![]() ![]() And they’re true to their style within that. They can play front-foot football in a 3-4-3, they can sit in a 5-4-1 low block, they’re tactical, they’re great counter-attack players, they’re great possession players. Not with the improvements the rest of the world has been making since the last World Cup. Still, mentality alone is not enough to win anymore. They were pretty strong comments from her and I’m not supporting or condoning what she said, but when a former player is calling that out on a massive level, I think it’s interesting. This summer, their iconic former striker Carli Lloyd has criticised the erosion of that culture. What always stood apart for the Americans, for me, from when I worked in the US was their magnificent mentality: they were always winners. It adds diversity to their individual games, it challenges them as players, it improves them in different ways. She is also building a partnership with Australia’s Mary Fowler or whoever else it might be in her Man City team – critically, she’s training and playing with some of the best players from multiple nationalities. Playing for Manchester City in the Women’s Super League means that one week she’s going up against Magdalena Eriksson of Sweden at Chelsea and then the following week she’s up against Leah Williamson of Arsenal and England. Take a player like Jamaica’s Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw. Here in Europe, where you’re playing in different competitions, Champions League or cups, players aren’t going to be fazed by other things because they come up against different football week in, week out. There’s still a huge amount of talent in this US team but with so many of the squad playing solely in the NWSL, it doesn’t offer enough diversity to their squad in terms of playing against different styles. They will be staying home on contracts at their clubs. Going forward, I’d be shocked if the top young players in England and Europe go to America anymore to play in the collegiate game. But I do not believe that going to play in the US college system is a better one for the players. ![]() Going to the US for academic reasons, for lifestyle reasons, are wonderful ones. ‘I’d be shocked if the top young players in England go to America anymore to play in the collegiate game’ Take the likes of Lauren James: playing with boys all the way up to a certain point, then entering pro environments from an earlier age, has benefited her greatly, much more so than a very short collegiate system. People often say we would scream out for a collegiate system here in England. In contrast, Spain and Japan have enjoyed success at both these tournaments. It is a similar story in the Under-17 World Cup, which the US have never won. The US haven’t won the Women’s Under-20 World Cup for 11 years – North Korea have actually won it more recently – and they haven’t made it out of the group stages since 2016. For the US, there needs to be a bigger conversation about their collegiate system and youth development as well as the NWSL.įor some time at youth international level, the US have had a dire record. It is not that the team are necessarily failing, and it is not just about this team or this coach. My feeling is that the US as a nation will have to adapt its expectations around international success in women’s football. I know first hand at Chelsea how challenging that is, to keep winning again and again. They have won for so long that everybody just expects them to win. They seem to me like a team that is very stressed, but it is also important to point out that the pressure on the US is greater than any other nation. Portugal were the width of a post away from knocking the holders out and it is evident that the US are not the force they once were. On the pitch, however, there are problems and these have not just happened overnight. But the US women’s national team have always stood for promoting equality and I think their messaging over the years has been crucial for women all over the world. ![]() Whether that means there is a division in the squad, I don’t know I just think that sums up US politics over the past five or more years – maybe there is a division in that regard. As we have seen in this World Cup, it is moving away from the traditional big guns – and the four-time champions, the United States, have flattered to deceive.Ī lot has been said about some players not singing the US anthem while others are singing it. ![]() You can feel the change coming in the world order of the women’s game. ![]()
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