USA vs. France Women's Soccer: SheBelieves Cup 2016 Live Stream, Time, TV Info
The United States women's national team face France on Sunday as they look to extend their winning start to the 2016 SheBelieves Cup in Nashville.
The tournament hosts travel to Tennessee on the back of a 1-0 win over England and currently head the table standings alongside Germany, who defeated Les Bleus in their opener, also by a 1-0 scoreline.
Manager Jill Ellis' side have won their last seven matches in all competitions and are in a confident stride as they head toward the Rio 2016 Olympics, but world No. 3 France will be no easy obstacle in front of a home crowd.
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Read on for all the essential viewing information ahead of Sunday's encounter, complete with a rundown of the biggest headlines prior to the United States' next test.
Date: Sunday, March 6
Time: 8 p.m. GMT/3 p.m. ET
Venue: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
Live Stream: Watch ESPN (U.S.)
TV Info: ESPN 3
| 8 p.m. GMT/3 p.m. ET | United States vs. France |
| 10:30 p.m. GMT/5:30 p.m. ET | Germany vs. England |
Spotless Stars and Stripes Facing Tough Test
Despite scoring an impressive total of 29 goals during their recent winning run, it's the Stars and Stripes' defence that's provided the backbone for that streak, having failed to concede a goal in 2016 thus far.
Ellis' team haven't leaked a goal in more than 630 minutes of play, but the SheBelieves Cup has gathered together some of the best outfits in the world. The head coach is looking forward to the test, though, and told U.S. Soccer of her excitement prior to the tournament getting underway:
"When I took this job, one of my main objectives was to play the best teams in the world during our preparation periods and you can’t ask for better matches. This is another sign of U.S. Soccer’s dedication to the women’s game to organize a tournament like this, which will bring some of the world’s best teams and players to the USA.
To get the chance to play these great teams on home soil is a treat for our fans and extremely valuable in the further evolution of our team. These are the kinds of games where you get tested all over the field and can really evaluate players and learn a lot about ourselves.
"
Before falling to Germany on Thursday evening, France were enjoying an impressive streak of their own and had failed to concede in their previous four games. In fact, that defeat was the first game since June 2015 in which they had failed to score.
The United States tend to thrive on their substantial talent pool, and after Crystal Dunn came off the bench to score the winner against England, American Soccer Now's John D. Halloran praised Ellis' tactical choices:
The substitutes will undoubtedly play a major hand against the French this Sunday, and it says a lot of Les Bleus that Germany, one of the best attacking teams in the world, could net just the one goal.
The USWNT will chase the result first and goals second, of course, as has been the tactic of choice in recent times, as they look to keep up the pressure at the top of the standings and prolong their unsullied defensive run.
Les Bleus Scrapping for Vengeance
Many players in this French squad will fondly remember beating the United States 2-0 in February 2015, but of the two meetings between these sides last year, it was the Americans who clinched the more important win.
Goals from Julie Johnston and Christen Press guided the USA to a 2-0 win of their own in the final of the 2015 Algarve Cup, which proved to be a valuable warm-up prior to their Women's World Cup triumph months later.
Press' goal came thanks to a piece of dribbling magic on that occasion, but Johnston's opener came as a result of France's set-piece weakness, one which Germany exploited again on Thursday, per Our Game Magazine:
If the motivation to notch a first win of the tournament wasn't sufficient enough, the urge to clinch revenge for that Algarve Cup loss will add another dimension for France's players in their bid to cause an upset.
Coach Philippe Bergeroo's side have the talent to do so with the likes of Eugenie Le Sommer and Marie-Laure Delie leading the attack, but their resolve will be challenged in the wake of their German defeat.
