USA TODAY International Edition
US faces emerging power in next game
LE HAVRE, France – The U.S. women’s next opponent is a budding powerhouse. Ranked No. 13 in the world, Spain has reached the knockout round in only its second World Cup appearance by finishing second in Group B. But its Round of 16 game against the United States on Monday comes four years before La Roja will be a major factor — and threat — on the biggest stage.
The teams play Monday in Reims, the same city where the Americans opened the tournament. Should the Americans win that game, they would move on to a quarterfinal match in Paris, likely against host France.
It will be only the second game between the teams, following a friendly in January in Alicante, Spain, that the Americans won 1-0. The U.S. played its regular starting lineup with the exception of Kelley O’Hara, who was recovering from ankle surgery. Christen Press, who came on as a sub at halftime, scored in the 54th minute.
“Playing against the best team in the world for the first time made us understand what playing against players with great technique in a well-learned system would mean,” Spain coach Jorge Vilda said. “This is a game where any small detail can change things. We’ve got to look at what we’ve done and correct our mistakes.
“We’ll try and do what we do best.”
Spain’s rise is a perfect example of the growth of the women’s game. While the men’s team is one of the world’s best, winning its World Cup in 2010, the women’s team was, for decades, basically non-existent. It did not qualify for the World Cup until 2015 and has never qualified for an Olympics.
But a little over three years ago, La Liga, which operates the men’s pro league in Spain, decided to create a department dedicated solely to the development of the women’s game. With 12 of the 16 men’s clubs already having women’s teams, La Liga was able to coordinate efforts to professionalize the game.
La Liga tapped into existing sponsors and “encouraged” broadcasters to take an interest in the game. Clubs have signed their senior players to contracts, allowing them to be full-time pros, and are taking the blueprint they’ve used for decades to develop their men’s players and applying it to the women.
The results have been impressive. Barcelona, which has gone all-in with its women’s team, reached the Champions League final last month. In March, more than 60,000 attended a game between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
As its women’s league gets stronger, so does its national team. Last year, the Under-17 team won the World Cup while the U-20 team reached the final before losing to Japan. The senior team won all of its World Cup qualifying games, scoring 25 goals while allowing two.
But Spain’s inexperience has been evident in France, with it quick to fall apart under pressure and being too tentative when it has a shot available.
Spain finished with four points in Group B, the same as China. Both teams lost to Germany and beat South Africa, and they played to a scoreless draw in their game. But Spain took second place because of a better goal differential. It scored three goals while allowing two, while China scored one goal and also allowed one.
“We know what the situation is,” Vilda said about facing the U.S. women. “They’re the best team in the world. This will always be a positive experience.”