Few were surprised that the USWNT won its fourth SheBelieves Cup in six years on Wednesday, but Stars and Stripes certainly made the march to the title harder than anticipated.
– Rapinoe scores twice when USWNT wins the SheBelieves Cup
– Andonovski: USWNT worked well as a unit vs. Argentina
His opponents – Canada (seven major players missing), Brazil and Argentina (a late replacement from Japan due to concerns of COVID-19) – were not the quality of the previous SheBelieves Cup teams, so I thought the tournament would be reasonably one on the side the USA, but that was not the case. Canada looked very well against the USA with its new coach, Bev Priestman, was Brazil more organized with the former USWNT coach, Pia Sundhage, and Argentina? Well, Argentina was what we predicted … not surprising.
With the Olympics still scheduled to start in less than five months, let’s reflect on what we learned from the SheBelieves Cup:
A healthy reminder
For the US, not playing your best and still winning the title is always a good thing. Here’s why: these players will return to their clubs knowing that their world domination is not yet complete. In Orlando, mistakes were sometimes exposed in the rear, which the best teams would punish.
The USA was also not clean in front of the goal – that could be the difference in a tough game against a better opponent. These players to meet all of it, and it will haunt you gently. They will watch the games and work to make things right, understanding that the SheBelieves Cup was a subtle but important reminder for them to keep the fire going.
Roster Roulette
Speaking of keeping the fire going, when USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski is asked how many places in his 18-player Olympic squad remain open, he said 18. Obviously, he has a lot of blocked, but I think due to the limited games and access to players and training grounds, this Olympic list will understandably take longer to decipher.
Roster roulette is a fascinating game to play, so let’s try it. Based on the last six games (three in the SheBelieves Cup, plus Colombia twice and the Netherlands), and assuming Andonovski and his team will choose two goalkeepers, six defenders, five midfielders and five forwards, here are some scenarios (and player options for that period 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 still need answers
Where is Carli Lloyd on his return after losing most of 2020 to an injury?
Lloyd scored a goal and watched against Argentina and looked more accurate than in his previous SheBelieves Cup game, but she missed some excellent opportunities against Canada. Rapinoe’s return, after also losing much of 2020, seems clearer. She finished the SheBelieves Cup as the best scorer and also leads the team with five goals in five games in 2021. Rapinoe has shown that she can still impact games quickly and consistently. I think Lloyd will also need to show that in the coming months.
How did Alex Morgan recover from the disappearance of 2020 due to pregnancy, a knee injury and a COVID-19 diagnosis in 2021?
I found her performance against Brazil an advantage. His touches were sharp, his movements good. She also scored a beautiful goal against Argentina.
Did Lynn Williams help or hinder her case by joining the final squad for the 18 Olympics based on her SheBelieves Cup game?
This is a difficult question to answer because I love what Lynn Williams does with his speed. It reaches great positions and turns into defense, which makes it a consistent threat to the opponent. She also works hard on the defensive side of the ball. All great attributes, yes, but your final pass and finish are very inconsistent, hampering your chances of becoming a regular starter.
If Williams had managed some of those opportunities against Canada and Brazil, the games would have been less strenuous.
How many younger players can Andonovski play? Will they be ready for the Olympics?
Catarina Macario had difficulties in the midfield against Canada, but stood out as a striker in both games against Colombia. Unfortunately, Macario did not have much time in the SheBelieves Cup, as he returned early to his club in Lyon.
Sophia Smith came into play in the 65th minute against Brazil and, although it did not have much impact, gave a beautiful ball for assistance in Alex Morgan’s goal against Argentina. I think this young player may be outside, spying, but she will be fun to watch. It attacks players better than most.
Then there’s Kristie Mewis. She is not a young player – she is 30 years old – but she is new to the mix (or, more appropriately, recently back in the mix) and has appeared consistently sharp, with a goal and an assist against Argentina.
Also to ponder:
– Andonovski would consider taking five defenders instead of six, since Julie Ertz also plays in the defense.
If he did that and took Dunn, Sauerbrunn, Dahlkemper, O’Hara and Sonnett, the US would have 3 natural out-of-the-way options in Dunn, O’Hara and Sonnett. That seems insufficient for that position, given the tight schedule of the Olympics and the frequency with which O’Hara was injured. That’s why I think he catches six defenders and Ertz in midfield.
Since he has the option of Ertz as a central defender, I think the sixth defense will have to be a player who can play outside the defense.
– How about the midfield mix?
If Vlatko had a strong opinion about Both Macario and Kristie Mewis, Macario can go as a striker, but that means that other strikers (like Lloyd, Williams and Smith) may not make the list. I can’t see this happening. I think Lloyd is going. His work on both sides of the ball is still one of the best on the team. Add to that his strong mentality and ability to finish in the big moments, and even at the age of 39 in the Olympics, he can help the team.
0:33
Rose Lavelle of USMNT says that white players need to “pull their weight” in the fight against racial inequality.
Their superpower
With the Olympic pace being tighter than the World Cup schedule (two days off at the Olympics, compared to three at the World Cup) and the Olympic squad being five players lighter than the World Cup schedule, you cannot afford to bring players who May help the team or they are not 100 percent in shape. With only 16 field players and limited rest, ALL PLAYERS must contribute, which is why the United States is the favorite to win the Gold Medal: its squad is much deeper than any other team.
This is your superpower. The United States can choose two very different lineups, but both are strong, and we have seen Andonovski do this throughout his tenure on the national team. Who else in this Olympic pool could do that without losing much in the second group? Perhaps Britain. For the United States, it will be less about who is starting and more about how to manage the pace of minutes played per game, so that whatever combination is on the pitch, they aggressively dictate the pace.
Overall, I think the USA will have a big advantage with this SheBelieves Cup because they remain undefeated under Andonovski, and let’s not forget: they didn’t concede a goal in this tournament, the first team to do so in the tournament’s history. (It just shows the standard by which we judge the performance of this team, which I still think was far from the best.)
Andonovski’s last chance to evaluate players against other international opponents arrives at the April FIFA window (in the June window, the team will be defined). It is just the environment necessary to make the final judgments and then begin to assemble the 18-year-old Olympic team.
We hope that an Olympics will actually be played in July. Sending my best YES-the-Olympics-karma to the world now. Do the same, please!