USWNT's young players thrashed Uzbekistan but are they ready for tougher teams? It's hard to tell

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It was wonderful to be in Uzbekistan. After the U.S. had scored six goals, I started to wonder why Uzbekistan would agree to this two- match.

I understand growth mindset. To be the best, you have to play the best. Yes. It seems that you can sometimes extract a lesson in a less damaging way. The USWNT has faced the lowest ranked team in the world in seven months. The U.S. is the top ranked country.

As I try to summarize what we learned over this April international match window as it relates to the USWNT, I keep finding myself saying "Yes, but..."

The U.S. team scored 18 goals. Impressive.

Yes, but...

Nine different players scored 18 goals for the U.S.

Yes, but...

The front three of Mal Pugh, Catarina Macario and Sophia Smith are fun to watch. The U.S. starting front five was smooth.

Yes, but...

The outside backs looked confident and impactful. The subs made an impact.

Yes, but it was Uzbekistan. The problem lies here. In the second game, the USWNT took 38 shots to the zero of their opponent, and they won 9-0.

It is hard to get these younger U.S. players time, minutes, confidence, chemistry, and all the above, when it involves teams like the Czech Republic and New Zealand.

You can check the confidence and chemistry boxes, but this level of opponent does not expose you enough to fully appreciate what needs to be tightened up technically and tactically. It doesn't expose these young players to those critical moments of adversity that require you to grind your way through, find a way, lean on each other, and eventually realize you can survive and thrive in those moments.

To be fair to U.S. Soccer, I appreciate how hard it is to schedule teams. Some countries have had to put in place longQuarantines due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. European teams were not available in this window because of the World Cup. The June FIFA window will be difficult to schedule because of the Euros.

All I know is that these opponents must be stronger to fully assess how these players are doing. This April, May and June, the National Women's Soccer League and other professional leagues will be watched by the staff of Vlatko Andonovski. That will give them a good idea of where these players are.

It is difficult to say what the mix will be for the summer. I don't buy what they are selling because of the rant above and because we haven't seen the rest of April, May and June, which are huge months for veterans trying to get back into the fold.

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FRIDAY, APRIL 15
• Luton v Forest (7:25 a.m. ET)
• Bournemouth v Boro (9:55 a.m. ET)
• Birmingham v Coventry (9:55 a.m. ET)
• Huddersfield v QPR (12:25 p.m. ET)
• Sociedad v Betis (2:50 p.m. ET)
• Derby v Fulham (2:55 p.m. ET)

Alex Morgan, Christen Press, Tobin Heath, Megan Rapinoe, and Becky Sauerbrunn will need to shine in the coming months for Vlatko to make that move. Everyone must earn the right through their play with their club teams, to be called back into the U.S. team.

The middle group of players should also be remembered. We haven't talked about them in the short term due to pregnancy or injury. Maybe they are not available for the World Cup and Olympics in Mexico this summer, but that group will be very important in the future.

You have it. April was beneficial for chemistry and confidence, but May and June will bring the answers. Hopefully that comes with a better June opponent for the U.S. games.