One day shy of twelve years ago, on October 30, 2013, the Football Ferns held the USA to a 1-1 draw in Columbus, Ohio, to record our best-ever result against the world's most dominant women's football-playing nation since beating them 1-0 in our first-ever encounter, in mid-December 1987 at the Women's World Invitational Tournament in Taiwan. Since that stalemate twelve years ago, the respective nations have gone their separate ways as far as the women's game is concerned, investment and sustained on-field success have both been significant factors in determining why the USA has continued to rank either first or second in FIFA's world rankings. New Zealand, meanwhile, reached their highest-ever FIFA ranking of sixteen in December 2013, and attained it again nineteen months later. But things have gone steadily downhill from that zenith, to the extent that when the end-of-year rankings are revealed, the country will likely rank even lower than its current standing of 33, which is already New Zealand's lowest-ever position on this global performance-measuring yardstick. A contributing factor to this will be our latest result against the USA, a 6-0 hiding at Kansas City's CPKC Stadium which equalled the record defeat inflicted upon the Football Ferns by our rampant rivals, who have long set the standards on the international stage. This was Team USA's tenth successive victory over the Football Ferns since the days of that famous draw, in which time they have scored 45 goals to New Zealand's two, a tally Michael Mayne's charges only twice threatened to change in this encounter. That's in large part because they rarely had possession, and when they did, the number of times the Football Ferns strung three or more passes together over the course of the ninety minutes amounted to no more than seven. Slim pickings doesn't even begin to describe it. A chasm does. And it's growing. Results between the teams so far this decade have seen the USA triumph 6-1 (Sapporo, 2021), 5-0 (Carson, 2022), 4-0 (Wellington, 2023), 5-0 (Auckland, 2023) and now 6-0 in front of 11,044 loud and proud natives, who relished the display put on by the reigning Olympic champions. Although in relation to the American team which took to the park, the vast majority of them are new to the US programme since they won gold in 2024. Indeed, this was the least-capped starting line-up the USA has fielded this century! Isn't that a startling fact! But despite that lack of experience, they still served up a footballing lesson to a New Zealand side which was chasing shadows for large periods of this match, right from the opening whistle, in fact. It was all hands on deck for the Football Ferns from the outset, Emily Sams seeing a shot blocked in the sixth minute. Two minutes later, the USA were celebrating their first goal, with the outstanding Lily Yohannes sparking things off by securing possession in midfield before linking with Michelle Cooper on the right. The pair then worked a one-two, with Yohannes' brilliant back-heeled return pass opening up the New Zealand defence. Cooper stormed into the acres of space which invited exploitation, before delivering a low cross to the far post which saw Emma Sears nip in behind Manaia Elliott and steer her shot beyond the already committed Victoria Esson into the far corner of the net. Soon after, Mackenzie Barry blocked a shot from Cooper after Sears had made in-roads in the area, while on the quarter hour, Esson saved at the feet of the goalscorer after another Yohannes' back-heeled pass had opened up the midfield, with Sams and Lilly Reale swiftly combining to exploit their team-mate's creativity. The Football Ferns were afforded a rare sniff of an opportunity in the 22nd minute, when an error by Kennedy Wesley invited Katie Kitching to pounce. Before she could take advantage, however, the door was firmly slammed shut by the defender, and Emma Hayes' charges were soon doing what they do so well again and again and again. Rose Lavelle combined with Sams to feed Cooper in the 24th minute. She got the better of Liz Anton before delivering a low cross which Sears was prevented from converting into a goal by Barry's bold block. Two minutes later, Esson turned a Sears screamer to safety, the first of a barrage of shots fired just before the half-hour mark as Team USA laid siege to the Football Ferns' goal. The visitors somehow survived this stern examination, but after Esson had again saved at the feet of Sears in the 33rd minute, they doubled their advantage sixty seconds later. Jordyn Bugg, Lavalle and Sams combined to reward Catarina Macario's off-the-ball movement, the Brazilian-born striker's first time ten yard drive ricocheting into the roof of the net off the leg of the diving figure of Esson, who was desperately unlucky on this occasion. They weren't content with a two-goal lead, either. Macario went desperately close to doubling her tally just three minutes after scoring, while after Cooper went close to making it three, it was Lavelle's turn to be denied by Esson saving bravely at her feet. Kate Taylor then blocked a twenty-yarder from Lavelle, who went close again in first half stoppage time, by which time the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup Final goalscorer had struck Team USA's third goal. Lavelle's sumptuous first-time twenty yard volley, struck just beyond the reach of an at-full-stretch Esson, capped off a fabulous flowing move in which Cooper, Sams, Lavelle, Macario, Reale and Yohannes all contributed, the coup de grace materialising after Macario's pass to Sams had seen Indiah-Paige Riley tackle her opponent, only for the ball to fall invitingly into Lavelle's stride … 3-0. The Football Ferns gave Lara Wall - cap #213 - her debut at the start of the second spell, and her first contribution to the game earned her a yellow card. Her second, in the 52nd minute, saw her fire the visitors' first shot in anger in the entire contest - she can be pleased with her initial efforts while sporting

the silver fern. Cooper had already gone desperately close to curling another one home by the time the newcomer threatened to gatecrash the party. Kitching's quickly taken free-kick found Katie Bowen in space on the right, from where she delivered a cross which was cleared to Wall. Her shot from outside the area was deflected for a corner. Kitching delivered a gem, and Taylor, rising above allcomers, met it with a firm downward header which had "Goal!" written all over it until the hitherto unoccupied Claudia Dickey flung herself to her right and clawed the ball off the line and to safety. The USA's response to nearly having their lead reduced? Increase it, of course! Cooper secured possession on the right before taking on and beating Anton to the by-line, from where she steered a low cross just beyond the reach of Esson. Arriving on cue was Sears, who took two attempts to make it 4-0 in the 55th minute. And still they came! Emma Pijnenburg was caught in possession by Yohannes two minutes later, and she worked a one-two with Macario before threading a defence-splitting pass through for Cooper, only for the combined efforts of Esson and Anton to foil the speedster on this occasion. On the hour, Bowen blocked a Sears piledriver to conclude a move which featured some dazzling footwork by Yohannes. Seconds later, Lavelle's half-time replacement, the redoubtable Lindsey Heaps (nee Horan) sent Sears scampering down the left, from where she delivered a cross beyond Macario. With Cooper somewhere behind her, the retreating figure of Wall took no chances, and conceded a corner which the Football Ferns survived. Team USA's relentlessness was rewarded in the 66th minute when they scored a superb fifth goal. A tremendous spell of passing and movement left the Football Ferns displaying all the characteristics of a mouse being toyed with by a cat! Cooper and Heaps decided enough was enough, the latter picking out Macario in the area. She held off the challenge of Anton before battering a shot beyond Esson's despairing dive and into the far corner of the net. At this, the USA rang the changes, but it didn't take long for their replacements to get up to speed. Soon after having her hair parted by fellow substitute Yazmeen Ryan's cross, Jaedyn Shaw sent a twenty-yarder flying past the post. Melissa Clegg was soon seen on defensive duty, denying a shot from Bugg following a Sam Coffey corner, while Coffey and Heaps combined to carve open the Football Ferns with two scintillating passes in the 76th minute. Ryan was the beneficiary of their surgical precision, but Esson raced out to narrow the angle and forced the newcomer to fire past the far post. The Football Ferns' 'keeper kept another one out seconds later, this time tipping over another attempt by Sears as she looked to complete her hat-trick. And in the 82nd minute, Esson was at it again, turning Coffey's twenty-five yarder round the post after Ryan's rampaging run down the right. Six minutes from time, the sixth goal was scored, and again, fortune didn't favour the Football Ferns. Coffey fired a free-kick into the danger zone prompted Meikayla Moore to attempt a headed clearance, one which must surely have sparked recollections of the day when she scored a hat-trick of own goals against the USA in Carson. For her headed clearance flew past the diving Esson and crashed against the inside of the far post before rebounding across goal, with Sears the first player to react to the situation, duly completing her hat-trick in doing so. She went close twice more before the final whistle, Esson again saving at Sears' feet with the last act of the game, seconds after Wall's thirty yard drive drew a sharp save from Dickey, whose team-mates produced a display of which they can be proud - not a statement which applies to the Football Ferns, whose heaviest defeat since shipping six in the aforementioned game in Sapporo this was. This has been a very challenging tour for coach Michael Mayne. Early goals conceded in all three defeats, with very little by way of goal threat produced in response. And very few players impressing during their time on the park - only Esson, Taylor, Kitching and Riley, of those who were involved in all three games, return home with more pluses than minuses to their names. It's not as if we haven't got players who can compete on the world stage - witness Auckland United's performance against Wuhan in the inaugural match of the FIFA Women's Champions Cup as proof positive on that front. There are numerous others playing in the National Women's League who would bring fresh energy to a side which seems to be treading water. Injured duo Macey Fraser and Malia Steinmetz are both big misses at present, while Grace Jale, like Riley, offers that "X" factor which the Football Ferns need to be competitive on the international scene, as does Alyssa Whinham. Rebecca Lake, an unused member of the squad on this tour, is another who brings qualities which this team needs, not least leadership and defensive nous. And don't forget Olivia Chance, soon to return to the game after taking maternity leave. Two matches against Australia, in Gosford and Adelaide, conclude the Football Ferns' year, and given our recent history against the old enemy - we last beat them in 1994, allied to current form, one doesn't hold out much hope of a reversal in fortunes in 2025. Football being the funny game it is, however … Team USA:     Dickey; Sams, Wesley, Bugg, Reale (Gaetino, 80); Yohannes (LaBonta, 67), Lavelle (Heaps, 46), Hutton (Coffey, 46); Cooper (Ryan, 68), Macario (Shaw, 67), Sears Football Ferns:     Esson; Barry (Moore, 59), Taylor, Anton; Elliott (Rennie, 59), Bowen, Longo (Pijnenburg, 46 (booked, 81)), Foster (Wall, 46 (booked, 49)), Riley (Brown, 46); Clegg, Kitching (Jackson, 68) Referee:     Saphire Stockman (Costa Rica)