The USWNT System Might Not Win Style Points, But It Still Wins Games at the World Cup

Watching the United States defeat Australia Monday night in Winnipeg in its 2015 World Cup opener through Twitter proved, as usual, interesting. Beyond the patriotic #USA red, white and blue maple leaf graphics, there was a lot of murmuring throughout the first half and into the second about the play of Jill Ellis’ team. Never mind that the Matildas — and their sore loser website managers — came into the game ranked No. 10 in the world, so it probably shouldn’t have been all that crazy the match was 1-1 after 45 minutes.

As is often the case on social media, the narrative shifted as quickly as a Sydney Leroux sprint in the 61st minute. Her darting run up the left flank set up Christen Press, who’d drifted from her wide position into space at the top of the box for the go-ahead goal, helped quiet whatever doubts crept into the thoughts of many U.S. fans. Megan Rapinoe then left no doubt, making a long run from midfield, capped by a composed finish to clinch all three points for the Americans.

Instead of a deluge of questions today about why the team is so reliant on Hope Solo to makes saves or if the U.S. team is too direct or too reliant on veteran players, the tone shifted to something along the lines of getting three points is all that matters. Style points don’t necessarily win you a World Cup.

The one question that didn’t go away after the Australia game is what to do at forward as the tournament progresses. Ellis is going with the 4-4-2, which puts two strikers on the field, since it’s the Americans’ deepest position. Winning a World Cup game 3-1 when Alex Morgan comes off the bench as she progresses from a recent knee injury is a nice luxury to have, isn’t it? Same goes when your all-time leading scorer, Abby Wambach, misses a couple close chances in front of goal she usually buries.

And if there’s one question going forward off the first game, it’s what to do with Wambach, now 35. This is a tricky situation since Wambach is the National Team’s all-time leading scorer and desperate for a World Cup before retiring. Does she give the team the best chance to win? Would some combination of Leroux, Press (who seemed wasted on the right flank) and Morgan, which could still play direct but utilize their speed, be more effective? (Especially in the second half as teams tire as Australia did.) Does the team still play through Wambach if she struggles throughout the group stage?

On Tuesday Sam Borden of the New York Times wrote a piece about former U.S. coach Pia Sundhage, who is now in charge of her native Sweden. Sundhage coached the U.S. in 2011 and didn’t hold back on her comments about her ex-players, including Wambach.

"“I said that to Abby,” she recalled. “I told her: ‘If I stayed, you would be a sub. The best sub ever. But a sub.’ There was no question about that in my mind.”"

Expecting Ellis — who never coached professionally until taking the U.S. job in 2014 — to rip up the formation and try something new in Canada is unlikely, as the World Cup isn’t usually the place to make a massive tactical or generational shfit. Wambach, as seen during her career– notably the 2011 semifinal vs. Brazil — has a knack for rising to the occasion, but expecting that to happen isn’t necessarily a sound coaching stratagem.

Fortunately for the U.S., if they beat Sweden on Friday night they’re in great shape to win their Group. Winning Group D gives them a third-place finisher in the Round of 16 and then a runner-up in the quarterfinals. This should allow Ellis time to tinker with which forward combination works the best until a likely showdown with Germany in the semifinals.

For whatever holes can be poked in the U.S. and their standard, direct 4-4-2 system under Ellis the team still has a) superior stamina to most opponents b) individually great players who can make something out of nothing at any moment, i.e. Rapinoe Monday night vs. Australia. Whether or not that’s enough to carry the team in 2015 as the rest of the world gets better appears to be the risk Ellis is willing to take.