Few people were surprised that the USWNT won its fourth SheBelieves Cup in six years on Wednesday, but the Stars and Stripes certainly gave the march to the title more than once than expected.
– Rapinoe wins twice USWNT SheBelieves Cup wins
– Andonovski: USWNT worked well as a unit against Argentina
Their opponents – Canada (missing seven key players), Brazil and Argentina (a late replacement for Japan due to COVID-19 concerns) – were not the quality of SheBelieves Cups teams, and I thought the tournament would be pretty much one . was on the side of the US, only that was not the case. Canada looked pretty good against the US under their new head coach, Bev Priestman, and Brazil was more organized under former USWNT head coach Pia Sundhage, and Argentina? Well, Argentina was what we predicted … overwhelming.
With the Olympics still less than five months from now, we can reflect on what we learned from this SheBelieves Cup:
A healthy memory
For the US, it’s always a good thing not to play their best and still win the title. This is why: these players will return to their clubs in the knowledge that their world domination is not yet complete. In Orlando, they were sometimes exposed at the back, mistakes that would punish better teams.
The USA was also not clean in front of the goal – that could be the difference in a solid match against a better opponent. These players know all this, and it will gently haunt them. They will look back at the matches and work to put things right, and understand that the SheBelieves Cup was a subtle yet important reminder for them to keep the fire burning brightly.
Rooster Roulette
He was talking about keeping the fire burning when he asked USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski about how many places on his 18-player Olympic list remain open, he says 18. Clearly he has locked up a lot , but I do think limited games and access to players and training camps will understandably take longer to decipher this Olympic list.
Roaster roulette is a fascinating game, so let’s give it a try. Based on the last six games (three in SheBelieves Cup, plus Colombia twice and the Netherlands), and assuming Andonovski and his staff take two goalkeepers, six defenders, five midfielders and five forwards, here are some scenarios ( and the player options) for the final place in italics):
GK: Alyssa Naeher, Ashlyn Harris / Jane Campbell
DF: Crystal Dunn, Becky Sauerbrunn, Abby Dahlkemper, Kelly O’Hara, Emily Sonnett, Casey Krueger / Tierna Davidson / Midge Purce / Ali Krieger
MF: Julie Ertz, Sam Mewis, Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle, Catarina Macario / Kristie Mewis
FW: Christen Press, Tobin Heath, Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, Carli Lloyd / Lynn Williams / Sophia Smith
Questions that still need answers
Where is Carli Lloyd in her return after missing most of 2020 due to injury?
Lloyd had a goal and help against Argentina and looked sharper than in her previous SheBelieves Cup match, but she missed some excellent chances against Canada. The return of Rapinoe, too, seems clearer, having also missed most of 2020. She completes the SheBelieves Cup as the leading scorer and also leads the team with five goals in five games in 2021. Rapinoe has shown that she can still have a quick and consistent impact on the game. I think Lloyd will have to show it in the coming months as well.
How did Alex Morgan recover from 2020 as a result of pregnancy, a knee injury and a COVID-19 diagnosis that wasted until 2021?
I thought her performance against Brazil was a plus. Her touch was sharp, her movement good. She also scored a nice goal against Argentina.
Did Lynn Williams help or hurt her case because she intervened in the last 18 Olympic lists based on her performance in this SheBelieves Cup?
This is a difficult question for me to answer because I like a lot of what Lynn Williams does with her speed. She comes in good positions and turns defenders, making her a constant threat to the opposition. She also does a lot of work on the defensive side of the ball. All good qualities, yes, but her final pace and her finishing are far too contradictory, which detracts from her chances of becoming an appetizer.
If Williams had ended some of the opportunities against Canada and Brazil, the games would have been fewer.
How many younger players can Andonovski afford to break into? Will they be ready for the Olympics?
Catarina Macario struggled in midfield against Canada, but excelled as a forward in both games against Colombia. Unfortunately, Macario could not see much time in this SheBelieves Cup as she returned to her club in Lyon early.
Sophia Smith came into the game against Brazil in the 65th minute, and although she did not make much of an impact, she played a beautiful ball for help on Alex Morgan’s goal against Argentina. I think this young player might be lurking on the outside, but she’s going to be fun to watch. She runs better than most players.
Then there’s Kristie Mewis. Not a young player – she’s 30 – but she’s new to the mix (or, more appropriately, fits back into the mix) and has consistently looked sharp with a goal and assists against Argentina.
Also to think about:
– Andonovski would consider taking five defenders, instead of six, since Julie Ertz can also play central?
If he does and he takes Dunn, Sauerbrunn, Dahlkemper, O’Hara and Sonnett, the US will have three natural options for outside backs in Dunn, O’Hara and Sonnett. It looks slim for the position given the tight Olympic match schedule and how often O’Hara has been injured. So I think he takes six defenders and Ertz in midfield.
Since he does have the Ertz option in the central defender, I think the sixth defender should be a player who can play outside rugby.
– How about the midfield mix?
If Vlatko felt strongly about it both Macario and Kristie Mewis, Macario may be able to continue as a forward, but that means other forwards (like Lloyd, Williams and Smith) may not make the list. I can not see it happening. I think Lloyd’s going. Her work on both sides of the ball is still one of the best in the team. Add to her strong mentality and finishing ability in big moments, and even at age 39 at the Olympics, she can help the team.
0:33
According to Rose Lavelle, USMNT, white players need to gain weight in the fight against racial inequality.
Their superpower
As the Olympic rhythm is stricter than the World Cup schedule (two days rest during the Olympics, compared to three at a World Cup) and the Olympic list of five players is lighter than a World Cup, you can not afford to players who may help the team or are not 100 percent fit. With only 16 fielders and limited rest, EVERY PLAYER has to contribute, which is why the USA is the best favorite to win the gold medal: their group is much deeper than any team out there.
This is their superpower. The US can play two lineups that are completely different, yet strong, and we saw Andonovski do that during his tenure with the national team. Who else in this Olympics could do that without losing much in that second group at all? Maybe Britain. For the US, it will be less about who starts and more about controlling the rhythm of the minutes played per game so that they dictate the pace aggressively, no matter what combination there is.
Overall, I think the US will pull a big positive position out of this SheBelieves Cup because they remain unbeaten under Andonovski, and let’s not forget: they did not concede a goal in this tournament, the first team that has ever done so in the tournament’s history. (It just shows you the standard by which we judge the performance of this team, which in my opinion was still far from their best.)
Andonovski’s last chance to evaluate players against other international opponents comes in the FIFA window of April (against the June window the team will be set). It is only the environment that is needed to make the final decisions and then start jogging the Olympic team of 18 together.
We hope to play an Olympics in July indeed. Currently airing my best YES Olympic Games karma in the world. Do the same, please!