The U.S. is limping into the knockouts, having had their weaknesses exposed all through the first three games of this tournament.
Early in the second half of the United States women's national team's World Cup group-stage finale against Portugal, the fire alarm at Eden Park went off. It rang and rang, with no one quite sure how to react or address the situation as it unfolded. Those in attendance surely knew it was a problem, but none were quite willing or able to fix it or respond to it.
The soccer gods don't often give us such perfect metaphors. As the alarm bells literally went off around the stadium, the metaphorical ones sounded all throughout a historically bad USWNT performance in the team's 0-0 draw. And, much like the fans in the stadium, USWNT boss Vlatko Andonovski was left sitting there seemingly helpless, content to continue watching on despite all of the obvious noise going on around him.
Andonovski's USWNT is struggling, to say the least. There's no coherent identity to this team and, while talent will be enough to lift them to a draw against an overmatched Portugal, it won't be enough in the knockout stages.
So far, we haven't seen a team capable of doing that. It's been a tournament with few standout performers and even fewer standout moments. Still, the U.S. advanced from the group, so well done there. For only the second time, though, they failed to finish atop their group and, with just five points to their name, they've done so with their worst group-stage performance in program history.
The alarm bells are ringing all over for the USWNT and, from what we've seen, they may not be capable of shutting them off before being forced into an early exit.
(C)Getty ImagesWINNER: The Netherlands
How bad does the USNWT's 3-0 win over Vietnam look in hindsight? The Netherlands showed no mercy in their own group-stage closer against Vietnam, scoring early and often in a lopsided 7-0 victory. They had two goals inside 11 minutes, four goals inside 25 and five by half-time. If the USWNT were paying attention to the other game at all, they would have known pretty quickly that their hopes of finishing atop the group had gone up in flames.
That top spot, deservedly, went to the Dutch, who were certainly the best team in Group E. They'll now, theoretically, have an easier road to the final as they should avoid Sweden, depending on Wednesday's results.
They fell short against the U.S. in 2019 and couldn't quite exact revenge in their own head-to-head, but the Dutch did get the last laugh in this group as they look the more likely of the two teams to reach the final once again.
AdvertisementGettyLOSER: Rose Lavelle & the USWNT midfield
It's a shame, really, that we may never really get to see Lavelle do what Lavelle does in this tournament. After being limited to substitute appearances in the USNWT's first two matches, Lavelle was named to the starting XI for this one in a triumphant return for one of the team's biggest stars. However, before you knew it, Lavelle ensured that she'll return to the sidelines for the next game, having earned a suspension for a second yellow card in as many matches.
The card itself was a bit harsh, as Lavelle was punished despite trying to pull out of a tackle. That doesn't matter now, though. She's out for the USWNT's last-16 match, which might just mean her tournament is over.
That's a huge blow for the U.S., especially given the state of the midfield. Lindsey Horan was wasteful against Portugal, struggling to connect passes at even an acceptable rate. Andi Sullivan, meanwhile, was once again a non-factor, totally unwilling to receive the ball and frequently out of position to win it back, which is not very helpful from a No.6.
The USWNT midfield without Lavelle may not be good enough to survive one more match.
Getty ImagesLOSER: Vlatko Andonovski
There was no way he'd get it all wrong again, right? Right?!? After all of the criticism that came his way after botching both his starting XI and substitutes against the Netherlands, Andonovski had to have learned something…
Or maybe not. The USWNT coach saw his team put in an even worse performance as he, once again, couldn't figure out a way to get his players to work together as any sort of unit.
The starting XI was better, with Lynn Williams and Lavelle coming into the XI. Lavelle was obvious, Williams was a decision, and probably the right one. Still, Andonovski, for some reason, persisted with Sullivan as the No.6 and Julie Ertz as the center-back despite all of the evidence proving that he should do just about anything other than that.
And the subs, once again, were an issue. Even with Portugal in control of the game, he didn't make a change at half-time, waiting until the 61st minute to introduce Megan Rapinoe. Another new addition didn't come until the 84th, with Andonovski seemingly looking to meet a quota by making a whole bunch of last-gasp changes as the U.S. tried to kill the game.
The USWNT shouldn't have been in that spot to begin with. The U.S. does not settle for group-stage draws. It's against everything this team has ever been. Andonovski, however, can't get this team to play like any of their predecessors. There's no identity, no tactics, no vision. It's one big jumbled mess of individuals that, on a good day, can bail this team out.
They couldn't in this one, unfortunately for Andonovski, and it's not a good bet to rely on that idea the rest of the way as the margins become even finer.
Getty ImagesWINNER: USWNT critics
Leading up to the World Cup, the discussion has been about how the rest of the world has caught up with the USWNT. It's been, somewhat quietly, discussed for years, as a program that was once the unquestioned favorite is now simply just among the favorites when major tournaments roll around.
Netherlands boss Andries Jonker put it on record ahead of his side's clash with the USWNT. "The intensity in European football really has grown the last couple of years, as well as the fitness," he told. "In the past, the American women were a lot fitter than the rest of the world, but I really think those days are over. If you look at the Champions League nowadays, you see the same level of intensity. So the big question is now, what is left of their superiority? Let's see about that."
What's left? Well, not much. Jonker is right: the USWNT don't look like a team that can simply outhustle and outmuscle other teams. The intensity has clearly dipped, and the rest of the world is good enough to take advantage.
USWNT legend Carli Lloyd took aim at her now-former teammates after the match, saying that they lacked the attitude that prior teams have. And she may just be right. No USWNT of years past would have drawn Portugal at a World Cup.
This one did, though, and it appears they're ripe for a humbling knockout loss once that part of the tournament gets underway.