The motivation for the U.S. women’s national soccer team before the 2-0 victory over France in Tuesday’s friendly went well beyond beating one of the few foes on the planet that has given it fits through the years.
A mere 72 hours had passed since a subpar performance in Sweden, one that exposed weakness and jeopardized a two-year unbeaten streak, until Megan Rapinoe’s late equalizer.
There were also lingering memories of a humbling setback in this same French venue of Le Havre in January 2019, the last time the top-ranked Americans tasted defeat.
And above all else, there was the need to continue fine-tuning operations in pursuit of a fifth Olympic gold medal this summer in Tokyo.