USA v. Columbia, 020711

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Columbia Can't Contain Classy Carli And Co

by Jeremy Ruane

Team USA lit up the FIFA Women's World Cup Finals in Sinsheim on July 2, impressively overcoming the challenge of Columbia 3-0 at a sold-out Rhein-Neckar-Arena to book their place in the last eight of the competition.

The 25,475 fans who packed out the ground were treated to a midfield masterclass from Carli Lloyd, who dominated the match from the first whistle and capped off a fine personal performance with a firecracker finish to complete the scoring in the second half and seal a richly deserved FIFA Player of the Match award.

The USA could have been three goals to the good inside the first ten minutes, but on each occasion, Amy Rodriguez butchered the opportunity to open the scoring. The first opening, in the third minute, saw Columbian goalkeeper Sandra Sepulveda blocking her effort as the striker attempted to lift the ball over the advancing custodian, having been played in by Abby Wambach.

The second opportunity, four minutes later, was gloriously set up by Heather O'Reilly. Her angled cross over the defence sat up perfectly for Wambach, whose shot was parried by Sepulveda. The rebound fell perfectly into Rodriguez's stride, but she volleyed wildly over the bar with the goal at her mercy.

Wambach then linked up with Lori Lindsey in the centre circle, with the midfielder sliding a pass into Rodriguez's stride which left her one-on-one with Sepulveda to beat. Yet again, she failed to deliver a quality finish, firing wide with the 'keeper beaten.

That tenth minute chance was followed seconds later by one for Wambach, who looked to get on the end of a hanging cross from the eye-catchingly performed Ali Krieger. Sepulveda grabbed this off the head of the rangy targetman, but within seconds she was fishing the ball out the back of the net, O'Reilly having despatched it into the top far corner of the net with a fulminating piledriver from fully twenty-five yards to open the scoring.

Lloyd first started to impose herself on proceedings in the seventeenth minute, dispossessing an opponent before feeding Rodriguez. Her horror half continued as Sepulveda hurtled out of goal to clear, but only as far as O'Reilly, whose instinctive first-time drive bounced just past the untended goal.

O'Reilly missed another chance in the 21st minute, Lauren Cheney and Wambach combining to set up the speedster, whose effort at least earned a corner. Cheney's delivery was met by the head of Wambach, the ball whistling narrowly past the post.

After Sepulveda had foiled Rodriguez once more, Wambach narrowly failed to do justice to a super cross from O'Reilly on the half-hour, six minutes after which a cross from the same player was cleared to Amy Le Peilbet. She set up Rodriguez with a super pass, but further proof that it wasn't the striker's day came in the form of Sepulveda's parried denial of a stinging drive.

Five minutes before half-time, O'Reilly and Krieger linked with Lloyd, who turned and sprayed an inch-perfect forty yard pass into the stride of Cheney on the left. Her low cross invited Wambach to score, but Sepulveda had other ideas, saving at the striker's feet.

The Columbians had rarely been sighted as an attacking force, such was the USA's attacking dominance, but in stoppage time at the end of the first half, they flexed their muscles in the final third of the field, only for Katerin Castro's goal to be ruled out by the offside flag.

The USA's response was an injury time corner from Cheney which saw Wambach, Rodriguez and Lloyd all going close, denied on each occasion by desperate Columbian defending, much more of which was required in the second spell, when Lloyd and co really hit their straps.

But not before a vital tackle by USA captain Christie Rampone thwarted Castro as she was about to pull the trigger in an attempt to level the scores in the 48th minute, an opportunity which was akin to waving a red rag at a bull.

Lloyd snorted, stomped and set about stamping her authority on proceedings, igniting the match with a stirring fifty yard surge out of defence, swerving past two opponents en route to Columbian territory, where she played in half-time substitute Megan Rapinoe.

Rodriguez's replacement was initially thwarted by the overworked Natalia Gaitan, but Le Peilbet swooped on the loose ball and slipped a delicious reverse pass into Ravinoe's stride. The substitute dashed across the top of the penalty area before thrashing a fifteen yarder beyond the despairing dive of Sepulveda.

2-0, much to the delight of the capacity crowd, who were enjoying the chance to watch in action the latest representatives of a team which has done

so much for the women's game over the years, and which, on this evidence, will go close to regaining a trophy which the USA last won in 1999.

Columbia weren't content with playing second fiddle, however, and in the 54th minute Orianica Velasquez, with her first touch since coming on as a substitute, brought the best out of a genuine crowd favourite in Hope Solo, who launched herself to her right to tip the swerving strike past the far post.

Cue Lloyd, who put the result beyond doubt in the 57th minute with a screamer. Challenged in midfield, she eased her way out of a tackle, created some space then unleashed a furious twenty-five yard thunderbolt which dipped, swerved and ultimately proved far too hot for Sepulveda to handle, the 'keeper only able to divert the ball into the net behind her.

The 3-0 lead was the cue for the Americans to bring out a few party pieces, starting with a sweeping length-of-the-field move which began with Rachel Buehler. She passed it to Solo, who side-stepped Castro before picking out Rampone.

Krieger, O'Reilly and Cheney were all involved as the white tide swept downfield, with the last-mentioned's low cross finding Wambach with her back to goal. The striker's instant lay-off invited Cheney, who had continued her run, to let fly, but Gaitan was again on hand to frustrate her opponents with a timely block.

Sepulveda nervously tipped a twenty-five yarder from Rapinoe to safety soon after, before Lloyd's superb switch ball played Wambach in through the inside-left channel. Kelis Peduzine initially thwarted the striker, but Wambach came again, only for Sepulveda to save at her feet.

Lloyd continued to boss the game, engineering three chances in a five-minute spell which had the Columbians gasping. Wambach was the first player to benefit from her team-mate's promptings in this period, only to see her shot blocked to safety. Then a sumptuous pass into the stride of Krieger saw the fullback slalom through three challenges before crossing to Wambach, who somehow fired wide.

Lindsey, following the example of her central midfield partner in crime, then linked with substitute Stephanie Cox, who picked out Wambach with a cross which the striker directed narrowly past the post.

Cue Lloyd again, igniting a move which featured Rapinoe and the vastly under-rated Tobin Heath - she would make the starting line-ups of virtually every other nation at these Finals. The talented substitute, who replaced O'Reilly, victim of an errant elbow which prompted blood to flow, returned the ball to Rapinoe, who hammered a drive against the crossbar.

Columbia, cheekily, went straight up the other end and sought to pull a goal back through Nataly Arias. The young fullback gave her all throughout, and few would have begrudged her a goal had her twenty-five yarder been on target - it certainly had Solo scrambling to be sure.

It just wasn't happening for Wambach, and two incidents in the final ten minutes confirmed that today simply wasn't her day. In the eightieth minute, Solo's raking clearance was flicked on by Lloyd to Cheney, who played Wambach in through the middle.

Sepulveda scampered out to clear, but succeeded only in driving the ball against the approaching striker, off whom it cannoned towards the target. When your luck's out, chances like this tend to hit the post of an untended net and bounce back into play …

Wambach's luck was definitely out, and to add insult to injury, inconsistently performed Czech Republic referee Dagmar Damkova harshly booked the striker six minutes from time after she had collided with Sepulveda as both went after a chipped pass from Lloyd.

The Columbians continued to keep the USA honest, and five minutes from time Velasquez got free of the defence - the potential Achilles heel of the American's challenge at Germany 2011.

Even then, the opposition still have to get past the immense presence of Solo, who denied the substitute on this occasion to confirm another clean sheet for herself and a 3-0 win for Team USA, who, with France, are the teams looking most likely to go all the way based on what this writer has seen to date.

USA: Solo; Krieger, Rampone, Buehler, Le Peilbet (Cox, 56); O'Reilly (Heath, 62), Lloyd, Lindsey, Cheney; Wambach (booked, 84), Rodriguez (Rapinoe, 46)

Columbia: Sepulveda; Arias, Peduzine, Gaitan, Montana; Ospina, Dominguez, Salarar (Rincon, 55), Rodallega; Castro, Usme (Velasquez, 53)

Referee: Dagmar Damkova (Czech Republic)

2011 Draw