On Saturday, one night after these Olympics' opening ceremony, the U.S. Women took on Thorns FC midfielder Amandine Henry and France in one of the most hotly anticipated group stage matches. The result? A tight, thrilling affair in which the U.S., featuring three Thorns FC players in its starting line-up, defeated the French 1-0 behind a 63rd minute Carli Lloyd goal.
That goal was assisted by Thorns midfielder Tobin Heath, whose shot rebounded right into Lloyd's path and the reigning FIFA World Player of the Year made no mistake about her finish. The assist is Heath's second of the tournament already through two matches.
Late in the second half, Thorns midfielder Lindsey Horan subbed into the match for Lloyd, bringing the total number of Thorns FC players on the pitch to five including Henry.
Oh, and Tobin Heath did this:
The result now means that the U.S. has six points from its first two matches and is in a clear position to finish in first place in the group. On Tuesday, the U.S. will finish Group G play with a match against Colombia in tropical Manaus. France, meanwhile, will finish its group play against New Zealand, whom the U.S. beat in its opening match last Wednesday.
In Group F action, Canada keeps on rolling. The Canadians defeated Zimbabwe 3-1 on Saturday behind a brace from forward Janine Beckie and a penalty kick from Thorns FC forward and Canadian captain Christine Sinclair.
The result means that Canada has already qualified for the quarterfinals as group rivals Germany could only muster a 2-2 tie against Australia. The Canadians now lead Group F with six points from two matches. On Tuesday, they will face the Germans in a heavily anticipated match that will determine the group winner.
Sinclair, as locked in as she's ever been, seems ready for the challenge.
