USWNT continues World Cup Victory Tour vs. Portugal on Thursday in Philadelphia

The U.S. Women’s National Team continues its five-game Victory Tour, to celebrate the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup title, with two games against a fast-improving Portugal.

The U.S. is the only nation to have won the World Cup four times: 1991, 1999, 2015 and 2019. The USA started the Victory Tour on Aug. 3 at the historic Rose Bowl in front of more than 37,000 fans, downing Ireland 3-0 as Tobin Heath, Lindsey Horan and Carli Lloyd scored.

The Victory Tour resumes on Thursday, Aug. 29, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia (7 p.m. ET; FS1, FOX Sports App) in front of a record crowd for a stand-alone friendly match, and continues Sept. 3, at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minn. (7 p.m. CT; ESPN2, ESPN App) as the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup champions will play in front of a sold-out crowd. The Victory Tour will feature the 23-player Women’s World Cup Team, but also may feature additional players to add additional numbers to the roster, and that is the case for these two matches against Portugal (see below).

2019 U.S. WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM VICTORY TOUR ROSTER (CAPS/GOALS)

GOALKEEPERS (3): Adrianna Franch (Portland Thorns FC; 1/0), Ashlyn Harris (Orlando Pride; 22/0), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars; 54/0)

DEFENDERS (8): Abby Dahlkemper (NC Courage; 48/0), Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars; 21/1); Crystal Dunn (NC Courage; 92/24), Ali Krieger (Orlando Pride; 104/1), Kelley O’Hara (Utah Royals FC; 125/2), Becky Sauerbrunn (Utah Royals FC; 165/0), 26-Casey Short (Chicago Red Stars), Emily Sonnett (Portland Thorns FC; 35/0)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Morgan Brian (Chicago Red Stars; 83/6), Julie Ertz (Chicago Red Stars; 89/19), Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC; 75/11), Rose Lavelle (Washington Spirit; 34/10), Allie Long (Reign FC; 47/6), Samantha Mewis (NC Courage; 57/14)

FORWARDS (8): 25-Kristen Hamilton (NC Courage; 0/0), Tobin Heath (Portland Thorns FC; 157/31); Carli Lloyd (Sky Blue FC; 282/114), Jessica McDonald (NC Courage; 9/2), Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride; 168/107), Christen Press (Utah Royals FC; 124/49), Mallory Pugh (Washington Spirit; 56/17), Megan Rapinoe (Seattle Reign FC; 158/50)

U.S. WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM VICTORY TOUR

SHORT AND HAMILTON CALLED UP:

Chicago Red Stars defender Casey Short and North Carolina Courage forward Kristen Hamilton were added to the U.S. Women’s National Team roster for the two upcoming matches against Portugal on the 2019 Victory Tour after the USA’s roster found itself a bit depleted due to injuries. Said U.S. head coach Jill Ellis: “With the injuries we currently have to several World Cup players, and with two of our main priorities on the Victory Tour being spreading around the minutes and keeping players healthy for their clubs during this critical playoff push, it made sense to call in Casey and Kristen to give us options and depth for these games against what will be a tough Portugal team. Both players have been performing very well in the NWSL and I know they’ll fit right in with our group for these matches.”

USA VS. PORTUGAL:

The USA is 7-0-0 all-time against Portugal, with four of those seven meetings taking place at the Algarve Cup. Four of the meetings between the teams took place in the 1990s. The most recent meeting was a 1-0 U.S. victory on Nov. 8, 2018, which was the USA’s 500th victory in program’s history. Jessica McDonald’s first international goal was the game-winner. The USA failed to convert a handful of excellent chances, but the match did end 13-13 on shots. The USA has faced Portugal just twice before in the USA. Those two matches were played in Florida in January of 1999, the latter of which featured Michelle Akers’ 100th career goal. Between 1994 and 2015, the USA played 79 matches at twenty Algarve Cup tournaments, all held on the southern coast of Portugal, but the match last November was USA’s first game in the capital of Lisbon.

PHILADELPHIA BEATS PITTSBURGH RECORD:

With more than 45,000 tickets sold for this match, the crowd will break the record for the largest crowd for a stand-alone friendly game for the U.S. Women. The previous USWNT record for a stand-alone friendly – a game that was not a part of a World Cup, Olympics or a doubleheader – was set during the first match of the 2015 Victory Tour after that year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup triumph when 44,028 fans came out to Heinz Field, home of the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers. The crowd in Philadelphia would be the first stand-along friendly match to hit 50,000 if it reaches that mark.

JILL ELLIS COACHING FINAL MATCHES DURING VICTORY TOUR:

On July 30, Jill Ellis announced she was stepping down from her post after five-plus years at the helm of the world’s #1 ranked team. She is the third U.S. coach – and the first female American coach – to win a Women’s World Cup (2015) at the senior level, following Anson Dorrance (1991) and the late Tony DiCicco (1999), and the first to win two after the 2019 triumph in France. Ellis was named the 2015 FIFA World Coach of the Year for Women’s Soccer on Jan. 11, 2016 and will be the favorite again this year. She has an overall record of 103-7-18 and now trails only Tony DiCicco (105), a record she may break during the Victory Tour. The WWC match against France on June 28 was her 125th on the bench for the USA, earning her the record for most U.S. WNT games coached and that win was the 100th in her WNT career.

MARKGRAF NAMED U.S. WNT GENERAL MANAGER AS COACHING SEARCH BEGINS:

On Aug. 12, U.S. Soccer announced the appointment Kate Markgraf, who played in six world championships for the USA, winning the 1999 Women’s World Cup and two Olympic gold medals, as the first General Manager of the Women’s National Team. The role of the WNT GM will have an expanded scope beyond the senior team, influencing the development of women’s soccer within the Federation and serving as the external liaison to all stakeholders. Markgraf’s immediate priority will be to lead the process of selecting the next head coach of the Women’s National Team ahead of qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Games, and she will also manage the overall technical plan for the Women’s National Team program, which includes the hiring of Youth National Team coaches and staff.

BACK AT THE LINC:

This will be the fourth WNT match in Philadelphia proper at Lincoln Financial Field. The USA’s 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup match at The Linc, a 5-0 win against Nigeria, drew 31,553 fans, which is the largest so far in the state of Pennsylvania outside of the aforementioned 2015 crowd in Pittsburgh. The USA has played six matches just south of Philadelphia in nearby Chester, Pa., at Talen Energy Stadium, home of the Philadelphia Union of MLS.