[USA-GERMANY] Alex Morgan's two goals were the difference as the USA won the Algarve Cup for a ninth time as it beat Germany, 2-0, in Wednesday's final that pitted the world's top two ranked teams in the world against each other. The tournament title was the first under new coach Tom Sermanni, who made a number of lineup changes. Longtime captain Christie Rampone did not play, FIFA Women's Player of the Year Abby Wambach came off the bench for the first time since 2011, and Megan Rapinoe, the tournament MVP, was a late scratch due to an injury.

Morgan's opportunism accounted for both goals. She pounced on a failed clearance of a Sydney Leroux cross and fired a left-footed shot into the top corner for the first goal in the 13th minute.

Later in the first half, Morgan took advantage of a mixup in the German defense to gran Tobin Heath's ball into the area and put the ball into the goal.

With Hope Solo and Jillian Loyden both hurt, Nicole Barnhart got the start in goal and was outstanding with two great stops on Celia Okoyino da Mbabi in the second half to shut out the Germans, who finished with a 12-6 edge in shots.

The win gave the USA its eighth Algarve Cup title in the last 11 years and extended its unbeaten streak to 29 games dating back more than a year to last year's Algarve Cup.

The U.S. women will head back to their clubs -- the majority of them to teams preparing for the first year of the new NWSL -- before assembling again for a two-game European tour in April.

The first match: Germany April 5 in Offenbach.

March 13 in Faro
USA 2 Germany 0. Goals: Morgan 13, 33.
USA -- Barnhart; Krieger (Dunn, 58), Buehler, Engen, O'Hara; Press (Wambach, 75), Boxx, Averbuch (Sauerbrunn, 68), Heath (Mewis, 82); Morgan, Leroux.
Germany -- Schult; Peter (Cramer, 46), Wensing, Henning, Maier; Faisst (Huth, 75), Odebrecht (Kessler, 46; Bresonik, 60), Goessling, Marozsan (Lotzen, 81); Okoyino da Mbabi, Mittag (Popp, 46)
Referee: Carol Anne Chenard (CAN)
Att.: 1,200.