USA Soccer vs. France (WOMEN)

The U.S. and France have not met since the opening match of the 2012 Olympics, when the USA overcame a 2-0 deficit to win 4-2 on its way to winning the gold medal.

France, which is fourth in the latest FIFA Women’s World Rankings, is widely hailed as one of the most talented women’s soccer countries and features some of the world’s best players at their positions. The squad is made up primarily of players from two of top women’s clubs in Europe, Olympique Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain. France was expected to contend for the title at last summer’s UEFA Women’s Championships but was upset on penalty kicks in the quarterfinal round by Denmark despite dominating the match.

The U.S. Women do not have an extensive history against France, having played just 14 times and only twice since 2006. The two most recent encounters, however, were both epic matches in world championships. The USA defeated France 3-1 on July 13, 2011, in the FIFA Women’s World Cup semifinal in Monchengladbach, Germany. The U.S. also won the Olympic curtain raiser 4-2 on July 25, 2012, in Glasgow, Scotland, as Alex Morgan scored twice, while Abby Wambach and Carli Lloyd contributed a goal each.