The U.S. girls’s nationwide workforce are out of the Ladies’s World Cup following a loss on penalties to Sweden within the spherical of 16, and after an uneven displaying Down Beneath, there can be loads of inquiries to reply as to how they need to rebuild.
A rebuild that began after the USWNT’s 2019 World Cup victory will doubtless proceed en path to the 2027 event, with Megan Rapinoe set to retire and others more likely to observe. This system may face extra modifications, particularly with head coach Vlatko Andonvoski’s future hanging within the steadiness following the USWNT’s earliest World Cup exit ever.
U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone and USWNT common supervisor Kate Markgraf could have loads of meals for thought from the World Cup alone and a good greater process forward of them as a brand new period of girls’s soccer begins.
1. Will there be a training change?
The USWNT’s efficiency towards Sweden was undoubtedly the workforce’s greatest displaying on the World Cup and proved Andonovski’s tactical savvy. He switched out of a 4-3-3, during which the workforce struggled to dominate in midfield, and opted for a 4-2-3-1 that allowed the workforce to be fluid and productive throughout the pitch. His general physique of labor on the World Cup forces the query, although — will he be entrusted to supervise the workforce for an additional World Cup cycle?
Andonovski can declare a number of wins throughout his practically four-year stint because the USWNT coach. He was tasked with integrating younger gamers into the workforce in time for this event and a number of other like Sophia Smith and Naomi Girma proved they’ve the credentials to go far. Andonovski’s USWNT additionally confirmed spectacular defensive resolve on the World Cup — they conceded simply two photographs on track all through the event and is likely to be by to the quarterfinals if not for goalkeeper Zecira Musovic’s stellar show.
The top coach, although, arguably didn’t make a case to stay round in the course of the group stage. The tactical shift that got here towards Sweden ought to have come earlier within the event, and his workforce managed to attain simply 4 objectives in 4 video games and went greater than 200 minutes with out scoring. It doubtless means Andonovski’s time is up, however U.S. Soccer could have a really fast timeline to exchange him ought to they select to take action because the Olympic Video games are lower than a 12 months away.
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2. How will the USWNT adapt to the brand new world order?
This event marks the tip of an period in some ways, however not simply because it pertains to the USWNT’s dominance. The standard hole is closing at a speedy tempo — simply ask Germany, Brazil, and Canada. The USWNT’s knack for profitable is not a certain factor, and no matter who’s in cost for the subsequent cycle, the federation might want to prioritize holding tempo with the remainder of the world as they reevaluate issues.
The USWNT coach — be it Andonovski or a brand new rent — might want to exhibit a tactical prowess that may enable the four-time World Cup winners to beat a crop of rising expertise. The preliminary goal can be to keep away from video games just like the group-stage encounter with Portugal, the place the Individuals have been unable to dominate in midfield and have been doomed to a 0-0 draw. U.S. Soccer can even doubtless seek for a return to the workforce’s attacking identification, even in a altering girls’s soccer panorama.
Not every little thing is right down to the coach, although. The federation might want to be certain that it invests correctly in its youth program after a string of unimpressive outcomes. The youth groups haven’t made it to a World Cup semifinal since 2016, when the U-20 workforce completed fourth and has not received a youth World Cup because the 2012 U-20 workforce that featured Crystal Dunn, Julie Ertz, and Sam Mewis. The onus can even be on stakeholders in CONCACAF and the NWSL to put money into continental and league competitions to make sure American girls’s soccer stays on tempo with Europe, the place gamers profit from year-round competitors.
3. Who’s up high?
The World Cup doubtless served as a final run for a handful of USWNT veterans, and we might even see a new-look workforce instantly. The workforce’s main weak spot on the World Cup was the assault and little doubt the main target will as soon as once more be on the forwards because the USWNT appears to be like to rebuild.
Alex Morgan could possibly be phased out instantly after a disappointing World Cup the place she didn’t rating a single objective, and Smith appears poised to take her spot instantly. Trinity Rodman additionally appears to be like like she’s a contender for a beginning spot, whereas 18-year-old Alyssa Thompson will in all probability be slowly built-in into the workforce over the subsequent 4 years. The youth revolution that Andonovski began is much from over, although — the opposite forwards on the World Cup roster, plus a handful of attacking midfielders, are of their 30s now or can be by the subsequent World Cup.
A easy repair to the USWNT’s World Cup attacking points may simply be permitting Smith to succeed Morgan instantly. One of many first questions the workforce should reply post-World Cup, although, is how they get again to goalscoring methods — and who they depend on to take action.
