By Amelia Hirtle
The last competitive matches the USWNT played took place in Australia where two international friendlies took place. The US played to a 3-0 win in their first match, and a 1-1 draw in the second.
Since then, there have been some purposeful changes for the US team. Head coach Vlatko Andonovski had promised a young roster for the tournament, and he made good on that promise. The 23-player roster included the likes of Mallory Pugh, Jaelin Howell, and Sophia Smith. Some of the big names on the forward line that aren’t on the roster include Megan Rapinoe, Christen Press, and Alex Morgan. The reasoning behind the exclusion seems simple, young players need to develop more experience at the national level and now is the time to start. With World Cup qualifiers starting in the summer, now is the time for the young players to prove if they belong at this level.
This does not mean that the veteran players are entirely off the roster. Instead, it gives them more time with their clubs in the preseason as things start to pick up.
The She Believes Cup opener saw Iceland take on New Zealand. The match saw a first minute goal by Iceland midfielder Dagny Brynjarsdottir that ended up being the only goal scored.
Iceland will play on Sunday against the Czech Republic at 6 PM PT.
As for the US team, they had many opportunities throughout their first match, but they failed to capitalize on them in the final third.
The Czech Republic is a team that is known for their low block defense. It gave the US some difficulties in breaking it down, however Rose Lavelle and Catarina Macario connected well as they attempted to get on the score sheet.
The home team dominated the possession and it seemed sure that the young group would find a way to score. However, Czech team did well when tracking back and did not allow the US to break their defense.
The best chance for the USWNT came with a header in the 6th minute from Andi Sullivan. The midfielder found herself uncovered in the 6-yard box but sent the ball over the bar.
Czech keeper Barbara Votikova played consistent throughout and was not allowing any shot past her gloves.
Next up for the hosts are the New Zealand team. The match will be played on Sunday, February 20th at 3 PM PT.