Women's World Cup 2015: USA Team
The 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada is just five days away, and United States coach Jill Ellis is putting the finishing touches to her squad as they prepare to face the pressure as one of the favourites for the tournament on their doorstep.
Four years ago, USA were stunned in the final as Japan beat them on penalties. They have now gone 16 years without lifting the top prize, and the pressure is on to live up to the high expectations.
The Road to Canada
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Jill Ellis’ side barely broke a sweat qualifying for this summer’s tournament. They romped to success in the 2014 CONCACAF Women’s Championship—going unbeaten in five games, they didn’t concede a goal, beating Costa Rica 6-0 in the final.
2014 CONCACAF Women’s Championship
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| Semifinals | Final | ||||||
| 24 October | |||||||
 Costa Rica (pen.) | 1 (3) | ||||||
 Trinidad and Tobago | 1 (0) | ||||||
| 26 October | |||||||
| Costa Rica | 0 | ||||||
 United States | 6 | ||||||
| Third place match | |||||||
| 24 October | 26 October | ||||||
| United States | 3 | Trinidad and Tobago | 2 | ||||
 Mexico | 0 | Mexico (a.e.t.) | 4 | ||||
United States, Costa Rica and Mexico qualified for the World Cup. Trinidad and Tobago advanced to the CONCACAF–CONMEBOL play-off.
Top Scorers
Abby Wambach (7 goals), Carli Lloyd (5), Tobin Heath (2), Christen Press (2)
Group A
October 15, 2014: United States 1-0 Trindad and Tobago
Goals: Wambach (55')
October 17, 2014: United States 5-0 Guatemala
Goals: Heath (7', 57'), Lloyd (46'), Engen (58'), Rapinoe (66')
October 20, 2014: Haiti 0-6 United States
Goals: Lloyd (15'), Wambach (39', 61'), Klingenberg (57'), Press (65'), Brian (82')
Semi-finals
October 24, 2014: United States 3-0 Mexico
Goals: Lloyd (6', 30'), Press (56')
Final
October 26, 2014: Costa Rica 0-6 United States
Goals: Wambach (4', 35', 41', 71'), Lloyd (18'), Leroux (73')
Squad List
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The final 23-player squad was announced on April 14:
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Coach Profile: Jill Ellis
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When Tom Sermanni left his role as head coach of the USWNT in the spring of 2014, they needed someone that could instantly step in and pick up the preparations for Canada 2015 qualification.
English-born Jill Ellis was the perfect choice. The 48-year-old has been part of the U.S. setup since she took charge of the Under-21 squad in 2000. She was also assistant coach to Pia Sundhage at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games.
It is thought, via the Official FIFA Women’s World Cup book, that she has coached every player in her 23-player squad at some point in their careers—she knows their strengths and how to best use them.
During the CONCACAF Women’s Championship, USA were dominant playing a free-flowing 4-3-3 system. However, Ellis would constantly mix up the team and their positions. That has recently changed to 4-4-2, but, per Fox Soccer, Ellis explained why the difference between a 4-3-3 and a 4-4-2 formation is "just semantics" when you're attacking.
The performances have sometimes struggled to meet expectations. A goalless draw against Iceland at the Algarve Cup brought criticism, and the same score against South Korea in their final friendly will raise expectations before the opening game against Australia.
The pressure is definitely on Ellis this summer. The U.S. have reached the semi-final of every World Cup since its 1991 debut. But she is meeting that pressure head on, via USA Today.
"I was fortunate a long time ago to have a conversation with John Wooden when I was at UCLA when I was a young coach and I said to him, 'How do you deal with pressure and expectation?'" Ellis said. "And he said, 'Pressure is a great thing because it means you're there and you're in the mix.' And two, he said, 'Embrace it.'"
Star Player: Abby Wambach
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As the all-time international goalscorer in women’s football, Abby Wambach’s place in history is guaranteed. You can’t argue with the 2012 FIFA Ballon d’Or and two Olympic gold medals, but her career is not complete.
"My agent is here—he probably would kill me for saying this," Wambach told reporters when asked if she needed to win the World Cup to feel complete. "But right now, you're damn right I need it. It's all that I'm thinking about. It's all that's on my mind."
If you had to bet your life savings on one striker scoring a goal this summer, you would have to pick Wambach to add to her 182 goals for the USWNT.
Throughout her 242 caps, Wambach has shown to be the ideal target for the U.S. attack. Her size, athleticism and ability in the air are still unmatched. Add in the vast experience she gives to the younger players, and she is indispensable.
At 34 years old, it will be interesting to see just how many minutes the forward plays in Canada, but there is little doubt that Ellis is counting on her talisman.
"She can start; she can come in off the bench," Ellis told ESPN. "I think there will be certain games it will benefit us to have her come in and close a game. I think there will be other games that she starts. I'm confident I know a lot about what Abby can give us.
Wambach is a player for the big occasion. She scored seven goals as the U.S. won the 2014 CONCACAF Women’s Championship; four of them came in the final against Costa Rica. When the U.S. need her this summer, expect her to answer the call.
One to Watch: Christen Press
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It seems strange to predict that Christen Press, at 26 years old, could be one of the tournament’s breakout stars. Just as the world starts to discover who the American forward is, she hasn’t long rediscovered herself.
Successful in the college game and the now-defunct WPS, Press thought her chances of achieving her goals of playing on the USWNT were gone, but an unexpected move to Sweden changed the course of her career, and her life.
In one of her first practices with Goteborg, Press shouted for the ball, and her coach lambasted her for revealing her position on the field. He insisted that she communicated “through movement,” not words, forcing her to read the game faster and make more deceptive runs off the ball. “All the things I was learning, I was falling in love with,” says Press, via the Guardian, “It became the beautiful game.”
"I played on a team that for the first time wasn’t the best team in the league,” she told Nike.com “We weren’t expected to win. They had no expectations for me. I was just a random California girl who couldn’t speak any Swedish. That lack of expectation and pressure gave me the freedom and spirit to really find my passion for the game again.”
That passion is what has launched her career to the next level. Making her debut for the national team in 2013, she scored twice and set up another in her first match against Scotland. Adding a third in her second match, Press became the first player to score three times in her first two games.
The 23 goals she scored for Tyreso FF in 2013 saw her awarded the golden boot in the Damallsvenskan—the first American to ever manage it in the history of the league.
Away from America, Press changed her style. Instead of relying on her explosive pace, she improved her vision and understanding of the game and became a more technical player.
Whereas the old-school USWNT players still rely on their raw power, Press has ushered in a new dawn, one that will hopefully lead to success this summer.
World Cup Record
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1991 China: Winners
The U.S. went unbeaten, won all six games and scored 25 goals. Michelle Akers scored twice in the final as they beat Norway 2-1.
1995 Sweden: Third place
After beating Japan 4-0 in the quarter-finals, Norway got their revenge, knocking the U.S. out 1-0 on their way to lifting the trophy.
1999 USA: Winners
They conceded only three goals all the way through the tournament and beat China 5-4 on penalties to lift their second trophy, this time on home soil.
2003 USA: Third place
USA won five games and lost one, but that was in the semi-final to Germany. They would beat neighbours Canada 3-1 in the third-place match.
2007 China: Third place
With two goals from Marta, Brazil beat the US 4-0 in the semi-finals. However, the 4-1 win over Norway sealed another third-place finish.
2011 Germany: Runners-up
USA won only three times in the tournament, but it was enough to reach the final against Japan. They lost 3-1 on penalties.
Group Fixtures
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Three of the world’s top 10 make up Group D, labelling it the Group of Death, but USA will still be favourites to advance. Victory in their first game against the Matildas will make elimination difficult.
USA vs. Australia
June 8, 2015, 18:30 local time
Winnipeg Stadium, Winnipeg, Manitoba
USA vs. Sweden
June 12, 2015, 19:00 local time
Winnipeg Stadium, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Nigeria vs. USA
June 16, 2015, 17:00 local time
B.C. Place Stadium, Vancouver, British Colombia
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