Alana Cook scored her first international goal as the U.S. women’s national team defeated Ireland 1-0 in a friendly in St. Louis on Tuesday.
Cook scored from about 40 yards out in the 43rd minute in her 24th match, but the crowd came to cheer on St. Louis native Becky Sauerbrunn, hoping to see her break into the scoring column in her 216th game.
Sauerbrunn nearly did in the third minute, but her header from the middle of the box hit the bar. The defender was subbed out in the 29th minute to an ovation.
The match was the first since U.S. leading scorer Mallory Swanson sustained a torn patella tendon in her left knee late in the first half of a 2-0 win over Ireland in Austin, Texas, on Saturday.
She underwent surgery on Tuesday but is unlikely to be ready for the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand this summer. Swanson had seven goals in six games this year.
Forward Alyssa Thompson, 18, replaced her in the starting lineup.
Cook scored on a looping ball that Irish goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan misjudged. She joined Mia Hamm (1998) and Alex Morgan (2019) as USWNT players to score on their birthdays.
Casey Murphy made two saves for the U.S. but wasn’t tested.
Not only is the U.S. 15-0-0 against the Irish, but the Americans also recorded their 12th straight shutout in the series, setting a USWNT record for consecutive shutouts against an opponent.
This was the final U.S. match before Vlatko Andonovski selects the 23-player roster for the World Cup.
The roster must be submitted to FIFA 10 days before the U.S. opens the World Cup on July 22 versus Vietnam, but he is expected to name his squad in mid-June and will use the players’ performances at their club teams to help shape his choices.
U.S. Soccer announced Tuesday that the USWNT will play a World Cup send-off match versus Wales in San Jose, Calif., on July 9.
–Field Level Media
