Americans sharp in Olympics tuneup
EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — Tobin Heath scored her second goal in two games and the United States beat Mexico 40 on Monday in the American women’s final match before their July 21 opener in the Tokyo Olympics.
The United States is undefeated in its past 44 matches, the secondlongest unbeaten streak in team history. The Americans also extended their winning streak against Mexico to 15 games and improved to 3911 overall. The U.S. loss in the series was in a 2010 World Cup qualifier.
U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski continued to finetune his lineups in advance of the Olympics. The United States, a fourtime gold medal winner, is aiming to become the first team to follow a World Cup title with an Olympic gold medal.
“I feel good,” Andonovski said. “Very excited about the trip. Obviously I feel like we’re prepared. I feel like we are moving in the right direction and slowly but surely fulfilling all the tasks necessary to be fully prepared for the Olympics.”
Heath started after coming off the bench and scoring in the United States’ first sendoff game against Mexico on Thursday, which the Americans also won 40. She hadn’t played for some six months because of injury.
Carli Lloyd got the start Monday in place of Alex Morgan, and midfielder Rose Lavelle got the nod while Kristie Mewis and Megan Rapinoe were available off the bench.
Rapinoe, Mewis and Morgan all started the second half.
The United States scored all its goals in the first half. Lindsey Horan scored on a volley in the sixth minute, followed by Lloyd’s diving header in the 11th.
“You guys don’t know how often I work on volleys, they’re my favorite shot to hit,” Horan said. “So, yeah, I was a little excited when that opportunity came. Thank goodness I didn’t miss it.”
After an owngoal in the 37th minute, Heath scored in the 39th.
“The energy is really high, the environment feels really great,” defender Becky Sauerbrunn said. “The form on the field, I think there are still things that we’re just narrowing down, and to me it’s always going to be about precision. But I think we’ve made a lot of strides, especially in the final third, with that precision.”
Horan had ice on her knee after the game, but Andonovski said it wasn’t a concern.
Mexico did not make the field of 12 teams for the Tokyo Games.