Algarve Cup: USWNT Win First Match against Norway

The USWNT had a tall task ahead as they came into their first match of the 2015 Algarve Cup tournament. On a day that saw heavyweight favorites Germany and Japan losing to Sweden and Denmark, respectively, one had to wonder if the Scandinavian region was going to go 3 for 4 on the day (Iceland fell to Switzerland). Thanks to a second-half brace by Carli Lloyd, Norway was unable to do anything to add to their 1-0 lead they had going into halftime and the USWNT won 2-1.

Let’s break down the good, the not-as-good, and the curious in what was easily one of the more entertaining games the USWNT has played in the past year.

The Good

The Release of Julie Johnston and Amy Rodriguez

The Defensive Recovery

It’s not a great sign that we saw so much of this, but I was generally heartened by how quickly defensive missteps were corrected. On more than one occasion, a ball would make its way past one of the US defenders, and invariably Krieger or Johnston just used their speed and athleticism to track it back, keeping Norway’s shot opportunities low and (mostly) harmless. We are constantly hearing about how this US team is one of the fittest teams in the world, and it showed in those moments when defensive recoveries needed to be made.

The Right Side

Carli Lloyd and Ali Kreiger were spectacular in this match. Despite an amusing and inconsequential whiff on the ball early in the first half, Krieger continues to prove herself peerless at the right back position; this was never more evident than in the 4th minute, when Solo comes out for a ball and handles it badly, giving away a shot opportunity to Haavi that is thankfully blocked by Krieger’s midsection. I think we also might be witnessing an uptick in her durability, after she took several hard hits and falls from which she escaped seemingly unscathed.

Lloyd, today’s sole goal-scorer for the US, wasn’t fully committed to staying on the right side, and in fact spent most of her time flying around the pitch. But when it was needed, she did make her way back to the right flank to help out defensively. If she absolutely must be positioned out wide, the only outside player on this team with the speed and skill to cover for her when she vanishes to terrorize the middle is Krieger. While I loved the results of her freedom to roam in this game, Lloyd may have to get placed in the middle from the start against stouter opposition, with a proper winger playing in front of Krieger to prevent a lot of 2 on 1 attacks from the edges.

The Not-as-Good

The Starting Lineup, Game Speed/Management

I was…unimpressed but not totally surprised to see Solo getting this start. We seem to still be unclear on how to proceed at left back. Despite having a tremendous deal of affection for “Chalupa,” I’m not sure that Lori Chalupny is ever going to be the answer there. We’ll cover more on the problems in the attack in a minute, but Morgan and Wambach’s starting tandem seemed to have little if any steam.

The game felt like it was moving at a snail’s pace for most of the first half. It’s hard to determine if that was entirely a consequence of the US being very stingy with the ball but failing to capitalize on a number of opportunities. All credit to the Norwegian bloc that set up camp in the defensive half of the field, and who seemed to be wisely reserving most of their energy for potential counters.

The Attack

For most of the time that they paired together up top, Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach gave little evidence of being the most highly touted pair of attacking players for the US. The first half was a success for the US in terms of how they possessed the ball, and Wambach put pretty consistent pressure on the defense, but they could not figure out a way to get past Norway’s back line, which sat low and fairly static. The occasional runs by Morgan or Wambach were generally dead on arrival, as neither player was really able to create space while remaining onside and quickly appeared frustrated into complacency.

In the second half, Wambach was subbed off, which left a Rodriguez-Morgan tandem up top. I’d have expected more out of that, and Morgan looked attentive but at times disinterested in running down the few balls that could get in her general direction. I actually was much more enthused by the Leroux-Rodriguez pairing, because of the speed that they kept throwing at Norway. Against a more offensively determined opponent, I can see either or both having even more success getting around a thinner defensive line and securing a few more shot opportunities with relative ease, though both will likely have to come off the bench if today’s game plan was any indication.

Defensive Marking

This is how the first goal of the match happened: either Morgan Brian or Julie Johnston (or both) misplaced Ada Hegerberg. That’s it. It was a thoroughly un-fancy goal, just a simple one-two connection on a header taken with skill that beats a rusty Hope Solo. In fact, the shot was eerily reminiscent of the Le Sommer goal from the game against France earlier this year, when a lack of marking in the box put Harris on an island as she tried to contain a clever angled shot. The US central defense does not appear to have learned quite enough from the loss to France, so this is something to keep an eye on in upcoming matches.

The Curious

The Midfield

I’m still not totally clear on what’s happening with the USWNT midfield. I thought they played much better in this game than against France or England, and Holiday in particular seemed to improve at holding onto the ball in traffic. But Norway’s midfield wasn’t forcing much pressure on them, and looked content to sit back and clog up the box. There seemed to be markedly fewer turnovers in the central midfield than we’ve seen, but the flank play still needs some work. Or maybe we just need to play actual flank players out wide. Either way, the midfield play did visibly improve after a rough first fifteen minutes or so, cleaning up turnovers, being active on defensive clearances, and spraying balls up the field with success.

The Opponent

This was probably as stiff as the competition will get for the US between now and June, although Switzerland might have something to say about that. But Norway had an odd style, choosing to play largely in their defensive end for most of the first half, and only really opening up their attack after the US scored their first goal in the second half. The team also hasn’t played a game together since late November, and were missing one of their brilliant young upstarts in Hansen (VfL Wolfsburg). Without her, Norway seemed overly dependent on their other brilliant upstart, Hegerberg (Olympique Lyon), to carry the full burden of scoring.

This was a good, much-needed first win to get the US started in this tournament. Overall, I would love to see the US develop some more patience on the ball, but also slightly faster decision-making. There were several occasions when Krieger or Chalupny got the ball out on the edge of the box and seemed to boot it in without really checking to see what options were available.

At the same time, USWNT attackers have had this weird habit of getting to the edge of the penalty area and then taking too many small touches to try to turn around towards goal or to wait for help to arrive; Press and Morgan are especially egregious offenders here. The team is also still struggling to find the back of net. There were a number of opportunities or chances that just failed to land: whether it was Press’ hit off the post, or Wambach’s out-of-bounds cross, there needs to be a little more imagination and creativity at the beginning of these chances, and a little more determination and speed in finishing them.

It’s also worth mentioning that while Solo did look as though she hadn’t played soccer in the last month, she also managed to look every bit the former World Cup Golden Glove winner, making a key reaction save at the very last possible second to keep Norway from adding to their lead minutes before Lloyd’s first goal.

The US continue their journey through the Algarve Cup with a meeting with Switzerland on Friday at noon EST, and will again be aired on Fox Sports 1.

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