Carli Lloyd, Shannon Boxx and Amy Rodriguez scored to power the United States to a 3-0 victory over Brazil in the three-team Kirin Cup in Japan on Tuesday.
Lloyd scored from close range in the 18th minute, Boxx doubled the lead five minutes later with a header from a Lauren Cheney free kick,and Rodriguez completed the scoring inthe 83rd on a loose ball created by another Cheney set play.
“We scored two good goals in the first half,” U.S. coach Pia Sundhage said. “We looked verygood on set pieces and that’s something we talked about so I’m happy about that. Playing teams like Japan and Brazil is always good preparation for the Olympics.”
Theexhibition tournament matched the top-ranked teams in the world that will compete for the gold medal in London. The United States is ranked No. 1, Japan is No. 3, and Brazil is No. 4. Second-rankedGermany did not qualify for the Olympics.
The USA and Japan had tied, 1-1, in the Sunday opener of the tournament, which concludes Thursday when Japan plays Brazil.