Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF
It took some Coffey, but the United States women’s national team finally woke up on Tuesday evening against China.
Sam Coffey’s golazo drew the USWNT even with China in the second half, paving the way for Jaedyn Shaw to seal the victory in the 79th minute with a brilliant goal of her own in a 2-1 friendly victory.
B/R Football @brfootball
Sam Coffey scores her first international goal in style 🎯
Watch USA vs. China on TruTV and Max 📺 pic.twitter.com/IHwXK2uXQY
B/R Football @brfootball
Jaedyn Shaw puts the U.S. ahead in her hometown of Frisco 😤
Watch USA vs. China on TruTV and Max 📺 pic.twitter.com/PAeukntPrq
It was Coffey’s first international goal for the United States, while Shaw put home her second for the Stars and Stripes and became the third-youngest player in USWNT history to score in her first start.
OptaJack⚽️ @OptaJack
3 – At 19 years, 15 days old, Jaedyn Shaw is the third-youngest player to score in her first start in @USWNT history with only Heather O’Reilly (18-163) in 2003 and Christie Welsh (18-347) in 2000 doing so at a younger age. Undaunted. pic.twitter.com/2Yt6KJFSbH
But the night didn’t start on a high note.
Shen Mengyu gave the Chinese visitors a 1-0 lead in first-half stoppage time off a free-kick routine, putting the United States in an early hole reminiscent of their World Cup struggles.
B/R Football @brfootball
China strike first and the USWNT concede for the first time since July, when they drew 1-1 vs. Netherlands at the World Cup 😲
Watch the match on TruTV and Max 📺 pic.twitter.com/gqUPiCd2Rf
But the United States came out more aggressive in the second half and Coffey and Shaw dug them out of that hole, earning well-deserved plaudits along the way:
Devin Pugh, M.S. ⚽ @_devinpugh
Coffey pic.twitter.com/FwUhu1Ogsy
Portland Thorns FC @ThornsFC
TAKE A BOW SAM COFFEY!!!!!!!!!!! https://t.co/w32cMooQE7
Lis Schendel @lis_ashlee
Sam Coffey should have gone to the World Cup 🗣️
Chris Rifer @ChrisRifer
Welcome, America, to the Sam Coffey Fan Club.
Jason Anderson @JasonDCsoccer
We normally see young players trying to overelaborate, or favoring the flair solution over just getting the job done, and Shaw is just no muss, no fuss over and over again.
Jeff Kassouf @JeffKassouf
Jaedyn Shaw is a rare talent. My not really controversial take is her #NWSL form warranted more of a look ahead of the World Cup, and I said as much at the time. We saw it was possible: Savannah DeMelo went from uncapped to World Cup starter in two weeks.
Douglas Reyes-Ceroñ @dreyesceron
Shaw is making a good case to never be sat on the bench again imo
Kayla McBrayer @KayMac913
Shaw is and will be a PROBLEM for opposing teams 😮💨#uswnt
China’s decision to play five at the back stymied the United States attack early on, but the Americans eventually downloaded their opponent.
When the final whistle blew, the stats told the story of a more dominant display than the final score indicated—the USWNT held 64.4 percent of possession, outshot China 23-4 (11-1 on goal) and held a 6-2 advantage on corners.
There’s no denying that the World Cup failures of the USWNT will color this as a bad year for the program. But it’s also the year that young players like Shaw, Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith, among others, established themselves as future superstars for the Americans.
The future is in good hands. Coffey and Shaw were another reminder of that on Tuesday.
>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : Bleacher Report – https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10099998-sam-coffey-jaedyn-shaw-praised-by-uswnt-fans-for-goals-in-friendly-win-vs-china
