U.S. women’s team has new vibe, work to do
The transformation of the U.S. women’s national team has been significant in the year since the Tokyo Games.
The defending World Cup champions have a new look with young talent, and coach Vlatko Andonovski has tweaked the team’s traditional straightforward and speedy attack to take a more nuanced approach.
The players say something more is going on as well: there’s been a shift in the team’s vibe.
The United States is coming off the CONCACAF W Championship, where they secured a spot in the 2023 World Cup and also the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Although they looked somewhat disorganized at the start of the tournament in Monterrey, Mexico, they outscored opponents 13-0 and secured the title with a victory over rival Canada — a team that beat them at the Olympics.
“The vibes with the team are really incredible,” midfielder Andi Sullivan said after the team lifted the tournament trophy. “The blend between the senior leaders and the young players, for some it’s their first tournament or for some players this is their umpteenth tournament, and I think that blend is incredible. That energy after a long trip, a long tournament, it was one of the most joyous days that we had.”
Fellow midfielder Rose Lavelle also ascribed the new mood on the team to the mix of youngsters and veterans.
“This is definitely the hardest qualifying tournament I’ve been a part of, which is a credit to all the teams. Everyone’s getting better and it’s getting harder to win,” Lavelle said. “So I think it was like a good taste for everyone to have this kind of like highpressure, high-stakes moment and a good experience for going to the World Cup.”