No. 1 USA to face No. 34 Thailand in first game of group play
Alex Morgan scored five goals and registered two assists as the US beat Thailand 13-0.
June 9, 2019
The U.S. Women’s National team will suit up to play Thailand on Tuesday in their first game of group play at the 2019 FIFA World Cup in France.
The U.S., which ranks first in the world according to FIFA’s team rankings, will be able to handily defeat Thailand, which ranks 34th in the world.
The Thai team was able to qualify for the World Cup after finishing third overall at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup.
In group play, Thailand finished second in their group after losing to China but beat Jordan and the Philippines. Thailand then faced Australia and were ahead of the Aussies 2-1 before before a late goal by the Matildas sent the game to extra time. Australia then won the game in penalties.
Thailand lost the third place match to China.
Meanwhile, the U.S. qualified after winning the CONCACAF Women’s Championship where the U.S. didn’t allow an opponent to score a goal. The U.S. beat Mexico 6-0, Panama 5-0 and Trinidad and Tobago 7-0. In the semifinals, the US beat Jamaica 6-0 and then beat Canada 2-0 in the final.
Looking to the matchup between these two teams, Thailand will have issues even registering a goal against the U.S.
In the 2015 World Cup in Canada, Thailand made their first appearance as a country and scored their only goals against Côte d’Ivoire in a group play match which the Thai team won 3-2 over Les Eléphants.
Thailand finished third in their group after losing to Norway and Germany. On the other hand, the U.S. won the World Cup after beating Japan 5-2.
During the game, keep an eye on forward Amanda Nild for Thailand and midfielder Julie Ertz for the U.S.
Nild, 22, was born in the U.S. and played college soccer at the University of California and has 12 goals in 19 appearances at the international level.
Ertz, 27, was a member of the 2015 World Cup team and is primarily a defensive midfielder, but is able to contribute for the U.S. team on the attack. She has 18 goals on 82 international caps.
The experience and the talent of the U.S. will be able to overwhelm the over-matched Thai team.
The game will be aired on Fox at 2 p.m.
