U.S. women’s team content with favorable Cup draw

ATLANTA – An audible chuckle rippled from the couch where Kelley O’Hara sat watching the 2019 Women’s World Cup draw on television Saturday afternoon. Sweden had just been selected to join the United States, Thailand and Chile in Group F.

“They obviously knocked us out of the 2016 Olympics, so I think there’s going to need to be a little bit of redemption there,” the United States women’s national team defender said after the draw concluded. “I think that’s going to be a really good game just to evaluate us for the rest of the tournament. They’re obviously our highest-seed team we’ll play in our ... first three games, so it’s interesting they’re going to be our last game. But yea, we have a great rivalry.”

The rivalry stretches beyond the Rio Olympics, where Sweden beat the U.S. in penalties during the quarterfinals. This World Cup, which is scheduled June 7-July 7 in France, will be the fifth consecutive time the U.S. and Sweden are in the same group. The U.S. is 3-1-1 against Sweden during the teams’ five previous World Cup meetings.

But O’Hara isn’t concerned with Sweden just yet. She’s focused on what the reigning world champion U.S. needs to accomplish the next six months, which includes 10 friendly matches leading to the team’s World Cup kickoff against Thailand, June 11 in Reims.

Chile will follow, July 16 in Paris, and then O’Hara will let her focus shift toward Sweden ahead of their June 20 match in Le Havre.

U.S. coach Jill Ellis joined a conference call with U.S. reporters from Paris, where Ellis was when the 24 qualified nations found out their group placement for the draw at Le Seine Musicale, a music and performing arts center in the city’s suburbs.

Her reaction the draw was mostly positive.

The U.S., ranked first in the world, starts the tournament later, so it will have more time to prep; won’t have to travel much with its first three matches all in northern France, so more time to recover; and has a good range of opponents in No. 38 Chile, No. 29 Thailand and then No. 9 Sweden right before the knockout rounds.

GOLF: Louis Oosthuizen was back in front at the South African Open in Johannesburg after a 4-under 67 gave him a three-shot lead and a chance at his first title at his home tournament. Oosthuizen went ahead of Charl Schwartzel again after surrendering the lead in round two, when he fell two shots behind. ... Gary Woodland and Charley Hoffman shot an 8-under 64 in modified alternate-shot play for a share of the lead at the QBE Shootout in Naples, Fla. Woodland and Hoffman birdied the final three holes to match the teams of Emiliano GrilloGraeme McDowell and Brian Harman-Patton Kizzire at 19-under 125, with a better-ball round left at Tiburon Golf Club.

NFL: Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr. was ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Redskins with a quadriceps injury. He did not travel to Washington with the team. ... Browns CB Terrance Mitchell was activated from injured reserve after missing eight games with a broken right wrist.

SKIING: Marcel Hirscher dominated yet again, winning a World Cup giant slalom in Val D’Isere, France, by a huge 1.18-second margin. The seven-time defending overall champion left Henrik Kristoffersen runner-up yet again. Kristoffersen has finished second to Hirscher in seven giant slaloms, including at the Pyeongchang Olympics, since last December. ... Mikaela Shiffrin won a World Cup super-G in St. Moritz, Switzerland, finishing 0.28 seconds faster than Lara Gut-Behrami.