2023 Women's World Cup: 5 Takeaways from USWNT's Draw vs. Portugal
The United States women's national team were a post's width away from being eliminated from the 2023 Women's World Cup in their 0-0 draw with Portugal.
The unthinkable nightmare of not qualifying from the group stage nearly played out before our eyes as Ana Capeta raced through and lashed her effort off the woodwork in a narrow escape that must wake up head coach Vlatko Andonovski and his team.
The Netherlands' 7-0 demolition of Vietnam, an opponent the U.S. only beat 3-0 in their opening game, means the Stars and Stripes finish second in Group E and now likely face a round-of-16 knockout tie against Sweden, before a possible quarter-final showdown with tournament standouts Japan.
Here are the takeaways on a day that saw the USWNT fail to score at the World Cup for only the second time in history and match their worst-ever run of results in the competition after two games without a win.
Unbalanced Midfield Needs to Change
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We saw it against the Netherlands, and now we've seen it against Portugal again. The U.S. midfield is incredibly unbalanced, lacking in control and prone to just being strolled through.
There were a few reasons for the difficulty on Tuesday. Firstly, Portugal were fantastic in the central areas during the first half and dominated possession with patient short passing that would then explode into a cutting through ball as the USWNT failed to effectively close down Kika Nazareth, Dolores Silva or whoever else strode forward.
Despite all of her considerable qualities, Lindsey Horan is not going to consistently offer protection to Andi Sullivan, who was overrun again. At times, Horan was jogging as Portugal sprinted beyond her, leaving her teammate to struggle on the turn as she desperately tried to track back.
It also didn't help that, in her eagerness, Rose Lavelle's positioning was ill-disciplined in the opening 45 minutes.
The 28-year-old showed great energy to press and is obviously keen to make her mark after her injury issues, but she spent too much time on top of her fellow midfielders in an attempt to win the ball. It left the U.S. exposed and gave Portugal more time to pick simple passes forward.
Lavelle switched on after the break, though, and the team looked slightly sharper when she did.
The midfield's lack of cohesion is perhaps best summed up by her yellow card in the first half, a booking that keeps her out of the last-16 tie. She couldn't win the ball, slid into a poor challenge and will now miss an important game against tough opposition.
Whether it's Savannah DeMelo who replaces her or another name, Andonovski needs to find balance quickly with his midfield three.
Isolated Forwards Heap Pressure on the Team
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This really should have been a game in which Sophia Smith and Lynn Williams enjoyed themselves.
Portugal played a diamond midfield, and while Jéssica Silva looked to isolate the full-backs in one-on-ones when the opportunity arose, Diana Silva largely stayed down the middle to try to pin the U.S. defence back.
Williams did well to find space on the right in the first half, but she faded out in the second. Smith played a naïve game that wasn't helped by her teammates' lack of support. She stood wide in the early stages, exactly where she should be, but every time she received the ball, she was instantly closed down.
No other midfielder offered her an easy pass or a chance to keep play progressing, no link-up to get her out of trouble. It meant Smith had to try to do something special every time she got on the ball. This resulted in her completing just 50 percent of her passes and having no successful dribbles or shots on target.
This difficulty saw Smith drift inside and move into a narrow position that eliminated any of her usual attacking threat.
It heaped pressure on Crystal Dunn, who had to work overtime whenever Smith lost the ball, allowing Portugal to exploit wide space they didn't actually set up to attack.
Smith was substituted for Megan Rapinoe on the hour mark and might feel she deserved more protection from Andonovski, who somehow managed to eliminate his side's wide threat against a team drilled to run the middle.
Whenever the ball broke down, the rest of the USWNT were forced to deal with the pressure in transition.
Andonovski Needs to Adapt
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That criticism isn't going anywhere. And for good reason, too. Andonovski's tactics were bizarre in this game and completely played into the strengths of a Portugal team that is smart on the ball and will dictate with tight passing passages when allowed to do so.
We have already covered a misshapen midfield and unsupported forwards previously in this article—two problems that more lethal teams will absolutely take advantage of if they aren't addressed immediately.
Perhaps more worryingly for U.S. supporters who are used to seeing the team always find a breakthrough, Andonovski didn't spot the gaps—or certainly didn't react to them—as you would expect most managers to do.
No more obviously was this highlighted than the introduction of Rapinoe. A good sub in her own right, bringing on experience in the face of adversity is fine, but she suffered the same fate as Smith.
The 38-year-old had no help and was forced into always trying the killer ball, completing just 30 percent of her passes as she desperately tried to bring Alex Morgan into the game.
Perhaps it's a sign that the USWNT has had it too good for too long, but the introduction of Emily Sonnett for Horan was an eye-opening moment.
Andonovski felt the need to just see out the draw, with little desire to push for the win. If the USWNT goes on to win this tournament, it won't matter in the end. But the optics on a manager who was already under pressure heading into the World Cup are not good.
'Winners Grow into Tournaments'
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There's an old adage in World Cup football: Winners start slowly and get better as the tournament goes on. Look at Argentina at Qatar 2022; their shock opening-game defeat to Saudi Arabia took place just one month before Lionel Messi lifted the trophy aloft.
Despite the negativity and the obvious problems, the fact remains that the USWNT is unbeaten after three matches.
Disaster was perilously close, sure, but now's the time for a blank slate. Forget the lack of goals and the struggle against two impressive European sides, the first part of Operation Three-Peat has been secured.
So far we have seen flashes of great play from Horan, Smith and the expected match-winners. Lessons learned from Portugal provide the perfect opportunity to reassess, hold each other accountable and make adjustments.
Both Andonovski and his players need to sharpen up, but if we look at the progression timeline of many World Cup-winning teams, the U.S. is still on track.
It's scary, nervy and constantly feels on the brink of disaster. But fans of the serial winners shouldn't be too disheartened at what is the highest quality Women's World Cup we've ever seen.
The Gap Is Closing
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That last statement feeds into a larger point that should now be blatantly obvious: The rest of the women's footballing world is gaining on the USWNT.
This was always going to happen, particularly when looking toward European teams, many of which are producing bigger stars with greater tactical nous than we've seen before. Players who are used to competing in major matches both domestically and in the Champions League, not to mention an increasingly congested international calendar.
Such improvement also coincides with a moment of transition for the U.S. Rapinoe is on her way, Morgan is slowing, and young players are being forced to step up. Throw considerable injury issues into the mix, and a levelling of quality is being laid bare in front of the world.
In all honesty, it's likely to get worse for the USWNT.
The footballing world is catching up at a rate that feels accelerated right now. We knew it would happen, but the demon is already here and it's time to stare it straight in the eyes.
The U.S. gaze might be blinking, but it hasn't quite turned to stone yet.
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