Former U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo says England has a chance to 'instill a tiny bit of fear' in USWNT

Hope Solo.
(Image credit: Carlo Allegri/Reuters)

There's a transatlantic battle brewing in France — on the soccer field.

The U.S. Women's National soccer team is set to take on their English counterparts in what should be a thrilling 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup semifinal at 3 p.m. ET in Lyon on Tuesday.

The U.S. is coming off a hard-fought 2-1 win over the host nation, France, thanks to team co-captain Megan Rapinoe's two goals. Many deemed that match "the final before the final," as France was considered the defending champion's top challenger for the title. But England has performed at a high level during the tournament — perhaps emerging as a superior team to France. They cruised past Norway 3-0 in the quarterfinals, and have only conceded one goal in the entire tournament (the U.S. has only let in two).

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Former U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo called the game a "perfect semifinal" and said England has a chance to "instill a tiny bit of fear" in the dominant U.S. side.

As exciting as the action on the field should be, there was also a small amount of pre-game drama, to boot. England was not thrilled to discover undercover U.S. team officials wandering into private rooms at England's hotel. The U.S. says the officials were merely checking out the hotel as a possible base if they advance to the Sunday's final.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.