Manchester City Women’s American duo is starting to make an impact.
Sam Mewis scored what wound up being the game-winner, while Rose Lavelle played her first minutes for the club in a 2-1 triumph over Arsenal in the Women’s FA Cup semifinals on Thursday. Man City will play Everton, a 3-0 semifinal winner over Birmingham City, in the Nov. 1 final at Wembley Stadium. These matches mark the completion of the 2019-20 tournament, which had been suspended as a result of the pandemic. The 2020-2021 competition is currently in the qualifying-round stages.
For Man City to reach the final, Mewis broke a 1-1 deadlock at the 40-minute mark, pouncing on a loose ball in the Arsenal box to complete a sequence that she started.
Mewis’s finish followed a superb goal by Jordan Nobbs, which had brought Arsenal level after Steph Houghton’s opener on an excellent free kick.
Lavelle then entered for Ellen White in the 65th minute, making her first appearance after, like Mewis, leaving NWSL for what is expected to be a short-term stint in England. Lavelle’s NWSL rights were traded to OL Reign from the Washington Spirit before her move to Manchester, while Mewis’s are retained by the North Carolina Courage. They’re among a number of NWSL players who are temporarily playing overseas, including fellow U.S. teammates Christen Press and Tobin Heath (Manchester United), Alex Morgan (Tottenham) and Emily Sonnett (Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC).
Both Mewis and Lavelle will be looking to match Carli Lloyd’s 2017 achievement, when she won the competition while playing for Man City. She scored in the final vs. Birmingham, the third goal in a 4-1 rout. Man City also won the 2019 final, beating West Ham, 3-0.