The USWNT and Sweden played to a 0-0 draw Friday night in the second round of Group D play. Both teams put on better performances than their previous matches (at least better than the first half of the last US match), but neither could find the back of the net. In fact, neither side created much offense at all with a mere three shots on goal combined.
The US made one change to the starting XI from the match against Australia, bringing on Morgan Brian and placing Abby Wambach on the bench. Brian started on the right flank, moving Christen Press back to her natural position up top where she was paired with Sydney Leroux.
The beginning stages of the match were jumpy for both sides with neither being able to really find a rhythm early on. The US had some good movement up the field, but sent several errant long balls which landed directly in the hands of Hedvig Lindhal.
As the match went on, both teams seemed to settle down about and build up more of an offensive. The US gave Sweden a dangerous amount of space, allowing them to control and move the ball around as they pleased; something that could have proven costly if not for the stellar defensive efforts of the US back line.
Sweden, on the other hand, left the right side wide open allowing Ali Krieger to tear down the flank, working to combine with Brian and Press while also getting the ball inside to try to set something up there as well. Those attempts proved futile as well though as the combination of Sweden’s back line and the lack of being able to get the ball on target kept the match scoreless at the half.
If the US defense was important in first half, they were absolutely crucial in the second. Julie Johnston came up big on several occasions, whether it was making important clearances, breaking up dangerous attacks or just being an all around solid defender, she certainly played a huge role in earning the shutout.
Becky Sauerbrunn also came up big on several occasions, but particularly in disrupting a dangerous breakaway by Sweden. Sauerbrunn found herself on the wrong end of a two on one opportunity and was able to break up the centering pass, allowing Johnston to clear the ball out.
While the back line as a whole put in an excellent performance, the most important defensive moment of the night came from Meghan Klingenberg. The shortest player on the team, Klingenberg showed off her amazing vertical as she jumped to clear a ball off the line that Solo had no chance of reaching, essentially saving match for the US.
The match was leagues better for Sweden, who put in a less than impressive (at times) performance in a draw against Nigeria in their first group match. For the US, there were certainly some bright spots, but the match highlighted some issues that not only have been ongoing, but probably should have been addressed before this tournament even started.
The US went through their whole fleet of forwards during the match, and had only two shots on goal. Granted one of those shots was a decent effort from Abby Wambach, but the US is most definitely going to have to do better if they expect to succeed in later stages of the tournament.
Some of the US offensive woes has to do with the finishing of the forwards themselves, but much of it comes from the midfield as well which was overall, not great. Flank play looked better at times, with Megan Rapinoe putting in a good performance and sending in some good balls. Even the right side, which has been hugely problematic, looked better at times, especially in the first half. Brian mostly stayed in position in order to give Krieger something to work with, but those opportunities fizzled out and never really created much threat.
Part of the issue in that is that Morgan Brian is not an outside midfielder, though I do prefer her there to Press. Why not use one of the two other natural midfielders the US has on the bench? Heather O’Reilly would seem the obvious choice but for some reason, has seen very little playing time this year. Even Tobin Heath, who can be inconsistent at times, put in a solid performance against Australia and was expected by some to get the start against Sweden.
Despite these issues, the US is highly likely to advance to the knockouts and even win the group, but moving forward will have to tighten up the midfield and get their forwards to create better opportunities and produce if they want to continue to succeed.
Group play wraps up for the US against Nigeria on Tuesday, June 16, 2015 at 8pm ET from BC Place in Vancouver, Canada
