FIFA 19 Women’s World Cup Simulation: USA vs. France Quarterfinals Matchup Highlights
A huge matchup looms for the United States Women’s National Team on Friday afternoon in Paris for the FIFA World Cup. They’ll take on host nation France in a quarterfinals matchup after getting past Spain in their previous match. Megan Rapinoe was the game hero against the Spanish women’s team and will look to bring that momentum into this next game. Meanwhile, the hosts will try to upset the tournament favorites. We’ve run a FIFA 19 Women’s World Cup simulation for Team USA vs. France to see what the possible outcome might be.
FIFA 19 Women’s World Cup sim: USA vs. France first half
Not only does EA’s FIFA 19 include women’s soccer teams and players in the game, but they also added a Women’s World Cup final feature in conjunction with the event in France. We used that particular feature and pitted Team USA vs. France to see who comes out on top. While this game on Friday will be a quarterfinals matchup, it was played as if the two teams were vying for the trophy.
Early on, we saw the host nation strike in this one, as they controlled the ball throughout the first half, getting more possessions and shot attempts. Amandine Henry was able to score at the 44-minute mark to put France up 1-0. They’d carry that lead into halftime.
Second half highlights, game winner
Coming out of halftime, head coach Jill Ellis must have made the right adjustments and fired up Team USA with a great speech. At the 58-minute mark, the USWNT received an equalizer goal from a familiar hero, Megan Rapinoe. Check out the highlight below as Rapinoe (minus the colorful hair) scores to make it 1-1.
While Rapinoe was the hero against Spain, it was time for another Team USA star to take the spotlight here. The two teams would go back-and-forth with no scores in what looked like it could head to kicks to decide things. Then, just before the 90-minute mark, the United States had a huge goal courtesy of Julie Ertz. Husband Zack Ertz of the Philadelphia Eagles would certainly be proud and may very well be watching from the stands again on Friday!
Ertz’s goal at the 89-minute mark gave Team USA the very late 2-1 lead. That wasn’t safe, though, as three extra minutes of time were added to the clock. However, the United States was able to fend off an attacking France to prevent any scoring opportunities. As the clock ran out, it was the USWNT celebrating the huge victory in the quarterfinals matchup.
Below is a look at the final game stats, with both teams having the ball an equal amount of time. Despite more shots from France, the USA made the most of their eight attempts, getting two goals.
In FIFA 19, gamers can head into the main menu to play out their own Team USA vs. France matchup, have the CPU simulate it, or even run an entire World Cup tournament. Simply choose “Tournaments” and then “Women’s International Cup.” From there, you can set up the groups, choose the teams you want to control, and see if you can guide Team USA to the trophy!
The USA vs. France quarterfinals matchup for the FIFA World Cup arrives on Friday, June 28 starting at 3 p.m. Eastern Time.
Have you seen the FIFA 20 details? The game arrives in just a few short months from now. Get more of our latest FIFA game news here.