USA Crush Russia 5-1 in Women’s Soccer International Friendly – Bleacher Report

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Gianni VerschuerenFeatured ColumnistApril 9, 2017

The United States Women’s national team won a second international friendly against Russia on Sunday, cruising to a 5-1 victory in Houston.

Carli Lloyd, Rose Lavelle and Crystal Dunn all scored for the hosts before half-time, while the Russians also added an own-goal. Nadezhda Karpova converted from the penalty spot to give the visitors a fighting chance, but the USA did more damage after the break.

Dunn added a second goal before a host of substitutions took all of the momentum out of the match. The Stars and Stripes had already beaten Russia in Texas on Thursday.

Ashlyn Harris came into the team for the United States, as shared by the squad’s official Twitter account:

Elena Danilova started in a wide role for Russia, who converted to a 4-5-1 formation to better deal with the American crosses. All of the team’s goals in the 4-0 win in the previous match were scored via headers.

The Stars and Stripes easily dominated Russia in their first friendly, and things weren’t expected to be any different in Houston. But the visitors deployed a smart game plan to start the match, playing a high defensive line that saw the American forwards get caught offside time and time again.

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Chances were limited to start the match, but the first opening the Stars and Stripes got resulted in a goal. Dunn earned a questionable penalty and Lloyd easily converted for the lead.

Per ESPN Stats & Info, the midfielder is quickly closing in on a remarkable achievement:

Russia had done a great job of keeping things close up until that point, but the opening goal opened the floodgates. Lavelle bagged her first ever goal for the Stars and Stripes to double the lead, and just a minute later, Dunn turned home a cross to make it 3-0.

Per ESPN FC’s Paul Carr, Dunn is quickly shooting up the team’s scoring charts:

Here’s a look at that goal:

Russia shocked the fans in Houston by pulling a goal back shortly before half-time, and again, it came as a result of questionable officiating. Casey Short gave away a penalty that should have never been called, and Karpova smashed the ball down the middle and past Harris.

The USA would regain their three-goal lead ahead of half-time, however, as a corner kick bounced off Kseniya Kovalenko’s leg and into the net for an own-goal.

During half-time, sports writer Corey Roepken shared some advice for the fans:

Russia couldn’t turn the tide in the second half, as Dunn added a second goal to her tally after just a few minutes. 

That was the signal for a number of substitutions, with Alex Morgan, Megan Oyster and Christen Press all entering the fray. Morgan had an early chance to add to the tally after a mistake from the Russian goalkeeper, but she seemed so shocked at receiving the chance that she hesitated for too long.

More substitutions followed, and the level of play dropped dramatically as a result. Chances became very rare, and Russia were happy to sit back and limit the damage.

The Stars and Stripes will take to the pitch again in June, when they face Sweden and Norway in friendlies in Scandinavia.