After a shaky start the U.S. Women dominated the second half of play and beat a lively North Korea team 2-0 in Dresden, Germany.
“Going into the game I was pretty nervous, as all of us were, but it was important to recognize that and deal with the emotions that this atmosphere can bring,” U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo told ESPN. “And I think we did just that.”
The United States, who is fielding the oldest team in the field, had trouble finding an attacking rhythm and difficulty getting the ball to leading scorer Abby Wambach. The Americans finally got themselves on the board in the 54th minute when Lauren Cheney was able to get one by North Korean goalkeeper Hong Myong Hui. The U.S. was able to add some insurance in the 76th minute when Rachel Buehler scored on a screened Hui.
The U.S. (1-0-0) now leads Group C on goal difference over Sweden (1-0-0), which defeated Colombia 1-0 earlier Tuesday. The U.S. next faces Colombia (0-1-0) on Saturday in Sinsheim, Germany.