Women’s International Champions Cup Final: Monterrey vs. Lyon
Providence Park set the stage for what ended up being two very exciting matches in the semifinals of the Women’s International Champions Cup. Watching Chelsea and Lyon’s star power going toe-to-toe lived up to the hype, with Lyon making a late comeback after being down two goals for most of the game. Lindsay Horan sparked the comeback with a beautiful free-kick goal in a stadium she knows very well. Lyon would go on to win in the shootout.
The second match was a bit of a surprise. Few would have picked Monterrey to beat the Portland Thorns in their own house. The Thorns scored early but couldn’t put Monterrey away, and they found a second-half equalizer to send the game to penalties. Alejandría Godínez was the hero. She saved three penalties en route to the upset. Now, chase their third WICC title while C.F. Monterrey looks to be a world beater and come away with the trophy. Let’s take a closer look at the Women’s International Champions Cup Final.
C.F. Monterrey vs. Lyon, August 20, 11:00 PM ET/8:00 PM PT, ESPN2
After beating Barcelona in the Champions League Final, Lyon reasserted their dominance as the best club team in the world. A win in this final matchup would solidify that, although a matchup with the Portland Thorns would have been much more fun.
Past arguments I’ve made about Mexican teams not playing great competition could not have been more wrong. Whether it was Club America’s effort in The Women’s Cup against the OL Reign or C.F. Monterrey beating Portland, the strength of Liga MX Femenil is very strong. It won’t be long before the Mexican national team will benefit from what Liga MX Femenil is doing in terms of growing the game for women.
Monterrey will have to defend in the same way they did against Portland, and Alejandría Godínez will have to play hero again if Monterrey is to win again. Lyon might not have as much star power here in this competition due to this being a preseason match for them, but make no mistake, being named the best team in the world is a title they want to earn again. Lindsay Horan will star in the midfield once again, and unless Monterrey makes it ugly, Lyon should have no problem winning this matchup.
Prediction: Lyon wins 2-0
Featured image via @olfeminin on Instagram
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