By Amelia Hirtle
After losing to England at Wembley Stadium, the United States Women’s National Team looked to bounce back against a new Spain squad. Fifteen of the Spanish players recently decided to refuse a call-up in protest of their head coach. Many new players on the opposing team made for an interesting matchup. Ultimately, the U.S. lost 2-0.
The United States has struggled to find opponents of high caliber to play this year. In fact, up until these friendlies, the only opponent they faced in the top ten in FIFA rankings was Canada. That match occurred during the CONCACAF W Championship Final, which the U.S. won, 1-0. Outside of that game, the youngsters on the U.S. squad have not been tested much this year in terms of the competition they faced. That is why this October window was a great experience against new, quality opponents.
Overall, the visitors looked a step behind for much of the match. They could not find their rhythm, which has a lot to do with the struggles in the midfield. The USWNT has lacked a player who is not afraid to run their opponent over. They had that in Julie Ertz. It is unclear if Ertz wants to return to the national team, let alone the sport, after having her child and recovering from her knee injury. There has not been an indication either way.
As previously mentioned, the first problem that must be addressed is the midfield. It is something that many have been saying since before the Olympics. They were dominated by the English midfield and the issues continued against Spain. They were unable to control possession to even get the ball to the forward. A forward line of Sophia Smith, Megan Rapinoe, and Trinity Rodman is not even getting the opportunity to do what they do best because of the inconsistencies in the midfield.
There are 10 months until the World Cup. While it is not time to panic, we should certainly be questioning the head coach’s tactics and why he hasn’t changed the single defensive midfielder position. With two friendlies left, both against Germany in November, the team will be looking to end the year on a positive note.
The NWSL players will now head back to their respective clubs as some of them prepare for the playoffs which begin this weekend in the states. The six teams that made the playoffs are OL Reign, Portland Thorns, San Diego Wave, Houston Dash, Kansas City Current, and the Chicago Red Stars.