On Friday the U.S came away with a well-earned 3-0 victory over Switzerland. This the second match of Group B play for both teams at Portugal’s prestigious Algarve Cup tournament. All three U.S goals in Friday’s competition came in the second half of play. Alex Morgan opened up the lead and earned her 51st career goal. Amy Rodriguez and Abby Wambach added to the score with a goal apiece in the 72nd and 81st minute respectively.

The inconsistency in the starting lineups for U.S Women’s National Team have come under harsh criticism in the past few months, especially with a little more than three months from the Women’s World Cup. Friday’s matchup between Switzerland, the coaching staff for the U.S made only minor changes from their last match against Norway. Friday, Carli Lloyd wore the captain’s armband and Meghan Klingenberg was deployed at left back in place of Lori Chalupny, Megan Rapinoe was positioned out on the left wing in place of Christen Press, and Abby Wambach started on the bench while Press and Alex Morgan played up top.

The first half was disappointing as neither team capitalized on their chances. Hope Solo punched a few services out of the danger zone but was essentially untested in the first 45 minutes. The Swiss team played with surprising confidence and decided to sit back and hold a high defense line to combat the speed and physicality of the U.S team. Switzerland’s system effectively kept the No. 2 U.S squad off the score sheet but without their attacking flare it was only a matter of time before the U.S was able to break through.

 Shortly after halftime, Morgan took advantage of the zonal defensive system deployed by Switzerland and easily finished Lauren Holiday’s free kick in the 54th minute. Morgan was left unmarked on the back post and easily directed the ball to the far post less than five yards out from goal. This was Morgan’s twelfth goal scored in the Algarve and she is now tied with U.S veteran midfielder, Carli Lloyd, in second place for all-time goals scored at the Algarve Cup tournament.

It was clear in the early minutes of the second half and after Morgan’s goal that the Swiss were caught on their heels. Wave after wave of U.S attack pushed back against the Swiss defense as the momentum gained by Morgan’s goal boosted confidence. In the 72nd minute Christen Press took a low shot that was pushed away by the Swiss goalkeeper. Amy Rodriguez, who came on at halftime for Megan Rapinoe, was there to recover the redirect and worked some of her magic as she danced around not one but two defenders and made it look easy as she chipped the goalkeeper and drove the ball into the back of the net. Rodriguez had just missed a golden scoring opportunity in the 63rd minute and this display of technical ability sent a message to the coaching staff that despite a mistake she still deserves to be given a look at the forward position.

Wambach subbed on the field for Morgan Brian in the 79th minute and in just two minutes won a 1v1 battle and fired a shot far post into the side netting to make it 3-0. Many fans have been critical of Wambach in recent international matches and question her ability to keep up with the level of competition considering her age. Some commentators see Wambach more as a “super sub” because her aerial presence on set pieces is unmatched, perhaps late in the game defenders would not be able to out muscle her. Now whether Wambach starts or comes on late in the match, one thing is for certain: she came on the field today when her team needed her and she did her job; starter or super sub Wambach still has it.

The U.S looked much stronger against Switzerland than in their first match against Norway on Wednesday. Perhaps the most troubling thing about Friday’s performance was yet another game that the U.S team was unable to score in the first half. Today’s competition marks the sixth game that the team has not scored in the first 45 minutes. While this factor may not be a big problem against teams like Norway, Switzerland, or Iceland it will be a major problem against teams like France, Sweden, Germany, and Brazil. One of the factors that prevented the U.S from getting on the score sheet was the isolation of star forward, Morgan. For the first fifteen minutes Morgan did not see the ball and this can in part be contributed to the miscommunication in the midfield.

Usually a force to be reckoned with on the field, Rapinoe played the entire first half and was subbed out at halftime to make room for Rodriguez. While there were moments of individual skill, including her firecracker of a shot in the 32nd minute off Holiday’s corner kick that landed just over the crossbar, there were also strings of weak and low driven shots that were easily scoped up by Swiss goalkeeper. The finesse that is usually a trademark of Rapinoe was missing in the first half and she struggled to communicate and connect passes to the forward duo. Rapinoe gave up easy passes in the midfield and her outside of the foot passes failed to impress today, which only added to an over-all uncharacteristic performance by the U.S veteran. It was unclear if head coach, Jill Ellis, had seen enough at halftime or if she decided to ease Rapinoe back into competition as Rapinoe is coming off a minor knee injury.

As things sit, and assuming there is not a huge upset in the next set of matches, it looks likely that the U.S will play France following their Group B competition. The U.S must win out their group on March 9th by beating Iceland if they want another shot at No. 3 France. The U.S-Iceland competition will not be televised due to inadequate lighting at the stadium but fans can be sure to follow the game on Twitter at @ussoccer_wnt or @ussoccer_esp.

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About the author
Emily Helle
Total soccer junkie. Full-time NCAA Division III-athlete studying exercise and neuroscience. U.S Women National Soccer Team specialist.