What we realized from (and questions we nonetheless have about) the USWNT at SheBelieves Cup – Soccer

Picture Credit score: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Pictures

The 2025 SheBelieves Cup is within the books, and United States girls’s nationwide crew head coach Emma Hayes received a radical have a look at what the way forward for her crew may appear like, even when it value the People a run at a sixth straight title.

Getting extra expertise for gamers and acquiring long-term solutions was at all times the first aim for Hayes. She aimed to make use of the three-game occasion in opposition to three distinctive types of opponents to simulate a event for loads of gamers who’ve by no means skilled one on the senior, worldwide stage.

In opposition to Australia, Hayes rolled out the youngest lineup in practically 25 years and adjusted all the beginning 11 from the opening match in opposition to Colombia, additionally for the primary time in about 25 years.

With simply over a month till the U.S. reconvenes for a doubleheader rematch of the 2024 Olympic gold medal recreation in opposition to Brazil, one query looms: Now what?

The SheBelieves Cup offered some clear solutions relating to the readiness of particular person gamers for this stage, however different options are far much less easy. Some individually sturdy performances solely underscore one other central – even when not new – query, one which Hayes should attempt to reply: How does she need this crew to play going ahead?

The U.S. performed with out all three of Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson and Sophia Wilson (nee Smith) — the “Triple Espresso” that terrorized defenses en path to Olympic gold final 12 months — for the third straight worldwide window. Their absences have offered ample alternatives for gamers like Ally Sentnor and Alyssa Thompson to point out that they are often worthwhile contributors quickly.

Conversely, the absence of the “Triple Espresso” essentially modifications the way in which the U.S. performs. They’re three world-class forwards, all with distinctive abilities. Whereas it might be reductive to summarize them as primarily vertical forwards who get behind defenses, they definitely provide that menace in abundance when performed as a trio – which was carried out to nice success on the Olympics. They’re all of their 20s and ought to be fixtures for the U.S. for a very long time.

With out the dynamic trio, the U.S. girls have performed with forwards who play utterly totally different types.

Catarina Macario led the road for the U.S. in two out of the three SheBelieves Cup matches (Lynn Biyendolo began the opposite). Macario likes to play the No. 9 function as a false 9 who drops deep to mix or spin defenders, regularly together with her again to aim. She is exact in entrance of the aim, however she isn’t the ahead who will regularly put her hand as much as be performed in behind defenses. The Chelsea attacker additionally prefers the No. 10 function.

The identical may be mentioned about Jaedyn Shaw, who was the most effective participant on the sector for the U.S. in opposition to Australia in her most popular No. 10 function. Shaw has been performed by Hayes as a No. 9 (and a winger) and executed the function equally to Macario.

If and when Rodman, Swanson and Wilson are again in camp, Hayes has choices to make.

Having an excessive amount of expertise to suit on the sector directly is a champagne downside, to be clear — the very sort of dilemma Hayes is being paid a girls’s soccer document to determine.

The solutions she chooses, nevertheless, will go a good distance in shaping the crew forward of the 2027 World Cup.

Hayes has lengthy mentioned that she doesn’t wish to take away the American “DNA” that makes this crew nice, and being scientific in transition is a part of that. It’s also true that there’s by no means just one appropriate reply to any downside; the U.S. may depend on a “Triple Espresso” lineup in opposition to one opponent however current a wholly totally different look in opposition to one other.

Flexibility, adaptability and depth are all traits that Hayes needs to develop — and they’re all essential to success at a World Cup.

This central difficulty additionally extends past the ahead line. Even when we assume that Macario or Shaw would slide into the midfield, it has a knock-on impact. The place does that go away present captain Lindsey Heaps (nee Horan)?

Among the many gamers who improved their inventory probably the most on the SheBelieves Cup was 17-year-old midfielder Lily Yohannes (together with Sentnor), whose potential to see the subsequent cross earlier than she receives the ball was on full show amongst a U.S. crew that was in any other case comparatively unfamiliar with one another.

Yohannes’ skillset could possibly be helpful to play exact balls to any of the proficient however not too long ago absent forwards, however there might equally be a world – as was seen in flashes on the SheBelieves Cup – the place Yohannes might mix with fellow creatives Shaw, Macario or (the injured however to not be forgotten) Rose Lavelle.

One different obtrusive absence from the SheBelieves Cup roster additionally components closely into how the U.S. will play. After her record-breaking, $1.1 million switch to Chelsea in January, centerback Naomi Girma’s qualities as a world-class defender are effectively established.

The place the People appeared to overlook Girma most of their first three video games of the 12 months, nevertheless, was not in 1-v-1 defending however in possession out of the again. Girma can play incisive, line-breaking balls to midfielders or forwards to advance the U.S. assault.

The U.S. was notably poor in maintaining possession out of the again in opposition to a well-organized Japan crew on Wednesday. Newcomer centerback Tara McKeown turned the ball over a half-dozen instances within the first half, together with for a throw-in that led to Japan’s second-minute aim.

Rodman, Swanson and Wilson present apparent reduction as retailers to strain in ways in which different choices up high may not.

Hayes has mentioned explicitly that she needs to see extra creativity within the facet. Will that imply artistic, extra aggressive options to combine Macario, a participant she delivered to Chelsea when she coached there, and Shaw, a participant who Hayes mentioned final week “will impact our program in a profound way” no matter what place she performs?

A pair of video games in April in opposition to Brazil might provide extra solutions if everybody is obtainable for choice. As Hayes shall be fast to remind everybody, her choices may not be so simple as ‘either, or.’