The USA and England try new things but fail to achieve a breakthrough

LONDON – England and the United States women’s national team drew 0-0 at Wembley Stadium on Saturday evening.

In a tense affair, the USWNT had the better chance of breaking the stalemate. The hosts were without stars like Lauren James and Lauren Hemp, while the USWNT traveled to Europe without their “Triple Espresso” front three of Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson. So it was two teams that gave some fringe players the opportunity in a nearly sold-out Wembley Stadium, and it was the USWNT that had the majority of possession in the first half, was dangerous in attack, but didn’t have the finishing touch.

England had to wait until the 55th minute to get their first shot on goal. Lindsay Horan had a goal disallowed for offside in the 48th minute, and one of the big talking points came just after the hour mark when the USWNT was awarded a penalty for an alleged handball by Alex Greenwood that blocked Yazmeen Ryan’s long-range shot. In the end, the intervention of VAR ensured that the whole thing was rightly reversed.

With England still seven months away from the start of the European Championships where they will attempt to defend their title, there is a feeling that they are still far from their top form. For the USWNT, this was another game where they were confident and had a chance to test their mettle in depth.

Ryan and Shaw are impressive, but USWNT still misses the energy of “Triple Espresso.”

Let’s start with a half-empty perspective: The USWNT went scoreless for the first time since July.

That may not be a shock considering the team was missing the deadly “Triple Espresso” trio of Smith, Rodman and Swanson, all of whom are resting after lingering injuries. Without their star players, the experimental trio of Alyssa Thompson, Lynn Williams and Emma Sears were unable to provide enough threat against England. But the glass is half full: improvements were seen immediately with attacking substitutes like Jaedyn Shaw and Ryan.

Even though Ryan only appeared in one half, she appeared to be the most dangerous player in the game. The 25-year-old shone from the bench and was a dynamic figure in the final third. The same goes for Shaw, a versatile San Diego Wave prospect who was proactive in her cameo role.

Hayes recognizes that she can’t rely on all of the key pieces to get in and out, and a big part of her job going forward is finding the right alternative options that could step in to put the USWNT on the glass. to completely fill the attack. — Hernandez

What is England all about?

First the good news: England looked more confident in defense than against Germany. Wiegman alternated between a back four when England were without the ball and a back three when England were attacking. That meant they looked more composed and held off a dangerous USWNT team. Given that the Lionesses have only kept four clean sheets in their last 19 games prior to Saturday’s game, keeping the USWNT away is a positive step forward.

Now the parts of England that continue to be a cause for concern. Their ability to operate from defense causes them all sorts of self-inflicted havoc, while their midfield lacks presence. And their few shots on goal were rarely due to the USWNT’s skillful attacking play. This was an England team without Hemp, James, Maya Le Tissier and Ella Toone, and their absence was evident. There was room for others to impress: Jessica Naz started on the wing and Jessica Park finished tenth, but neither put up points to warrant more minutes at this point.

“I think it’s been a tough year with some difficult results, but we know what we can achieve as a group,” Mary Earps said after the game. “It’s about figuring out how we can play.

“That’s the thing about friendlies, you can experiment with a few things. A draw against the Olympic champions is no small feat, but we want to win these games.”

Overall you get the feeling that England are still trying to find the intensity and ability to suffocate opponents that we have seen in the past. Although this was a decent result overall and a step forward for England, Wiegman’s team are not yet at their best as they aim to peak at the right time for the European Championships. –Hamilton

England’s attack fails

England’s attack was hectic and chaotic throughout the evening. Wiegman wanted to try new things and had to make two changes due to injuries to starters Lauren Hemp and Ella Toone. England were still without Lauren James, who has not played for England since April. In fact, Wiegman had only selected five forwards on her 25-player roster.

Hemp, who was crucial to the Lionesses’ success and was arguably one of the Lionesses’ most reliable players, left a gaping hole in the attack. Despite an impressive start to Manchester City’s season, clubmate Park was unable to effectively fill the void, leaving the attack disjointed and without rhythm.

Hemp is England’s fastest player and without her pace to underpin USA’s composed defense, the visitors’ defenders were hardly stressed. The positional change, which saw usual winger Beth Mead move to the full-back role, also proved counterproductive for England as she attempted to generate attacks, leaving their vital attacking threat far too deep to make an impact.

England only managed their first and only shot on goal in the 55th minute after struggling to score anything in front of goal in the first half. Numerous chances followed in the second half, but were wasted due to England’s lack of connectivity in the USA penalty area. The introduction of Chloe Kelly, who had been struggling with City for minutes, and Fran Kirby gave the side more urgency but failed to break the stalemate, leaving Wiegman with more questions than answers.

In the 90 minutes, England had just 14 touches of the ball in the penalty area, four shots and just one on goal. In comparison, the USA had 40 touches, 10 shots and four shots on goal, reflecting the vast differences in attack between the two teams. — Keogh

Naheher gets a shutout in the possible final

It wasn’t the most difficult game considering she only had to make one save and one header, but veteran goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher can hold her own with a clean sheet in what could be the final game of her USWNT career.

Earlier this week, the 36-year-old announced that the games against England and the Netherlands (on December 3) would be his last with the national team. “Having the opportunity to be a part of the USWNT for the last 15 years has been the greatest honor,” said Naeher, who also highlighted her commitment to U.S. youth national teams.

The Olympic gold medalist and two-time World Cup winner could be given one more game against the Netherlands, but with a shutout in hand and family watching from the stands at Wembley, her latest game and clean sheet could be a fitting farewell for the Netherlands his goalkeeper.

After the game on TNT Sports, she also had a message for the next generation of USWNT stars.

“Soak it all up, be a sponge, don’t take anything for granted. I think that’s what kept me going,” Naeher said. “There are no guarantees in this sport for the young people coming in. You should take it all in and enjoy every minute of it.” — Hernandez

play

How the USWNT and England battled to a historic draw at Wembley Stadium

Recap the USWNT’s 0-0 draw with England in front of a record crowd for a women’s international friendly.

The Lionesses need more dominance in midfield

It was two very different narratives for the midfield on Saturday evening and England had a lot to learn from the visitors’ controlled and dominant approach. The hosts were unable to play through their midfield at all, meaning their play was not seamless and they lacked control. It may be more worrying that the Lionesses, after claiming a European win and a World Cup final, have foundered and are unable to challenge the Olympic champions in a game where the hosts would have tried to assert dominance. really challenging.

England’s ability to use its midfield effectively was sparse, and positioning problems and poorly made passes were further concerns for England seven months before the start of the European Championship campaign to defend their title.

The USA were the exact opposite: controlled, comfortable and executing their game plan to keep Keira Walsh and Georgia Stanway under control. Veterans Rose Lavelle and Lindsey Horan were able to easily dominate the middle, ensuring quick and precise build-up play. Their pair even had the ball in the net together, but Horan was offside.

Their pressing was also a stark contrast to England’s. The USA pushed the hosts, gave them no time to gather themselves on the ball, often forced them into quick shots, made poor decisions and ensured that the pressure remained constant. In retaliation, England could not push Hayes’ side in any way.

Wiegman must develop a plan to improve his dominance and transition game if England want to retain their European title. — Keogh

Earps is back as England No.1

Against Germany it looked as if Hannah Hampton had established herself as England’s new number one. Wiegman insisted it was all part of the experiment before the Euros, and indeed Mary Earps was reinstated for the USWNT game.

When it comes to the Lionesses, it’s hard to overstate the Earps fan base. Walking down Wembley Way before the game, her name and picture were everywhere: on Christmas jumpers, on scarves. Before the game, her name caused a stir among the crowd, competing with Leah Williamson’s name.

For the most part, Earps was also the busier of the two goalies – he saved a shot from Alyssa Thompson well early and made a good save to deny Krueger in the first half. It was a similar story in the second half, with Earps repelling an attempt from Ryan, and although there were some last-minute problems before her, England looked more confident with Earps in defense than they had against Germany.

After the game, Earps was clearly pleased despite the result. “It’s about me going out there and being who I am. That’s all I’m trying to do. Play with a smile on your face and that’s what I’ll do.” –Hamilton