Football Ferns

The USA have beaten the Football Ferns 4-0 in their friendly in Wellington.

Most of the bench did manage to get some valuable game time in the second half. The USA obviously wanted to up the tempo in the second half and the chances started to come thick and fast. It was 0-0 at half time, but the world number one ranked side then opened up the game after the break, showing their class against a New Zealand team missing many of the experienced players.

New Zealand's Football Ferns are set to make history today. They're facing the top-ranked USA side at Sky Stadium this afternoon, in front of the biggest c.

The reigning world champions were kept at bay for 52 minutes, but showed their class to ease to a 4-0 win at the start of a World Cup year.

They are set to field a stronger starting XI in Saturday’s second match at Eden Park in Auckland, but the US will be better for the rust they’ve shaken off. She was unlucky not to score herself, but provided an exquisite backheeled assist for Morgan’s goal to leave her mark on the contest. The breakthrough finally came in the 52nd minute, when Rodman beat Ferns left back Ashleigh Ward down the right and crossed to the middle of the box, where Swanson sent a fierce header past Nayler. Trinity Rodman came off the bench for the US at halftime and sent a header wide with the goal at her mercy less than three minutes later, while Rose Lavelle sent a shot wide from the edge of the box soon after as they looked to lift the intensity. The US’ best chance in the first half came in the 18th minute, when Lindsey Horan received the ball in acres of space in the middle of the box, but had her shot saved by Ferns goalkeeper Erin Nayler’s trailing foot when she had most of the goal to aim at. The Football Ferns faded in the second half to begin the biggest year they’ll ever have with a 4-0 loss to the reigning world champions in front of

A record crowd in Wellington were treated to a tightly-contested first half before the USA showed their world champion class against the Football Ferns.

That seemed to trigger the USWNT to go up a gear as their attack became relentless, allowing Morgan to score her 120th goal for her country in the 60th minute off a classy backheel pass from Rose Lavelle into the penalty area. But still the Kiwis held out until finally the defence seemed to break with a free kick finding the back of the net late in the first half, only for the offside flag to go up against US striker Lindsey Horan. It was the start of a busy afternoon for Ferns keeper Erin Nayler who made a superb save in the 19th minute to keep the score goalless as time and time again the world No.1 US mounted attacks on her goal - one of which bounced off the left post in the 28th minute.

The NZ women held the Americans scoreless at halftime, before the floodgates opened.

Kiri said her favourite player was USA superstar Alex Morgan, “like everybody else”. Morgan was popular with the fans as they filtered into Sky Stadium, with a ...

He was hoping to see a bit of a “blow-out” from the US, who had been suffering a bit lately. "It's fantastic to smash the Ferns' attendance record on a Wednesday afternoon. It was great to see the world champions in Wellington. She was excited to see midfielder Kristie Mewis play. ”She’s my favourite player ... [2018 in a game against Japan with an attendance of 7236 people](https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/nz-teams/104593858/dour-football-ferns-beaten-by-japan-in-front-of-record-crowd). On their way in to the stadium, kids Hunter and Zac were with mum Janine Hearn, hoping to see the Football Ferns win. [for the game](https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/women-in-sport/130995467/recap-football-ferns-take-on-world-champions-us-in-international-friendly-in-wellington) – a new record for a Ferns match – against the United States. [Football Ferns and world champions USA](https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/women-in-sport/130995467/live-football-ferns-take-on-world-champions-us-in-international-friendly-in-wellington) in Wellington on Wednesday. ['You will see a fight': Football Ferns not daunted by United States challenge](https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/women-in-sport/130988518/you-will-see-a-fight-football-ferns-not-daunted-by-united-states-challenge?rm=a) [Football fans, teams out in Wellington sun ahead of friendly game](https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/women-in-sport/130995075/football-fans-teams-out-in-wellington-sun-ahead-of-friendly-game?rm=a) The game in Wellington and one at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday come at the start of a year where the Ferns have

NEW ZEALAND TEAM NEWS: Ferns veteran Erceg announced her retirement from international football just days ago, in a massive loss for the home side.

[the world champion United States](https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/women-in-sport/130977564/all-you-need-to-know-about-the-world-champion-united-states-womens-football-team) this week [while missing a dozen of their first-choice players](https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/women-in-sport/130977682/take-five-the-key-questions-as-the-football-ferns-host-the-united-states). [a home Fifa Women’s World Cup](https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/world-cup/130177989/all-you-need-to-know-about-the-2023-fifa-womens-world-cup) to look forward. [Watch as fans turn out for the big game in sunny Wellington](https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/women-in-sport/131002614/wellington-turns-on-sunshine-as-football-ferns-take-on-world-champions-usa)

The Ford Football Ferns took on the world champions and fought, going down 4-0, in a game marked by a courageous first half for the young side.

The deadlock was broken in the 52nd minute, with Mallory Swanson converting a header at the back post. “I think we had a game plan and we were stuck to it. And that's something what this team believes that we can do, doesn't matter what we will keep, uh, competing. Te Whanganui-a-Tara / Wellington put on a show as 12,508 people flooded into Sky Stadium – a record for a senior women’s international football match in Aotearoa New Zealand ahead of a huge year for the sport. Collins especially took the opportunity to impose herself on Naomi Girma, Crystal Dunn and Lindsey Horan. And it was really great to see that we kept it till the end of the game.

Football Ferns coach Jitka Klimkova says they got eveything they wanted out of their first game against the USA.

"They are very experienced and they proved it, so if we can improve it in the next game that will be the key for us." "We had a tough 20 minutes and that was the biggest lesson for us for the next one, we really need to defend. "The angles and the timing, not necessarily just the pace, we have plenty of pace, it was just a matter of timing."

Yes, the Football Ferns lost 4-0 to the USA following five goal losses in their previous four encounters. Yes, they had an extremely inexperienced team ...

"We want to be unpredictable, we don't want to be clear in how we are going to play so we are looking to different formations," Klimkova said to me after the match. By no means does this mean the Football Ferns are going to beat the USA on Saturday or turn into World Cup contenders overnight, but there are some promising signs in what was a 4-0 defeat. But, there are some embers here to warm the hopes of football fans come July's World Cup and there's already some fire in the belly of players.

While it wasn't the start the Americans perhaps anticipated, they equally weren't surprised. US coach Vlatko Andonovski said they knew the energy was going to ...

“I wish we could say we score goals like that all the time. “I saw Lynn standing there, and her road to recovery has been pretty incredible to watch,” said Swanson. I don’t think there’s a team that scores goals like that [every time]. “One of the things we wanted to do better in the second half was find Rose — and in those areas where she can expose her creativity,” Andonovski said. “There were some things tactically we needed to fix and I think coming out to the second half we did that.” US coach Vlatko Andonovski said they knew the energy was going to be a “little different”, given the build-up of his team with the majority of the squad in their offseason.

They may have lost 4-0 but there was enthusiasm as Football Ferns coach Jitka Klimkova and winger Olivia Chance arrived to their seats for the post-match ...

"We had a tough 20 minutes and that was our biggest lesson for the next one." "That's when we started dropping and started to defend with our back foot and that was the difference that this team is going to take and want to improve for the next game," says Klimkova. "Overall knowing that we had two players who had their first cap, that's incredible, we had so many players who we hadn't seen for a while and they kept us in the game," said the Football Ferns coach.