THE United States notched up career win No 500 when they beat Portugal 1-0 in Estoril on Thursday. Four of those have come against Scotland, whose huge challenge against this statistically obsessed nation will be to avoid making it 501 and five in Paisley on Tuesday evening.
Jen Beattie, the Manchester City central defender, was too young to play in the first of those defeats to the world’s best international side, but Scotland head coach Shelley Kerr was in the back four for the 8-2 defeat at the Columbus Crew Stadium in 2002.
Six years later, and although she was still just 16, Beattie made her Scotland debut against the USA in a Cyprus Cup match in Paralimni, just north of Ayia Napa. At least that is where the team turned up – Beattie’s mother, Jill, pitched up at a stadium in Larnaca and had to make a frantic and stressful 30-mile taxi dash to arrive in time to see her daughter come on as a second-half substitute for Glasgow City captain Leanne Ross in a 2-1 defeat.
Assuming she partners captain Rachel Corsie in the centre of the defence on Tuesday, Beattie will be winning her 118th cap at the age of 27. She played in two other games against the Americans – a double-header of friendlies in the US at the start of 2013 which resulted in 4-1 and 3-1 defeats.
Beattie, of course, comes from a distinguished rugby playing family, her father John and brother Johnnie having both played many times for Scotland. Her own passion for football was ignited by a family holiday to France when she was seven, and which coincided with the 1998 men’s World Cup in that country.
Although nobody could have guessed it at the time, that was the last time the Scotland men’s team qualified for a major championship. Beattie recalls her youthful euphoria as John Collins equalised from the penalty spot in the opening group game against Brazil.
“We were staying in a hotel and we watched the Scotland games,” she recalls. “I remember jumping in the pool when we scored the penalty. He was obviously my favourite player after that.
“That, for me, is my earliest footballing memory, and it was just a surreal moment when we qualified for a World Cup that will be hosted in France next summer. We got out the family albums because there’s photos of me in a tammy hat and a French shirt.”
Beattie, who has been deployed in a number of different positions during her Scotland career and once scored eight goals as a striker in a run of four games, has amassed her impressive number of caps despite missing Euro 2017 through injury. That was also the fate of her friend and Scotland team-mate Kim Little, and the Arsenal midfielder will again be out on Tuesday after fracturing a fibula in last month’s FA WSL game against Chelsea.
“I’m just disappointed for her because she was on unbelievable form,” Beattie said. “I think we’re all just glad that it’s not too long term and she’ll 100 per cent be back to her best because she’s an incredible athlete and trainer. She definitely has the mental and physical capacity to come back from this even stronger.”
The USA’s stats speak for themselves and emphasise what a task Beattie and her team-mates face in Paisley. They have won three of the seven World Cups and never finished out of the top three. Their record since their first international match in 1985 is: W500, D74 and L65.
True, the 1-0 in Estoril was not overly impressive against a Portugal side 33rd in the world rankings and which Scotland should have beaten at the Euros, but it made it 27 games without defeat for head coach Jill Ellis and her players.
CONGRATULATIONS to Hibernian on winning a third successive SSE Scottish Cup last Sunday, and also a third successive cup double. They are now level with Glasgow City on eight Scottish Cups overall.
Another record crowd, this time at Firhill, was great, as were the steps taken to give a sense of occasion to the final. However, there is no sugar coating the fact that the game itself was a let down.
Even although the scoreline, 8-0, was not as large as the 9-0 over Celtic in the League Cup final, two Hibs goals in the opening six minutes ended the contest and ignited fears that the afternoon could become really embarrassing. Fortunately it didn't, but you had to feel for the Motherwell fans who turned up to watch their team for the first time.
As the League Cup demonstrated, even a rigorous seeding system can't prevent a one-sided final. But the current Scottish Cup arrangements, with SWPL1 clubs eliminating each other in the early rounds while lower league teams don't turn up for their ties, is entirely unsatisfactory.
Scottish Women's Football say changes are being considered for next season.
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