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SPORTS Saturday 22 June 2019
Maybe the U.S. is as good as American players say

By RONALD BLUM games sent a message.
AP Sports Writer They weren't great teams
LE HAVRE, France (AP) — to be honest. With that said,
Maybe they are as good you have to go out and
as they say they are. perform," midfielder Me-
The United States is mov- gan Rapinoe said, laugh-
ing through the World Cup ing. "I feel like we have a
field like sharks through the big target on our back al-
Atlantic. ready. So I don't know how
"The message is that we're much bigger it can get with
on our game, that we're the performance."
building momentum, that Eight players produced 17
we've gotten some good goals (plus there was an
results, we've scored some own goal), led by Alex Mor-
good goals and we haven't gan with five, Carli Lloyd
let any goals in," defender with three, and Horan, Rose
Becky Sauerbrunn said af- Lavelle and Sam Mewis
ter Thursday night's more with two apiece.
dominating that it ap- "We love to just share the
peared 2-0 win over Swe- ball," left back Crystal Dunn
den completed a record- said. "I think at the end of
setting group phase. "So United States' Megan Rapinoe celebrates with her teammates after her team's 2-0 win over Swe- the day the team that is
I hope the teams that are den in their Women's World Cup Group F soccer match at Stade Océane, in Le Havre, France, going to go on and win is
preparing for us are get- Thursday, June 20, 2019. the team that has so many
ting ready for what's going Associated Press threats and doesn't rely on
to be a really, really tough one player. And I think peo-
match." off Jonna Andersson for an Australia, Norway or Cam- to earn every result." ple should know that we ro-
The American Outlaws sup- own goal, the Outlaws' "We eroon. At least for three games, tate our players. We have
porters in red, white and are the U.S.!" chant had A few numbers to digest: the Americans routed rivals a strong 23, so we're always
blue filled the trains north been met by a playful "You The U.S. set a record with in the same manner Barce- fresh and ready to go."
from Paris. As gulls flew over- are the U.S.!" response from 18 group phase goals, one lona beats up La Liga op- True, but the U.S. has not
head on a mild and breezy the ever-polite Swedes at more than Norway in 1995. ponents. The U.S. had an yet faced a moment of ad-
afternoon, they walked the the other end of the Stade The Americans ended the 83-9 advantage in shots in versity, has not trailed, has
streets and museums of this Oceane. group stage unscored on the three games and had not had to overcome a red
coastal Normandy town Now the route through the for the first time in team his- 75% possession against card or a tournament-end-
with their "Tour de Four" T- field is clear and the heat tory. They started 3-0 for the Thailand, 68% vs. Chile and ing injury to a starter.
shirts, signifying the fourth ti- really will be on for Mon- first time since 2003. 58% against the Swedes. "We talk about from there
tle they hope the U.S. brings day's round of 16 match Despite the relative ease of Alyssa Naeher — remem- down, everybody can kind
home on July 7. against 13th-ranked Spain passage, coach Jill Ellis in- ber her? — had to make of be the same, physically,
They were still in their throaty at Reims — where the tem- sisted complacency is not just four saves over the tactically, all that kind of
start-of-game chants when perature is expected to a concern. three matches, getting stuff," Ellis said, holding a
Lindsey Horan scored 2 min- be in the 90s. The winner "This team is firmly rooted only infrequent tests in her hand horizontally in front of
utes, 40 seconds in, the fast- meets host France or Bra- on the ground," she main- first World Cup succeeding her neck, "But from here up,
est goal of the tournament. zil in a quarterfinal in Paris, tained. "These players have Hope Solo as the Ameri- sometimes that mentality
By the time Tobin Heath's and possible semifinal op- played this game long cans' No. 1 goalkeeper. piece is I think really impor-
50th-minute shot deflected ponents include England, enough to know you have "I don't think the first two tant. q

Andy Murray's comeback halted

by darkness at Queen's Club

LONDON (AP) — Andy Mur- undergoing what he hopes the semifinals. The 18-year-
ray's comeback after a was career-saving hip sur- old Canadian defeated
five-month absence will gery 144 days ago. Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-5, 6-2.
continue into the weekend It's shaping up to be a busy The age differential be-
after his doubles match at Saturday for Lopez, as he tween the players will be
Queen's Club was suspend- finishes his doubles match, the greatest in an ATP
ed in the second set due to plays in the singles semifi- semifinal or final since the
darkness on Friday. nals and possibly the dou- 43-year-old Ken Rose-
The three-time Grand Slam bles semifinals straight after wall defeated 23-year-
champion and Feliciano that. The former Queen's old American Pat Dupre
Lopez won their first set 6-4 Club champion hit 16 aces to reach the Hong Kong
and were 5-4 down in the to beat Milos Raonic 4-6, Grand Prix final in 1977. Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada falls as he plays a return to
Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece during their quarterfinal singles
second to British duo Dan- 6-4, 7-6 (5) in the singles Also, the fourth-seeded match at the Queens Club tennis tournament in London, Friday,
iel Evans and Ken Skupski quarterfinals earlier Friday. Daniil Medvedev defeated June 21, 2019.
when fading light forced Lopez, who was the tour- Diego Schwartzman 6-2, Associated Press
a halt to play at the grass- nament's oldest champion 6-2 for a semifinal against
court event. when he won at 35 in 2017, Gilles Simon. The French 5-7, 7-6 (3). Grigor Dimitrov were both
Murray was playing freely next faces up-and-coming player defeated compa- Defending champion Marin knocked out in the second
in his second match since star Felix Auger-Aliassime in triot Nicolas Mahut 7-6 (5), Cilic and former winner round on Thursday.q