BRONZE HAS BEEN AS GOOD AS GOLD
Rapinoe will have her hands full against multitalented England star in semifinal
LYON, France — Few players at the World Cup are hotter right now than Megan Rapinoe.
Lucy Bronze might be one of them, though, which makes the semifinal Tuesday between England and the United States all the more enticing.
As England’s starter at right back, it likely will be Bronze’s job to defend Rapinoe, who has scored every U.S. goal in the knockout rounds. With five goals total, she’s tied with teammate Alex Morgan, England’s Ellen White and Australia’s Sam Kerr as high scorer in the World Cup.
Granted, three of Rapinoe’s goals have come on either penalties (two) or free kicks.
But her playmaking ability, service and knack for always being where the ball is mean shutting her down will be a priority for England.
“If you think about the left-hand side of USA and the right-hand side of England, I don’t think you’ll get many better left- and right-handed sides in women’s football,” England coach Phil Neville said.
Neville did float the idea Sunday of moving Bronze into the midfield and putting Rachel Daly on Rapinoe, as he did when England and the U.S. women played to a draw at the She Believes Cup. But c’mon. This is a chance to get to the final, which would be England’s first at a major international tournament.
You play your best players, and England doesn’t have many better than Bronze. Scratch that. Any better than Bronze. Her defensive skills are sublime and are a large reason why England has conceded just one goal in this tournament. Even that one was way back in the first game of the group stage.
But what makes Bronze, who played one year at North Carolina, so special is that she often is involved in England’s attack, as well.
“Obviously good pace, timing, just a very attacking-minded player,” U.S. coach Jill Ellis said. “She’s going to come forward, much like a lot of French players like to get forward.”
Bronze has scored eight goals internationally, including one in the quarterfinal against Norway. It was a beauty, too, as she one-timed a free kick and hit the crossbar from just outside the penalty area. Even David Beckham approved, standing and applauding after the goal.
“I do believe she’s the best player in the world,” Neville said. “She’s unique in everything she does. Her athleticism, her ability to defend [one-on-one]. She’s fearless in everything that she does. And her ability to step up on the big occasion.
“Even though she plays fullback and sometimes in midfield, the qualities that she possesses and has shown and has proven, to me, make her one of the most outstanding players of the world. Even though she plays at fullback and sometimes doesn’t score goals, even though she did the other night, I still think that needs recognizing.”
No worries about that. On Tuesday, there’ll be plenty of eyes on Bronze.