After a tie and loss in its first two games at the Torneio Internacional da Brasilia, the USA took it out on Argentina as Christen Press scored four goals and
Carli Lloyd scored the other three in a 7-0 victory. The win coupled with host Brazil's 4-1 victory over China moved the USA into the championship game against
Brazil on Sunday at the Mane Garrincha Stadium.
Dec. 18 in Brasilia
USA 7 Argentina 0. Goals: Press 7,
23, 41, 78, Lloyd 30, 44, 47.
USA -- Naeher; Krieger, Sauerbrunn, Engen, Chalupny (O'Reilly, 46); Holiday (O'Hara, 84), Brian, Lloyd; Heath
(Rapinoe, 46), Wambach (Leroux, 81), Press.
Argentina -- Minnin; Barroso, Ghigo, Sampedro, Cometti (Quinones, 46); Molina, Venica, Bonsegundo (Sachs, 86),
Espindola; Jaimes (Kippes, 59), Oviedo.
Att.: 750.
Argentina, the only team in the tournament not headed to the 2015 Women's World Cup, never had a chance as Press had the first hat
trick of her international career by the 40th minute, and Lloyd needed only seven minutes more to get the second hat trick of her career. Press added her fourth goal to wrap up the scoring in the 78th
minute.
Lloyd has now scored in seven consecutive games, two away from matching the U.S. record of nine set by Michelle Akers in 1991.
The USA outshot Argentina 28-1 as goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher had to make just one save in her international debut. She became the seventh U.S. goalkeeper to post
a shutout in her first cap.
The only down note was a stoppage-time red card to sub Sydney Leroux that will keep her out of play on Sunday. She had
started the first two games.
The match had been delayed a day before of flooding at the Brasilia stadium that had been used for the World Cup. In Thursday's second game, Brazil beat
China, 4-1, to give it three wins in three games.