MX23RW : Thursday, July 4 16:04:51| >> :600:268991:268991:
Jul 2, 2019 at 8pm UK at ​Parc Olympique Lyonnais
Attendance: 53,512
England WomenEngland Women
1-2
USA WomenUSA Women
White (19')
Bright (86')
FT(HT: 1-2)
Press (10'), Morgan (31')

In Focus: England's World Cup semi-finals opponents USA

In Focus: England's World Cup semi-finals opponents USA
© Reuters
Phil Neville's side take on the three-time world champions in Lyon on Tuesday.

England will go head to head with holders the United States for a place in the Women's World Cup final.

Phil Neville's side take on the three-time world champions in Lyon on Tuesday after the US ended the hopes of hosts France with a 2-1 win.

Here, PA takes a closer look at the team standing between the Lionesses and a place in their first ever major final.

Manager

United States coach Jill Ellis was born in England
United States coach Jill Ellis was born in England (Francisco Seco/AP).

Jill Ellis has been in charge of the US since 2014, leading them to victory in the 2015 World Cup in Canada. Born in Portsmouth, the 52-year-old headed across the Atlantic as a teenager and has a long-standing association with the US set-up. She has also served as interim coach and assistant coach and led the under-21 and under-20 teams. But she came in for fierce criticism ahead of the tournament from former US goalkeeper Hope Solo, who told the BBC she is "not the leader I wish her to be" and "cracks under the pressure quite a bit".

Players

Megan Rapinoe is the tournament's joint-leading scorer with five goals
Megan Rapinoe is the tournament's joint-leading scorer with five goals (Francisco Seco/AP)

Striker Alex Morgan is the team's star name, with multiple magazine appearances, an acting credit in the film Alex & Me and an appearance on the cover of the US edition of the video game FIFA 16 to go with the century of international goals. She lived up to her billing with five goals as the US opened their World Cup campaign with a 13-0 thumping of Thailand but has not found the net since. Instead Megan Rapinoe has stolen the spotlight, not just with her back-to-back braces which have taken the holders through the knockout stages, but for her row with Donald Trump. Rapinoe provoked presidential indignation after pronouncing "I'm not going to the f***ing White House" when asked ahead of the tournament if she would visit were her team to win the World Cup. Rapinoe is gay and has previously accused Trump of being "sexist" and "misogynistic" and she refuses to sing the national anthem before matches. Trump had his say on Twitter ahead of the France match, accusing her of disrespect, but Rapinoe's clinical performance at the Parc des Princes suggested she is loving the limelight.

Form

Jennifer Hermoso took advantage of an awful defensive error to score for Spain against the United States
Jennifer Hermoso took advantage of an awful defensive error to score for Spain against the United States (Alessandra Tarantino/AP)

The US have scored 22 goals in their five games en route to the last four, but the record thrashing of Thailand accounted for more than half of those. They have looked vulnerable both in their 2-1 last-16 win over Spain, when they gifted Jennifer Hermoso a goal with an awful defensive mix-up and needed a pair of Rapinoe penalties to progress, and against France, who made them sweat with their late fightback. England will be rightly confident of creating chances against a defence whose weaknesses seldom prove costly because of the team's attacking power. On the flip side, of course, the likes of Morgan and Rapinoe will have noted with pleasure England's tendency to switch off at the back a times.

Past meetings

Steph Houghton was on target when England played the United States in March
Steph Houghton was on target when England played the United States in March (John Walton/PA).

The two teams last met in the World Cup in 2007 when the US cruised to a 3-0 quarter-final win in China. They are rather more closely matched now, though, as illustrated by the 2-2 draw they played out in their last meeting, at the SheBelieves Cup in March. England's goals came from Steph Houghton and Nikita Parris as they came from a goal down to lead 2-1. And it was the Lionesses who ended up winning the four-team invitational tournament.

Share this article now:
USA Women's head coach Jill Ellis pictured on June 28, 2019
Read Next:
USA coach Jill Ellis discusses upbringing in England
>

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Select and display your favourite team's news and scores in this panel

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Select and display your favourite team's news and scores in this panel
/esi/758/0/index.html - esi:0:site:0:-p-: {0}: - :T758:-: {0}: < ! - - T  758 {0} - - >  : 
Europa League
Wimbledon Second Round
Result
Johnson
De Minaur
3 7  6 3 6
6 64 3 6 3
Result
Millman
Djere
6 6 6
3 2 1
Result
Querrey
Rublev
6 6 6
3 2 3
Result
Struff
Fritz
6 6 5 7 
4 3 7 62
Result
Barty
Van Uytvanck
6 6
1 3
Result
Dart
Haddad Maia
7  3 6
64 6 1
Result
Stephens
Wang
6 6
0 2
Result
Zidansek
Wang
1 2
6 6
12.30pm
Cilic
Sousa
Result
Evans
Basilashvili
6 6 7 
3 2 62
12.30pm
Kukushkin
Isner
Result
Siegemund
Strycova
3 5
6 7
Result
Nishikori
Norrie
6 6 6
4 4 0
1pm
Bertens
Townsend
Result
Mertens
Niculescu
7 6
5 0
Result
Mladenovic
Kvitova
5 2
7 6
1pm
Riske
Jorovic
Result
Suarez Navarro
Parmentier
7  7 
62 64
2pm
Berankis
Tsonga
2.30pm
Clarke
Federer
2.30pm
Fucsovics
Fognini
2.30pm
Pouille
Barrere
2.30pm
Simon
Sandgren
2.30pm
Anisimova
Linette
2.30pm
Davis
Kerber
2.30pm
Flink
Goerges
2.30pm
Kanepi
Bencic
3pm
Siniakova
Konta
4pm
Berrettini
Baghdatis
4pm
Koepfer
Schwartzman
4.30pm
Kyrgios
Nadal
4.30pm
Williams
Juvan
Pre-Season Friendlies
Norwegian Eliteserien
Major League Soccer
Super League
Tables

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Transfer Talk Daily
Match previews - twice weekly
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
Ultra close-up image of Kevin De Bruyne [NOT FOR USE IN ARTICLES]Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Select and display your favourite team's news and scores in this panel
Login, I already have my ad-free pass
Log in to customise Sports Mole
Buy ad-free access (show me the options)
Buy monthly ad-free access for £1.20/month
Buy yearly ad-free access for £12 (2 months free)
Settings - Logout - Manage your account
Settings - Logout - Manage your account