USWNT: To win World Cup, USA must beat different opponents

Spain caused the USWNT problems in their World Cup Round of 16 match on Monday. To win the World Cup, Jill Ellis’ side must overcome a variety of opponents, including the new tactic of pressing high up the pitch.

Megan Rapinoe scored both goals against an aggressive Spanish side in a 2-1 victory that sees the U.S. Women’s National Team through to the Round of 16 of this summer’s Women’s World Cup. The win ensures a meeting with the hosts, France, in the quarter-finals this Friday.

The first 10 minutes of the match were utterly chaotic with both teams netting a goal. Rapinoe put the U.S. up 1-0 in the seventh minute, but her goal was canceled out just two minutes later as Julia Hermoso hit a sweet curler around keeper Alyssa Naeher. The goal came from sloppy play, something that became quite the theme in this match.

With a dominant showing in the group stage, it was expected that the USWNT would have their way against Spain. Today’s performance was far from that. The European side were in just their second World Cup appearance, and this year is their first out of the group stage. Nonetheless, Spain posed a threat to the American defense on numerous occasions.

Smart in their approach, the Spaniards elected to play physically, pressing quickly and cutting off the passing lanes. In doing so, they did something the U.S. has yet to see thus far. Both Thailand and Chile sat deep and played on the counter, which still resulted in plenty of goals conceded. Spain surprised the Americans. Initially, it paid off.

After the tying goal from Hermoso, the USWNT hunkered down. The composure seen earlier in the tournament was nowhere to be found. Spain’s physical game disrupted the flow of passing that the U.S. showcased all through the group stage. La Roja committed 17 fouls, two of course resulting in penalties.

After the match, Spain head coach Jorge Vilda gave his team the credit they deserved:

"“I really feel that we all should be proud of what we did. I am very proud indeed. In terms of competitiveness, we gave the best team in the world a run for their money.”"

Jill Ellis’ side found it hard to play through the midfield with a quick press from Spain leading to multiple errant passes. In the last three games, the American’s averaged 83.3% pass completion, but against Spain, they completed just 76% of their passes.

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There wasn’t much going for the U.S. as the clock continued to tick. For much of the second half, Spain took the game to their opponents trying to secure another goal. The U.S., on the other hand, seemed flustered with players trying to take on two or three defenders at a time rather than distribute and hold possession.

The 71st minute saw the U.S. handed yet another penalty as Rose Lavelle was taken down in the box by Virginia Torrecilla. After revision by the referee via VAR left-winger Rapinoe buried her second penalty of the match. In the end, it seemed like a lifeline.

The USWNT were pushed and pressed in a manner that they have not been previously. And they did not seem ready for it. As they now prepare to take on hosts France in the quarter-finals, they will need to prove that they are able to handle this different tactic. The French will not be shy to hound and harass the U.S. Can Ellis’ midfield continue to play forwards while under pressure?

If they want to win the World Cup and defend their title, the USWNT will have to beat opponents that play in different ways. And Spain provided a new manner. The response, for now, was the most convincing.