Chester, Pa. – With the fall of international soccer, national teams usually have a lot of time to adjust to their tine-singing approach – the US women are no exception. There are rare opportunities to prove a point quickly, but so on USWNT gear up to another friendly counter of Spain it remains the same for four days.
With the Women’s World Cup now just eight months away, the USWNT are clearly in the midst of proving that they can achieve a fifth title next summer. But much more than that. Head coach Emma Hayes has been arguing for the last two years that there are no shortcuts to the podium, all steps are meaningful in some way, shape or form and against Spain in particular, the point is more complicated. Despite a 2-0 loss on Saturday where early defensive errors were costly, the US team rebounded strongly and pulled off a display that showed its ability to go toe-to-toe with the world’s best teams. Tuesday’s repair provides an opportunity to make that end much shorter.
“We have to tighten them up because they really didn’t create a lot of chances and I think if we defend better moments, at least it puts us in a stronger position,” Hayes said on Monday, “but I think once you go 2-0 against them, then you focus on hunting and I think probably the first 30 to 45 minutes, but I think we lost our structure.
How to watch USWNT vs. Spain at odds
Date: Tuesday, Oct. 13 Time: 7 pm ET
Location: Subaru Park — Chester, Pa.
TV: TNT | live stream HBO Max
Discord: USWNT +165; They draw +230; Spain +40
Execution was Hayes’ theme frequently in his post-match assessments on Saturday and again on Monday, in large part because the USWNT’s game plan began to taper off as the game wore on. Some tactical tweaks were required at halftime but the US team’s impressive creative abilities were sorely lacking, even if the ball didn’t end up in the back of the net. Sophia Wilson’s case as the USWNT’s No. 9 is as strong as ever, his striker’s instincts on the day, although the result and the force will be again on Tuesday.
“However, you have a little tension,” said Wilson. “If no one stands out, I don’t know who else is going to shoot so we need a little more of that. At the same time, balancing what we have to do with each other. I think we have great players. Obviously, the players of this team, we don’t have a lot of time together so that those relationships take some time to build, but I think with the players we have enough and here we settle. Making those chances. There was no chance last game.
Hayes’ serious behavior only tightens his hopes, not only because of the talent of his players, but because of their determination to fix their problems. Trinity Rodman said Saturday that he and his teammates would be ready to review the game machine iPads on the way from Washington DC to Philadelphia, a determination that seems to be the focus of the railway head on the task at hand no matter how far the World Cup is. Hayes always finds a way to mix praise with challenge, evident this season.
“You play the same opponent twice and there’s something you can do better, and I think our team has a really good attitude to enter the second game, but we do it,” he said. “I often say this, you can get away with things against a weaker opposition. When you can’t.” [Spain] and by this we seek to be moved.
Earlier, Hayes said he was unlikely to make much of a change to his lineups during the run of the doubleheader, which is essentially a litmus test for the team’s first choice rather than an extreme season test. It only makes team selection for Tuesday’s fixture all the more intriguing – it makes it possible to reveal no changes, whatever area of the pitch brings them. She recognizes the USWNT’s collective failings on Saturday, not just those that revolve around individual mistakes, keeping her cards close to her chest in lessons from Saturday’s loss. No matter the team selection, though, the U.S. team has tried to demonstrate not only its team but the problem-solving versatility that Hayes has with this program.
“I feel like we’re thinking now in the game we had chances and knowing Spain, they’re going to have the ball and be good with it and not mix it up not feeling like we’re in control and we have the momentum,” defender Emily Fox said. “I think with our team we have a little bit of everything and this is the identity of this team. If we need to go long, we go long. If we need to have it, we get to really see what’s on the field and then play.”
Hayes insists that his team is not yet finished, understandable for a coach who still has about 10 games to go before the World Cup, a tally that includes next month’s Concacaf W Championship, which will serve as a qualifier for the North American tournament. That doesn’t mean he downplays his team’s progress since winning Olympic gold in Paris two years ago, saying the side is essentially neck-and-neck with Spain as the World Cup inches closer and closer.
“We have the right to get individuals in those situations. What is the gap?” Hayes said about the difference between the US and Spain. “You can turn it around and say to finish or stop goals. Yes, that’s part of it, but I think when we analyze the game through ourselves. lens and what we know is true to the effect of the attack, I know what it looks like in 2023 that looks like now and Spain and the USA are on the right side, but maybe they have the confidence of the world champions, it is effective for what they do in it. I think we’re still building our players together, especially the players that have been around for a while.
It is a great privilege of international soccer that teams often have the luxury of choosing to use it to their advantage. Hayes only coached the club to the level two years ago, assuming the current role, the type of work in which there are no half dozen friendlies and therefore a period of trial the team can hardly afford anything. The USWNT’s performances and, especially, their victories are always notable considering the authority and expectations of the program, but even in the imbalance of Saturday’s performance, Hayes argued that the team’s trend in the right direction is reasonable. The imperfections are almost the point – the US team hasn’t played a major international tournament since the Olympics and has since undergone a reinvention; friendships like these are the only appropriate way to prepare for the World Cup.
“I’m not worried,” Hayes said. “If he wins here just to protect my record, I’ll choose a smaller opponent, but I’m not here to do that. I’m here to see how much that gap is closed. [Spain] and then how far we are from it and we keep working towards it because the best reason in the world is pain.
The USWNT are poised to change the narrative in this doubleheader on Tuesday, though the underlying narrative is no different.
“I think it’s a cool opportunity for us to play the same team a few days later,” Wilson said. “We need to rest a little but also prepare and make the changes we need, but also focus on what we did well in the game and taking the next game as well. I think it will be a completely different game for what is the same for the two teams.”
Hayes is only asked after Saturday’s exit, though.
“My big request is to the team before the start,” he said. “Start first with the things that are real and that’s what I was encouraged to do tomorrow.”