Carli Lloyd, Christen Press Guide USA to 3-2 Friendly Win over Sweden

Team USA's first game under new head coach Vlatko Andonovski was a success thanks to a 3-2 victory over Sweden Thursday night in a friendly in Columbus, Ohio.    

Sweden made things far more interesting midway through the second half. The United States held a three-goal lead in the 75th minute before the defense cracked, allowing two scores in the span of four minutes to cut the deficit to one. 

This was the penultimate match of the year for the U.S. women before they reconvene in 2020 for the CONCACAF Olympic qualifiers. Thursday marked the first meeting between the two countries since the United States beat Sweden 2-0 in group play at the World Cup on June 20. 

Playing without the services of Megan Rapinoe, who is recovering from an injury, and Alex Morgan, who announced last month she's expecting her first child with husband Servando Carrasco, it was Carli Lloyd and Christen Press providing the offense for America. 

Lloyd needed just six minutes to give the United States a 1-0 lead with an assist from Press:

After playing a career-low 194 minutes during the World Cup, her fewest in four tournament appearances, Lloyd's future with the U.S. squad has been uncertain. She told reporters in September any decision about retirement would wait until a new coach was hired. 

"I'd love to play in another Olympics, if given that opportunity and a fair shot, and then we'll kind of go from there," she said. 

This was Lloyd's first audition for Andonovski, and it couldn't have gone much better. The New Jersey native tallied her second goal of the first half in the 31st minute to put the U.S. up 3-0:

While Lloyd generated most of the offense, Press made her presence felt in a big way. In addition to her assist, she accounted for the second goal of the game in the 28th minute by blowing past Sweden's defense. 

Carrying a 3-0 lead into the second half seemed like it would be more than enough for the U.S. defense. Sweden managed just one shot on goal in the first 75 minutes, but the offense finally managed to break through and make things interesting. 

Anna Anvegard got the Swedish team on the board thanks to a terrific pass from Nathalie Bjorn in front of the United States goal in the 75th minute, and she took advantage of Alyssa Naeher's aggressiveness four minutes later:

Clinging to a 3-2 lead, Team USA had a chance to extend their lead when Casey Short was fouled in front of the net. Lloyd took the penalty kick, but her attempt sailed over the net to keep Sweden within one in the 81st minute. 

The U.S. settled back in over the final 12 minutes to secure the victory, though it was much closer than it needed to be. There was a sizable edge on the stat sheet for the United States with 10 shots on goal and 16 total shots, compared to four and seven for Sweden, respectively. 

This is still a feeling-out process for Andonovski in his first game with a roster that didn't have some key players available. The United States has things to work on heading into its final friendly of the year on Sunday and preparations to make for the Olympic qualifiers starting in January.

What's Next?

Team USA will wrap up their 2019 schedule against Costa Rica at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville on Sunday at 8:08 p.m. ET on ESPN 2. Sweden are done for 2019 and will continue Euro 2021 qualification against Hungary in April.