By Alex Al-Kazzaz
The United States threw everything it could at France, but it ultimately proved futile. France took everything the United States had and picked up a 3-0 win. As a result, the United States is at the bottom of its group while France sits at the top. Both sides will play their next match later this week.
At times, it seemed possible that the United States would pull off the upset. The American attack inflicted pressure on the French defense, but could not finish. Their inability to score really hurt them, and while France failed to capitalize, they eventually broke the scoreless deadlock and added to it. Frankly, while the United States put pressure on France, France was able to return the favor. Therefore, this game was competitive most of the time until France doubled their lead. But credit to the United States as they continued to play hard.
The United States will play New Zealand next. Without a doubt, the United States is in a must-win situation as another loss will result in an elimination. New Zealand emerged victorious over Guinea. France plays Guinea and all they need is a win to qualify for the knockouts. New Zealand is capable of challenging the United States, and a win is realistically possible. The United States has a lot of pressure on its shoulders. The Americans had four shots on target against France, but couldn't produce a single goal.
Alexandre Lacazette is captaining France. The former Arsenal striker hasn't represented France at the senior level for many years, so the opportunity for him to lead the young prospects at the Olympics is a tremendous opportunity for the 33-year-old veteran. With Thierry Henry managing the team, this is even bigger for the prospects as far as their hopes of representing France at the senior level in the future.
Comments