USWNT's toughest matchups at 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup | State of the Union

hope your words doesn't backfire, we will rewatch this and comment again after the group stages, 😂

@Jacob Ibarra He miss phrased it. What he meant was that there are 5 teams that ' could ' beat the Usa. You'll get out of your group , hopefully as winners as you have the Netherlands in your group , then the knockout stages start. If you win your group , you should have the runners up from a different group ( Its all on google ) . If you are runners up in your group ( say Holland beat you ) , then you'll face the winners from another group. You ' might ' get one of the top teams. If you get through that round , you are into the quarters , best 8 teams in the world. Three games to go , qtrs , semis, final. All against top teams. Who ever wins the world cup, will deserve it. Womens football has improved more in the last 4 years, than in any other period. Its going to be interesting , tough , competitive and i hope, entertaining. Good luck :)

@John Daniel Canada don't ready for this

Canada

@Ian Soberano Top 4-USA, Germany, Spain England
Possible-France, Netherlands, Brazil, Canada.
One big unknown-injuries. At present, England, Netherlands and Spain have key players out with ACL injuries. Will they recover in time? Who else will get injured between now and July?

@Ian Soberano the problem is australia is using a 4-1-4-1 system when they should go back to the 3-4-1-2 in the Olympics and I think they would win it if they did

nice one I got Canada in between 2-5 maybe England or France maybe Australia since they are hosting the World cup...Hayley Raso's team. So don't count out Australia I would not.
Netherlands now coached by Mark Parsons(EX PORTLAND THORNS coach) that is my opinion.

@Cyclone Ranger they are not number 1 right now forget the rankings there are 10 teams right now who would easily dismantle them

@Ian Soberano Huerta is almost thirty. Not very young but we are a much younger team then we have been in the past.

@Cyclone Ranger Good point US will be underdogs next year for the 2023 women's world cup. I think Canada has a slim chance of beating us. Remember we have a young youth in Sophia Smith to Ashley Sanchez to Rodman, Huerta etc. So good luck to the USWNT it will be tough to repeat.

The u..s whent 16 years with out a World Cup..the gap has been their before and it’s happening again…

"Starting to close?" The US is unarguably #1 in the world until somebody displaces them, but Germany, Japan, England, France, Canada, Netherlands, Spain, etc., have all been very difficult challenges for a very long time. There is no gap in terms of skill and ability... the only gap is in terms of achievement.

The beauty of football/soccer is the possibility that Germany , England and Spain can become the next World Cup Champion! Fixed it for you :)

Aly mentioned Sweden in her top 5

Brazil, Germany and France had played great in recent games, especially, Germany beat France to reach the euro 2022 final.

@Lillian Boyd
-- 2x1 win at 2011 WWC;
-- 0-0 draw 2015 WWC;
-- 1-1 draw in regular time, loss in penalty shootout at the 2016 Olympics.

Yeah, I mean they tied USWNT in a friendly in 2021 and beat them by three nil at the Olympics.

@Ian Soberano I think we can do good. Maybe not win but at least not fail miserably. I just hope we don’t fall into another 16 year drought.

yea I agree TOBY..this is not the Jill ELLIS era with Vlatko as coach I do not see them winning it next year especially with the young youth they have in Sophia Smith(Portland Thorns FC), Trinity Rodman, Ashley Sanchez(Washington Spirit) and Sophia Huerta (OL REIGN) alot to develop with the young youth. Good luck though with our national team.

I've been hearing these sorts of comments from mediocre blowhards as long as I can remember. With regard to the USWNT specifically I remember hearing it in 2011, 2015, and 2019... and in those three tournaments they finished 2nd, 1st, and 1st. Want to guess how many of your fellow mediocre blowhards have ever admitted they were wrong with the proclamations of gloom and doom? It's the same as the number of Super Bowl's Detroit has won, the same as the number of national championships Oregon football has won, and the same as the number of women who find you sexually attractive...

@Cyclone Ranger When the US gets out of the group stage, .... Not the group stage , winning the cup is the thing that counts. There are at least 4 and up to 8 teams that could win it. Whoever does, deserves our praise.

@Cyclone Ranger October 2022. England and Germany 2-1, Spain 2-0.

@Kristian Nelson Crystal Dunn has rem training with the Portland Thorns for a while and is expected to be match ready in August/September. I have neither seen nor heard any news about Julie Ertz.
Taylor Kornieck has the potential to replace Sam Mewis but not for a few years to mature.
I still like Abby Dahlkemper as a partner for either Becky Sauerbrunn or Tierna Davidson. All that being said, we still need a substitute outside back and probably a Julie Ertz replacement, if one exists.

@Kristian Nelson
All fair critiques of this VERY young USWNT.
Not a fair critique of a USWNT with its projected 2023 WC roster (which includes half a dozen injured players)
And none of the European sides are looking like world beaters at the moment.
Canada is #6 in the world, and a USWNT B team beat them.

@Cyclone Ranger Point taken on the strength of Germany going way back. There have been those few European teams that have always been strong. My main take was about the European teams on a macro level, and how much better they have all become. And I did not claim the USWNT are in the toilet, those are your words, not mine. I am claiming, playing the way they are right now, they cannot stand up against the world's best. Sure, they can beat the 52nd-ranked team in the world. But as of now, they need software updates to compete against the best. And I don't want to give a dissertation here, but the reason I say this is because I am seeing the same mistakes and problems they have had since the Olympics: 1) Tikky-tak passing back and forth in the back line, allowing the defense to set up shop, 2) running the same designed plays, so any and every team know exactly what they are going to do, 3) this horrendous habit now they have of players not moving without the ball, just standing around, giving the player on the ball virtually no options to go to, 4) very little forward movement to create offense. I mean where is the Dahlkemper effect of bombing the ball forward to the front line to create offense, and put the defense on their heels?, 5) these bad habits that Smith, Purce, and Pugh to a degree, have of once they beat their defender, they just wing the ball into the box, without a plan, without a target, and if they would just look up, would usually see it's two against six in the box anyways. Which leads to what?: more turnovers, and 6) it is usually two against six in the box because for some reason, the US has stopped crashing the box when they have the opportunity. Again, more lack of movement.
Sorry, I said I didn't want to write a dissertation, but I did. In the end, there are many valid reasons why I am saying what I am saying. And if you want real-time examples of how to do it right now, watch the Euro semifinals and finals coming up this week. I do truly hope the USWNT can find those software updates and three-peat the WC. Go USWNT!

Sam Mewis, when she was playing in Britain after the WC was a top 3 to 5 player in that league. Could have possibly won player of the year despite growing up playing Soccer instead of Football. She would be such a strong veteran force in the middle and big plus in the offense with a long distance threat at times.

They have transitioned there group but they are really good just the goalkeeper needs to get better

If Australia goes back to there 3 back formation they will certainly win the World Cup I don’t see them getting to the quarters with there current formation/tactics

I don't think the ERTZ is playing next Wortld cup she is retiring from what I heard it would not surprise me if Jule Ertz came back and played she is on maternity leave she had a UCL injury last season when Portland romp Chicago 5-0....that was the last time Julie Ertz played. We need to get back Sam Mewis and Lynn WILLIAMS back and healthy they are a key piece to the USWNT. But don't expect that will be playing another soccer game this season or next season. Julie Ertz will be 30 in 2023. We will see.

If England Germany France and Spain were not ' in ' the WC, then yes :)

@Cyclone Ranger Will you come back and admit you were wrong if the US performs well and/or wins another World Cup? Yes, i will. If they play well, and beat some of the top European teams, then they deserve it. Any team that wins the WC deserves it. If you want to ' be ' the best, you have to ' beat ' the best. And their are several teams looking for the Usa's scalp. They lost to England , spain and Germany recently. The aura of unbeatable has gone. Good luck :)

I recall people saying the exact same thing in 2018 about that team... and then what happened? Will you come back and admit you were wrong if the US performs well and/or wins another World Cup? Or are you just blowing hot air?

But also, EUROS are not a total reading of England's strength b/c they had/have an easy path in that tourney, in the Euros ? England played 3 friendlies before the Euros , all 3 teams were in the top 20. Including those 3 games , England have played 15 games , up to today. W 14 and D 1. 12 of those teams are in the top 20. W 11 D 1 . GF 38 - A 5. Sarina Wiegman has them playing against previous Euro and World Cup winners. They have beaten them all. We have 3 teams in the Arnold Clarke Cup ( ACC ) in February. All 3 are in the top 20. Then Brazil 9th in April. 2 of the teams in our WC group are in the top 20. If all of those are ' easy , then i'd love to see a hard route :) We have had to play some lower teams in the WCQ group , but every game that she has arranged , has been against top 20 teams ( except czech rep , because they drew 0-0 with Usa. We also drew 0-0 with czech ). Has the Usa played 12 games in 5 months against top 20 teams?

I agree but switch Brazil’s and Canada.

AGREE

@Evil, genius Only thing in USAs way is England , Germany , Spain , France etc etc :)

@Evil, genius I could give the coach credit for dealing with the many injuries of key players, and bringing in young and unproven players, but he is the one in charge and making most if not all the decisions. The big problem I have is that he was so overhyped when they hired him, and how he was so detailed oriented, and how they were going to expand their player recruitment throughout the country. Alas, very little of that has come to fruition. The current state of the team is worst than it was during the last WC, and I don't see how they should keep him around if the team fails to make any waves.

Only thing in USAs way is the USA and the coach is horrible.

I can agree with this. I just want to count the US out and the US in 2023 is not going to play older players. We are currently in a transition. You’re right about mixing politics in the game. That’s We will just have to wait and see. hurt us more than anything. We have a lot of young talemt. We will just have to wait and see. I watched England in the Euros. I was very impressed, and they look like a real threat to beat the US.

Yea like Sara Castaneda

Wrong sport , mate :)

@A W Thanks for affirming this arrogant worldview. It's sad to know that Americans really do look down on Canadians.

I've seen much better highlights from other EU women here so I don't know where that's coming from.

That is possible. They'll still be in the top 4 or 5 , but yes, possible.

We beat japan 4 nil in spain recently , they didnt look good. Brazil we have at Wembley in April. That will show us how good they are.

@Richard Ok, but this thread is about how the US has done against Sweden. So that is what I was clarifying. England's performance isn't relevant to that. You went through all that only to discover I agree with you. I think it is obvious the US has been playing well below their normal standard and certainly shouldn't be ranked #1.

@Brian H I looked up the Usa's last games against top 20 fifa teams since sept 2021( olympics used to be for amateur plays ). They are W4-D2-L3 = 15-8 . England over the same period are W11-D1-L0= 38-5. Please correct me if i'm wrong.In most of Englands games , they were ranked 8th and beat anyone of a higher rank , including previous Euro and WC winners. Usa are ranked 1. Nine of their goals were against teams ranked 12 and 15. Exclude those two games, and you're 2-2-3 =9-8. Thats not good.

@Just Tester_99 You are mistaken. They are 1-1 in the last two World Cup/Olympic matches. You can look these things up. I find doing so useful to make sure I'm not mistaken. 😁

@Brian H And the 2 last games were losses if I'm not mistaken. 😁

In World Cups and Olympics the US has 5 wins 2 draws and 2 losses vs Sweden.

Go on soccerway and look at the last 50 teams the Usa have played. Only 6 in the top ten. And theyve recently lost to England Spain and Germany. Those sportscasters are in for a shock.

They're not used to international competitions. Their "world cups" are usually just played in the USA Vs other USA teams 😂😂😂😂

@Danny Cosmos great player, yes…..great American, no.

Yes cause she’s old but not for whatever stupid reasons republicans want her out for . She was a great player and a great American

Saying it 3 times is not going to make it any more likely.