Thursday’s match was never about the result for the U.S. women’s national team.
There were some nice moments on the field, highlighted by Carli Lloyd’s brace for her 49th and 50th career international goals, and the U.S. will take the 3-0 victory over China. The U.S. is now unbeaten in 82 straight home games.
But Thursday was a chance to for the U.S. to get back on the field just days after coach Tom Sermanni’s firing. Interim coach Jill Ellis, who is considered by public opinion to be one of the main candidates for the job, tried just about everything, playing Lauren Holiday as a forward and using all six substitutions in the victory.
[Check out my full take on the USWNT coaching search over on NBC’s ProSoccerTalk]
Ellis deployed a 4-3-3 formation with Holiday playing as one of the three forwards, a role she was comfortable with in college and her early U.S. days. Holiday has since transitioned to and mastered the attacking midfielder role, which she played for FC Kansas City in her 2013 NWSL MVP campaign.
Lloyd impressed in the first half with her two goals in addition to several other chances, and Sydney Leroux’s goal 14 seconds into the second half gave the U.S. a third and final goal in the victory.
The most important happening on Thursday may have actually come just three minutes into the match, when defender Rachel Van Hollebeke went down with what looked like an ankle injury. Van Hollebeke is the focal point of Portland Thorns FC’s defense, and the NWSL season begins on Saturday with the defending champion Thorns facing the Houston Dash, an expansion team owned by the Houston Dynamo owners.
Hope Solo earned her 150th cap, and the shutout was her 70th in a U.S. jersey. She is one shutout shy of tying Briana Scurry for the most in U.S. history.
The U.S. women next play on May 8 against Canada in Winnipeg, Manitoba. By then, it’s possible they’ll have a new coach.
