USWNT’s World Cup line-up under Vlatko could backfire

AUCKLAND, New Zealand — The activity for U.S. ladies’s nationwide workforce head coach Vlatko Andonovski appeared easy: begin the absolute best line-up and start the Women’s World Cup with a robust assertion of intent.

But as soon as the squad to tackle Vietnam of their match opener was introduced, it grew to become clear Andonovski was not enjoying it protected or easy.

The query, which can be answered as soon as this World Cup is claimed and executed: is Andonovski overthinking it, or simply being shrewd? The reply actually did not come Saturday at Eden Park Stadium towards Vietnam (a Friday evening begin for followers within the U.S.), nor was it anticipated to. The expertise differential between the 2 sides is giant sufficient {that a} absolutely second-choice U.S. squad would nonetheless have been anticipated to win.

In the top, the USWNT received 3-0, lacking a slew of high quality scoring probabilities within the course of — 28 photographs in all — and it virtually did not matter who Andonovski placed on the sector.

– Meet the USWNT: What you could learn about all 23 gamers
– Team by workforce previews: What you could know

But the U.S. coach seemed to be setting the stage for a match the place the USWNT can be tough to foretell, and the notion of the “best possible line-up” can be much less straight-forward than it appears. In earlier World Cup editions it was straightforward to foretell who a coach may begin and the place, however Andonovski has put collectively a squad with out straightforward solutions.

Julie Ertz — a participant who had seemingly made the roster on the final attainable second as the answer at defensive midfielder after not enjoying aggressive soccer for 2 years — began at centerback.

Ertz hasn’t began as a centerback since 2019, and hasn’t performed the place with regularity since years earlier than that. But when captain Becky Sauerbrunn was a late scratch for the World Cup on account of a lingering foot harm, Andonovski opted to not substitute her with somebody at present enjoying on the place.

“When we knew that Becky is not going to be able to make it, that’s something we started looking into even deeper,” he mentioned after the sport. “We had a conversation with Julie before we even tried, did a lot of work before we got into (pre-World Cup) camp in terms of video analysis.”

– Women’s World Cup: Landing web page | Schedule | Rosters | News

And but, Andonovski did not essentially have a better option, partially due to how he constructed his World Cup roster. He could’ve as an alternative opted to begin Alana Cook alongside Naomi Girma, however then he would’ve been left with a really inexperienced central protection. Cook has 25 caps, and Girma — who’s the higher defender — solely has 16.

Having the expertise of Ertz at greater than 100 caps, particularly to ease the nerves within the youthful Girma, was logical. After all, the one different possibility on this World Cup roster is Emily Sonnett, a participant who has spent extra time for the USWNT at fullback than centerback.

Ertz did not look fully comfy within the again in her return to the function. Vietnam barely threatened, so she wasn’t precisely under stress, however with the ball at her ft she seemed unsettled at instances and took pointless dangers. She performed into the sport although, trying extra comfy because it went on.

“I’m glad we made the decision and I know that the back line is just going to get better and better going forward,” Andonovski mentioned, additionally declining to state whether or not Ertz would keep in that function all through the match.

play

Sophia Smith talks 2-goal efficiency in World Cup debut

Sophia Smith discusses her 2-goal efficiency within the United States’ 3-0 win over Vietnam.

Savannah DeMelo, a participant who made the World Cup roster with out having ever performed for the U.S., was a shock alternative to begin within the midfield, too. Before the match, Andonovski steered the selection was based mostly on her latest type, together with a closed-door scrimmage towards the Philippines right here in New Zealand.

DeMelo is a playmaker who’s able to unlocking defenses and creating probabilities for her teammates, to make sure. However, what Andonovski has executed is constructed a World Cup squad that hasn’t performed very a lot collectively — within the case of DeMelo, she acquired one cap within the USWNT’s send-off coming into the World Cup opener.

That lack of time collectively confirmed. The Americans towards Vietnam seemed a model of what they’ve seemed for a lot of the Andonovski period: static, sluggish and too reliant on particular person flashes of brilliance.

Andonovski, for his half, is nicely of conscious of the gamble he has taken and appears assured in his selections, telling reporters after the match: “If you look at this team, it’s the first time that this 11 has been on the field together. They’ve never been on the field together in a game scenario for one minute, so to see some of the connections and combinations they were able to make was very positive.”

But he additionally admitted that this USWNT did not appear like all the things the group could be.

“If there’s one thing we need to do better besides finishing, it’s how can we help the players that are in a position to finish, giving them a little bit of service,” he mentioned. “Whether it’s finding them on the right step or the proper foot, the final touch — the service before the finish.”

For a workforce as attack-oriented and desirous to play on the entrance foot because the U.S., ending and repair aren’t any small lacking items.

The USWNT had 297 touches within the closing third in comparison with Vietnam’s 20, but it surely largely wasn’t the free-flowing and dynamic assault we have seen from the United States up to now — Sophia Smith’s first aim the lone exception. They underperformed their anticipated objectives of 4.34 — together with on account of Alex Morgan’s missed penalty — and struggled to make use of the flanks, attempting to push by means of a congested center.

And but, everybody from the skin appeared to be anticipating a redux of 2019, when the USWNT opened the World Cup with a 13-0 win over Thailand, essentially the most lopsided end in Women’s World Cup historical past.

The day earlier than Saturday’s sport, a Vietnamese reporter requested Andonovski: “Are you going to crush us like against Thailand four years ago?” After the sport, one other Vietnamese reporter requested: “Did you expect to score more?”

It’s maybe unfair to match that match to this one — that Thailand workforce wasn’t pretty much as good or as disciplined as this Vietnam workforce. But this USWNT would not appear to have the chemistry of that 2019 workforce both.

“I definitely think it’s coming together,” mentioned defender Emily Fox of the workforce cohesion. “In training, we can feel that it’s coming together and we’re just going to keep building off of that. It’s the first game of the tournament so we want to keep building off of this performance.”

For a squad that has had few reps collectively, the chemistry wants to come back collectively shortly. Vietnam wasn’t capable of punish the U.S. for his or her incapacity to click on, however the Netherlands — the runner-up from the final World Cup — is subsequent up in group stage play. The knockout rounds can be even harder.

As former USWNT coach April Heinrichs as soon as mentioned, “In coaching, you’re either a jackass or a genius.” The decisions that Andonovski has made could be those that can be talked about for years to come back — revered or mocked, relying on how the match goes.