(Newswire.net — May 8, 2019) — The United States women’s soccer team head to France this summer aiming to win the World Cup for the fourth time in their history.
The US ended a 16-year wait for their third success in the tournament with a 5-2 victory over Japan in the 2015 final.
They are amongst the favourites to retain their title, although there are numerous nations in with a genuine chance of toppling them this time around.
Read on as we assess the US team’s chances of success this summer.
SheBelieves Cup highlights that the pack are closing
The US had won two of the previous three editions of the annual invitational SheBelieves Cup tournament, but they came up short in 2019.
They recorded 2-2 draws against both Japan and England, before defeating Brazil 1-0 in their final match. However, England won their other two games to finish top of the standings.
The US were unlucky not to beat Japan, but they were fortunate to secure a point against an impressive looking England side.
Head coach Jill Ellis came in for criticism for her tactical meddling, but a return to her favoured 4-3-3 formation should see the US find their best form in France.
Despite their performances in the recent tournament, the US remain a popular pick on the sport betting lines at 888 sportsbook to retain the World Cup this summer.
“Gender discrimination” row could derail their challenge
An ongoing row between the US Soccer Federation (USSF) and a group of US international players could have a major impact on the team’s chances in France.
Twenty-eight members of the current women’s player pool have joined forces to file a lawsuit against the federation.
They have alleged that they’ve been subjected to “institutionalised gender discrimination” that includes unequal pay with their counterparts on the men’s national team.
The federation has rejected the claims, insisting that the salary differences are the result of different collective bargaining agreements that establish distinct pay structures for the two teams.
The US team have largely maintained their excellent form during the dispute, but it is not beyond the realms of possibility that it could negatively affect their performances in France.
The case for the opposition
There are a plethora of teams harbouring genuine ambitions of mounting a challenge to win the World Cup this summer.
Hosts France are vying with the US for favouritism in the outright betting market having lost just one of their last 13 matches.
That solitary defeat came by a single goal against a German side that are now unbeaten in their last 11 outings.
England will also fancy their chances having won the SheBelieves Cup, while an improving Netherlands team can’t be ruled out following their success at the 2017 European Championship.
Japan are another team worth noting having reached the final on the last two occasions the World Cup has been staged.
Prediction
Having lost just one of their last 35 matches it is fair to say that the US remain the team to beat in women’s soccer.
However, their performances at the SheBelieves Cup showed that they are not as far in front of the opposition as perhaps was once the case.
The dispute with the USSF clearly has the potential to harm the team’s chances, but it would be a major surprise if they didn’t progress to at least the semi-finals.
From there, if everything falls into place, the US could certainly end up celebrating their fourth success in the Women’s World Cup.