Free to Read: My 3 Thoughts on Spain-USWNT
The U.S. women’s national team lost to Spain 2-0 on Tuesday in Pamplona, Spain. It marks the first two-game losing streak for the USWNT since 2017. Here are my three thoughts on the game:
• The U.S. midfield is a huge concern and needs a formation change now. You can say all you want about the missing U.S. players from this game, but if we’re being honest 2015-era Julie Ertz and Sam Mewis aren’t walking through that door ever again, and Vlatko Andonovski needs to change his midfield set-up ASAP. Specifically: He has to go to a double-pivot, at least against top competition, because a single D-mid in Andi Sullivan just isn’t going to work. No single D-mid can do what Ertz used to do, including Ertz herself. The U.S. needs to switch to a 4-2-3-1 and use the added stability to help create the conditions for Rose Lavelle to do what she does best as a No. 10 in a central role. Right now the U.S. midfield isn’t controlling possession and isn’t creating the chances for whomever is on the front line to score goals. Spain’s B-team midfield outplayed the U.S., which can’t rely on forcing turnovers as the only way to create scoring chances. It’s that simple. Time for a change now.
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• There is time for the U.S. to right the ship, but not much. Several players missing from these losses to Spain and England should be back in the picture as we get closer to the World Cup, including Catarina Macario, Mal Pugh, Alex Morgan, Tierna Davidson and perhaps Kelley O’Hara, Emily Sonnett and Midge Purce. And it’s unlikely that future U.S. games will have the debilitating emotional context that surrounded the team over the past week in the wake of the Yates Report release. I’m glad the U.S. scheduled two away games in Europe against difficult opponents—although a Spain team missing 15 striking players was obviously far from full strength—in part because it shows us exactly how much the U.S. needs to improve in the coming months. Playing Germany twice in November will help as well. But the vibe around the USWNT right now feels a lot like it did during the disappointing Olympics run, and recognizing that is necessary if things are going to get better.
• This result won’t help the cause of progress with the Spanish team. Beating the World Cup champion 2-0 (after tying Sweden 1-1) without the 15 prominent players who refuse to play for Jorge Vilda will only give Vilda and the Spanish federation more ammo in their refusal to listen to the concerns of those players. Obviously, there’s a giant problem there, and the Spanish federation’s strategy of infantilizing the players and refusing to meet with them is of a piece with the unwillingness to engage serious matters that we saw from American soccer officials in the Yates Report. This has to stop. Spain got a good result today, but it’s remarkable to me how much turmoil several European World Cup contenders are in just a few months before the tournament, whether it’s Spain, France (which has somehow retained coach Corinne Diacre), the Netherlands (which just fired coach Mark Parsons) or Norway (which replaced its coach after the Euros). That may be a saving grace for this U.S. team: things aren’t quite as bad for the Americans as they are for several other contenders.
What are your thoughts on the game? You can join the discussion in the comments below.
I don't think Vlatko is the right man for the job. They will not win a World Cup as long as he is running things. Rapino starting two matches is absurd. Her corners used to be a strength not anymore. He is obviously under her thumb. She long ago should have stepped aside, soccer has become secondary to her celebrity. She'd probably make a better coach that Vlatko as she is a lot more passionate and a risk taker. Vlatko just seems lost and doesn't seem to be able to adapt to the play on the field.
The team was beaten to the ball the whole match. Hard to believe. Horan, Cook, Sullivan, Sauerbrunn , Huerta, amongst the slowest and least athletic. Horan is not adding anything to this team. The fact that she starts every game leads one to believe that Vlatko has no solutions to the midfield mess. Rose Lavelle is totally wasted. Sullivan is not a starter.
Rodman, Smith and Pugh are a good front line with lots of potential and the right mentality. Morgan hasn't done much against international competition in awhile. Press is my all time favorite and I think she should be on the WC squad. It was weak the way he shaded her with callups. Even if just a second half sub. Technically she still has the ability to attack defenses. How many players on this team can do that?
Back line Girma, Foxx, Dunn, and Davidson, I still like O'hara for toughness and she can still run.
The summary of the midfield is spot on and it’s evident to anyone who understands the sport that a switch to a 4-2-3-1 is a must, but Vlatko has not once, in 3 years, experimented with other formations. He has given no indication that a formation change is in the cards. The problem is that to switch to a double pivot, you’ll need to rotate out an attacking midfielder for a defensive one. That means Horan wouldn’t be in the XI and for some inexplicable reason, she seems to be undroppable under him. If he did see the light and insert a double pivot, I think he would either bench Lavelle and have Horan play the 10, or have Horan as one of the 6’s, both of which are fireable offenses in isolation.
His tactical rigidity and unearned loyalty to one inflexible player is going to sink this team next summer.