USA vs. Switzerland Women's Soccer: Score and Reaction from 2015 Algarve Cup

For the second straight game the United States useda second-half attacking surge to score a victory at the 2015 Algarve Cup. Alex Morgan, Amy Rodriguez and Abby Wambach scored for the Americans in their 3-0 win over Switzerland.

It's an important tournament for the U.S. as it gets prepared for this year's Women's World Cup. The side's form has been lackluster compared to its usual extremely high standards as of late. A return to form is essential before June arrives.

You could sense the urgency after the Americans edged Norway 2-1 in their opener on Wednesday. Laura Vecsey of Fox Soccer passed along comments from Carli Lloyd, who scored both goals and made her thoughts about the current situation crystal clear.

"I'm sick of losing," Lloyd said. "I'm sick of all the naysayers out there saying that you're second in the world, the U.S. is done, they had a horrible Algarve Cup last year. You know, I'm a winner. I want to win. It may not be pretty. It may not be shutouts but I'm a veteran. I've got to lead this time. I've got to show up at big moments. I'm just tired of losing."

Although the United States was able to keep a clean sheet in its second fixture of the event, the two games were quite similar. It controlled the pace of play and spent a lot of time in the attacking third, but the finishing touch was missing in the first half.

GotSoccer pointed out the scoreless opening 45 minutes has become a trend for the world's second-ranked team:

Head coach Jill Ellis will be under pressure to find a more consistent attacking group before the World Cup. The talent is there, highlighted by Morgan and Wambach, but figuring out a combination of players that clicks has been elusive.

Perhaps the second half can help her begin to solve the puzzle. The U.S. finally got on the board about 10 minutes after the break off a set piece.

Lauren Holiday curled a nice free kick in the box. An unmarked Morgan was easily able to redirect the ball past Swiss goalkeeper Stenia Michel to grab the lead.

Equalizer Soccer summed up the play:

Paul Carr of ESPN provided a note about the Holiday-to-Morgan connection:

Hope Solo wasn't called into action much in this match. The United States controlled possession and defender well when Switzerland did try to break. The veteran goalkeeper did come up with a key stop at the hour mark to hold the lead.

Lara Dickenmann found a little free space and hit a pretty heavy shot ticketed for the upper portion of the goal before Solo parried it away. Caitlin Murray of SBI Soccer highlighted the save:

Rodriguez, who failed to convert a couple scoring chances in the contest, did manage to find the net in the 72nd minute. She showed outstanding patience in the box, spinning with her back to goal and then chipping it home.

Taylor Twellman of ESPN applauded the effort:

The 80th minute featured a return as Shannon Boxx made her first appearance for the national team in nearly two years, as noted by Fox Soccer Trax:

Wambach wrapped up the scoring a minute later after entering as a sub. She ran on to a loose ball and perfectly flighted her shot over the keeper to make it 3-0. America's Pregame put it in the running for play of the day:

Carr notes the win puts the Americans on the cusp of reaching the final as they head into their last group game on Monday:

In the end, it was a solid overall performance from the United States. The second half obviously being a more complete effort than the first. At the very least, signs of progress are becoming more common. There's still plenty of room for improvement, though.

The Americans will seek a more dominant performance against Iceland, which lost 2-0 to Switzerland in its opener. Two more wins would land them the Algarve Cup title, a nice confidence boost heading into the final stretch before the World Cup.