Crystal Dunn praises 'brave soul' Alyssa Thompson following teenager's USWNT debut | OneFootball

Crystal Dunn praises 'brave soul' Alyssa Thompson following teenager's USWNT debut | OneFootball

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90min

·8 October 2022

Crystal Dunn praises 'brave soul' Alyssa Thompson following teenager's USWNT debut

Article image:Crystal Dunn praises 'brave soul' Alyssa Thompson following teenager's USWNT debut

Crystal Dunn has praised teenager Alyssa Thompson for making her USA debut in a 'crazy environment', after the 17-year-old stepped out for the senior side for the very first time against European champions England in front of over 76,000 fans at Wembley.

Thompson entered the fray in the 83rd minute, replacing Megan Rapinoe - who is 20 years her senior.


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The forward became the youngest player to make her debut for the USWNT since Mallory Pugh made her senior bow at the age of 17 back in January 2016.

"Lyss; great, great woman jumping in on the field and it was incredible," said Dunn. "Obviously we don't see age when you're stepping onto the field with the US Women's National Team, it's all about your grit and your determination to keep getting better.

"What a brave soul she is! It was a crazy environment for her to get her first cap in and she's going to remember this for the rest of her life. I think that's what's really amazing - we're pushing the standard for that to be the [normal] amount of people that come and support these games.

"So I think she did well; when she came in it was a tough atmosphere to get into but I think she did well and I look forward to her building on her journey and hopefully being a part of it as well."

The USA were beaten 2-1 by England at Wembley thanks to a Lauren Hemp goal and Georgia Stanway penalty either side of Sophia Smith's well-taken strike. Trinity Rodman saw a goal narrowly ruled out for offside as the USA's 13-game winning streak came to an end.

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