That World Cup hangover hasn’t disappeared just yet for the United States women’s national team. The USWNT and Colombia played to a 0-0 draw Thursday in the first of two friendlies between the two sides, with the second taking place on Sunday in San Diego. The match bore a strong resemblance to what the world saw from the U.S. at the most recent FIFA Women’s World Cup: the good, the bad and the ugly of that.
The vibe was certainly different when compared to the pair of friendlies the U.S. played against South Africa last month. In those matches it was all sweetness and light and smiles as the USWNT collectively celebrated the stellar careers of Julie Ertz and Megan Rapinoe. As such, the U.S. looked relaxed — though not entirely sharp — on the way to a pair of victories by a combined score of 5-0.
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On Thursday, without the celebratory mood, the U.S. veered closer to their disappointing showing in Australia and New Zealand when the defending champion was eliminated in the round of 16. Certainly Colombia had something to do with that. Their performance at the World Cup, where Las Cafeteras reached the quarterfinals, didn’t look like a fluke then and the same is true now. The fact that Colombia was missing the likes of midfielder Mayra Ramírez and striker Catalina Usme put even more of a shine on the result for the visitors.
That said, the U.S. defense was solid, almost suffocating in fact. Colombia superstar Linda Caicedo had some dynamic moments, but was also prevented from doing any major damage. She recorded zero shots and just one chance created on the night. The backline could even celebrate the return of center-back Becky Sauerbrunn, who after missing the World Cup with a foot injury entered the match at the start of the second half to make her first appearance since playing against Republic of Ireland in April.
But except from some sparks courtesy of Trinity Rodman, the attack for the most part looked tentative, and the midfield sluggish. It wasn’t until a flurry of second-half substitutions that the U.S. looked capable of imposing its will on the visitors for a sustained period. Ashley Hatch looked lively after entering the match in the 67th minute, with a tight-angled shot six minutes after coming on forcing a sharp save from Colombia goalkeeper Natalia Giraldo. Another substitute, Sophia Smith, nearly snuck a shot past Giraldo in second-half stoppage time only for it to carom off the post twice with the help from the keeper.
Another World Cup reminder was Alex Morgan looking well short of her best. She clanged a penalty against the post in first-half stoppage time, bringing back memories of her failure to convert a spot kick against Vietnam at the World Cup. She also fired straight at Giraldo in the 25th minute after being set up by Lindsey Horan. From the run of play, especially in the first half, the forward didn’t offer much of an outlet to help the U.S. break out of its own half.
Morgan’s performance, along with those from the World Cup, raises the question of whether interim manager Twila Kilgore will look to someone else to lead the line in the short time she has left at the helm. Morgan’s numbers with the San Diego Wave this season have dropped considerably, scoring just seven goals in 2023 after netting 16 times in 2022 in roughly the same number of minutes.
For now Kilgore seems set to persist with Morgan. When asked if someone else would begin taking penalties, she said: “I trust Alex Morgan to take penalties.”
