HARRISON, N.J. — Before and after the U.S. women’s national soccer team’s send-off match Sunday, pyrotechnics turned a picture-perfect view inside Red Bull Arena into a hazy gaze for a short period.
And each time the smoke lifted, a clear perspective of the top-ranked Americans came into focus.
They will head to France as favorites to win the Women’s World Cup. Not heavy favorites, as they’ve been in the past, before much of the rest of the world started to embrace the women’s game. But front-runners, nonetheless.
In their final test before the tournament begins June 7, the United States flexed its depth, confronted stubborn obstacles that will test its resolve in the coming weeks, and scored two late goals to pull away from Mexico, 3-0.