After a hard fought first half of football yesterday between Team USA and Colombia, the South Americans crumbled and let the game slip away from them. The US fully took advantage of a few Colombia mistakes (and made some of their own) as they ran out 2-0 winners and booked their ticket to a quarter-final showdown with China on Friday.
A penalty was gifted to the USA in the 47th minute that also resulted in a sending off for Colombia’s goalkeeper Catalina Perez. Up stepped 21-year-old Stefany Castano, who took Perez’ place in between the sticks. The Colombian was immediately faced with the daunting task of saving an Abby Wambach penalty but shockingly the US forward’s penalty sailed wide.
Just minutes later however, some clever play left Alex Morgan in space in the box, where she capitalised on the inexperience of the new goalkeeper, scoring at the near post.
Ten minutes after the US broke the deadlock, a foul on Megan Rapinoe in the box meant another penalty for the world’s number two side, and this time it was Carli Lloyd who stepped up to the spot. The 32-year-old buried it into the back of the net and sealed the victory for her country.
But, what specific aspect of yesterday’s win had a lasting impression on me?
Physicality is not always the answer
Colombia are known for their typical South American style on the pitch which includes lots of fancy flicks and trickery whilst on the ball. Like most sides from that part of the world, Colombia’s starting eleven is packed with flair. Lady Andrade made her mark on this year’s Women’s World Cup by being a stand out star for her country and also its top scorer, and there were numerous moments throughout the game where her skill and unpredictability left American defenders both nervous and flat footed.
However, it was the way that the United States reacted to this style of play that manager Jill Ellis needs to acknowledge, and potentially address. It often happens in football: the more and more an attacker likes to show off, the more aggressive their opponents will become over time. Yesterday was no different. Gradually, the Americans began turning up the pressure and closing down Colombia’s attackers both quicker and harder. This allowed less time for them to pick their heads up and find a teammate to pass to, and less time to boast some fancy tricks. This change in defensive mentality was surely fueled by a hint of frustration, no?
Listen, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of physicality. In fact, I think football needs physicality. It’s one of the many reasons why the sport is so entertaining to both play and watch. Disappointingly though, the United States’ physical reaction yesterday backfired. They committed a staggering amount of fouls (21) as opposed to their southern counterparts (12). Even worse, both Lauren Holiday and Megan Rapinoe will miss the quarter-final on Friday, as they both received yellow cards for unnecessary fouls. Those will be two big misses for the USWNT, and it’ll be interesting to see who replaces the pair in Ellis’ starting eleven three days from now. Whilst physicality is a necessity in football, you have to be careful not to overdo it, and I hope that Team USA learned their lesson.
