The play came about within the California sunshine, neatly into the toil of a goalless tussle with Wales, and it featured 3 Global Cup debutantes-to-be, two of them more youthful than younger. Lynn Williams, at midfield amid 3 defenders who have been like moons to a planet, fed a dreamy little via ball leftward to 22-year-old Sophia Smith, who raced and were given it after which crossed with out flaw to 21-year-old Trinity Rodman, who knocked it in.
Mix that with Rodman’s calm, lovely roller into the highest proper within the 87th minute, and the American citizens’ 2-0 win in opposition to an arranged Wales group that packed the field to the gills had slightly message, if we’re allowed to derive the ones from exhibitions:
What’s forward may well be unsure with 14 new avid gamers, but it surely additionally may well be pretty.
“Each recreation’s a check,” mentioned Rodman, who got here on at halftime and reached 4 targets in 18 nationwide group appearances, “and we’re construction that chemistry.”
With that, the American citizens made off for the airport, even though no longer the only simply around the side road from the San Jose Earthquakes’ house of PayPal Park, nearly shut sufficient to the San Jose airport to witness any passenger brawls in the course of the home windows. They did so after a send-off rite protracted sufficient that you may have fearful they might leave out their aircraft or no less than must play offense and protection speeding in the course of the airport. They did so after Trainer Vlatko Andonovski, himself about to debut in a Global Cup, despatched many of the roster out to the pitch save for some venerable veterans: Julie Ertz, 31; Megan Rapinoe, 38; and Rose Lavelle, 28. The ones 3 didn’t upload to their mixture general of 405 caps out of warning.
“In order that they’re all wholesome,” Andonovski mentioned, “They’re cleared to play. Julie, in truth, is slightly bit forward of Rose and Rapinoe. The best way I’d put it for Julie is that if this was once a Global Cup recreation … it’s a no brainer, she may play.” Lavelle and Rapinoe, the latter struggle horse having introduced her retirement Saturday, stand slightly in the back of Ertz with their quite a lot of knocks in “the accumulation level” towards readiness, Andonovski mentioned.
Past that, the 46-year-old Macedonian American supervisor had a remark in regards to the global, person who he implemented to the win over Wales and to the Global Cup pending. “We pay attention, ‘The sector is catching up; the sector is catching up,’ ” he mentioned, and he clarified, “The sector has at all times been there,” noting that the American citizens didn’t win a Global Cup for the eternity between 1999 and 2015.
The place “the sector” truly has stepped forward, he mentioned, is within the class of groups equivalent to Wales, Vietnam (the American citizens’ first opponent July 21 in New Zealand), Zambia, Portugal and others. “The 7-0, 8-0 video games are long past,” he mentioned. “What we’re getting ready ourselves for is we don’t run right into a recreation like this with the mentality of, ‘It’s going to be simple.’ ”
They ran right into a recreation like this Sunday earlier than it become their 8th win of a spotless 2023. They required endurance, a phrase second-time Global Cup defender Crystal Dunn hired in her postgame remarks. As defender Sofia Huerta put it, “The entire level of this recreation is solely to peer sure issues we’re going to peer within the Global Cup. … There’s 14 other folks going to their first Global Cup. Everyone must be able for his or her alternative” as a result of everyone can somewhat determine to get one.
They were given it Sunday as they burrowed into their puzzle with out many obvious probabilities for an extended whilst earlier than they solved it in large part with that glance of the longer term.
“It was once very packed,” Rodman mentioned of Wales’s protection earlier than announcing of the power she added in reserve, “That’s roughly the purpose each and every time I step at the box.” She headed for her first Global Cup announcing, “To be despatched off like this was once such an awesome feeling,” and she or he mentioned the theory of her subsequent fit being at a Global Cup “nonetheless doesn’t appear actual,” at the same time as her capability to give a contribution turns out very actual.
“She made a perfect run,” Smith mentioned.
She helped “lift the tempo and the pace of the sport slightly bit,” Andonovski mentioned. “We noticed that the tempo of the sport modified dramatically.” He famous the free-flowing freedom of the younger avid gamers, how the jobs and positions of Smith and Rodman modified in the course of the mins. “It simply makes it slightly extra unpredictable,” Andonovski mentioned, with avid gamers allowed to “play via their instincts.” He mentioned they might all want “a pair extra weeks until we get in sync,” and they’ll search that of their quiet bonding bubble in a rustic no longer famous for loudness.
“Clearly,” co-captain Alex Morgan mentioned along with her 18 Global Cup caps packed into her Global Cup baggage, “the mentality is that we think to win there, but it surely’s going to be extraordinarily tough.”
Because the remaining follow quiz ended, many of the enthusiasts remained. Attendants walked 3 banners onto the sphere — one studying “All the time Imaginable,” one with the United States brand and one studying in Spanish “Todo Es Posible.” A video performed with quite a lot of stars from Tina Fey to Mia Hamm to Taylor Swift to Gabrielle Union to Jalen Hurts to Lil Wayne congratulating one participant apiece on being decided on.
Then the avid gamers made curtain calls separately, with 18-year-old Alyssa Thompson doing slightly sashay, Rapinoe turning round to pose and Dunn dancing up the midway line facet to facet. When that and the entire bulletins completed, the avid gamers walked over slightly bridge within the stadium concourse as a throng underneath them waited with little women on larger shoulders and bursts of noise as every participant went via.
Goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury, for one, stopped and were given a selfie with the gang in in the back of her as a result of, in any case, it additionally despatched her off towards a primary Global Cup.
