Credit Tokyo Olympics
By Juan Carlos Maygua
The road for gold continues to be uncertain for the USWNT. The objective was simple once the Olympic spot was secured, win two of the three games and head to the final. The team arrived with an unprecedented level of confidence and preparation. One tournament with the Olympic format included teams that were also going to be part of the Tokyo games. It was a good way to gain a competitive rhythm after the pandemic hit. In that tournament, the main concerns were the lack of finishing and the fitness levels. By the time the last game was played, the team looked solid and ready to compete. Even the players that made up the squad complemented the team, so choosing the Olympic roster was going to be difficult. The missing piece was a summer series, a string of games to finalize the decision of the final Olympic squad. The idea was to arrive in Tokyo with optimal conditions, something that would not help given the current circumstances. The Olympics were set to be the redemption and consolidation for many of the members in the squad, but it quickly became a wake-up call that is testing every aspect of the National team.
The game against Sweden proved to be a bit of a reality check for the team. No team wants to be exposed in an international tournament. Nobody expected that to be the case after all the measures that they took before the Olympics. The team was unrecognizable, there were multiple misplaced passes, and the team never really connected. Sweden outplayed them physically and tactically. So much so, that by the 15th minute they could have easily gone up by 3 goals. It was as if the team had never played before. The preparation, confidence, and individual levels had disappeared. The defeat in that first game uncovered all of the small details that many were afraid to point out. From competition level back in CONCACAF to questionable player selection, among many others that can follow up on a bad start. The second game against New Zealand gave us a glimpse of the level we were used to seeing from the National team. It can be argued that the rival provided more freedom of gameplay. But the team went out to win the game and took advantage of the spaces provided by New Zealand. Christen Press played an outstanding match providing assists and a goal in the 6-1 victory. The result did not convince many, Sweden left doubts that not even a 10-0 victory could have cleared things up.
Australia was the decisive match on the group stage. A defeat would have compromised the national team’s spot in the knockout stages. It seemed to be a great motivational factor to repeat the performance from the second game. Unfortunately, that was not the case, the team gave up possession unexpectedly. I’m not one to look at match statistics, but the numbers were more red flags that had to be discussed. The USWNT managed to register a shocking 35% to Australias ] 65%possession. In terms of passing, the numbers continued to amaze. Australia recorded 82% to the USWNT 69%. Numbers that completely downplayed Alex Morgan’s offside decision (VAR can be weird, especially when they grab onto technicalities that are not decisive). Although a small part of me believes both teams played for the draw, but that’s just me. After all, they were both qualified with a draw, but we’ll never know.
The question now is if the National team is ready to face the Netherlands. They did win their first game by 10 goals, so I doubt the game plan changes now that the loser goes home. From this moment onward that mistakes cant happen, the team needs to regroup and return to that dominant level. In an anticipated final, one of the favorites of the tournament will leave Tokyo. Can the USWNT recover from the rocky start? Or does Netherland send a message knocking out the favorites? For now, the possibilities are endless.