The U.S. women's national team won the 2023 SheBelieves Cup with an unblemished record, and before we get to the caveats and concerns and reasons for World Cup worry, that's worth appreciating.
getting out of second gear, and so, in the moment, it looked vulnerable; unimpressive; unrefined and anything but fearsome. Itsand Brazil spoke to defects and shortcomings, and validated fears that its title defense this summer will end in failure.
But all of that is a subjective interpretation. Another subjective interpretation is this: The mere fact that the U.S. can dispatch three World Cup contenders while in second gear is a reminder of its might and potential. It struggled for control in the latter two games, but won them because it has Swanson, and Morgan, and Lindsey Horan, and Rose Lavelle — and no opponent ever will. Soccer can be simple sometimes. Each match is a complex equation with millions of variables, movements and decisions, but results often depend on moments and individuals.,"is having individuals that can change a game in a short moment.
So yes, the concerns are valid. The U.S., for most of its 270 SheBelieves minutes, looked troublingly ordinary. On Wednesday, head coach Vlatko Andonovski rolled out his likely World Cup starting 11, minus Sophia Smith — Alyssa Naeher; Emily Fox, Naomi Girma, Becky Sauerbrunn, Crystal Dunn; Andi Sullivan, Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle; Mallory Swanson, Alex Morgan, Trinity Rodman — and still, his team looked unremarkable.
After two more training camps — one in April, one in June-July — that team will head to New Zealand as a contender. Some bookmakers might even call the Americans favorites. They will arrive with pedigree and a ruthless mentality that has persevered across generations. They will venture into the World Cup with the ability to win games they don't dominate, to ride individual brilliance, just as they did this month.Your browser does not support HTML5 audio.
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