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If we’re being totally honest here, the new-look United States women’s national team is starting to resemble the old-look United States women’s national team.
What once seemed headed for a renovation has become a repair job. Next week, the USWNT will begin the qualifying process for the opportunity to win a third consecutive FIFA World Cup. They may do so with more than half the lineup composed of starters from the 2019 World Cup championship team.
Following a 2-0 friendly victory over Colombia late Tuesday in Sandy, Utah, head coach Vlatko Andonovski told The Sporting News the players involved know who will start the July 4 game against Haiti and the biggest games in the Concacaf W Championship, which will decide not only the 2023 World Cup representatives from the region but also the automatic qualifier for the 2024 Olympic Games.
“I do think that we have a very good handle on who the 11 are going to be in Mexico,” Andonovski told TSN. “I’m sure that even outside the coaching office it’s not hard to predict who they will be.”
He might not think it’s a challenge, but he’s surely issuing one to everyone who follows the USWNT.
Who you got?
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Had burgeoning star Catarina Macario not injured her knee on the final day of the regular season for her club in France, Lyon, the front line would have had an entirely new look, and that might have spread to more of the team.
Without Macario, however, the center of the forward line will feature either three-time World Cup veteran Alex Morgan or relative newcomer Ashley Hatch.
Morgan got her chance to start Tuesday and produced no more goals than Hatch had in the first of the past week’s two friendlies. But Morgan at least was involved in this game, whereas Hatch was largely absent in her start Saturday against Colombia. Hatch has scored three times in five caps this year and Morgan hasn’t gotten a goal yet, but in club play Morgan is leading the NWSL with more than twice as many as Hatch.
Andonovski might prefer Morgan’s more extensive experience in lieu of some other means of deciding between them. It’s likely each will get at least one start in pool play, but which is chosen for the Mexico game and the knockout stages will be one of his most difficult challenges.
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There is no doubt that the outside positions on the three-player front line will be handled by former prodigy Mallory Pugh and developing star Sophia Smith. Pugh was not effective in the first of the two prep games but came off the bench in the second half Tuesday and executed a beautiful slalom through the Colombia defense that nearly produced a goal.
Midge Purce started as Smith rested in this game and disappointed throughout the first half. Trinity Rodman took over and showed her promise and should continue to advance toward a more prominent role. But it’s not going to be easy to pass either Pugh or Smith.
After one of her best performances in years in Saturday’s victory, Rose Lavelle found far more company in this game and showed only occasional flashes of brilliance. She was not going to get the chance to execute the sort of brilliant passes that led to goals in the prior game, and neither did she have Smith making the sort of runs that made those passes lethal.
Lindsey Horan got still another look at the deep-lying midfield position, or No. 6, partly because she will be expected to play there during the qualifying tournament but also because the team’s depth at that spot remains limited. She will play her customary attacking position unless it’s absolutely necessary to drop her back, but she might also be able to fill a more defensive role in games where the U.S. builds a lead and chooses to protect it.
When Andi Sullivan was stashed in an upstairs box for Tuesday’s game along with Smith and defender Alana Cook, it was a clear sign she’ll be the player to fill the No. 6 role and allow Horan to play where she can be more dangerous.
Megan Rapinoe struggles to play end-to-end on the wing now; actually, she struggled when she was the Golden Ball winner at the 2019 World Cup. But tucked in more centrally in starting this Colombia game, she showed her surpassing skill still has uses.
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Check back with us in another dozen years, and Becky Sauerbrunn might still be the USWNT captain and installed in central defense to the left of the goalkeeper. She has more than 200 caps at age 37. Whether she’ll be the right player for that position next summer is hard to say. She is now.
Her partner will be Alana Cook, 25, who has earned eight of her 10 caps in the past seven months, in part because Abby Dahlkemper and Tierna Davidson have been injured. Cook appears to be a more fluid player than either, while lacking Dahlkemper’s elite passing.
At right back, two-time World Cup champ Kelley O’Hara didn’t hurt her chances by scoring the clinching goal in Tuesday's game after entering as a substitute. Sofia Huerta had played well and delivered a brilliant angled pass for Purce, who misspent the opportunity.
With Crystal Dunn taking a maternity break — she had a son a month ago — Emily Fox has established herself as an impressive left back.
“She’s improving every camp she comes into,” Andonovski said.
This is where it gets tricky for Andonovski.
Tuesday's game was only the third USWNT start for Alyssa Naeher since she was injured in last summer’s Olympic semifinal loss to Canada, and she was required to make one massive save to keep the shutout.
Casey Murphy was in goal for Saturday’s 3-0 win and had so little to do she could have read “The Great Gatsby” cover to cover while her U.S. teammates kept the ball in the attacking end through most of the game.
Which of the two is in the best position to handle the No. 1 job now? Neither has been extraordinary this season for her club, which might suggest leaning toward the veteran.
But Andonovski seems inclined to refresh this team as much as possible. Murphy is only 26, whereas Naeher is 34.
The U.S. is one of four countries in history that have won two consecutive World Cups; the others are Italy and Brazil on the men’s side, Germany on the women’s. No one ever has won three in a row.
The USWNT is still many games, many months and especially many miles from becoming the first. But it starts now.
