AUCKLAND, New Zealand — The road to a World Cup title is riddled with detours and alternate routes. Such a path may still get a team to its ultimate destination, just not in the way that was originally planned. So it is proving for the U.S. women’s national team, especially when it comes to its lineup choices in midfield and defense.
It was back on April 22 that U.S. captain and Portland Thorns defender Becky Sauerbrunn first injured her foot against Racing Louisville. She made it back on the field in a June 3 encounter against OL Reign, but a setback meant that she was ultimately left off the U.S. World Cup roster.
The U.S. has been feeling the aftereffects ever since.
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Julie Ertz, brought back to assume the holding midfield spot she filled with distinction in helping the U.S. claim the 2019 World Cup, has been deployed in Sauerbrunn’s old central defensive spot alongside Naomi Girma. The domino effect then left Andi Sullivan to replicate Ertz’s rather outsized role in midfield.
The results have been mixed. Ertz has been her usual steely self in the back, dominant in the air (winning 60% of those encounters) and in her ground duels (to the tune of 64.3%). She’s delivered in big moments, too. In Thursday’s match with the Netherlands, Ertz’s vital block of Esmee Brugts‘ shot in the 80th minute helped preserve a 1-1 draw.
Meanwhile, Sullivan’s play in midfield has been uneven and at times, she’s been a liability. While she was solid enough in the 3-0 win over Vietnam, Sullivan was badly beaten on the turn by Dutch forward Lieke Martens in the sequence that led to Jill Roord‘s 17th-minute opener. She also had immense difficulty dealing with a Netherlands midfield that dominated possession in the first half and imposed its will physically on the Americans.
The eye test indicates that Ertz is the preferred option in that spot. She certainly wouldn’t have allowed Martens to spin away so easily, even if it meant delivering a tactical foul. Comparing the numbers from Ertz’s performance as a midfielder in the 2019 World Cup to Sullivan’s in the current tournament — granted, the latter is just two games so far — bear this out as well.
