USWNT returns from long layoff Friday for World Cup rematch against Netherlands
Then consider the United States has not played in more than eight months because of the coronavirus pandemic, its longest pause since 1989-90.
Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd aren’t up to speed and were left behind. Alex Morgan hasn’t played an international match since the World Cup. Lindsey Horan was scratched from the roster after testing positive last week. And a truncated National Women’s Soccer League season limited many of the U.S. players to a handful of games.
“We know we are nowhere close to our best,” said Coach Vlatko Andonovski, who cited physical, tactical and mental challenges ahead of the World Cup rematch in the Dutch city of Breda. “We knew coming into this camp that we’re going to have to take a step back before we take two steps forward.”
That is not to suggest the team’s 31-game unbeaten streak is doomed. Even in suboptimal conditions, the top-ranked Americans are better than most, if not all, foes.
Since a January 2019 loss to France, they have won 12 straight against European teams. Andonovski is 10-0-0 since succeeding Jill Ellis, tying the best start for a U.S. coach.
The players arrived in camp last Friday in varying degrees of fitness and, before starting workouts, had to self-isolate and pass coronavirus tests.
Five players arrived from England, where they are more than two months into the season. One is active on the French circuit, and another completed a Swedish campaign before returning stateside.
However, those in the NWSL finished in mid-October after a short fall series. Some opted out of both that competition and a month-long summer tournament in Utah.
“A 90-minute international game is a pretty intense load,” said defender Kelley O’Hara, who hasn’t played for the NWSL’s Utah Royals or the U.S. squad since March. “It might feel a little weird at first because it’s been so long.”
After sitting out the NWSL this year, forward Christen Press signed with Manchester United, a move that helped accelerate her mental and physical preparation.
“When I play [at peak form], I don’t think at all,” she said. “And I’ve been away from [soccer] for so long, at moments I can hear my thoughts. When I am back to [being] me, I don’t even know I’m there. That comes with time.”
Forward Tobin Heath also moved to Manchester United. Midfielders Rose Lavelle and Sam Mewis signed with Manchester City. From a fitness standpoint, all are well ahead of their U.S.-based teammates.
Morgan has made two appearances for London-based Tottenham Hotspur since giving birth in May. She has yet to play for Andonovski, who has been on the job for 13 months. Nonetheless, Andonovski said he is impressed with Morgan’s desire to return to world-class status.
“I have gained so much respect for the decision Alex made to go to England because we know it’s a strange world we are living in,” he said. “We know it’s a hard time. And for her to make a decision in the middle of a pandemic and take her kid and move to an environment that will prepare her to be better for this team is incredible.”
Morgan and her U.S. colleagues will not have it easy Friday. The fourth-ranked Netherlands has played three games this fall, extending its unbeaten streak to 12 since losing to the United States at the World Cup.
Everyone on the roster is active with European clubs, though Arsenal star Vivianne Miedema, who has scored 70 goals in 91 Dutch matches, is sidelined with a hip injury.
While muscle memory and chemistry might lag, the U.S. team’s hunger hasn’t waned.
“That is just the way this team is, and that is the way these players are wired,” Andonovski said, brushing aside suggestions the outcome won’t matter. “That is how the staff is wired, and that’s how this environment functions.”
In the big picture, Andonovski has his eye on the Olympics, which are scheduled to take place next summer after the global health crisis forced a postponement this year. His aim, he said, is to play as many top teams as possible over the next seven months. If the health situation improves, the United States will welcome three high-quality teams to the annual SheBelieves Cup in February and March.
“That is a short amount of time to get ready [for the Olympics],” O’Hara said. “We do look pretty good in practice, but to get from here to Olympic-ready, there is so much more we have to do.”
United States at Netherlands
When: Friday, 12:30 p.m. ET.
Where: Rat Verlegh Stadium, Breda, Netherlands.
TV: ESPN2, TUDN.
U.S. roster
Goalkeepers: Aubrey Bledsoe (Washington Spirit), Jane Campbell (Houston Dash), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars).
Defenders: Alana Cook (Paris Saint-Germain), Abby Dahlkemper (North Carolina Courage), Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars), Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns), Kelley O’Hara (Utah Royals), Margaret Purce (Sky Blue FC), Becky Sauerbrunn (Portland Thorns), Emily Sonnett (Orlando Pride).
Midfielders: Julie Ertz (Chicago Red Stars), Jaelin Howell (Florida State), Rose Lavelle (Manchester City), Catarina Macario (Stanford), Kristie Mewis (Houston Dash), Sam Mewis (Manchester City).
Forwards: Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit), Tobin Heath (Manchester United), Alex Morgan (Tottenham Hotspur), Christen Press (Manchester United), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns), Lynn Williams (North Carolina Courage).
