Game

The U.S. has never been shut out for three consecutive matches, and MacMillan scored in just the third minute with a volley that originated with Parlow using her head on a long thrown-in from Slaton and flicking it perfectly for MacMillan bury it.                   The second goal came when Slaton put through a pass to Parlow in the penalty area. After she was pulled down she pushed the ball to Milbrett who collected it in the middle of the goal and put a left-footed shot low in from eight yards. In the 16th minute, Ren Liping got behind the U.S. defense, but was run down by Slaton, who tackled the ball away for Beene to scoop up. In stoppage time of the first half, Ren got behind the defense again, but this time is was Sobrero that recovered to win the ball. In the 23rd minute, Zhang Ouying nutmegged Slaton on the right flank, then touched the ball past a sliding Reddick and whipped in a dangerous cross that slipped all the way through to Pu Wei, but her first time shot from 18 yards out was grabbed by Beene with a full extension dive to her right.

As always, the Chinese moved the ball with precision and speed, urged on by their vocal fans who roared every time a Chinese attack crossed midfield. But despite numerous dangerous runs down the flanks, the Chinese took just seven shots in the game as the American defense stiffened in its back third.

The USA knew going into the game that it needed a 3-0 win to beat out Germany for second place and they went after the third goal for the remainder of the match. In the 33rd minute, they almost got it as the Chinese goalkeeper picked up a back pass off the toe of a sliding defender. The U.S. had an indirect free kick from the elbow of the six-yard box as Lilly touched the ball to MacMillan who took a full swing. Her point blank shot likely caused a bruise on the thigh of one of the 11 Chinese players lined up on the goal line, but the ball rebounded out of danger. The USA was on its heels a bit in the first 30 minutes of the second half, but still defended extremely well against a relentless Chinese team as the midfielders of Lorrie Fair, Julie Foudy and Aly Wagner did a fine job of keeping possession and dictating their own rhythm. China had two golden chances to pull a goal back in the first six minutes of the half, but Ren's wide open header flew over the crossbar in the 48th minute and Zhang put her chance over the top in the 51st minute after getting an open look at the goal in the right side of the penalty area. China also had a quality chance in the 69th minute as Pu got good forehead on a header from a corner kick, but the ball bounced right to Beene.

The USA got a bit of the game back in the final 15 minutes, finding a crisp ball possession rhythm of its own that nearly produced another goal. Brandi Chastain, a reserve forward on the 1991 Women's World Cup Team that won the title at Tianhe Stadium, got a run up top for the first time in years when she replaced Parlow in the 65th minute, but it was 73rd minute substitute Kylie Bivens that almost got the USA its third goal, running onto a long pass in the 76th minute, then weaving through three defenders in the penalty area to work free for her shot from 12 yards. A sliding Geng knocked the ball down, denying Bivens her first international goal. In the 85th minute, halftime substitute Aly Wagner wiggled free at the top of the penalty area, but her skidding shot from 18 yards out was pushed around the left post by Geng.

Post game quote                            

U.S. Head Coach April Heinrichs

The USA has some growing to do. We are trying to blend some younger players with the experienced ones and that takes time, but I like the way the team progressed and grew together in this tournament and played better in each successive game. I have to say that we are a bit disappointed in the 2-0 victory as our goal was to win 3-0 and take second place. But I am very pleased with the energy and enthusiasm with which the entire team went after that third goal. We gave up a goal early in the first game which ended up costing us the tournament and that should be a cruel lesson of how small the margin of winning and losing is in this game.       

Player performance

Parlow was effective in all three games, holding possession for the U.S., running at defenses and dishing out penetrating passes.

U.S. back line were strong in front of goalkeeper LeKeysia Beene whose shot-stopping and racing off her line to corral dangerous through balls was brilliant. Kate Sobrero, and later Thori Bryan, did a fine job at right back while Cat Reddick and Joy Fawcett held down the middle and left back positions. Danielle Slaton was again a dominating physical presence.                 

The victory was the 200th in the history of the U.S. Women's National Team program dating back to 1985 and it also broke a seven-game streak in which the Americans had not beaten China in regulation time. It was also Heinrichs' first win over China as head coach.