FOR THE UNITED STATES women's national team—which has won two World Cups, four Olympic gold medals, and held the No. 1 ranking in the world since 2007—expectations are always high.

But sometimes those expectations are so high that even the slightest hints of a setback can set off loud alarms.

Last Wednesday, the U.S. tied China 1-1 in the opening game of International Tournament of Brasilia, despite beating China on two separate occasions earlier this year. Then on Sunday, the team lost to Brazil, 3-2, behind a hat trick from five-time FIFA World Player of Year Marta.

No improvement in move toward possession style play, minimal minutes for young players, and a draw. What are the goals & objectives here?

— Sarah Gehrke (@Sarah_Gehrke) December 10, 2014

For U.S. midfielder Lauren Holiday, however, who spoke to American Soccer Now ahead of the U.S.'s match against the sixth-ranked Brazilians, the result against China shouldn't be something fans worry about too much.

"I don't think it's concerning at all," Holiday said. "Every team has to have a break and we just came off a six-week break. We're coming together and playing quality opponents. I think playing when you're not 100% fit and still getting back to things is character building and defining as a team. I don't think we had a good game at all. I don't think that we played well at all. But it's about how we bounce back now."

Heading into 2014, Holiday has become one of the keys to head coach Jill Ellis' move to redefine the team. A starter for the U.S. in the 2011 World Cup as an outside midfielder and forward, Holiday became the team's starting center midfielder, playing in the No. 8 role, for the team in the 2012 Olympics.

Now, as Holiday and the Americans work toward the 2015 World Cup next summer in Canada, and make the switch away from the team's traditional 4-4-2 into a new-look 4-3-3, the Indiana native has taken on yet another new role—as the team's No. 6.

And while winning the starting job at four different positions on the best team in the world is impressive, it isn't something Holiday attributes to any of her physical gifts.

"What makes me so versatile is the willingness to be versatile. So many players put themselves in a box, or a coach puts them in a box and they're told that they're one thing and they're not willing to see other [positions]," she said. "The other quality is my brain. I'm not the fastest, I'm not the most athletic. But I will outthink you. I will figure out your game so I can beat you.

"Being versatile—a lot of it is mental." Holiday's importance to the team was recognized last week as she was voted U.S. Soccer's 2014 Female Athlete of the Year, an award Holiday says helped cap off an amazing year for both club and country.

"I feel like this year has been pretty awesome. Winning the NWSL title and the CONCACAF championship, and now being named Female Athlete of the year, is an honor, and humbling," Holiday said. "FC Kansas City has been an awesome place for me to grow and flourish. [Playing for the U.S.], I tell people it's the best job in the world. Being able to play with an elite level of players day-in and day-out is such an honor."

Holiday also picked up her 100th international cap this year and is now one of the team's most experienced players, despite being only 27 years old.

"It's really funny to think about," Holiday said. "It feels weird because I've grown up with these women, and now to see a Morgan Brian and talk to her about school and feel like she's a little sister is really funny because I remember being in her shoes."

Looking forward to next summer's World Cup, Holiday also realizes the magnitude of the task in front of the U.S. Drawn into the proverbial "group of death" with Australia, Sweden, and Nigeria, however, hasn't fazed Holiday—or her teammates.

"I'm excited. We're all really excited. It's a tough draw, there's no doubt about it, but it's going to prepare us in so many ways before the knockout round. Once we get through our group, we're going to be ready for the quarters, the semis, and the finals."

Because of the U.S.'s placement in a group with three of the toughest non-seeded teams in the world, finishing second in the group is a real possibility. With the knockout round setup, the team finishing second in Group D will likely face Brazil in the Round of 16, Japan in the quarterfinals, and perhaps host nation Canada in the finals. But Holiday and her teammates have faced that situation before, when a loss to Sweden in the group stage of the 2011 World Cup forced the U.S. into a more difficult path in the knockout round.

"We've been there, done that when we came in second [in the 2011 group stage] and had to play Brazil [in the quarterfinals]. We have to focus on ourselves. There are so many good teams in the world but our greatest competition is ourselves. We have to stay focused and figure out our opponents. It's just part of the process."

Between now and next summer Holiday also realizes there is much to be done as the U.S. finalizes its transition to a three-front.

"In qualifying, there were games where we did feel disjointed," Holiday said. "It's part of the learning process. We have a standard, we have an expectation. But sometimes having that standard and never changing, it stifles your growth. It's good for us to go through the growing pains and know what it feels like to be disjointed and know what it feels like to be on.

"Against China, that was our biggest thing. We were completely disjointed. To work that out and go through that process will help us grow."

One position that the U.S. still hasn't resolved heading into next summer—with Holiday playing as the team's No. 6 and Carli Lloyd as the team's No. 8—is who should play the No. 10 role in the American midfield.

"We're still figuring it out. We have so many quality attacking players," Holiday said. "Megan Rapinoe is one of them, Christen Press can be one of them, Tobin Heath can be one of them. Honestly, I think that Morgan Brian could be great at that position."

With two more games in Brazil, the team will have a few more chances to experiment over the next week with the game coming on Wednesday against Argentina. But with the World Cup looming, the U.S. needs to sort out its lineup and formation sooner rather than later.

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