United States Women's National Team: Pia Sundhage Can't Get Team into Top Gear

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On Saturday night, the United States Women’s National Soccer Team faced Sweden in a warm-up for January’s Olympic qualifiers. In a game televised only on U.S. Soccer’s website, the U.S. managed a 1-1 tie against a solid Swedish side.

While there were some positives to take away from the game, the growing concern is that, once again, the team struggled to hit top gear on the attack. Here are four thoughts from the game.

The Good

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On a positive note, there were several things that went right for the United States. First, despite being broken down on a couple of occasions, the United States displayed solid organization on the defensive side of the ball.

The fact that the U.S. women are very comfortable playing with one another and very in tune to expectations was evident. They put pressure on the ball, covered for each other nicely, kept a good line and were a little unlucky to give up the goal that Sweden scored.

The second area that looked good was, as usual, set pieces. The team looked dangerous on corners all night, and even though they let several good chances go to waste, it is still obvious that the U.S. is one of the best in the world when in the air.

The Formation

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The biggest issue for the team still appears to be the formation. Pia Sundhage seems to believe that a single-striker set is the best option for the U.S. and that Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan can’t be on the field at the same time. The problem is that Wambach and Morgan are the U.S.’s two best scoring threats.

So, either Sundhage has to be willing to deploy Morgan out wide (a position she surely deserves over perennial starter Amy Rodriguez) or be willing to play Wambach underneath at the withdrawn forward with Morgan playing as the lone striker. However, Sundhage has shown no willingness to do this in the three friendlies played since the World Cup.

The game against Sweden changed the moment Morgan was put on the field, with her repeatedly getting in behind the Swedish back line and creating multiple dangerous chances. The fact that Sundhage will not play a two-striker formation or play either Morgan or Wambach slightly out of position is ludicrous.

What Will Happen When Megan Rapinoe Returns to the Lineup?

Megan Rapinoe, easily one of the U.S.’s best players over the past year, missed Saturday’s game with a knee sprain. In Sundhage’s new 4-2-3-1, Lauren Cheney, was deployed in the attacking midfield role occupied by Rapinoe since the World Cup. Cheney is a natural fit for the position, having great passing skills, good field vision, composure in the attacking third and the ability to score.

Rapinoe, however, while a fantastic wing player, has looked unsettled as a central attacking midfielder in the three friendlies since the World Cup. So, what will Sundhage do once Rapinoe returns?

The best answer would be to keep Cheney as the center attacking midfielder and move Rapinoe back out wide, where she can run at defenders and deliver great service into the middle as she did in her famous cross to Abby Wambach against Brazil in the World Cup quarterfinals .

Making the Best Use of Their Talent

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The USWNT player pool is arguably the deepest in the world, making the job of managing the team a difficult one. However, deploying a team’s talent in the right positions in the right formation is key to success, even with a talented team.

The Best U.S. Lineup, Should Sundhage Insist on Playing a 4-2-3-1

Goalkeeper: Solo

Defenders: LePeilet, Rampone, Buehler, Krieger. (Substitutes: Sauerbrunn and Cox)

Holding midfielders: Boxx and Lloyd. (Substitute: Lori Lindsey)

Wide attacking midfielders: Rapinoe and Morgan. (Substitute: O’Reilly)

Withdrawn forward/Attacking center midfielder: Cheney. (Substitute: Heath)

Striker: Wambach. (Substitute: Morgan—move Morgan up top and put Heath or O’Reilly out wide.)

The Best U.S. Lineup, Should They Revert to a 4-4-2

Goalkeeper: Solo

Defenders: LePeilet, Rampone, Buehler, Krieger. (Substitutes: Sauerbrunn and Cox)

Center midfielders: Boxx and Lloyd. (Substitute: Lori Lindsey)

Outside midfielders: Rapinoe and Cheney. (Substitutes: O’Reilly, Heath)