The United States women’s national team managed to stop their slide in the world arena with two lightning goals in the second half to beat Germany on Sunday night during a friendly match at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ
On the back foot from the start, the United States struggled to cope with Germany’s intense play and conceded a goal in the 18th minute, when brand jule thread a low effort into the back of the net. Although the visitors had many chances in the first half, they could not score more goals.
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Snapshot from Sophia Smith The first 10 minutes of the second half marked a turning point for the hosts in their final game of the year. Unable to hold out after being equalized in the last half, the US made no mistake at Harrison and soon took the lead. Mal Pugh chase a ball overhead, beat Nicole Anomi with it as it dived, before taking a shot home from just inside the area.
Even with a frantic end to the game, the hosts ended the year with a win and eventually put an end to their unfavorable results.
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rapid response
1. Fluency brings joy
Looking at Germany’s starting line-up has become the norm and it takes a bit of time to figure out who’s in the back line, a team that has long relied too heavily on midfield and attacking midfielders to build their backline. . However, you can see with every game since the summer the team has found a way to play with the flow. It’s not quite the total football we associate with Johan Cruyff and Rinus Michels, but it uses the same idea of players moving to cover space, attackers ready to assist in the game. defense and defenders who want to add to the attack.
German coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg made seven changes between the previous game against the US and this one, and the team has only improved despite learning, as the newcomers understand the flexible system. more active. 20 years old Lena Oberdorf had to leave the field because of a shoulder injury in the first half, the whole team was undeterred despite the loss of a key player.
When attacking midfielders Dzsenifer Marozsan injured early in their 2019 World Cup campaign — early in Voss-Tecklenburg’s tenure — the team looked out of place for the rest of the tournament; Flat in attack and unusually spineless. But watching this match, there is a feeling that it doesn’t matter who actually plays for Germany, they will not give up the task at hand.
2. America’s midfield problem
There’s no denying how much American coach Vlatko Andonovski loves the mid-three, indeed it’s something that despite heavy criticism from every angle, he persists. The system can work well with perfect fit Sam Mewis and/or Julie Ertz available, but the problem for the coach is none, and Ertz may never be again. So the United States persists with rose, Andi Sullivan and Lindsey Horanalthough it leaves the world champions not having many structures in the middle of the park.
As the United States moved forward, a lot of the focus was on the forward trio to make things work, taking the fragile midfield out of the equation in traditional terms. Without the likes of Ertz – who fans will remember always seemed to do the job of two or three players, patrolling and relentlessly sweeping the front of the defence – the US backline became vulnerable. much more and more vulnerable to attack. will. The “easy” solution was to find another Ertz to fill the void, but no one currently does the same, which makes Sullivan look very unfit for the job. That has led many to repeatedly call for a different shape and the adoption of a dual axis to supplement the structure that the United States is lacking.
The home side turned the game around in New Jersey with individual moments of magic rather than a change of approach, which raises more questions, not least, what Andonovski thinks will happen. as the team began their World Cup campaign.
3. Girma continues to shine
For all the work that the USA has done in recent games, for they have lost as the players have seen, Naomi Girma was someone who brought consistency and a defensive understanding that she fully trusted over the years. Having only made her 10th game against Germany on Sunday, the centre-back plays as if she is in her 10th year in the role, bringing a clear and calm head to the American defence.
After their final game against Germany, I questioned how this US team is shaping up and who might be on the plane to the World Cup – or rather, who is likely to start. next summer with Smith looking discolored, having previously impressed her national team. There may still be 10 spots left for the US, but there’s no doubt: Girma needs to be first on the list of world champions.
Cooperation with Alana Cook the ultimate game and veteran Becky Sauerbrunn For this outing, the shortcomings of the two defenders she partnered with were only further accentuated by Girma’s impeccable display in defence.
Player Rating
USA: Alyssa Naeher 7, Becky Sauerbrunn 5, Naomi Girma 7, Emily Fox 5, Sofia Heurta 6, Lindsey Horan 6, Andi Sullivan 5, Rose Lavelle 6, Alex Morgan 6, Mal Pugh 7, Sophia Smith 7
Register: Kristie Mewis 5, Taylor Kornieck 6, Hailie Mace 5
Germany: Ann-Katrin Berger 6, Sjoeke Nusken 5, Kathrin Hendrich 5, Sophia Kleinherne 7, Nicole Anyomi 7, Lena Oberdorf 6, Brand June, Linda Dallmann 5, Alexandra Popp 6, Lena Lattwein 7, Svenja Huth 5
Register: Chantal Hagel 4, Almuth Schulti 5, Lina Magull 5, Carol Simon 5, Sara Doorsoun-Khajeh 5, Paulina Krumbiegel 6
Best and worst performers
BEST: Naomi Girma, USA. Calm in the background on a tumultuous night, Girma excelled once again.
WORKING: Chantal Hagel, Germany. Having had a clever cameo in the previous game, Hagel this time looks at the difference to herself, as she lacks touch and pose play.
After the game: What players and coaches say
Andonovski on the USWNT’s winning tweaks: “…And then we just made another adjustment in the second half that felt very important as we lowered it. [Horan] just a little more to allow [Sullivan] Be more aggressive to step in and win some of those balls. At that point we started to control the game and felt very comfortable with it.”
Voss-Tecklenburg: “We had a good start to the game, over 30 minutes was really good. They were really on the pitch and made the right decisions, and then we had problems when Lena was injured, It’s been tough for the team.”
Key stats (via ESPN Stats & Info)
– Morgan became only the 13th player to reach 200 appearances for the United States women’s national team.
– After the win over Germany, USWNT is now 2W-5L-1D in the past 8 matches against teams in the top 10 of FIFA women’s standings.
Next
USA: The USWNT has a friendly pair in January in New Zealand in preparation for next summer’s World Cup, hosting the co-hosts on January 17 and 20.
Germany: Germany have no scheduled matches until their World Cup kicks off on July 24, when they face Morocco in the tournament’s opening match.
