Rested and ready

The U.S. has the oldest team in the Women’s World Cup, with the 23 players on its roster averaging 29 years of age. So squad management will be a major issue in the knockout play, which would see the Americans play four games in three cities in 14 days if they reach the finals.

Complicating things is the weather, with the gray, leaden skies and rain of the last two weeks expected to give way to sunshine and temperatures in the low 80s Monday, the start of what’s expected to be a week of record-setting heat in France.

“It was part of the plan. It’s not just about resting legs, it’s also activating other players and having them be ready for these moments,” said Ellis, who played all 20 field players in the group stage. “For us, everything’s been about making sure our recovery was happening.

“The MVP right now is going to be your recovery and your hydration and your attention to detail in terms of making sure you do that. The next game starts as soon as that [current] game’s over.”

Only defender Abby Dahlkemper, midfielder Lindsey Horan and goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher started all three groupstage games, and only Naeher has played all 270 minutes.

After those three, just four women have played as many as 180 minutes in the last month.

“It’s smart,” defender Kelley O’Hara said. “Jill’s the coach so what she decides is what goes. And hopefully it will pay dividends down the stretch.”

The U.S. has played just three games in the last 27 days, a lax schedule for women used to playing once a week. But O’Hara said that schedule, plus the lineup rotations, won’t hurt the team’s sharpness.

“We play a lot of games in the year, so missing one game in a week’s span is OK,” she said.

This isn’t the first time Ellis has managed a veteran roster. In 2015, she took a team with an average age of 29 years and 5 months, the oldest in Women’s World Cup history, to the title in Canada.