Before the team could start its climb, it had to hit rock bottom.
Just about everything the team had done up to that time was questioned. Players were moved from the positions they had always played to the ones they were best suited for. Crystal Dunn, a former NWSL scoring champion, became a defender as did O’Hara, who had played in two World Cups as a midfielder. Julie Ertz, a defender, moved into the midfield, andEleven of the players who made this World Cup roster weren’t on the team four years ago in Canada.
Those changes on the field forced other ones to be made off the field. Lloyd moved into a reserve role,. New players such as Rose Lavelle, Mallory Pugh and Tierna Davidson had to be taught what it means to be a national team player, following in the massive footsteps of Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Kristine Lilly and Abby Wambach.
As extensive as that evolution has been, it’s been equally successful. Since that loss to France, the U.S. has lost just twice in 49 matches, outscoring the opposition 157-32.Now the journey that Ellis and her team began after their Olympic disaster, the Americans’ earliest exit from a major tournament, is resulting in more history, this time of the positive kind.
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