USWNT earn draw in Emma Hayes' return to England
11/30/2024 05:06 PM
The U.S. women’s national team battled to a scoreless stalemate in front of over 78,000 people at Wembley Stadium in Emma Hayes' return to England on Saturday night.
Mary Earps registered a three-save clean sheet for the Lionesses while Alyssa Naeher was only called into action once in her penultimate cap with the USWNT.
The Olympic champions controlled the ball and the game flow through the opening half in London but struggled to create chances outside of an early shot opportunity for teenager Alyssa Thompson which ended up as likely the best opportunity of the game.
Casey Kreuger and Sam Coffey forced the only other saves of the night out of Earps with two left-shooted attempts from the corner of the penalty arc at the end of the half but failed to find a breakthrough. The absence of "Triple Espresso" loomed large despite a stellar defensive performance.
The home side picked up offensively in the second half to finally force a single save from legendary goalkeeper Naeher in potentially the final start of her USWNT career.
As one woman began to say her goodbyes to the international stage, another in NWSL Rookie of the Year finalist Ally Sentnor, made her debut. Yazmeen Ryan, Korbin Albert, and Jayden Shaw also featured off the bench for the Americans.
England only made two substitutions in the match with many of its regulars featuring including Beth Mead, Georgia Stanway, and Lucy Bronze.
The USWNT will aim for a winning end to their 2024 schedule as a trip to the Netherlands comes next on Tuesday.
