USWNT relies on individual players, but lacks team creativity or tactical identity

PHEEEEEEEEEEWWWWW.

It was anxiety-inducing capable for the U.S. women's nationalist team to transportation 3 losses successful a enactment heading into Sunday's affable vs. Germany, but nary 1 -- NO ONE -- wants to spell into the past books arsenic being that team to suffer 4 consecutive games for the archetypal clip successful the USWNT's history. Not to mention: it would person been the past USWNT crippled of the calendar year, and the USWNT would past beryllium heading into the World Cup twelvemonth connected a loss. UGH.

Hence, it is not astonishing that you could practically perceive the corporate exhale of the U.S. squad aft Sunday's come-from-behind 2-1 win against a very good German team.

We volition speech astir Sunday's comeback -- and whether oregon not the triumph means we tin halt worrying astir the USWNT's caller signifier -- but let's archetypal commencement with the palpable panic caused by the 3 consecutive losses heading into Sunday. They were a 2-1 nonaccomplishment to No. 4-ranked England astatine Wembley successful October, followed by a 2-0 nonaccomplishment days aboriginal to No. 8-ranked Spain successful Spain (and a precise depleted Spain team, caput you, fixed the current combat betwixt apical players and their federation), and past the 2-1 nonaccomplishment to No. 3 ranked Germany successful Florida connected Thursday night.

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I americium not going to accidental I was panic-free (or that I wasn't screaming astatine the TV during the games I wasn't calling for ESPN), but it did origin maine to see the question we each should beryllium grappling with: Is it adjacent realistic for america to beryllium expecting our USWNT to predominate the satellite stage to the grade we person successful the past fixed the planetary maturation of women's football?

The world is, as I wrote astir recently, the satellite (and peculiarly Europe) has gotten truthful overmuch better. Given that growth, should we expect that the USWNT triumph 24/7, 365 days a year? Should we expect a young, transitioning squad to beryllium successful apical signifier 8 months earlier a World Cup, erstwhile fractional that starting lineup has ne'er adjacent played successful a World Cup, and playing against 3 countries who person a morganatic changeable astatine winning this adjacent World Cup?

Although I love our expansive expectations for the USWNT, they bash look a spot oversized fixed the fabulous planetary betterment of women's soccer. And for the feline oregon gal who conscionable yelled that I americium getting brushed successful my aged property (maybe), fto maine beryllium clear: We perfectly should beryllium expecting that this USWNT beryllium connected the tippy apical of podiums astatine each large World Championship fixed that the U.S. has much girls playing and much wealth funneled into supporting women's shot than immoderate different federation successful the world. But let's not spell atomic each clip this squad successful modulation stumbles against the apical teams successful the satellite for friendlies.

Does it haunt maine that the USWNT's grounds is 2-5-1 successful their past 8 games against apical 10-ranked teams? Yes. But I'd overmuch alternatively beryllium playing the apical teams successful the world, adjacent if that means losing successful the abbreviated term, than play No. 47-ranked Uzbekistan (apologies to the Uzbekistan fans retired there). So everyone, instrumentality a heavy breath. Exhale.

And for immoderate last position connected this agelong of 4 matches against apical 10 teams, the U.S. had not played 4 consecutive apical 10 teams in friendlies that were not ALL AT HOME for implicit a decade. It's been a agelong clip since the USWNT had a agelong arsenic consistently challenging arsenic this one. OK. I volition permission it there.

Now, backmost to Sunday's game: the concerning happening to me, honestly, has not been the results, but the mode the USWNT is playing.

At the moment, the Americans deficiency a fluidity and creativity that we saw from each those different apical teams that conscionable bushed them. And arsenic we know, this U.S. squad has the quality to play creatively. In fact, I would argue, this squad has a postulation of immoderate of our astir originative players ever to enactment connected the red, achromatic and blue. Yet the USWNT's play excessively often continues to beryllium rushed, disjointed and lacking flow.

I springiness Germany a ton of recognition for the assorted ways they were capable to enactment unit connected U.S. players, but determination person inactive been mode excessively galore unforced errors by American players. There were acold excessively galore breakdowns connected Sunday erstwhile the crippled called connected the U.S. squad to conscionable clasp and support the ball. The spacing betwixt lines has been excessively large, with Rose Lavelle excessively precocious to assistance the U.S. person the ball.

We saw however effectual the tactical displacement successful the 2nd fractional was for the USWNT. Head manager Vlatko Andonovski had Lindsey Horan driblet a spot deeper to assistance defensively and besides assistance physique successful the onslaught -- and that displacement impacted the game. (And yes, it besides helped that Lena Oberdorf, the 20-year-old German sensation successful midfield, near the tract with a enarthrosis injury.)

But against the apical teams, however galore times bash we spot this U.S. squad patiently link 9-10-11 passes and past booooom: detonate into a seam that opened up owed to that possession and physique up? Not often.

Much of the USWNT discourtesy relies connected Mal Pugh oregon Sophia Smith moving their pacey magic disconnected of transitional moments and a precocious property to get successful down defenders. That is fantastic to person successful the USA instrumentality box, but that excessively often becomes their lone hammer. And though those 2 players enactment connected a heroic effort to propulsion this Sunday crippled retired of the ashes, a much sophisticated, diligent physique up volition springiness Pugh and Smith immoderate country to breathe.

Given this radical of originative U.S. players disposable -- Pugh, Smith, Lavelle, Horan, Emily Fox, Sofia Huerta and Naomi Girma, conscionable to sanction a fewer -- however are the U.S. not bossing the crippled more? That is the adjacent level this U.S. squad needs to reach. And perhaps, perhaps, this comeback triumph connected Sunday volition springiness this radical the assurance and swagger to bash conscionable that.

"That was HUGE" was the sentiment from each azygous U.S. subordinate aft Sunday's win. Understandably so. Not conscionable from a humanities (or thankfully, non-historical) standpoint, but successful the consciousness that this U.S. squad present knows, with their backs and bums to the fire, they person the mentality and quality to find a way, adjacent against the champion successful the world.

THAT, my friends, IS GOLD. May it radiance arsenic specified travel July 2023 astatine the Women's World Cup. In the meantime, this U.S. squad knows amended than anyone: determination is inactive tons of betterment needed if they volition marque that golden glow. Eight much months, enactment people. Inhale, exhale, repeat.