, as the U.S. women used their speed, strength and plenty of soccer intelligence to beat a German team that many considered too powerful to defeat.
The win made one thing perfectly clear: something happens to Lloyd when the spotlight grows brightest. With a goal and an assist and another night of dominance in the middle of the park, Lloyd left little doubt about who was the best player on the field.
“I’ve just been training my tail off for the last 12 years,” Lloyd said after the match. “These are the moments that I live for.”
The score sheet will only show that Lloyd converted a penalty kick from 12 yards in the 69th minute. It won’t show her lunging in the middle of the field in the minute before to win a loose ball, poking it away from the dangerous German midfield. Moments later, the ball was at the speedy feet of Alex Morgan as she sped into the German penalty area. Morgan had caused problems for the German defense all night.
In a moment of panic, German defender Annike Krahn upended Morgan. RefereeTeodora Albon pointed to the spot.
After a staredown with German goalkeeper Nadine Angerer, Lloyd buried the ball into the right side of the net. It was her third goal of the tournament.
German head coach Silvia Neid said afterward the penalty was committed outside the penalty area and should not have resulted in a penalty kick.
“What am I going to do about it?” she said.
Fifteen minutes later, Lloyd took a ball on the left side of the Germany penalty area, beat a defender on the edge with the niftiest of footwork and sent a cross that a rushing Kelley O’Hara deflected into an open net to seal the win. When the whistle blew 10 minutes later, the U.S. women ran onto the field as they hadn’t done since winning the gold medal in London three years ago—a game in which Lloyd scored both goals.
Morgan said before the game that the U.S. had a speed advantage over the Germans, regardless of what the rankings said, and it was clear from the start. “We could have exploited them and gotten behind their back line even more,” she said.
These two teams had been eyeing each other for four years. They expected to play each other four years ago at the World Cup in Germany, before the Germans went out in the quarterfinal to eventual champion Japan. That loss cost Germany a spot in the 2012 Olympics, delaying a matchup between the world’s No. 1 and 2 teams until Tuesday night here in front of 51,000 fans, most clad in red, white and blue.
“We had every belief we were going to win this game, and that’s the American spirit,” said head coach Jill Ellis, who has kept opponents guessing by switching formations and personnel every game.
Outplayed for much of the night by a group of U.S. women who had promised to play aggressively, Germany’s golden opportunity came in the 60th minute when Julie Johnston misplayed a ball in the air in her own penalty area, then took down Alexandra Popp as she closed in on Solo.
For Germans, penalty kicks are supposed to be automatic. But Celia Sasic, the leading goal scorer in the tournament, somehow sent her kick wide of the left post. As the stadium exploded, Solo quickly ran to Johnston to settle down the young defender. The Americans were alive, and deservedly so.
After an early Germany flourish, the U.S. settled in and started to hit their stride. Before the game, the Americans made no secret that they thought they had a clear speed advantage over Germany’s defense, especially on the wings, and for much of the first half they showed why.
Without a series of top-notch saves by Angerer, the U.S. would have walked into the locker room with a 3-0 lead. Johnston got her head on a corner kick from Megan Rapinoein the seventh minute that Angerer just managed to kick away. In the 15th minute, Morgan collected a perfect through ball from Tobin Heath and broke in on Angerer, who once again managed to get one of her bright yellow cleats on the ball. A half-hour later she would need her hands, raising them as high as she could as she charged Morgan and deflected an attempt from 6 yards out.
Two years ago, Angerer became the first goalkeeper to win FIFA’s World Player of the Year. Tuesday night she proved it was no fluke.
The two top-ranked teams in the world—and the two most physical—were respectful to each other in the days leading up to the game. That ended just after the opening whistle with a series of hard fouls and collisions. Midfielders Morgan Brian and Popp clanked heads on a Germany free kick in the 27th minute. Both players were down on the turf for several minutes. Popp had a nasty gash and blood caked in her hair. German trainers bandaged her up and sent her back on the field. Brian had a quick concussion evaluation and went back too.
And as always, the U.S. defense was freakishly solid, especially for a unit that was seen as one of the team’s weaker links before the tournament. They have let up just a single goal in six games.
“We want to be consistent and be confident in the back,” said defender Ali Krieger, who had another strong night.
As the game wore on the Germans began to wilt, seemingly troubled that the game wasn’t falling to them, in large part because Lloyd wouldn’t let it.
The U.S. will now face Japan or England, who play Wednesday, in the final in Vancouver on Sunday. There is little doubt that whoever the opponent is, Lloyd will be ready.
“I want to win this thing,” Lloyd said. “Not just be a participant.”
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