As the 2015 Women’s World Cup kicks off in Canada this weekend, The18 looks at some areas of concern for the U.S. Women's National Team in its bid to win its first title since 1999.
1. Fitness of Alex Morgan
While the USWNT has an abundance of firepower in its ranks, one cannot underestimate the importance of Alex Morgan being available for selection come the big dance.
Abby Wambach, Sydney Leroux and Amy Rodriguez are obviously formidable in their own right, but for the U.S. to have any chance of winning the World Cup they will need Morgan, who is still trying to fully overcome a bone bruise on her knee.
Nothing exemplified this more than the final warm-up game against South Korea. Despite dominating for large parts, the U.S. sorely missed a lethal finisher such as Morgan, who has racked up 51 international goals and 32 assists in 84 appearances.
2. Pia Sundhage
Every World Cup seems to have what’s labeled a “Group of Death” and it’s the United States’s misfortune to find itself immersed in one this time around.
The games against Australia and Nigeria should be competitive enough, but it’s the matchup against Sweden that unsurprisingly has attracted the most attention.
Former U.S. coach Pia Sundhage now leads the fifth–ranked Swedes, and there are few in the game who know more about the Americans than she. Defeat to Sweden would make for a much tougher route to the final and could derail the U.S. juggernaut.
3. Artificial Turf
Much has been made of the decision to exclusively use artificial turf fields for the tournament. In fact, many players organized an unsuccessful legal challenge to have the games switched to grass.
Protests aside, will it help or hinder the USWNT challenge? The general thinking is that the surface could take its toll on players as the tournament goes on, and the U.S. is one of the best equipped — thanks to its deep squad — to take advantage of the circumstances.
However, it could also go pear-shaped, with some injuries to key players (say in the not-too-strong defensive midfield area, for example) throwing a spanner or two in the works.
4. Weight of Expectation
The United States goes into every Women's World Cup expecting to win it. There was a palpable feeling of failure among the 2003, 2007 and 2011 squads when they fell short of their prospective targets.
And as time passes, that pressure cannot but increase, however unfair the expectations on the players. How they cope with this pressure will play a significant part in how far they progress in Canada.
