KANSAS CITY, Kan. – They might have passed their toughest group-stage test of the CONCACAF Women's Championship, but the US women's national team expect better going forward as they try to secure qualification for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.
“I don't feel satisfied, for sure,” said winger Alex Morgan, who assisted on Abby Wambach's second-half match-winner as the Americans opened Group A play with Wednesday night's 1-0 victory over scrappy Trinidad and Tobago. “At the end of the day, we got the win. We got the shutout. But it was a really hard game for us to start the tournament with. I don't think it was a very high note for us. We didn't play any of our best soccer.”
The Soca Princesses had something to do with that, using a 5-4-1 formation to clog the penalty area and getting a standout performance from goalkeeper Kimika Forbes. Still, Wambach said, the US – who next take on Guatemala on Friday in Bridgeview, Illinois – should have done more to break down that defensive shell.
“We knew what we were going to be up against in this tournament, with teams bunkering back and making things difficult for us in the 18,” Wambach told reporters. “We just weren't on with our last bits – the final chance, the final pass. Just a little bit off.”
Getting better wide play – as the US tried to do in shifting to a de facto 4-2-4 out of coach Jill Ellis' 4-3-3 starting formation – will help in future matches, Wambach said.
“We have to get the ball wide,” she said. “We have to change the point of attack. We have to have diagonal balls. And when we get moments up top, we've got to go 1-v-1 and make something happen.”
Still, Ellis said, the Caribbean champions – coached by American Randy Waldrum, also the manager of the NWSL's Houston Dash – helped make things difficult by holding their defensive shape.
“Credit Trinidad,” Ellis said in her post-match news conference. “We don't see teams as often that sit as organized and put so many numbers behind the ball. I thought for us it was an excellent challenge.”
Wambach expects it to be the toughest the Americans will face until they're out of pool play.
“I do think this probably was the toughest game that we'll play in the group stage,” she said. “Hopefully, the other teams don't watch this film to give them any hints of how to play against us.”
Steve Brisendine covers soccer in Kansas City for MLSsoccer.com.
