Megan Rapinoe, Christen Press, Tobin Heath and Alex Morgan are some of the players who are most likely to play in the World Cup. There is a time and a place for it. The new head coach of the U.S. women's national team was hired to win and transition the team to its next generation of stars. Pulling off (2) without affecting (1) was always going to be difficult, but at some point it was going to be necessary. Megan Rapinoe is 36, Christen Press is 33, and Tobin Heath is 33. Alex Morgan is 32 years old while Carli Lloyd is 39. Right-back Kelley O'Hara is 33 and goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher is 33. Even still-in- their-prime stars like Julie Ertz and left back Crystal Dunn are now 29, and it is not known when they will be back with the team. Even if the stars above continue to play at an elite level into the 2023 World Cup cycle, keeping the next generation of American stars engaged and up to speed is an absolute must. At the SheBelieves Cup, Andonovski asked the next generation to show him something. Naeher, Sauerbrunn, and Rose Lavelle all played less than 90 minutes out of a possible 270. There were three defenders at the back, including goalkeeper Murphy, full-back Fox and center-back Cook. The power trio of Catarina Macario (22), Mallory Pugh (23) and Sophia Smith (21) were in the middle, along with Andi Sullivan (26). The team settled its equal pay lawsuit with the U.S. Soccer and that may have been the biggest win of the tournament. The U.S. took on three teams ranked in the top 25 in the world and defeated them, 9-0. To see who shined and where the team as a whole stood out, we need to look at the key stat of the match. The USA has 0.14 shots per possession.
xG per shot*: USA 0.06, Czech Rep. 0.04
Possession rate: USA 63.3%
PPDA*: USA 6.7, Czech Rep. 16.9
% of possessions started in attacking third: USA 11.0%, Czech Rep. 8.7%
Goals (xG) from transition possessions*: USA 0 (0.19), Czech Rep. 0 (0.07)
% of transition possessions ending in attacking third: USA 30%, Czech Rep. 11%
USA 0, Czech Republic 0
PPDA is a measure of overall pressure. The lower the number, the higher the level of pressure. xG is the likelihood of a goal.
The Czech Republic parked the bus and the U.S. couldn't find the right combination to punish them for it. They attempted 18 shots and only two of them were worth more than 0.10 xG -- a Macario chance in the fourth minute and a Mewis attempt in the 73rd.
The only chance of scoring for the Czech Republic was from a miracle counter- attack. They only attempted six shots and put one on target, while most of the potential counter-measures were already decided. Veteran defenders like Tierna Davidson, Emily Sonnett, and Sauerbrunn were in place, and that didn't hurt things.
It was a good opportunity for a group of incredibly bright, young attackers to prove themselves. Macario created six shooting chances for teammates, two of which were for Sullivan and Lavelle, and led the team with 10 ball recoveries, while Pugh produced 0.6 expected assists. They did not have the ability to open the Czech defense.
This would not be a problem for long.
The USA has 0.16 shots per possession.
xG per shot: USA 0.14, New Zealand 0.07
Possession rate: USA 58% (58% while ahead)
PPDA: USA 11.9, New Zealand 14.8
% of possessions started in attacking third: USA 12.8%, New Zealand 11.2%
Goals (xG) from transition possessions: USA 2 (1.29), New Zealand 0 (0.05)
% of transition possessions ending in attacking third: USA 16%, New Zealand 11%
Early goals can define a match, but two own goals from the same player within the first six minutes. There were three in the first half. The first match was blank, so that certainly alleviated any built-up anxiety. The U.S. led from the beginning and allowed the team to play with less intensity.
Catarina Macario found the back of the net after the unbelievable bender in the first half.
The early deficit meant that New Zealand couldn't really stay in even if they wanted to. The Americans created twice as much value as they did against the Czechs, and the match was more open than the first one. Six shot attempts were worth at least 0.13 xG. Both Pugh and Hatch converted high-value shots for second-half goals.
It was difficult to draw too much from this one because of how the early goals affected the game state. Through the first two matches of the season, the combined xG and xA had been created by both Pugh and Macario. The former is an incredible number. Hatch created 0.8 xG in two attempts against New Zealand.
In the final match of the tournament, the attackers were proving to be capable of creating extreme danger.
The USA has 0.19 shots per possession.
xG per shot: USA 0.14, Iceland 0.06
Possession rate: USA 60% (58% while ahead)
PPDA: USA 12.1, Iceland 17.8
% of possessions started in attacking third: USA 13.7%, Iceland 9.7%
Goals (xG) from transition possessions: USA 3 (2.13), Iceland 0 (0.03)
% of transition possessions ending in attacking third: USA 24%, Iceland 17%
The New Zealand match was only tied for about 6 percent of possessions, but Iceland kept things even for about 46 percent. We had another chance to see what the U.S. intended to do and how capable they were of breaking down tight defenses. The key to getting a tight defense unlocked is a moment of individual brilliance. The U.S. got that from Macario.
The USWNT took a three goal lead over New Zealand into halftime.
The 22-meter strike opened the door. The U.S. tacked on two more in the second half, each of increasing quality from an xG perspective.
The U.S. had eight shots worth at least 0.10 xG and four worth over 0.30. In 80 minutes, Pugh scored twice and generated a combined 1.51 xG+xA, and Cook, Macario, and Sullivan all scored. The Americans put the ball in dangerous areas.
The U.S. played 24 matches in the year 2021, six of which were in the Olympics. Their record was 18 wins, four draws and two losses. They won three out of seven matches against teams currently in the top 10, but lost two of them, to Sweden and Canada, that earned them the bronze medal. They scored eight goals in seven matches.
In their first Olympic match against Sweden, they created almost nothing useful from their press, they created almost nothing in transition, and only 15% of their transition possessions finished in the attacking third. They got into more dangerous areas in transition against Canada, but they couldn't generate any useful shots.
In the SheBelieves Cup, the defense remained a steel trap, while Mewis was particularly awesome in the middle. The most interesting questions came before. Rapinoe can still create works of art with her right foot, Press can still generate loads of shots, Morgan can still bully her way into the box and Heath can still send in high-level crosses, but there was an opportunity for a group of young attackers to prove something from both They succeeded for most of the time.
The U.S. averaged 3.3 goals per match against teams ranked between 11th and 30th, but nine goals in three matches (with three own goals) was an upgrade. They attempted 20 shots worth 3.6 xG and turned them into six goals. Even though Smith and Rodman did not score a goal, these attackers, all 23 or younger, created high-level chances and converted quite a few.
The ball pressure was intriguing. Macario's biggest contribution came from her pressing, which probably wasn't a surprise considering the role she has carved out for herself with her club team.
StatsBomb is a source.
Macario has defensive activity levels with Lyon. The areas in red are where she creates the most activity. When her team loses the ball in attacking areas, she is everywhere, showing up to generate pressure on either wing or the goalkeeper. She was disruptive in the opener against the Czech Republic. She proved herself to be a high-level player in three matches, both shooting and passing the ball.
That set a disruptive tone for the team as a whole. In the Olympics, the U.S. allowed an average of 12.2 passes per defensive action, but in this tournament it was just 10.2, and it might have been even lower had the U.S. not held big leads in two of three matches.
In the NWSL last year, Pugh averaged 3.1 shots and 0.57 combined xG+xA per 90 minutes. Since the last World Cup, her averages have gone up to 2.6 and 0.78. Rapinoe is in that same span: 2.7 and 0.77. The future of the U.S. women's national team could be improved by the clearing of the Rapinoe Bar.
We will only learn a lot about a team in three matches in which 22 players make appearances. The next generation of the women's national team was asked to make an impression, and especially in the areas of the lineup in which the team has been the oldest in recent years.
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