The U.S. women are one win away from a place in the finals of the 2019 Women's World Cup. But standing in their way is a formidable England team, making its second consecutive appearance in the semifinals of the biggest tournament in women's soccer.
Expect a highly competitive match from a pair of teams that both see themselves lifting the trophy when all is said and done. And when the U.S.-England match kicks off this afternoon (July 2), you don't have to miss a minute of the action, even if you're nowhere near a TV.
Streaming options abound for this Women's World Cup semifinal match-up, as they have throughout the tournament. And don't despair if you're traveling when Megan Rapinoe and company square off against the Lionesses — we run through your VPN options, as well.
When does the U.S. Women's soccer team play England?
The semifinal between the U.S. Women's National Team and England's Lionesses kicks off at 3 p.m. ET/noon PT, with Fox providing the coverage in the U.S. Telemundo is carrying the Spanish-language broadcast in the U.S.
The U.S./England match from Lyon is the first of two semifinals being contested this week. On Wednesday (July 3), Sweden plays the Netherlands to determine who faces the winner of the U.S./England match on Sunday's final. The losers of the two semifinal games play in a third-place match on Saturday. Sweden and the Netherlands also kick off at 3 p.m. ET, but that match will be on FS1, Fox's cable channel.
How they got here
Both the U.S. and England swept through group play with perfect records. England has had an easier time of it in the knockout stages, beating Cameroon 3-0 in the round of 16 and topping a tougher Norway squad by that same score in the quarterfinals. The U.S. struggled to beat Spain 2-1 in its round of 16 match, while edging host nation France 2-1 in a hard-fought quarterfinal.
Interestingly, this match features three players at the top of the Golden Boot standings for the most goals scored during the tournament. Rapinoe and Alex Morgan of the U.S. both have five goals, as does England's Ellen White. Carly Lloyd, the hero of the 2015 World Cup, is sitting on three goals heading into this match.
What are the odds of the U.S. beating England?
FiveThirtyEight thinks the U.S. is a solid favorite to top England, giving the team a 67 percent change of making the final. (Netherlands holds the edge over Sweden in the other semifinal.) FanDuel also favors the U.S. over England in its betting line.
Where can I watch U.S. versus England?
If you're near a TV set, turn to your local Fox affiliate, as that network is carrying the match on free-to-air TV. Fox also streams its coverage on Fox Sports Go, available both as a website and as a mobile app (Android, iOS). You'll need to provide login credentials from a cable or satellite TV service to stream Fox's coverage, though, so that's not a good option if you've cut the cable cord. (We'll talk about more options below.)
If you'd prefer to hear the broadcast in Spanish, Telemundo is covering U.S.-vs-England as well. Telemundo also has a streaming app called Telemundo Deportes (Android, iOS). As with Fox, you'll need cable or satellite TV credentials to log in.
How do I use a VPN to watch the U.S. vs. England?
What if you want to watch the U.S./England match, but you're out of the country? You could try following along with whatever local broadcast is available in your area, but if you'd prefer the U.S. feed, a virtual private network, or VPN, makes it appear that you're surfing the web from within the country of your choosing. From there, you can log into streaming services just like you would back at home.
We've tested many different offerings to find out who offers the best VPN. Our top pick is ExpressVPN, which offers superb speeds that will meet the needs of most users, but you've got other options as well. Here's a rundown of three different VPN choices if you're looking to catch a World Cup match.
ExpressVPN: Our favorite VPN service, ExpressVPN costs as little as $6.77 per month if you sign up for a one-year contract, and there's a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you just need ExpressVPN for the month that the Women's World Cup is on, it's $12.95.
NordVPN: Cheap and secure, NordVPN is just $2.99/month for a three-year contract, while a month of service costs $11.95. NordVPN uses 2048-bit encryption, and makes it easy to use streaming services.
TunnelBear: Performance is just average, but this is one of the simpler VPNs out there, and at $9.99 for one month of service, TunnelBear is a lower-cost option if you just want to use the VPN during the month-long World Cup festivities.
How can I watch the U.S. vs. England without a cable subscription?
You won't be able to stream coverage from Fox or Telemundo if you've given up cable. But you can always turn to an over-the-top subscription service that carries Fox if you want to catch the U.S./England match. (These services also offer free trials, which can be handy if you want to view the rest of the tournament, since a 7-day free trial would give you enough time to watch both the semifinal and the final on July 7.)
Not every streaming service includes local channels like Fox, so confirm that these options pick up your local Fox channel before you commit to using them.
DirecTV Now: DirecTV Now is a handy streaming service that includes a variety of channels, including Fox and FS1. It starts at $50 per month for 45 channels, including HBO.
Hulu + Live TV: Hulu's Live TV package will set you back $45 per month for 60 channels. (FS1 and Fox are part of that mix.) Best of all, you can record up to 50 hours of programming to Hulu's cloud DVR, so you can record the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup and come back to the game at another time.
FuboTV: FuboTV offers a nice selection of sports content — including Fox and FS1 — as well as standard content across genres. It costs $55 per month, and comes with a personal cloud DVR that holds 30 hours of recordings; you can extend that to 500 hours for $10 per month.
PlayStation Vue: With a $50-a-month PlayStation Vue subscription, you can stream Fox and FS1 through the service's Access tier, which is the entry-level package from PlayStation. That price reflects a recent $5 hike on PlayStation Vue's price, which goes into effect for current customers on their first billing cycle on or after July 31.
YouTube TV: The $50-a-month YouTube TV has more than 70 channels that make it easy to watch the programming you want. And since it comes with Fox and FS1, you'll be able watch the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup without trouble. YouTube TV also features unlimited cloud DVR storage, so you can watch games at a later date.
What to Watch for
The U.S. defense was the big question mark heading into the World Cup, but against France, the much maligned backline did a solid job of keeping the French from scoring (notwithstanding that Wendy Renard header toward the end of the game). The defenders will need to turn in another big performance against England if the U.S. hopes to advance.
England's defenders are one of the team's strengths, particularly right-back Lucy Bronze, who has emerged as one of the players of the tournament. She'll be tasked with shutting down Megan Rapinoe, and that's a match-up worth keeping an eye on throughout the game. (Or at least, once Rapinoe comes off the bench — in a surprise, the U.S. star isn't in the starting lineup, with Christen Press replacing her in the U.S. attack.)
Alex Morgan, the U.S.'s top striker, got off to a good start in the tournament when she tallied five goals against Thailand, but she's been missing from the scoresheet ever since. She was clearly nursing an injury during the U.S.'s match against Spain, though she looked better versus France. Her pace and finishing will be in the spotlight against England, particularly early in the match.
