Kansas City was the site of the last send-off match between the United States of America and Costa Rica before the start of the 2016 Rio Olympics and the US did not disappoint the 15,000 plus fans who braved the heat and humidity to watch them.
The key points for Friday's match, according to coach Jill Ellis, was to fine tune their play and to also give minutes to all the players, especially those returning from injury such as Carli Lloyd, Morgan Brian and Tobin Heath. Megan Rapinoe was not included in Friday's squad as she suffered a slight setback to her come back from injury. The USWNT managed to achieve all of these goals and also put on a good performance for themselves going into their quest for gold in Rio.
Humidity does nothing to slow down USWNT attack
Kansas City had welcomed both teams with high temperatures and a high humidity index but the USWNT seemed to have no problems in adjusting their game plan to play in those conditions. From the first whistle, they had no problems in timing when to press the Costa Ricans or when to drop off and intercept a pass instead.
The first chance of the game fell to Crystal Dunn in the sixth minute. Alex Morgan managed to thread a ball through to Dunn just inside the box and Dun took the ball into her stride but could only watch as her shot cannoned off the crossbar. The USWNT were relentless and one minute later, Carli Lloyd bombed down the right flank to the byline before sweeping in a ball for Morgan. Unfortunately, Morgan's touch to divert the ball into the goal was a little wide and Costa Rica goalkeeper Dinnia Díaz managed to corral the ball.
USWNT's flank play causes Costa Rica problems
A theme of the first half was clearly emerging at this point. Kelley O'Hara, lined up at right-back for the match, played a nice angled ball on the ground that found a charging Morgan. Morgan's touch was a little heavy and rolled out for a goal kick. The flank play was once again the key when the US opened the scoring through Dunn in the 15th minute of the match. A combination of passes between Lindsey Horan, who jinked past a few players in midfield, and Morgan found a seam for Meghan Klingenberg to burst through the last line of Costa Rican defenders. The left-back delayed her pass but ultimately found a wide-open Dunn on the far post with an easy tap in.
The US were again using their pressing to great effect as a turnover in midfield in the 22nd minute found Mallory Pugh wide open on the left flank. Pugh pushed forward with no challenges coming in and ran all the way into the box before powering her shot at the near post past Díaz for the second goal of the match.
Set pieces are a major strength for the USWNT
The USWNT have always been dangerous on set pieces and five minutes after Pugh's goal, a free-kick found Horan in the box but her connection on her volley was off and her shot was deflected. Horan was once again the target when the resulting corner found her open in the box but her header went over the bar. A set-piece produced another opportunity for the US when Becky Sauerbrunn's looping free-kick found Morgan in the box but Morgan could only direct her header straight to the goalkeeper.
The next goal of the game came in the six minutes added on due to the water break. O'Hara intercepted a pass and burst forward only to be chopped down by defender Lixy Rodriguez. The resulting free-kick was once again sent in by Sauerbrunn who found Lloyd in the box. Lloyd made no mistake and put her placed header past the goalkeeper's dive for the US' third goal of the match.
Second half substitutions didn't disrupt USWNT's rhythm
The start of the second half saw three substitutions come into the match for the US as coach Jill Ellis aimed to get everyone some valuable minutes, and the USWNT did not skip a beat. The US' ball movement, which had been excellent all night, found Horan in the box but due to her losing her footing, she could not find the right connection on her shot and it was deflected wide. One minute later Lloyd, who was clearly enjoying her return to competitive play after her injury, turned her defender before finding an on-rushing Horan in the 49th minute. Horan's shot bounced off the post before being cleared by the Costa Rican defenders.
Dunn continued to get one-on-one opportunities against her marker and in the 53rd minute, she rounded her defender, got to the byline and put in a cross for Morgan who glanced her header just wide. Morgan was involved in the next opportunity for the USWNT as Lloyd found her run and played a ball into space for her. Morgan cut inside to her favored left foot but could only send her shot straight at the goalkeeper.
The USWNT created more chances as Costa Rica were visibly tiring and the constant pressure on the Costa Rican goal told when in the 79th minute, another forced turnover by O'Hara found Allie Long in midfield. Long spotted substitute Christen Press, who had only been on the field for five minutes, and played a great through ball for Press to put away with ease. The USWNT were now four-nil up and deservedly so. A few more chances fell to Press before the final whistle but she could not add to the scoresheet and the scoreline remained the same.
Pugh, Lloyd and O'Hara star for the US
Coach Ellis will have been delighted with Lloyd not only managing to get a full 90 minutes tonight but with also how much she added to the USWNT's performance. Another plus for the gold medal favorites was the flank play of Pugh, and Dunn, who had clearly recognized that none of the Costa Rican defenders could keep up with her pace and took them on at every opportunity. Lastly, O'Hara showed why her selection over Ali Krieger in games like this was the right call. Her constant runs up and down the field, as well as her play in the offense third, were the perfect counterbalance to the speed and trickery of Pugh, and in the second half Dunn, ahead of her.
The USWNT will now head to Rio for the Olympic tournament with few major injuries, bar the returning Megan Rapinoe, and a solid display in front of a home crowd to roar them on to Brazil. Their first match will be on August 3rd against New Zealand. Costa Rica will not be participating in the Olympics and are done with their friendlies for the summer.