It wasn’t the thrashing many expected, but the USWNT defeated Trinidad & Tobago 1-0 in their first match of the 2014 CONCACAF Women’s Championship during the second of two matches from Sporting Park in Kansas City, KS Wednesday night.
The US starting lineup contained no real surprises personnel wise, but there were some unexpected changes of the roles in the starting eleven. While the formation was listed as a 4-3-3, it was Megan Rapinoe who filled the third forward sport along side Alex Morgan and Christen Press. The midfield consisted of Carli Lloyd and Lauren Holiday, with Abby Wambach playing in the central midfield in the number 10 role.
While the change in positioning was an interesting development, we did not really get to see Wambach in a true number 10 role, as she often was playing even higher than the forwards were. This put the US in sort of a 4-2-4 formation which seemed to clutter up the attacking third, preventing many solid scoring opportunities and creating several turnovers at that end of the pitch.
That’s not to say that the US didn’t have chances. Despite the apparent clutter up top, there were five solid opportunities in the first 25 minutes including an open header by Christen Press in the 14th minute which was saved excellently by Trinidad’s goalkeeper Kimika Forbes. Forbes had two other amazing saves in the first half, one in the 39th minute on an Abby Wambach header and another in the 42nd minute when she rushed out of goal to clear the ball away from a dangerous Alex Morgan.
Despite thoughts they might do so, Trinidad did not simply bunker down and park the bus. While their defensive efforts were very impressive and on point, they also made efforts to possess the ball and move it down the pitch to try to create scoring opportunities of their own. Though they had few chances first half, it was a good start. The team tried to use their speed to pressure and surpass the US defense and there were times when they really made the back line work.
The US had trouble controlling the ball and connecting passes which, especially with the defending display Trinidad put on, created a lot of turnovers and disruption in momentum of trying to build an attack. To the surprise of many, the first half ended with a score of 0 – 0.
The second half nearly started with a goal from the US as Carli Lloyd sent a fantastic ball from the mid line to Wambach. Wambach headed it down for Morgan who just hit it over the net. The play, though quick, exhibited some of the smooth connections that were missing from the first half. Trinidad responded immediately by finding a player on a long ball in from a free kick, but that play was broken up before it posed a real threat. Both teams came into the second half eager to break the draw.
Though the US pressed more and appeared to be slightly more organized than in the first half, they still had difficulties finishing what should have been easy chances. Meghan Klingenberg chipped the ball to Wambach who missed an open header and several minutes later, Megan Rapinoe missed a wide open net as Forbes was out of position after challenging Wambach for a through ball.
The US’s luck changed in the 55th minute as Morgan charged toward Forbes who came out to challenge, but could not clear the ball away. Morgan dribbled to the end line before crossing the ball towards an unmarked Wambach. Forbes, who was out of position because of the challenge attempt, appeared to deflect the shot, but had no chance of recovering to stop Wambach’s header that gave the US a 1-0 lead.
The rest of the match was better overall, but the US still continued to make mistakes that could have been costly. Hope Solo gave the ball away to a Trinidad player on two separate occasions and there were still issues finding players and completing passes. Trinidad put in a great effort over 90 minutes. Though the players started to show signs of fatigue and the defense started to wear down, they still were able to hold the US to one goal while continuing to mount a competent attack. Forbes was a key player in keeping this a one goal match, coming up with several fantastic saves, often at point blank range.
Though they got the win and the three points, the US has a lot of things to work on moving forward. From tactics, to execution of skills, the team needs to tighten and clean up their play for the remainder of the tournament. For Trinidad, they continue on in the tournament with the knowledge they played very well and kept the number 1 ranked team in the world to one goal in the match.
Trinidad takes on Haiti at 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday while the US takes on Guatemala at 9 p.m. ET from Toyota Park in Bridgeview, IL, right outside of Chicago.
