The United States women’s national team and Mexico will confront in action at the group stage at CONCACAF W Championship in Monday. While the United States won a place in the semi-finals (and a place at World Cup 2023), Mexico has slim hopes after two losses to open the tournament in Monterrey, Mexico.
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Some of the luster of this much-anticipated showdown is now gone, but it’s hard to discount anything in a competition. Ahead of the clash at Estadio BBVA, here are the top three questions to look out for:
Huerta named in the World Cup Team of the Year
The CONCACAF W Championship is a microcosm of the sophisticated balancing task Vlatko Andonovski took on when he was appointed head coach of the USA in October 2019: defining and developing the core of the world. next system without sacrificing results.
That is usually the duty of a national team head coach, but the focus is more on the two-time World Cup defending champion and the longtime team. Andonovski made clear at this tournament the need to see new players in a pressurized environment like a World Cup qualifying match. Critically, he forced them to make mistakes without feeling like they would lose their roles.
Last weeks Win the group stage 5-0 against Jamaica presented a huge opportunity for a number of players looking to prove they can handle the moment. Sophia Smith played video games on the right wing, scoring twice, including an interesting opener with the outside foot.
However, right-back Sofia Huerta is probably the one who improved her stock the most. While Smith is already part of Andonovski’s favorite XI, Huerta is trying to add in looks and has rapidly improved at full-back, and she could be the team’s best passer. with ball time.
Officially, Huerta had just one assist against Jamaica, but most of the team’s best tackles came from the right, and Huerta’s pass to Mallory Pugh in the 27th minute – a solid goal but Pugh was one step offside – picture perfect.
Given the United States’ continued demand for full-backs, it’s hard not to see Huerta on the 23-man World Cup roster if she continues this form. – Jeff Kassouf
Is there a steady starting XI for Andonovski?
The reality of these compact leagues and the way the United States often operates inside them – certainly now, under Andonovski, but also before under Jill Ellis – is the lineup for each group stage game. was previously determined. tournament begins.
America has the “good kind” of problem in being able to safely max out in the group stage regardless of who rolls, given the abundance of talent on the show. The rotation became part about testing the players and part about saving legs for the knockouts.
That’s especially true given Monterrey’s relentless heat at this tournament, and it’s an approach Ellis even took at the 2019 World Cup, turning heavy in the second game against Chile. So it’s likely Monday’s lineup was set up at least a week ago, minus any fitness or injury concerns.
Andonovski made no secret of who his starting keeper would be when asked after Thursday’s game, but he had previously indicated that the starting line-up against Haiti in the 1-0 opener would be is the most used. That XI team had the less experienced Casey Murphy in goal, and she made at least one game-changing save in the first half.
One area to watch will be whether Naomi Girma is to be evaluated further at centre-back. Girma, even in his first year as a professional for San Diego Wave FC, is the best attacking-minded central defender the United States has in its current pool, a player who is comfortable dribbling under pressure right away. both as the last defender and as a player capable of breaking pressure with a precise long ball. She did that on Thursday, supporting Smith’s first goal.
There was a boost in the final matches of this group stage as semi-final spot (and in this case World Cup spot) was sealed. There is still an important Olympic slot to earn and only the winner is guaranteed a place in Paris (second and third place teams will enter the playoffs in 2023). The rest can be useful for starters who didn’t get there against Jamaica, but it’s also important to keep the starting team sharp. Expect an almost prolific XI on Monday. – Kassouf
Mexico needs a miracle. Will it get one?
Mexico did not have an ideal start to the W Championship. Two disastrous losses in the first two games of the group stage – to Haiti and Jamaica – mean El Tri Femenil it will now need to defy the odds and beat the much-favored United States to keep hopes alive for an invitation to a preliminary playoff competition for the 2023 World Cup.
Will they be able to pull this off against an undefeated and fearsome opponent?
As for Mexico coach Monica Vergara, her problems in the league so far stem from a lack of a well-defined squad rather than a lack of talent options. We’ve seen this in the last two defeats El Tri Femenil had to go through 11 changes and questionable spots on the bench for famous names like Alicia Cervantes and Lizbeth Ovalle.
After hearing Vergara talk a lot in recent days about his aim to learn from mistakes, a place in the squad that features top attacking players like Cervantes and Ovalle would be an immediate solution. ie. In terms of the net, Vergara should consider replacing Emily Alvarado, who has scored four goals in his previous two appearances, and bring in former Sevilla goalkeeper Itzel Gonzalez midway through.
Perhaps more important than any roster adjustments will be the atmosphere at the Estadio Universitario on Monday. Along with the Estadio BBVA Bancomer compatriot W Championship venue across town, both stadiums looked very barren in the group stage, with very little advertising or promotion geared towards local fans, who regularly pack both venues for Liga MX and Liga MX Femenil matches.
That said, it is impossible to ignore an official match between Mexico and the United States, especially when you consider what is going on. El Tri Femenil. A buzzing and buzzing atmosphere that, at least once in the tournament, could be the twist of fate that leads Mexico to a much-needed miracle.
When was the last time the United States faced off against its southern neighbors for a World Cup qualifier in Mexico? That ended with a 2-1 win for El Tri Femenil in 2010. – Cesar Hernandez
