OVER THE NEXT WEEK OR SO the United States women's national team will face its biggest tests in the buildup to the 2015 World Cup, flying across the Atlantic Ocean to face France and England.

First, the Americans will take on France in Lorient on February 8 (12pm ET, ESPN2), followed by a game five days later against England in Milton Keynes on February 13 (3pm ET, Fox Sports 1).

Although the matches are friendlies, they represent the stiffest competition the U.S. will face before departing for Canada this summer. The games should also offer fans a glimpse of the true progress of the team under head coach Jill Ellis.

Since taking over the reins of the U.S. squad last April Ellis has led the team to an impressive 11-1-4 record over 16 games. But reading the thoughts of many fans in article comments, message boards, and on Twitter, it's obvious that the team's performances—regardless of the won-loss record—have been less than convincing.

I can't even deal with Jill Ellis' coaching. Abby as attacking mid? Kling, again? There is no way we will win World Cup like this. #USWNT

— Kirsten (@Redberta11) December 14, 2014

Wow if the #USWNT wants to win the World Cup they can't be losing to Brazil and tying with China. Need to get things figured out.

— Noor Mahmood (@NoorMahmood10) December 15, 2014

So, where is the disconnect?

In Ellis' 11-month tenure, the U.S. has primarily played a series of weak opponents, including China, Switzerland, Argentina, and a host of overmatched CONCACAF foes. The team has also struggled to implement a new 4-3-3 formation and players themselves have described multiple efforts as "disjointed."

Ellis certainly can't be blamed for the relative weakness of the schedule, but she can be held accountable for her relatively weak record against top opponents. Over Ellis' 16 games in charge reaching back to last April, the U.S. has played five matches against teams ranked in the top 10—two against Brazil, two against France, and one against Canada. In those games, the Americans have gone 1-1-3.

After muddling through World Cup qualifying in the fall, the team went to Brazil in December where it went 1-1-2, drawing China and losing to Brazil in group play before tying Brazil in a scoreless tournament final. While the team was in South America, it also lost its No. 1 FIFA ranking, a position it had held since 2007.

For Ellis and the U.S. women, the time frame to right the ship and make its final World Cup adjustments is narrowing. There are only four months left until the World Cup kicks off and the U.S. has been placed in the so-called "group of death" with Australia, Sweden, and Nigeria.

For the games in Brazil, many U.S. players blamed a long layoff for the poor results. Now, on the back of a three-week training camp in January and heading to Europe for friendlies against two top teams, the U.S. should be able to see where it truly stands.

The Roster

GOALKEEPERS: Nicole Barnhart (FC Kansas City), Ashlyn Harris (Washington Spirit), Alyssa Naeher (Boston Breakers)

DEFENDERS: Lori Chalupny (Chicago Red Stars), Crystal Dunn (Washington Spirit), Whitney Engen (Western NY Flash), Julie Johnston (Chicago Red Stars), Meghan Klingenberg (Houston Dash), Ali Krieger (Washington Spirit), Kelley O'Hara (Sky Blue FC), Becky Sauerbrunn (FC Kansas City), Rachel Van Hollebeke (Portland Thorns FC)

MIDFIELDERS: Shannon Boxx (Chicago Red Stars), Morgan Brian (Houston Dash), Tobin Heath (Portland Thorns FC), Lauren Holiday (FC Kansas City), Tori Huster (Washington Spirit), Carli Lloyd (Houston Dash), Heather O'Reilly (FC Kansas City)

FORWARDS: Sydney Leroux (Seattle Reign FC), Alex Morgan (Portland Thorns FC), Christen Press (Chicago Red Stars), Amy Rodriguez (FC Kansas City), Abby Wambach (Western NY Flash)

The notable absences from the U.S. roster are Megan Rapinoe, Christine Rampone, and Hope Solo. Rapinoe and Rampone were both injured during the January camp; Solo is serving a 30-day suspension mandated by the federation after an incident during the camp.

Sisters Kristie and Sam Mewis, who were both in the January camp, were dropped from the squad for the trip to Europe. Rachel Van Hollebeke and Shannon Boxx, both of whom missed the roster for the team's recent trip to Brazil, have made the team this time around.

The lone new face on the squad is the Washington Spirit's Tori Huster, a first time call-up.

Positional Battles to Watch

With Solo suspended, all eyes will be on the goalkeeper position. Nicole Barnhart, with 54 international caps and experience in important matches, is the most obvious choice to replace Solo in the net. While Barnhart did not play a single minute for the U.S. in an injury-riddled 2014, she did deputize for an injured Solo during 2011 World Cup qualifying.

The other two choices are Ashlyn Harris and Alyssa Naeher. Harris has only four caps, two of which were earned in 2014. Naeher has one only senior appearance to her name, earned in the U.S.'s 7-0 drubbing of Argentina in December.

Also intriguing: Who will play the No. 10 role? Ellis has primarily used Megan Rapinoe and Abby Wambach to spearhead her attack out of the midfield. But with Rapinoe out due to injury and Wambach relatively ineffective in the role, the February friendlies should prove a great opportunity to look at other options.

Lauren Holiday, Carli Lloyd, and Morgan Brian are all excellent attacking midfielders and, arguably, are all better fits than Rapinoe—who usually plays her best games from a wide position. A dark-horse contender for the No. 10 role is Tobin Heath, one of the team's most technical players.

There is also a battle brewing at outside back, a position which had looked fairly settled in World Cup qualifying before the surprise return of Lori Chalupny in December. While Ali Krieger is the de facto No. 1 at right back, Chalupny earned three starts in Brazil on the left and is now likely battling Meghan Klingenberg for that spot. Many fans want to see Kelley O'Hara be given a chance to reclaim her starting position at left back—a position she played more than capably during the U.S.'s run to Olympic gold in 2012—but thus far, Ellis hasn't seen things the same way.

At center back, especially with Rampone out, Whitney Engen should see an increased role as Julie Johnston and Van Hollebeke battle it out for what will likely be the final World Cup roster spot in the center of the U.S.'s defense. Johnston was on the roster for World Cup qualifying. Van Hollebeke was cut and went to Japan on loan to stay fit.

Van Hollebeke has an edge over Johnston in experience, but Johnston—who first impressed with the U.S. U-20 team that won the World Cup in 2012—is an up-and-comer who is also versatile enough to play in the midfield.

At forward, it will be interesting to see what choices Ellis makes. Even without Rapinoe competing for minutes in the wide forward role, there are still seven players fighting for time at three spots. Christen Press has emerged as one of the team's most important players, seeing minutes in 23 out of 24 U.S. matches in 2014. Alex Morgan should finally be back after two long injury layoffs while Sydney Leroux will be looking to recapture her form—which sputtered toward the end of 2014.

@StarsStripesFC I am definitely in full contact, never missed a practice this camp.

— Alex Morgan (@alexmorgan13) January 28, 2015

Also in the mix, of course, will be Abby Wambach, with Tobin Heath, Heather O'Reilly, and Amy Rodriguez also competing for minutes.

Stumbled upon the end of USWNT scrimmage. Notables: @TobinHeath nearly scored a worldie from 25 yards. & as usual, Wambach looks unplayable.

— Blake Thomsen (@blakecthomsen) January 25, 2015

The Opponents

France heads into the match against the U.S. ranked No. 3 in the world, having gone an impressive 10-0-0 in World Cup qualifying with a +51 goal differential. The U.S. beat the French in the semifinals of the 2011 World Cup. This past June, the U.S. played back-to-back friendlies against France, winning the first and drawing the second.

The French roster features multiple players from Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain. Lyon is one of the best female clubs in the world, having played in four of the last five Champions League finals and winning two. Both clubs also have American connections as well, with Megan Rapinoe having played two stints for Lyon and Tobin Heath doing the same for PSG. PSG is also the current home of American U-20 star Lindsey Horan.

In October, France beat the top-ranked Germans, 2-0; in November, the the team beat Brazil 2-0.

For what it's worth, the Americans have never lost to France, going 14-0-2.

England also went 10-0-0 in World Cup qualifying and also had a +51 goal differential, conceding just one goal in the process. Ranked sixth in the most recent FIFA rankings, the English beat No. 5 Sweden 4-0 in August.

However, the English were dealt a cold dose of reality in November as a stout German team defeated England 3-0 at Wembley Stadium. The U.S. is 7-3-1 against England all-time.

The Importance

The absences of Rampone, Rapinoe, and Solo for these games will obviously make it impossible for the Americans to get a completely accurate idea of where they are four months out from the World Cup.

However, these two matches are still the best indicator the U.S. will get before traveling to Canada this summer. After the matches against France and England, the U.S. will be facing a relatively weak schedule, including matches against Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, New Zealand, Ireland, Mexico, and South Korea—none of whom have France or England's firepower.

John D. Halloran is an American Soccer Now columnist. Follow him on Twitter.