Christen Press can ease the sting of missing Megan Rapinoe

Megan Rapinoe has scored all four of the USWNT’s knockout stage goals in the 2019 Women’s World Cup, but her semifinal replacement is no slouch.

USWNT star left winger Megan Rapinoe will not be starting for the USWNT in the semifinals game against an England team that is fresh off of demolishing both Cameroon and Norway in the knockout stages.

Although there was no indication that Rapinoe suffered an injury, ESPN analyst and footballing legend Julie Foudy informed fans that the attacker is injured. Per Foudy, Rapinoe had tape around her right leg yesterday. The USWNT have not confirmed any injuries – manager Jill Ellis doesn’t like to talk much about injuries for strategic reasons – and it’s unclear if Rapinoe will be able to come off the bench if the United States need her.

Note that, per FOX Soccer analyst Aly Wagner, Rapinoe wasn’t even warming up with the team, suggesting an injury.

England will be as tough of a test as France, who took the United States to the wire. Likewise, Spain also only fell 2-1 to the U.S., and the World Cup favorites needed Rapinoe to score twice in both games.

However, USWNT fans shouldn’t be too stressed out about Rapinoe’s injury, as tough as it is to see any athlete injured, especially someone as talented and inspiring as her. That’s because her replacement, Christen Press, is a world-class player in her own right.

Honestly, Press might be an even better player right now when comparing both of their track records for their club teams. It speaks volumes to the level of talent that the United States have that Press is on the bench, and she showed her quality against Chile earlier in the tournament. If the keeper were anyone but Christiane Endler (essentially the undisputed best in the world), Press would have come away with a hat-trick.

In the NWSL, Press is vaunted for her pace, eye for goal, dribbling skills, intelligence off the ball, and insane work ethic. Seriously, her last name describes how much effort she’ll give defensively, and that could be a necessity against England, as SB Nation’s Kim McCauley explained.

See, as a left winger replacing Rapinoe in the starting lineup, Press will be responsible for beating – and stopping – Lucy Bronze. Phil Neville likes to tout Bronze as the best player in the world and a Ballon d’Or winner, and there’s no doubt that she’s one of the best out there. Bronze’s defending, awareness, technical ability, and passing are all at a world-class level, and the blend of those skills makes her a daunting opponent for the USWNT. The right back has been on top form this tournament, and a player with Press’s speed and hustle may be the only answer.

Of course, Press will work in tandem with Crystal Dunn, who has been arguably the best left back in the tournament thus far and stood tall against a tough task last week when the USWNT faced France. But against Nikita Parris and Bronze, Dunn will need far more help from her winger, and that’s what Press can provide.

All this praise for Press’s speed and ability to help on defense shouldn’t mar what she can contribute on offense. While she isn’t as experienced or as big of a name as Rapinoe, she’s an even bigger goal-scoring threat. She’s more of a “cut inside” than “cross” winger (Rapinoe is the latter), and that might honestly be a good thing against a team like England. Press is a striker of the highest quality who once scored 35 goals in 68 games for the Chicago Red Stars.

Hopefully, Rapinoe is able to return from her injury for the finals, since it must be devastating for her to not be able to help her team after doing so much already in this tournament and over the years. Rapinoe’s leadership, skill on the ball, and elite passing are invaluable and will be missed, but the USWNT could match up even better with England by starting Press.