International soccer is full of tired old clichés, some insightful, others nonsensical. And one, which goes along the lines of “World Cups aren’t won or lost in the group stage,” that occupies the territory of the half-truth.
Sure, World Cups cannot be won in the opening couple of weeks of the tournament, and event history on both the women’s and men’s side is full of examples of teams that shined initially and fizzled later.
But they most certainly can be lost with a disastrous start. Or, in the case of a historically dominant team such as the United States, the biggest pitfall in the early exchanges involves the potential surrender of its aura of invincibility.
The Americans thrive on being “the” team to beat. They are the ’50s Yankees, the Kobe-Shaq Lakers, the Saban’s Alabama of women’s soccer. They are Serena Williams in her prime. They are Tiger Woods during the unstoppable years.
They’re the two-time defending champions, and beating them is twice as hard because not only do you have to outplay them, but you must also deal with trying to get over the line once victory beckons and the mental reality of what might be about to happen kicks in.
At this Women’s World Cup, the draw put the USA in a position where elimination in the group stage is so unlikely as to be not worth thinking about. The global game has improved markedly, but if there comes a day when the Americans are denied a place in the knockout round it’s not going to be this year, not with Vietnam and Portugal as its first and third opponents.
What the group stage becomes about, then, for coach Vlatko Andonovski’s side, is setting down a marker. To remind every other team out there the Americans are the best, they know they’re the best, they’re ranked No. 1 for a reason, they are ruthless and unforgiving and they will try to steamroll everyone in their path.
“First time that the US team will be tested defensively” — Ari Hingst on the USWNT’s upcoming match up vs. Netherlands
The only real way to properly serve that notice comes Wednesday in Wellington against the Netherlands, the 2019 finalist and one of Europe’s best, and a team that has shown little fear against the USA in the past (coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET, with kickoff at 9 p.m. on FOX and the FOX Sports app).
And the best way to do it is for your most influential and impactful players to turn in game-changing performances.
Like Rose Lavelle, a sub in the 3-0 victory over Vietnam as an injury precaution but who will surely start here, having been perhaps the best player on the field during the 2019 final.
And captain Lindsay Horan, responsible for so much of the midfield poise of this team, combining power and competitiveness with an uncanny intuition to know where to place the ball.
And especially Alex Morgan, so often at the center of things when the USA stamps its authority on a major tournament, but who was strangely muted against Vietnam and missed from the penalty spot.
“We have played Netherlands historically in very important matches, so this is going to be an incredibly difficult matchup, very challenging,” Morgan told reporters. “We know that we have to be at our best. It is going to be a very big matchup.”
Did the Netherlands prove they’re a threat to the USWNT?
Yes, the game is probably a straight shootout to decide first and second place in Group E, but it is also the prime opportunity — in U.S. prime time — to toss out a message to the rest of the field and reinforce the mental hold that only truly iconic teams have on all those who wish to topple them.
That’s what happened four years ago. Think the other teams weren’t watching when the USA thumped Thailand 13-0 to get things going? Think it didn’t matter later? Think again.
Such a punchy opening couldn’t be replicated this time around. Getting by Vietnam was part of the process and no outcome other than a win ever looked feasible. But it wasn’t awe-inspiring and everyone knew it, from the players to the fans to Andonovski.
“I’m sure that nerves had something to do with it,” Andonovski said.
Now it’s time to make everyone else nervous.
Will the USWNT win Group E?
In pure terms, a draw with the Dutch would be fine. It might still be enough to win the group and get a theoretically easier path through the bracket, depending on results elsewhere.
But that’s not how the Americans should be thinking.
For what better way to prove that championship class runs through the veins of this new-look squad than to produce an emphatic performance against the team they defeated in the final last time?
What better time to not just be the favorite, but to start looking like the favorite, than now?
