LOS ANGELES – As the rain dissipated into an idyllic evening sky at BMO Stadium on Sunday, so did a storm that has been surrounding the United States women's national team.
Days after falling to rival Mexico for the second time in a historic 2-0 defeat in the group stage of the Concacaf W Gold Cup, and with a disappointing 2023 Women's World Cup round of 16 finish still fresh in the mind. – a younger, more aggressive American XI began to steer her ship in the right direction during the weekend's quarterfinal match against Colombia. Hoping to avoid another disaster, goals from Lindsey Horan, Jenna Nighswonger and Jaedyn Shaw led the USWNT to a much-needed 3-0 victory.
The victory was achieved thanks to a more direct approach, excellent pressing and, above all, a reduction in the number of experienced players on the field. Using an XI with five players aged 23 or younger (the XI against Mexico only had two), the United States seemed to find the right balance of players who were able to thrive in a difficult game against the World Cup quarterfinalists.
“We knew it was going to be a big physical battle,” USWNT interim coach Twila Kilgore said afterward. “I thought we did a really good job of dealing with the physicality, matching it and imposing ourselves, but also being very aware.”
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With crunching tackles, shoving and plenty of dark arts between both sides, seven yellow cards were shown in the game which surprisingly did not have a single red. But amid the chaos, it was the next generation of key USWNT figures that helped build momentum and hold their own in front of 16,746 boisterous fans in Los Angeles.
Shaw, 19, made an impact in just his third start at senior international level. Pressuring the opposition from the left wing, the San Diego Wave forward was a threat to the Colombian defense throughout the match and was rewarded with a goal in the 47th minute. According to American soccer, Shaw now joined Shannon Boxx as “the only players in USWNT history to score in each of their first three starts.” Nothing bad.
On the other side of the American front line, 21-year-old winger Trinity Rodman perfectly embodied the tenacity needed against Colombia. Although his opponents almost pressed the right (or wrong) buttons that could have led to a second yellow card, Rodman was always dangerous in attack and provided the assist for Shaw's goal.
In midfield, 20-year-old Korbin Albert quietly blossomed alongside Sam Coffey and behind the two, the return of 23-year-old Naomi Girma to the defensive line highlighted just how necessary her presence is in the XI.
Of all the young people, the most impressive of the night was Nighswonger. After stating before the W Gold Cup that the tournament “is a great opportunity to get into the team and show myself,” the 23-year-old winger and reigning NWSL Rookie of the Year has done exactly that in recent days. .
Looking capable of playing as a scoring winger if necessary, the NWSL champion had no trouble finding the back of the net in the 22nd minute. And, active in both defense and attack, she earned praise from Kilgore after the match .
“We are very, very happy with Jenna. She fulfilled different roles and responsibilities today than we have asked of her in the past. We asked her to move higher up the pitch and, in fact, the goal she scored is indicative of that. ” Kilgore said. “She just has a very good ability to read the game and play it simply, and obviously it doesn't hurt to have a left foot. She's capable of playing multiple positions. I would expect that at some point in her career play multiple positions for us.”
With players like Nighswonger willing to move on, it also helped keep some of the buzz of the game away from the USWNT's half of the field. As the crowd roared and booed when decisions were made during those battles, and also when some confusingly weren't, the USWNT made progress by forcing more officiating decisions on the Colombian end of the field.
“I think we always have bite, but I think tonight part of the key was playing his third spot because at any time it's so physical… you don't want to put a referee in a situation where he's asked to potentially do something”. those calls get closer to their goal,” Kilgore said. “That was a big identifying factor for us today and part of that is being on the defensive front and locking them in an area where you hope to win the ball.”
The USWNT's youngsters fared well, but navigating through the gathering storm required the knowledge and talent of seasoned figures like goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher and also star forward Alex Morgan.
Naeher, in his 100th appearance, was selected as Player of the Match and, despite only making three saves, two of them were decisive moments that denied Colombia the opportunity to fight back.
Meanwhile, up front, Morgan, 34, highlighted how he can remain in the squad conversation despite initially being left out early in the tournament. In the first half, he not only won Horan's early penalty, but also provided a clever assist for Nighswonger's goal. Like many others on the team, she also didn't back down when she faced the Colombian players.
But as the USWNT heads south to San Diego for Wednesday's W Gold Cup semifinal against Canada and possibly a final against Brazil or Mexico, there are still some concerns. As impressive as Sunday's victory was and as important as it is to point out that solutions are available, it doesn't fix a team that is still in an era of transition under Kilgore.
While it is exciting for fans to know that a successful manager like Chelsea's Emma Hayes will take over as permanent coach after the end of the Women's Super League season, the reality is that everything will continue to change until then. The team had warning signs long before its loss to Mexico, and while defeating Colombia is a step back on the road, the four-time World Cup champions must take bigger steps in the coming weeks.
The USWNT has never failed to win a Concacaf tournament it has participated in and, looking to gain confidence as they prepare for the 2024 Olympics this summer, anything less than a title this month will be seen as a disappointment for a program. who aspires to be constant champions. Will those youthful foundations continue to be built during the rest of this W Gold Cup? Or will Canada, who have yet to concede a goal in the tournament, throw them off course again?
“Canada is another country close to us, we've played many times,” Kilgore said. “We're looking forward to that and I think the keys will be a little mix of what we saw tonight in terms of being on the front foot, making sure we're making it uncomfortable.” [for them]”.
