The rebuilding starts now. The U.S. was again the oldest team in the field, but this time around, the older players were big contributors. That wasn't the case in 2015. There's a lot less second guessing this time around. Still, just based on age, one would think Carli Lloyd, Ali Krieger, Allie Long, and Becky Sauerbrunn are done. They may stick around for next year's Olympics, but it would be surprising to see them in 2023. Megan Rapinoe is also older, now 34, but she has been playing phenomenal soccer. (I just wish she'd knock off the politics, but ….) My guess is that she'll also be gone soon. Tobin Heath, Alex Morgan, Christen Press and Julie Ertz are all on the bubble; they might have another cycle left, but all have to be question marks.
The U.S. team has got terrific young players on the backline and in midfield. Forward will be the question mark. Mallory Pugh is the heir apparent as one of the wingers, but it's wide open after that.
RapinHoe played in two of the final three matches. Her scores were from Penalty kicks. The Spanish defenders owned her. She was out of position, poor passing and was stripped of the ball on most occasions. The Finals were the same. She can play well against second tier teams but the class teams owned her.
Surprised to see Ellis step down before the Olympics. No team has won the WC and the Olympics back to back. Agree that the US team is aging and needs an infusion of new talent. The rest of the world is catching up. The US has not performed that well in the recent U-17 and U-20 competitions.
Becky Sauerbrunn is the rock of the defense. She will be near impossible to replace. For me, she was the unsung hero of the WC. She could come back for 2023. There have been some others who have done it, e.g., Christie Rampone. I don’t see Rapinoe coming back. She is going to capitalize on her 15 minutes of fame thru her fledgling business and political activism.
- next year’s Olympics
I am really looking forward to that!