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After watching the men underwhelm on Sunday in Philadelphia, the women take center stage again in the semifinal of the World Cup today at 3 p.m. against England in Lyon, France.
While the defending champions are favored — and potentially unbeatable after squeaking past the hosts — No. 3-ranked England is in their second straight seminal after falling 2-1 to Japan in Edmonton in 2015 and have performed arguably better in the knockout stages than the three-time champions.
Like today’s opponent, the Lionesses have won all five of their games, conceding just once in their first game of the tournament against Scotland. That’s 371 minutes without a goal allowed for goalkeeper Karen Bardsley and company against a team that after putting 16 goals on the board their first two games has scored two goals in each of their last three games and only once from open play (own goal, off a corner, penalty, penalty, free kick).
England meanwhile has a pair of 3-0 wins in both of their knockout round games albeit against Cameroon and Norway, which are both arguably lesser competition than Spain and France.
Still, the U.S. is full of confidence and some might even say a fair bit of arrogance and swagger as they seek a berth into what would be a fifth World Cup final (out of seven).
Reading Material
USA vs England: What to watch for (Stars and Stripes FC)
What sports can’t do: Fran Kirby on learning to be okay after devastating personal loss (We Ain’t Got No History)
In soccer small kindnesses matter just as much as the biggest event (SB Nation)
Why is Lyon, not Paris, getting all the love in this year’s Women’s World Cup (ESPN)
U.S. can’t afford a letdown against surging England (Los Angeles Times)
Schedule
USA vs England, 3 p.m. ET (FOX and Telemundo)
How to Watch
Local Venues/Events:
TV: Fox, Fox Sports 1, Telemundo and Universo
Stream: FoxSports.com, Fox Sports app (with cable subscription) or FuboTV (affiliate link).*
*Brotherly Game has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Brotherly Game and SB Nation may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. For more information, see our guiding principles.