
USA 1 - 0 Republic of Ireland

Alana Cook's cross from deep evaded goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan to fly into the back of the net just before half-time. It was a cruel goal to concede, especially since Brosnan was superb throughout.
Similar to their performance in Austin, Texas, Ireland frustrated the World No 1 and limited them to few real goalscoring opportunitiies, while also putting them under pressure themselves.
The work of Kyra Carusa up front allowed Ireland to stretch the pitch and push their hosts back, while Katie McCabe and Heather Payne zipped up and down either flank.
There was a scare early on when St. Louis native Becky Sauerbrunn forced Brosnan into a smart save and Sophia Smith fired over but Ireland were not over-run in this game. In fact, they linked play well, broke up counter attacks and proved that they can be a threat too.
The purpose of this game was for Ireland to test themselves under pressure and that is exactly what they experienced here. It is all part of their preparation for FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 but there is still work to do.
Manager Vera Pauw can be pleased by what she saw with Sky Player of the Match Lucy Quinn and Marissa Sheva providing energy in attacking areas, while the midfield and defence were solid when they needed to be.
USA: Casey Murphy; Sofia Huerta, Alana Cook, Ashley Sanchez, Kelley O’Hara (Casey Krueger 46), Becky Sauerbrunn (Tierna Davidson 29), Lindsey Horan (Kristie Mewis), Andi Sullivan (Julie Ertz 46), Sophia Smith (Trinity Rodman 46), Alyssa Thompson, Alex Morgan (Ashley Hatch 46).
Ireland: Courtney Brosnan; Heather Payne (Tara O’Hanlon 84), Louise Quinn, Megan Connolly, Diane Caldwell (Hayley Nolan 58), Katie McCabe; Lucy Quinn (Roma McLaughlin 69), Ruesha Littlejohn (Ciara Grant 58), Denise O’Sullivan; Marissa Sheva (Áine O’Gorman 69); Kyra Carusa (Amber Barrett 82).
Referee: Crystal Sobers (Trinidad & Tobago).
This double header is all part of Ireland's preparation for FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 and Vera Pauw's squad are ready to take on the World No 1 again.
Match Details
International Friendly
USA v Republic of Ireland
Tuesday, April 11
KO 00:30 (Irish Time) / 18:30 (CT), 19:30 (ET)
CITYPARK, St Louis, Missouri
LIVE on RTÉ2
Match Officials
Referee: Crystal Sobers (Trinidad & Tobago)
Assistant Referee: Jassett Kerr-Wilson (Jamacia)
Assistant Referee: Princess Brown (Jamaica)
Fourth Official: Laura Rodriguez (USA)
Team News
All players are available for selection.
Manager Quotes – Vera Pauw
"We are looking forward to this second game against USA as there were a lot of positives for us to take out of the first game in Austin.
"We will make some changes with both Aoife Mannion and Sinead Farrelly not starting this game due to injury prevention as we need to protect them because of their limited game-time at club level.
"This game is another opportunity for us to test ourselves under the pressure of playing against a quality team. It is a challenge that we will embrace as it will help our preparation for the World Cup."
Ireland WNT Squad
Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (Reading), Megan Walsh (Brighton & Hove Albion), Sophie Whitehouse (Lewes)
Defenders: Harriet Scott (Birmingham City), Jessie Stapleton (Shelbourne), Louise Quinn (Birmingham City), Aoife Mannion (Manchester United), Diane Caldwell (Reading), Claire O’Riordan (Celtic), Hayley Nolan (London City Lionesses), Tara O’Hanlon (Peamount United), Áine O’Gorman (Shamrock Rovers)
Midfielders: Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Denise O’Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Megan Connolly (Brighton & Hove Albion), Jamie Finn (Birmingham City), Ruesha Littlejohn (Aston Villa), Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City), Ciara Grant (Hearts), Roma McLaughlin (Fortuna Hjorring), Sinead Farrelly (NJ/NY Gotham)
Forwards: Heather Payne (Florida State University), Abbie Larkin (Shamrock Rovers), Amber Barrett (Potsdam Turbine), Kyra Carusa (London City Lionesses), Marissa Sheva (Washington Spirit), Alannah McEvoy (Shamrock Rovers)
Ireland WNT Player Stats
Goalkeepers
Courtney Brosnan | DOB 10/11/1995 | 20 caps / 10 clean sheets | Debut vs Montenegro 11/03/2020
Megan Walsh | DOB 12/11/1994 | 1 cap / 0 clean sheets | Debut vs Russia 19/02/2022
Grace Moloney | DOB 01/03/1993 | 6 caps / 1 clean sheet | Debut vs Austria 02/03/2016
Sophie Whitehouse | DOB 10/10/1996 | 0 caps / 0 clean sheets
Defenders
Harriet Scott | DOB 10/02/1993 | 23 caps / 0 goals | Debut vs Czech Republic 01/03/2017
Diane Caldwell | DOB 11/09/1988 | 94 caps / 4 goals | Debut vs Denmark 15/03/2006
Louise Quinn | DOB 17/06/1990 | 102 caps / 15 goals | Debut vs Poland 02/02/2008
Hayley Nolan | DOB 07/03/1997 | 2 caps / 0 goals | Debut vs Belgium 11/04/2021
Claire O'Riordan | DOB 12/10/1994 | 17 caps / 0 goals | Debut vs Hungary 07/03/2016
Áine O’Gorman | DOB 13/05/1989 | 116 caps / 13 goals | Debut vs Denmark 15/03/2006
Aoife Mannion | DOB 24/09/1995 | 2 caps / 0 goals | Debut vs China PR 22/02/2023
Jessie Stapleton | DOB 07/02/2005 | 1 cap / 0 goals | Debut vs Philippines
Tara O'Hanlon | DOB 14/03/2005 | 1 cap / 0 goals
Midfielders
Katie McCabe | DOB 21/09/1995 | 71 caps / 18 goals | Debut vs Hungary 04/03/2015
Denise O’Sullivan | DOB 04/02/1994 | 100 caps / 19 goals | Debut vs Wales 17/09/2011
Megan Connolly | DOB 07/03/1997 | 37 caps / 4 goals | Debut vs USA 23/02/2016
Ruesha Littlejohn | DOB 03/07/1990 | 69 caps / 6 goals | Debut vs Hungary 07/03/2012
Jamie Finn | DOB 21/04/1998 | 15 caps / 0 goals | Debut vs Greece 12/11/2019
Lucy Quinn | DOB 29/09/1993 | 12 caps / 3 goals | Debut vs Australia 21/09/2021
Ciara Grant | DOB 11/06/1993 | 16 caps / 0 goals | Debut vs USA 28/11/2012
Roma McLaughlin | DOB 06/03/1998 | 10 caps / 0 goals | Debut vs Wales, 20/08/2016
Sinead Farrelly | DOB 11/06/1989 | 1 cap / 0 goals
Forwards
Amber Barrett | DOB 16/01/1996 | 34 caps / 5 goals | Debut vs Wales 20/08/2016
Abbie Larkin | DOB 27/04/2005 | 6 caps / 1 goal | Debut vs Russia 19/02/2022
Marissa Sheva | DOB 22/04/1997 | 2 caps / 0 goals | Debut vs China PR 22/02/2023
Heather Payne | DOB 26/01/2000 | 32 caps / 1 goal | Debut vs Scotland 07/07/2017
Kyra Carusa | DOB 14/11/1995 | 10 caps / 2 goals | Debut vs Montenegro 11/03/2020
Alannah McEvoy | DOB 07/02/2001 | 0 caps / 0 goals