The Attack Looked Woeful

After a number of inconsistent results over the past six months, the U.S. women finally seemed to be back on track two weeks ago when they dominated Mexico 5-1. However, on Saturday, the attack stuttered once again.

Christen Press, Lauren Holiday, and Morgan Brian—who are normally three of the U.S.’s most technically proficient players—all repeatedly gave the ball away with poor touches and bad passes. And the forwards—Abby Wambach, Sydney Leroux, and Amy Rodriguez—all struggled to produce anything worthwhile.

Jill Ellis is hoping Lauren Holiday is trying to get all the turnovers out of her system pre-WC. #USWNT

— Jeff Carlisle (@JeffreyCarlisle) May 30, 2015

Carli Lloyd looked like the hungriest of the U.S.’s attackers, creating a number of chances for herself and her teammates. However, none of those chances resulted in anything of value for the U.S., marking the seventh-straight game for Lloyd without a tally.

While there may be a number of reasons for the poor performance, including a short break from camp after the Mexico game and a barrage of media commitments for the team this week (which included an appearance on Good Morning America), the rusty performance is troubling for a team only nine days away from its World Cup opener against Australia.

Again, Too Much Direct Play

One criticism aimed at the Americans of late, particularly in games when Wambach is in the starting XI, is the directness of their play. In two matches this year, against Iceland and the Republic of Ireland and with Wambach starting in both games, even the opposing coaches criticized the lack of passing through the U.S. midfield.

Jill Ellis has spoken a lot about bringing #USWNT into the "modern" game. Coaches from 2 recent opponents disagree. pic.twitter.com/i54eT8GBvh

— John D. Halloran (@JohnDHalloran) May 11, 2015

On Saturday, that was true again, with the U.S. often and repeatedly bypassing its midfield and resorting to pumping the ball forward, even when it had plenty of time and space to work the ball through the middle. ESPN sideline reporter Monica Gonzalez noted during one of her in-game reports that Ellis herself had told the team to “play very vertical and try to barrage the box with services.”

While this “long ball” approach has often worked for the U.S. in the past, it simply isn’t good enough anymore. It makes the U.S. attack predictable and easy to thwart.

The states are truly at there best when they pass the ball, So I don't understand the .. Hit it straight & Long Mindset !

— Jessica Fishlock (@JessFishlock) May 30, 2015

Despite the fact that the U.S. entered the game 7-0-1 all-time against South Korea and drubbed the Koreans 5-0 in their last meeting, the Americans generated few chances from its direct approach on Saturday. The match represented the fourth time in its last 11 games in which the U.S. was shutout.

Positives?

While there wasn’t much to cheer from Saturday’s effort, there were a few positives. For one, the continued growth of the women’s game was evident as the crowd of 26,467 fans was significantly larger than the 5,852 fans that saw the team off for the 2011 World Cup in Germany.

Also positive for the U.S. was the play of the defense, which earned the shutout. All four of the U.S.’s starters made key contributions in the match. It also looks like Ellis has finally settled on a preferred backline as Meghan Klingenberg, Becky Sauerbrunn, Julie Johnston, and Ali Krieger started their fifth straight match together.

Hope Solo, while largely untested, also proved up to the task when needed. Solo made two solid saves in the second half, first tipping a long-range effort over the bar in the 54th minute and parrying away another shot from distance to preserve the scorelesss draw three minutes into stoppage time.

Great save by Hope Solo at the end of the #USWNT match! #Shutout ????? https://t.co/L8SyNRqiek

— U.S. Soccer WNT (@ussoccer_wnt) May 30, 2015

What’s Next?

Following yeseterday's draw against the 18th-ranked South Koreans, the team will enjoy some downtime before heading to Canada on Tuesday.

By the time the U.S. opens up group play on June 8, the team should benefit from the expected returns of Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan. Rapinoe missed Saturday’s match with what was reported as a “slight knock” and Morgan has been out with a knee contusion since early April.

The injury to Morgan is the most concerning, as Ellis admitted after Saturday’s match that Morgan would not be 90-minutes fit by the start of the World Cup. But even if Morgan were fully fit by then, one has to wonder what her form will be like. It is commonly accepted that a striker’s finishing is the last thing to return after a long injury layoff, and considering this is Morgan’s third extended stint on the sidelines in the last 18 months, how effective she might be in Canada is a major question mark.

After the draw against South Korea, both Ellis and the U.S. players were quick to do the “nothing to see here” routine. And while the draw is troubling, both the players and the coach alike know the expectations for the U.S. as it heads to Canada—it’s a championship or bust.

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