Sophia Smith and Taylor Kornieck found themselves on the score sheet as the USWNT took down a team. There is a time and a place for it.
The United States was supposed to have a focal point in Catarina Macario. The plan was put on hold after she tore her knee in Lyon's last match of the season.
The Americans got their first look at life without Macario on Saturday, and a preview of what they will look like against lower ranked opposition.
The U.S. didn't score a goal in the first half against Colombia at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado, but they scored three times in the second half to win the game.
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Alex Morgan, who leads the National Women's Soccer League with 11 goals in 10 regular-season games, was bumped to the No. 9 role by the Washington Spirit. Hatch won the NWSL Golden Boot last season and is the most traditional center-forward option for the U.S. The U.S. struggled through the first half as she got her first start of the year. Execution in the final third was often sloppy and movement from the front three was stagnant.
The U.S. expects to see from some opponents at World Cup qualification, which begins on July 4th. Overmatched opponents have played the Americans that way for years with varying levels of success, but the use of a sweeper behind its back four is unlike anything the US has seen in a long time.
The U.S. coach said that they were focused on not being scored on. The main focus for us will be the final third, different combinations, creating space, and executing the opportunities that we create.
After Morgan replaced Hatch in the second half, the tone of the game changed for the Americans and they went on to lose.
Rose Lavelle andnchez created an aggressive system using two attacking centralMidfielders Lavelle andnchez are exceptional dribblers in tight spaces and, together, their movement to find the ball and subsequent technical mastery drewColombia out and forced them to lose their shape. Lavelle played a pair of brilliant through-balls to assist Smith for two goals in the second half.
Lavelle needs these games the most. When Sweden sat in a low block and dared the U.S. to be creative, Lavelle was given a spot on the senior team. Lavelle, who could break down defenses on the dribble and play a killer final ball on the ground, was the type of player the Americans were looking for. The Bronze Ball was won by Lavelle at the World Cup.
A similar profile is presented in a similar place. Like Lavelle,nchez is unpredictable, trying bold moves that range from back-heels when she is trapped in a 2v1 to a scorpion kick assist. She was called for a foul on the dribble to set up the free kick that led to the United States' third goal.
"I think that one of the main reasons why we got a little more sophisticated in the second half was because of the work done by Ashlynchez."
She was able to connect with the players around her because she eliminated players on the dribble. Different questions were asked from the defenders. The opponent was able to take advantage of the different times they had to adjust. The opponent had a period of adjustment and we were able to take advantage of it.
The U.S. has never experienced a level of ball mastery and creativity like that. The risk of having the back four exploited is lower when Andonovski needs that. The World Cup in Australia and New Zealand could be used in tandem or in rotation.
This is the place where Macario's absence is felt. Macario, who was one of the best players in Europe this season, established herself this spring as a false nine whose interchange with Lavelle created a fluid, dangerous attack. The players around Macario did a good job of adapting to her.
With Macario out, the No. 9 role is up for grabs, and there is a void in the departments of creativity and game-changing ability. It's hyperbole to say that the absence of a player who only has 17 caps is significant, but it's exactly what the U.S. has been doing for the last nine months.
It's up to Morgan and Hatch to take on that role. Morgan reminded the world that she has been the U.S. team's dominant forward of the past decade, scoring 115 goals and winning a pair of games.
Morgan evolved her game through the years to be more multidimensional than she usually gets credit for, but she is still a very different player from Macario, and that means the approach that was being developed this spring will need some retooling.
He will be part of that process as well. She, too, is relatively inexperienced at the international stage, but that is where the U.S. finds itself now, on the eve of World Cup qualification: turning back to Morgan and Megan Rapinoe, who also made her return to the team.
At World Cup qualification in Mexico, Andonovski's mix of veterans and youth will be decided. With the four spots up for grabs, there is little danger of missing the tournament, but getting these decisions correct now is a must.
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