ENGLAND defender Lucy Bronze feels that Olympic champions the United States will be the perfect test with less than a year to go until the Lionesses defend their European title in Switzerland.
The Americans’ visit to Wembley will also mark the first time former Chelsea manager Emma Hayes — now the US head coach — will share a touchline with England’s Sarina Wiegman in a much-anticipated showdown between two of the most formidable bosses in the women’s game.
Bronze, who in July signed for Hayes’s former Women’s Super League side on a two-year deal, has noticed a steady rise in the rivalry between the top two teams in Fifa’s global rankings.
She said: “I think, as long as I’ve been an England player, it’s been one of the most exciting games to play in. We always play them in big occasions. There seems to be a rivalry that’s blossomed out of nowhere over the past decade.
“And we know, no matter what players show up, what players are on the pitch, who the manager is even, it’s such a competitive, high-level game.
“To win the Olympics, you have to be intense, have to be ruthless, you have to have that crazy mentality.
“I think that sums up the US perfectly, so if we can go toe-to-toe with a team like that, see the mentality that it takes, learn from any mistakes that we make and learn from them, push ourselves and show what we’re capable of, what we can do against a top team like that, it’s going to put us in very good stead for the next six to eight months.”
While Wiegman will have next summer’s tournament on her mind, Hayes has spoken about the need for her Paris gold medallists and world number one side to test themselves more on the road as they look to secure qualification for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.
There is perhaps no better test than Wembley, with more than 83,000 fans expected to attend.
The visitors — who celebrated Thanksgiving with a feast on Thursday — will be missing a number of key talents, including the “Triple Espresso” forward line of Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith.
Manchester United captain Maya Le Tissier is back in the England camp having briefly returned to her club after sustaining a concussion, but will miss the US game.
Off the pitch, both England and the United States have led the way in advancing the women’s game through efforts off the pitch and performances on it.
Bronze said: “I think as much as there is a rivalry, I think there is that level of respect. You get that when you get to the highest level.
“I think you understand what it takes to get there. I think as an English team, we’ve always understood that the US have had to do so much to get to where they are.
“They’re such a great team, both on and off the pitch. I think that’s something we really admire in them. They’ve inspired us, after winning the Euros, watching what they did and trying to change women’s soccer in America, and we had that opportunity in England as well.
“We kind of now bounce off each other in that respect off the pitch. We’re friends, we’re rivals, we’re a community, but at the same time we still want to beat each other.
“It’s always that high-level rivals, but respect.”
Wiegman, who described Bronze as “maybe the most competitive player I’ve ever worked with,” agreed.
Asked about facing Hayes for the first time, she replied: “It’s really exciting. We used to collaborate but now we’re opponents.
“I’m really looking forward to that. I think with friends, you really want to beat your friends, even more maybe than if it’s not your friends.”
