United States 1, France 0
It was bound to be a dogfight, what with no. 1 in the world going against no. 3, but the United States Women’s National Team did not look ready for the task ahead of them in a 1-0 win against France Saturday afternoon.
The creativity we saw in the buildup during the United States’ first match was just not there in the first half. Alex Morgan and Carli Lloyd were basically innocuous in the run of play, with both held without a shot in the first half.
The bright spot in the Americans’ attack came from Tobin Heath, who had all three of United States’ in the first half — all from free kicks. In the second half, it was her work that directly led to the opening goal.
With ample amount of space on the left side of the penalty area, Heath smashed a shot off the near post and directly into the path of Lloyd. The captain allowed the ball to hit her and trickle over the line for the goal.
The goal in the 63rd minute came after the U.S. started to find a foothold in the game. After a first half that looked slow and clunky from the Americans, the offense started to string together passes and move better between the lines. Crystal Dunn was a testament to that, oft trekking back in defense, but getting more involved in the offense in the second half.
Up next, the U.S. will have Colombia in the final game of group play. With Germany and Australia drawing Saturday, the United States qualified for the knockout stage, but a win against Colombia guarantees a group win.
Three Takes
Lineup changes versus Colombia
Dunn and Mallory Pugh flip-flopped the starting roles from the first game, with the former going 70 minutes before being replaced. Could we see the two on the field at the same time against the South American team? I would like to see this next game against Colombia feature Dunn, Pugh, and Morgan at the top of a 4-3-3, with Lloyd and Pugh interchanging going forward.
Will Rapinoe make an appearance soon?
One of the more interesting roster announcements was Megan Rapinoe being added despite her ACL injury in December. We have yet to see Rapinoe play in 2016, which begs the question: when will we see her on the field? She’ll be fresh and full of energy to get back on the field, but is it saying something of the decision to not have her make an appearance through the first two games? Of course, others on the bench have not played in the Rio Games, but with a serious injury nine months ago and no competitive games since, should her spot have been used for someone else?
Maybe I’m thinking too pessimistically. Her experience is a huge asset for the U.S., but it’s not like the Americans are without a leader. Lloyd is the active leader in caps for the United States, and she’s on the field for most of the game as the captain. Maybe Rapinoe will have an impact in the knockout stages. I hope we’ll see her in an upcoming games, otherwise, why is she there?
What’s next for the U.S.?
The Americans have a firm grasp on the group. Six points puts the U.S. in the driver’s seat, with France in second at three. The United States can start looking ahead to the knockout stages, which if the American’s win the group, the U.S. will see either Group E’s or F’s third place team.
Barring a huge shakeup in Group F, the U.S. will not see either Germany or Canada until the final or bronze medal game — a true blessing. Most likely, Brazil will be the other semifinalist on the U.S. side of the bracket.
Some of the U.S. players need to shake this game off and find a new mentality. I’m looking at you, Alex Morgan and Carli Lloyd. A bad games happen and they’re not the only ones to need a new look Tuesday — play between the lines was atrocious tonight — but as the veterans on the field, those two need to find something before the knockout stages. Use the next game to work out the kinks and get ready for the most important portion of your Olympics: the knockout round.
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