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whatisthiswritingthing · 3 years

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Can They do That? - Christen Press x Hockey!Reader

Prompt: For christen press where the reader plays a different sport(hockey if you can) and Chris and some of the team goes to on of her games and does not understand it at all and somehow the reader gets hurt during the game as well (Like for example different play skate hits the reader ankle when they get pushed up against the glass)

Note: I changed the injury a little bit, hope thats cool. Keep sending requests!

“What time is puck off?” Sonnett asked the group

“You know it’s puck drop Sonny,” Horan rolled her eyes at the blonde.

“Puck off sounds cooler,” the defender replies with a shrug.

It was a day off for the soccer players during a camp, their day off very conveniently lined up with the same day the national hockey team was playing. Christen had made plans to go watch her girlfriend play, this of course turned into a group outing and now most of the soccer team was in a box above the ice waiting for the game to start.

Christen admittedly didn’t understand hockey as much as she should, especially after dating one for several years. The hockey player had tried several times to explain the game without much luck. Now sitting in a room full of soccer players who also didn’t understand the game made her feel much better.

Even though they didn’t know the intricacies of the sport, they all still enjoyed watching the game. All incredibly impressed at the skill and finesse needed for the brute sport.

“I thought women’s hockey was non-contact?” Ali asked next to Christen, both wincing as they watched Y/N and an opposing player push each other into the boards.

“It is,” Christen trailed off, watching Y/N get pinned against the boards by a substantially larger player.

“Do you think they have practices just on how to get over the boards?” Rose pondered. “And why don’t they just use the door? That seems much more efficient.”

Roses question went unanswered as Y/N was once again pushed along the boards, this time by two larger players. All the soccer players wincing as the sound rattled through the arena.

Y/N was small and fast, she could stick handle like Tobin could juggle. This unfortunately led to Y/N being the target of many defenders. She could easily handle herself, while substantially smaller than most defenders, she knew how to handle the contact, giving as good as she got majority of the time.

Watching Y/N play always worried Christen, she had no fear going against the larger players. Stating she “didn’t check them, she guided them to the boards”. Christen of course didn’t know what she meant but assumed it more aggressive than she made it sound. Still always cringing when she saw her girlfriend get hit particularly hard

With the way the game was going, there was lots of cringing happening. It seemed Y/N was getting hit more and more, her teammates doing their best to draw the other teams attention, but they had their focus set on Y/N. Y/N continued to take the contact, the other team struggling to contain the small center.

“Do you think Y/N will teach me to hit like that?” Kelley asked Christen.

“Pretty sure that,” Alex said, motioning to the ice, “is not allowed in our league. I’m not even sure it’s allowed in this league.”

The arena erupted in yells and hollers, high fives given all around as the US scored late in the first period. Y/N with a cheeky move, having spun and backhanded the puck just on the other side of the goalies outstretched leg.

The team on the ice celebrated, high fives down the bench, and then the game was resetting.

As play progressed, more and more hockey players were sent to the penalty box, leaving the soccer players confused at the calls.

“It’s called a sin bin?” Sonnett yelled, excited after her and Lindsey looked up one of the penalties. “We need a sin bin in soccer!”

“You of all people should not want a sin bin Sonnett,” Sam challenged, “you and Kelley would never leave it.”

“HEY! I heard that!” Kelley attempted to defend herself, “besides, it looks kind of nice. Good spot for a little break, maybe a snack or two.”

“You would want there to be snacks in a penalty box,” Alex rolled her eyes.

“Like you wouldn’t want a snack break here and there during soccer,” Sonnett challenged back.

Christen tuned out the group, focusing on the game and how often Y/N seemed to be getting hit. The Russian team realizing early on in the game the only way to keep up, was to keep Y/N down.

By the start of the third period, the Russians figured out keeping Y/N down wasn’t working either, she had scored another goal in the second and assisted two others. Y/N was aware of the increased interest and did her best to avoid the contact instead of fighting through it, the defense finding her anyway. Cheap shots being thrown while Y/N was pinned in the corner. One in particular dislodging the cage to her helmet, knocking the helmet off entirely. The Russian player throwing a hard elbow to Y/N face, immediately splitting open the skin, which quickly began to bleed profusely.

The refs quickly intervened, separating the rest of the players attempting to join in. The US players quickly pulling their injured player away from the scrum and towards the bench, blood now covering most of the right side of her face, dripping on the ice and jersey as they went.

Christen was on feet at the edge of the box trying to get a better look at her girlfriend. She knew she had to be alright since the hockey player skated off on her own, but there was just so much blood.

“They can’t do that, right?” Sam questioned softly.

“No Sammy, they definitely can’t,” Mal rubbed her back. The soccer players watching as the entire Russian line was sent to the penalty box along a few US players.

Y/N was immediately taken to the training room, there was no way she was going back. They were winning and the team wasn’t risking any more harm to the forward.

The trainers helped her removed her equipment, they cleaned the large cut and determined she would need stitches. The team doctor quickly setting up to do the stitches, putting in a local atheistic to freeze the wound.

While waiting Y/N finished changing and grabbed her phone, texting her worried girlfriend to ensure she was fine.

Y/N: Soooo I did a thing…

Christen rolled her eyes in the booth when she saw the text her girlfriend sent her, of course she would downplay this. The rest of the soccer players all asking how Y/N was, they liked her and were concerned about her as well. They knew how serious it would be to be taken directly to a training room.

Christen: Yeah, I saw your thing babe. Are you ok? How bad is it?

Y/N: I’m good, they are just about to stitch it once the freezing sets in.

I’ll see you back at the hotel after babe, I promise I’m alright.

Christen wanted to press more, she wanted to see with her own eyes that Y/N was alright Y/N always downplayed her injuries though, never wanting Christen to worry more than she already did.

Christen: Sounds good love. Let me know when you’re on your way back and I’ll meet you in the lobby.

Y/N: Yes dear.

Christen could sense the sarcasm through the text but knew the hockey player was joking and trying to ease her girlfriends worry.

Fortunately, the two teams were staying in the same hotel and were only separated by a few floors. They didn’t see much of each other, but it was definitely beneficial in a situation like this.

Christen was nervously pacing the lobby, Y/N said she was on her way back and would be there soon. As soon as Y/N walked through the doors Christen was immediately in her arms.

“I’m alright Chris, it’s ok,” Y/N whispered soothingly into Christens ear, rubbing her hand up and down her back.

Christen pulled back, running her thumb along Y/N cheek, resisting the urge to touch the angry looking stiches above her eyebrow. Y/N grasped Christens hand, pulling it to her lips and her knuckles and gentle kiss.

“I’m ok Chris,” Y/N repeated, pulling the woman into a gentle kiss.

“Alright Romeo,” Hilary called as her and more of the hockey players arrived, “I’m ditching the room tonight for you, so you can take your girl up there and quit making out in the lobby.”

The hockey players all laughed while Y/N blushed as they all made their way to their rooms.

“You got a feisty one here Press,” Knight commented, clapping Y/N on her back. “Good thing she had a hard head! Take care of our giri, I really am ditching the room, I’m going to crash with Duggans.”

With a wink, the hockey player was gone.

“Come on lets gets you showered and in bed,” Christen guided Y/N towards the elevator, keeping her hand in Y/N’s the whole time. Snuggling into her chest while the road the elevator.

Once in the room Christen started puttering around to get everything ready for the two of them to shower.

“You really don’t need to shower with me Chris, it’s just stiches,” Y/N protested.

“Are you turning down a chance to be naked in a shower with me? You must have been hit harder than we thought, I should go get your trainers,” Christen joked, moving to step away from the hockey player.

Y/N quick wrapped an arm around Christens waist, while the other went to the back of her neck, pulling her in.

“I am definitely not saying no to you in the shower with me,” Y/N closed the distance, kissing Christen.

The two kissed in the bathroom while the shower heated up, slowly helping each other undress.

Christen gasped when she saw the dried blood still along Y/N chest and shoulder.

“I’m alright babe, I knew I was showering right away so I didn’t work too hard to clean up. I’m sorry, I didn’t think about what you would see.”

The two got under the hot water, Christen taking her time to lather body wash along Y/N’s body, feeling the hockey player loosen under the gentle ministrations. She let out a soft moan when Christen began massaging shampoo in her hair, being cautious not to pull too much to avoid stretching the stitches.

By the time Christen finished, Y/N was exhausted, the effort from the game, the steam of the shower, and the gentle hands of her girlfriend draining her last bit of energy.

Christen quickly washed herself, and helped her girlfriend out of the shower, wrapping her up in a towel first before herself. She dried her off quickly, letting her get dressed while she did the same.

The two women made their way to the bed, Y/N on her back while Christen moved to lay on her chest.

“Thank you for taking care of me love,” Y/N whispered softly, placing a delicate kiss on Christens head.

“Of course Y/N, you don’t need to thank me, I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Christen stretched up, the two sharing a gentle kiss before she settled back down so the two could do to sleep.

Y/N asleep in seconds, the fatigue finally catching up her.

#uswnt imagine #uswnt imagines #uswnt x reader #christen press x reader #christen press imagine

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uswnt5 · 2 years

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She was on for nearly 20 but I see your point. Either way, he is going to play whoever he thinks will give them the best chance at winning. Tobin was injured for so long so she doesn’t have proper chemistry with anyone. Between that and her fitness, it’s valid that she doesn’t get played more. Look at how little jordan comes off the bench for example. Of course she is someone who also deserves more minutes but it’s just hard when they’ve already found what works for them

Yeah I guess we all said this when she signed... they didn't need another winger. And here we are, seeing that not all their wingers get minutes. I said 10' because their twitter account said she subbed on at the 80th minute but no matter.

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mastcomm · 4 years

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‘It’s Cutthroat’: U.S. Women Beat Canada in Soccer, With Fight Ahead

CARSON, Calif. — A great example of the relentless competition for roster spots on the United States women’s soccer team might have been a short video clip that popped up on social media on Wednesday.

In it, several United States players can be seen filing off a bus before a training session last week. Forward Tobin Heath with a coffee and a stony look. Goalkeeper Adrianna Franch, her headphones firmly in place. And then a surprise: striker Alex Morgan, seven months pregnant, flashing a mischievous smile.

Morgan, of course, is absent these days from the team she helped lead to the World Cup title last year. Her first child is due in April, only three months before the Americans will open play in the Tokyo Olympics, and her visit to a training session was merely a chance to see her teammates while they were in town to punch their ticket to the Games.

But there also was a subtle message sent in Morgan’s appearance, in her decision to go through warm-ups, and in the workout videos she has been regularly posting on her social media accounts: Don’t forget about me.

She knows as well as anyone that after Sunday’s 3-0 victory against Canada in the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament final, the United States players will begin a much tougher competition: the battle for places on the team for this summer’s Tokyo Games. And no one, not even Morgan, wants to be left behind.

Simple math makes the battle for places a high-stakes affair: Since Olympic rosters are capped at 18 players, at least five members on the 23-player roster that won the World Cup — talented, popular, worldbeating players — will need to be cut from the team before it leaves for Japan.

Regulars like Allie Long, Morgan Brian and Mallory Pugh, who were left off the squad for the Olympic qualifiers, have already felt the squeeze. And the emergence of new options like forward Lynn Williams will only complicate the decisions, which can have profound professional and financial consequences for the players involved.

“Yeah, it’s tough,” forward Carli Lloyd, who wears her ruthless competitive streak as a badge of honor, said of seeing teammates dropped, even temporarily. But she also said it would only get harder. “It’s going to be cutthroat.”

On Friday, with qualification for Tokyo on the line in a winner-take-all semifinal, Coach Vlatko Andonovski showed little interest in experimenting; instead, he started 10 of the 11 players who started the World Cup final last July (subbing only Lloyd for the absent Morgan). On Sunday, with the spot secure, he rested parts of his favored lineup and sent out Williams, Christen Press and Lindsey Horan, and the second-string defenders Ali Krieger and Emily Sonnett.

Williams and Horan rewarded his faith — and bolstered their cases for bigger roles — with second-half goals. Megan Rapinoe delivered the third goal off the bench, to the delight of a crowd that roared even louder when she struck her now famous arms-out celebration pose.

Now, with yet another win over Canada in the books, the daily competition for places, and for playing time, will only intensify. Mexico’s coach, Chris Cuéllar, joked Friday that the United States was far ahead of its rivals because “every practice is probably tougher than a lot of their matches.”

“Every game, every play, every practice — it’s very intense,” midfielder Julie Ertz said of the expectations for players new and old. “We take it very seriously, and we have a standard we hold each other to.”

Aly Wagner, the television broadcaster who made her national team debut in 1999 and later played in two World Cups and two Olympics, lived those daily battles for more than a decade. “It is cutthroat,” she said. “It’s competitive and feisty and intense every day.”

“It’s emotionally a lot, for each of these players,” she added. “If you’re playing and starting, it’s perfect. If you’re scratching and clawing to get into this roster, or get into the lineup, it’s a grind.”

Wagner and current players described the atmosphere of constant competition as a battle not of player against player, but of player against “their best self.” But yes, Wagner said, there were also hard fouls and kicks in training, and sideways glances in the locker room. Every player does it at some point, she said, and then sets it aside.

“That’s how you navigate this environment,” Wagner said. “If you start to think about you vs. someone else, that is septic. It’s not good for you as a player, and it’s not good for the group.”

Instead, players try to sharpen their focus on things they can control. Midfielder Sam Mewis said Andonovski had worked with her on improving even a single kind of pass each time. Williams has been instructed to “do right now what nobody else can do, and use your speed and be dynamic.”

“So that’s what I’m doing,” she said. “Hopefully he likes it. Hopefully it continues.”

In the end, Williams said, whether she gets a bigger role for the coming SheBelieves Cup in March, or a set of April friendlies, or even the Olympics, “is not my decision.”

So she will keep trying to get behind defenders. And Press, who hit the crossbar with a rocket on Sunday, will keep trying to score every time she’s on the field. And Sonnett — who played multiple positions in recent games — will continue to show value in her versatility.

“One step is just getting in the door,” Williams said. “And then the next step is hopefully getting on the field.”

from WordPress https://mastcomm.com/sport/its-cutthroat-u-s-women-beat-canada-in-soccer-with-fight-ahead/

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biofunmy · 5 years

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U.S. Holds Off an Ascendant Spain, for Now, at Women’s World Cup

REIMS, France — Jill Ellis sat on the sideline and nibbled on her finger.

It was a sweltering Monday night in Reims, France, and her players on the United States women’s soccer team were deadlocked with Spain, one goal apiece, in their round-of-16 showdown at the Women’s World Cup. The clock had ticked into the 75th minute, and the captain, Megan Rapinoe, was preparing to take a penalty kick.

A lot hinged on the moment.

Spain is seen as the most rapidly ascendant national team in women’s soccer, embodying in many ways the global flow of power and, potentially, the future of the sport, as more of Europe’s traditional male soccer powers turn their attention to the women’s side of the game.

The United States is the traditional power of women’s soccer, a three-time winner of the World Cup, now watching the rest of the world scramble to catch up.

On the field Monday at the Stade Auguste-Delaune, Rapinoe took five short steps to the ball and drilled it into the lower left corner, scoring her second goal of the night from the penalty spot. Ellis leapt off the bench and embraced her assistant coaches as the crowd roared.

For 90 minutes on Monday, the Americans got a glimpse of the future, and, for another night, they succeeded in keeping it at bay.

“Spain is a very good team,” Ellis said after her squad’s 2-1 victory. “If you guys look back in all the games they played this year, like I have, they’ve dominated most of their opponents — in fact, all their opponents. This was a tricky game, probably the hardest game in the round of 16.”

It was a tricky match indeed — and coarser, scrappier and testier than perhaps all three of the Americans’ group-stage games combined. Players from both sides tangled themselves into tackles, limbs flailing, shoving and groping for space.

The Spaniards elected to neutralize the threat of American striker Alex Morgan by slamming into her back whenever she received the ball. Morgan called their play at times “reckless.”

The Americans went ahead in just the seventh minute, when Tobin Heath was tripped in the box and Rapinoe converted the penalty kick, slotting it in the left corner, the spot she would pick again in the second half.

Spain tied the match two minutes later when American goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher made an ill-advised to pass to defender Becky Sauerbrunn that left her no time to cleanly distribute the ball. Spain’s Lucía García swooped in to dispossess Sauerbrunn, and Jennifer Hermoso gathered the loose ball and curled it into the top right corner of the goal.

“I should have probably just put my foot through it anywhere and tried to clear it,” said Sauerbrunn, who called the play a “debacle.”

But all those things — the moments of enmity, the aggression, the gamesmanship and the histrionics, even the mistakes — made this the United States’ most conventionally entertaining match of the tournament. The action pin-balled from one side of the field to the other, and tension, for once, was palpable on the American bench.

With the win, the Americans progressed to a blockbuster quarterfinal matchup with France on Friday in Paris — though the manner in which they did it was not entirely convincing. Jorge Vilda, the coach of Spain, sounded almost triumphant in defeat.

“If they’ve had to win from penalties, it’s because we’ve really shown our worth, and we’ve given them a run for the money,” he said, “and we have to be really positive about our overall performance and what happened in the match.”

Vilda said his players should be proud. “We’re going to keep growing and progressing,” he said, “and I think they should walk away with their heads held really high.”

Their future is undoubtedly bright. Spain won the under-17 World Cup last year, finished as runner-up at the under-20 World Cup and captured the last two UEFA under-19 titles.

Spain, along with nations like the Netherlands and Italy, has begun to build a women’s program to eventually match the longtime quality of its men’s team. These countries have the infrastructure, the culture and, now, the will to create a pipeline of talent that could change the face of the Women’s World Cup in tournaments to come — a fact that the United States knows it will soon have to confront.

For now, there is mutual respect. Spain’s Marta Torrejón said before the game that the United States was still, obviously, the standard-bearer in the game.

“Football in America is an example for all of us in every sense of the word, in the sense of the media coverage they get, in terms of the financial support they have,” Torrejón said, pointing out that the American players are stars at home. “To get to that stage, we know we have a long journey ahead of us. But we’re happy to take on that challenge and try to emulate it.”

And one day they might.

But on Monday, the Americans kept control of this moment in time. The summer remained theirs.

90’ + 7

Rapinoe off at last.

Press sprints on. That’s more of a time-wasting move at this point, but they will kill the clock any way they can right now.

90’

Seven minutes of added time.

That appears to be the customary amount under our new V.A.R. overlords.

Spain is pushing. U.S. is hanging on.

Ertz is now slotted in as a fifth defender, a third center back. Lindsey Horan is on for Lavelle.

84’

Spain uses its third sub. Ellis prepares her first.

Carli Lloyd is at the touchline, waiting for a whistle so she can replace Morgan.

It’s really kind of stunning that, in this heat, Ellis has waited until there are about five minutes left to take off anyone. That it’s Morgan isn’t a surprise; she’s been battered all day.

Huuuuuuge cheers as Lloyd sprints on.

81’

Ouch. Naeher down after a brave challenge.

Naeher, who it should be noted has been much sharper since her early shakiness, charges out to punch away a ball headed for Torrecilla. They collide, and Naeher takes the worst of it.

76’

Same spot. Same result. U.S. leads, 2-1.

Rapinoe goes low and hard to the left again, and scores again. Huge sighs of relief on the U.S. bench, and in the huddle around Rapinoe.

Spain may come to rue those three or four wasted minutes as they chase the game now.

74’

Penalty confirmed! Rapinoe takes the ball from Morgan, who wanted it.

As we said, it would have been very hard for the referee to take that back, since she saw it cleanly.

71’

PENALTY!! Lavelle is brought down, and the U.S. can take the lead.

Well here we go: that looked innocuous in real time, but replays show Lavelle — converging on a loose ball near the penalty spot — got kicked in the leg by Torrecilla and went down.

Spain’s players are stalling, hoping for a V.A.R. review. Leon just rolled the ball off the spot after Morgan placed it there.

And the waiting works: Kulcsar makes the square and runs over to the sideline monitor. The referee was standing 10 yards away with an unobstructed view, so it’s would be a shock to see if she overturns herself.

62’

It’s time for Ellis to think about some subs. Right?

Morgan is getting mauled and Rapinoe has vanished from the game on the left. Christen Press would solve the second problem nicely, and Carli Lloyd might be the answer to the first.

Only Lindsey Horan and Emily Sonnett are warming up at the moment, but Mallory Pugh did earlier. Coach Ellis is currently seated on the bench, hands crossed.

59’

Spain is really up for the fight today.

Spain has been more physical with the U.S. than any team it has faced since, maybe, Canada last year. Morgan. Heath. Ertz. Morgan. Morgan. Morgan. O’Hara. The Americans keep getting knocked to the ground, and they’re really getting annoyed.

Even Ellis got up after the last one — Leon sweeping the legs of O’Hara (cleanly but roughly). The Americans need to keep their cool here, and the Spanish need to make sure they don’t cross the line. A couple of yellows, or a red, could change everything.

55’

Whoooosh! Heath rifles a shot over the bar.

Like so many Heath chances, she was just looking for an opening on the right with a couple of short dribbles, but then she pulled a quick trigger and rifled a shot about a foot over Paños’s crossbar.

51’

Heath down, and now Morgan is, too

Play is stopped briefly to attend to Heath, who was injured reaching in for a 50/50 ball.

She gets up, but now Morgan is down. She has been taking a beating today and she’s not happy about it. This time, it was a tangle of legs.

Minutes later, Maria Léon drops her flat again. Morgan appeals for a yellow, or at least a cop, but gets neither.

46’

No changes at halftime.

No changes, that is, except the sun has broken through the clouds, which will only make it hotter down there.

Morgan almost sprung Heath with a lead ball down the right, but Leon got there first and whacked it out of bounds.

HALFTIME

The U.S. leads, 1-1. (That’s a joke.)

The score is tied but the United States was in control. In recent games — against Chile and Sweden — the U.S. dominance did not always translate to the scoreboard, and this feels like a similar deal. But the early goal was a sign of intent, and the Spanish response will surely be a motivator.

We mentioned the weather earlier and it’s not any cooler, so keep an eye on that. Spain had to use a sub early, and Torrecilla needed treatment after landing awkwardly just before halftime. The U.S. looks fresher, and has a LOT more lurking on the bench if Spain tires.

The thing is, they still have to score. And strange things can happen in the knockout round. As the United States learned early, a single mistake can give away a goal at any moment.

And no one wants to go out like that.

45’ + 1

Spain content to run out the half here.

The problem for them is that the U.S. is not. Rapinoe drives in a free kick toward a team of galloping attackers, but it’s about a foot too far for Lavelle at the far post.

38’

Sorry, not sorry.

37’

YELLOW card for Rapinoe: she raked Corredera across the face.

That seemed accidental, but she basically slapped the Spain right back as she tried to change direction and cut inside. Oops. But still a yellow. Rapinoe fumes at the ref, rolling her eyes, but slaps hands with Corredera as if to say, “My bad.”

32’

Spain substitution: Losada off with an eye injury

That’ll hurt, because Losada is one of Spain’s more important midfield players, but her right eye is closing rapidly after some sort of contact. (Sorry, I missed it, but seeing it now it’s hard to see how she could have continued.) The teams take advantage of the lull for a much-needed hydration break.

27’

More nervy moments for Naeher, who looks shaky so far.

Naeher, taking a back pass from Dunn, nearly creates even MORE trouble. She hits Hermoso with her clearance and needs to scramble to get the loose ball to Dunn.

A minute later she charges out to head a clearance just before Hermoso arrives yet again, but the first half hour here is a good reminder that Naeher has had almost nothing to do in this tournament. Today, she’s been put under pressure a couple of times, and — to be frank — she hasn’t looked great.

23’

Spain would very much like to slow this down.

The problem is that the United States isn’t letting them. Every time they win the ball it’s like a car peeling out of a high school parking lot. Lavelle just took a giveaway on a throw-in and raced up the middle. But with Heath on her right and Morgan chasing to catch up on the left, Lavelle goes left, too heavy, and the chance rolls harmlessly out of bounds.

Heath, ignored, put both hands to her forehead. “I’m running over here Rose …”

16’

It’s end to end now.

Lavelle with a gorgeous pass that splits open the Spain defense and leads Rapinoe perfectly on the left wing. Rapinoe one-times it to Paños near post, but she gets down in time to parry it away. GREAT chance, but the teams are really flying now. The U.S. game is to stretch opponents and then carve them up, and it nearly worked to perfection there.

The Americans will need to move quickly, because whenever they slow up, Spain drops all 10 players behind the ball, clogging any gaps.

9’

SPAIN TIES IT!!! A mistake by Naeher!

Well that was fast. Naeher with a lazy clearance that catches Sauerbrunn short with Lucia Garcia closing her down. Garcia flicks it over to an open Jenni Hermoso, and she punishes Naeher from the top of the area. Wow, what a mistake.

That’s the first goal the United States has allowed at the World Cup after scoring 19, and Naeher will be kicking herself. She only has herself to blame there.

7’

GOAL! Rapinoe buries the penalty lower left.

That was a no-doubt: hard and low to the left-side netting. No chance for Paños.

It’s also the fourth game in a row the Americans have grabbed an early lead: 12th minute against Thailand, 11th against Chile, 3rd against Sweden.

5’

PENALTY to the U.S.! Heath goes down in the area!

Heath cuts in from the right and Maria Léon just swipes her ankles. Clear penalty. Rapinoe wants it.

3’

Alex Morgan has been run down twice already.

Spain has clubbed her twice from behind already. But anything is better than letting her turn and start a counterattack, I guess. Morgan points this out to Kulcsar, who is probably it wasn’t her that knocked her down to be honest.

1’

That’s an odd start: the referee breaks up the first attack.

The referee, Katalin Kulcsar of Hungary, breaks up Spain’s first attack by getting in the way. She calls back play and does a drop ball.

Spain immediately takes the ball down the left side off the restart and sends in a cross. Becky Sauerbrunn clearly it weakly to the top of the area, and her reward is a hard Spain shot back in that hits her directly in the face. Ouch.

Today’s lineups: One big change for the United States

One big surprise in the United States lineup today: Lindsey Horan sits, replaced in midfield by the returning Julie Ertz (and also by Sam Mewis in a sense, since she stays). Horan has been excellent in France, scoring goals in each of her two starts and providing some two-way grit. But Sam Mewis has been as good, or better, and Ertz only missed the Sweden game because of a minor injury. Since Ellis wants Rose Lavelle’s speed and creativity going forward in attack, that has always meant a three-player puzzle for the two midfield spots alongside her between Ertz, Horan and Mewis. Today, Horan loses out. It would not be a surprise to see her later, hungry and eager to have a go at a tiring Spain defense.

United States lineup: Alyssa Naeher, Crystal Dunn, Becky Sauerbrunn, Abby Dahlkemper, Kelley O’Hara; Julie Ertz, Sam Mewis, Rose Lavelle; Megan Rapinoe (c), Alex Morgan, Tobin Heath

Spain lineup: Sandra Paños; Marta Corredera, Irene Paredes (c), Maria León, Leila Ouahabi; Vicky Losada, Aleixa Putellas, Patri Guijarro, Virginia Torrecilla; Jenni Hermoso, Lucia García

A word about the weather.

It’s scorching in Reims today, where the sun is high, the breeze is absent and the temperature is expected to be about 90 degrees Fahrenheit for kickoff, which is 6 p.m. local time. My colleagues Andrew Keh and Jeré Longman confirm my expert analysis that it is capital H hot.

That could be a factor. The United States is the oldest team in the tournament, but it also is one of the fittest. The Americans also are among the deepest squads in the field, so Jill Ellis will have plenty of talent to call upon if she needs it. Christen Press and Mallory Pugh against a tiring defense is a matchup she surely likes. As midfielder Rose Lavelle said Sunday, “The strength of this team is we have a lot of strengths.”

Still, Spain has had three extra days of rest since its previous game, and its players are no strangers to playing in the heat.

“We can’t control what our opponent has” for rest, Ellis said. “Everything is about us.”

A bit of history on the U.S.-Spain rivalry.

To be frank, there really isn’t one. The teams have played only once, in January in Alicante a few days after the Americans lost a friendly against France. The United States won that day, on a goal by Christen Press. Here are the highlights:

While the United States has made at least the semifinals in every World Cup, Spain, which made its World Cup debut four years ago, is in the knockout rounds for the first time. That made its pretournament friendlies — wins over the Netherlands and Brazil, defeats to England and the United States — critically important.

“Playing against the best team in the world for the first time made us understand what playing against such fast players, with great technique in a well-learned system would mean,” Spain Coach Jorge Vilda said after Spain’s final game of the group stage. “This is something we studied. This is a game where any single detail can change things so we’re going to look at what we’ve done and try and correct our mistakes.”

On Sunday, he welcomed the challenge.

“When the girls will look at the players in front of them, they’re not going to see stars, they’re going to see a team like any other,” Vilda said. “They are a good team. But we also are a team that has been known to be up to the challenge.”

What’s next for the winner today?

The winner of today’s U.S.-Spain match in Reims advances to a quarterfinal against France on Friday at Parc des Princes in Paris. But France looked shaky in beating Brazil in extra time on Sunday to reach the game, and beating them is increasingly looking like an achievable goal.

When France won in Paris on opening night, raining goals on South Korea and bathing in the cheers of a full house, it looked to be the odds-on favorite to win the World Cup. But that match now feels like the high point of Les Bleues’ journey, which since has seen a tight V.A.R.-aided win against Norway, a narrow V.A.R.-aided win over Nigeria, and an uncomfortably close extra-time victory against Brazil.

Yes, France has won every match. But something seems off.

“In the first half especially, our group was very nervous,” Corinne Diacre, France’s coach, said after beating Brazil. “I asked them at halftime to play more freely and enjoy themselves. They were putting so much pressure on themselves that they forgot the fundamentals, and we were facing a very good team.”

The opponents will only get better from here, but Diacre, who is under immense pressure to deliver France’s first major trophy, still thinks her players are up to the task.

“I cannot say that I totally recognized my team tonight individually, but we did what we had to do defensively and collectively,” she said. “It was not exceptional but, despite all that, we went out and found what we needed to get the victory.”

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