The Republic of Ireland women's team lost to the World Champions the United States at the Pasadena Rosebowl in California last night.
The scoring was completed by half time, with goals coming from Tobin Heath, Lindsey Horan, and Carli Lloyd. However, after the break, the Girls in Green put in a spirited performance to keep the tie at 3-0.
Interim boss Tom O'Connor said after the game that despite the result he was pleased with the performance, “it’s 3-0 and no one likes to lose, but I think you have to put it in context.
"We’re playing against the world champions in their home match, on their victory tour. Overall, I’m very, very pleased with the performance and the way the girls played tonight.
“It was a tough first half, we didn’t see a lot of the ball. But the second half was a different story. After the first 45 minutes and with them three up already, we knew we had to get the shape right and overall I’m delighted with the second-half performance.
“To bring a 17-year-old, Eabha O’Mahony, on and for her to do so well was great. We had a few players making their debut or getting their first starts and they did very well, so that bodes well for the team for the future. Niamh Farrelly and Jess Gargan were excellent, they didn’t look out of sync at all. With all that in mind, we’ll look forward to the start of another campaign.”
The United States women's team are taking part in a victory tour following their triumph in the World Cup in France during the summer. This was the opening game in front of over 37,000 people at the Rosebowl, while they play Portugal at the end of August.
Next up for the Girls in Green is their first game in their attempt to qualify for 2021 Women's European Championships, which take place in England. Tom O'Connor's team welcome Montenegro in the opener on September 3rd.
