USWNT vs. Sweden: What our writers would do with the U.S. starting XI
The U.S. women’s national team will not change the way it’s been playing. Coach Vlatko Andonovski was defiant following the 0-0 draw with Portugal, saying, “We have to stick to our principles, we have to stick to our game model, and we have to stick to our philosophy.” He has his preferred lineup and tactical style, and he will not change.
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The following exercise is about engaging in pure fantasy. Andonovski will swap out Rose Lavelle for another midfielder due to suspension, and he might put Trinity Rodman back in for Lynn Williams, but that is likely the extent of the changes. Any analysis of possible adjustments is bunk; this team is what it is.
But all of us would like to see something different for the round of 16 match against Sweden, so here is a series of imagined possibilities for a better world from five of The Athletic’s writers, even if we know deep down that a better world isn’t possible.
Meg Linehan’s XI (4-2-3-1): Casey Murphy; Emily Fox, Naomi Girma, Julie Ertz, Kelley O’Hara; Andi Sullivan, Lindsey Horan; Lynn Williams, Crystal Dunn, Trinity Rodman; Sophia Smith
Sell it to us: Here I am, once again, in the world of “never gonna happen in a million years,” but honestly I prefer it to what feels inevitable (Andonovski rolling out pretty much the same XI minus Lavelle). I think there are pros and cons to a massive shake-up — I certainly don’t love the idea of a goalkeeper getting their first minutes at a World Cup in a knockout match, for instance. But if I had three main points to get across on what I have going here they’re: (1) the 4-3-3 isn’t working, please stop it, (2) disrupting the Girma-Ertz CB pairing feels bad despite needing Ertz in the midfield, and (3) please just let Sophia Smith
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