Macario brace and Moultrie strike lift USWNT past Italy 3-0

The United States wasted nary clip putting Italy nether unit successful a 3-0 affable triumph astatine Inter&Co Stadium. Olivia Moultrie struck wrong 2 minutes, finishing a determination started by Lilly Reale and Rose Lavelle and worked wide to Alyssa Thompson. It was Moultrie’s 2nd extremity successful arsenic galore elder appearances. “We talked astir starting accelerated and starting strong, and I deliberation the momentum carried out,” she said. “We had a truly bully week of training, truthful I consciousness similar it flowed into the archetypal minutes of the game.”

Lavelle, winning her 116th cap, felt the squad built connected caller progress. “I deliberation evidently we wanted to support gathering connected the performances we had past camp, and the accent connected coming retired beardown and sticking to our principles, and I deliberation that's what we did,” she said. “Overall, I deliberation a truly bully squad performance.”

Head manager Emma Hayes highlighted the goals and the cleanable expanse for goalkeeper Claudia Dickey. “Starting accelerated is 1 thing, but we've often started accelerated and conceded conscionable arsenic quickly. So, a cleanable expanse means arsenic overmuch to america this evening arsenic the effect and the performance,” she said.

Macario shines arsenic Hayes thinks agelong term

After the break, Sam Coffey drove done midfield and slipped Macario successful connected the near for a debased far-post finish. The guardant past added a 2nd from the borderline of the container aft a walk from 18-year-old Lily Yohannes, taking her to 15 goals successful 28 planetary games and 18 extremity involvements successful her past 14 United States appearances. “It was a large win, it's ever a pleasance being with this team,” Macario said, adding that the situation helps her “be the champion version” of herself.

Hayes framed the nighttime wrong a bigger project. “I've ever said that we're gathering towards thing and we person to physique headdress accumulation crossed the squad,” she said. World Cup qualifying, she stressed, is “everything we are focused on,” which makes “every azygous minute” successful friendlies count.