It's worth asking ourselves which of our injuries have been the most damaging to our title-defense chances.
- Sauerbrunn? Vlatko not trusting Cook (which is odd, Cook has looked great) has led him to put Ertz back there, limiting the ability of Julie Ertz to be a Tyler Adams-like monster for ball retrieval and snuffing out danger. Becky is 38, but still a standout for the Thorns; she was NWSL Second XI just last year.
- Swanson? She was going to be our starting striker, or at least our starting LW, and was in the form of her life coming into that Ireland friendly. She was scoring like half the WNT's goals. How much of an upgrade over Morgan would she have been, or over Rodman or Williams on the wing? She also gives you the flexibility to play a 4-4-2 pairing with Smith (as she does with Ella Stevens at her club). We've been very locked into our 4-3-3 this tournament.
- Macario? Her attacking instincts are world class, there's a reason she plays centrally. If she were here, I bet we'd be in a 4-2-3-1 using her as the CAM, or at least she'd replace Morgan as a false 9. She almost got back from her ACL, but wasn't quite ready.
- Lavelle only just getting back from injury? Obviously she was the queen on the chessboard in 2019, nobody had an answer for her, she found passes nobody else saw and could dribble the entire stadium. She looks much-diminished, and if we're relying on Horan and DeMelo we're missing a lot of creativity.
- Mewis? Either one, really. Kristie played the SheBelieves cup and looked great. Dunno what kept her out of the WWC squad. Li'l sis Sam, your 2020 FIFA World Player of the Year, has had knee issues requiring multiple surgeries going back two years. But a high-energy box-to-box presence would be great to have right now, because Horan is kinda not all that interested in tracking back.
- Press? Sure, she's getting up there in years, but a fit and in-form Press would be starting over Rodman on the RW, and what she gives up to Rodman in sheer pace, she makes up for in shiftiness and passing vision in the final third.
At least our fullbacks are healthy, I guess. But that's about it. And yeah, every team has injury issues, it's part of the game, and we're supposedly the deepest squad in the world. But we've probably had more than our share this time around, at the worst time. Give us back even just Mal or Cat and I bet you we go through as group winners, and feel a whole lot better about our chances in the knockouts.
- Sauerbrunn? Vlatko not trusting Cook (which is odd, Cook has looked great) has led him to put Ertz back there, limiting the ability of Julie Ertz to be a Tyler Adams-like monster for ball retrieval and snuffing out danger. Becky is 38, but still a standout for the Thorns; she was NWSL Second XI just last year.
- Swanson? She was going to be our starting striker, or at least our starting LW, and was in the form of her life coming into that Ireland friendly. She was scoring like half the WNT's goals. How much of an upgrade over Morgan would she have been, or over Rodman or Williams on the wing? She also gives you the flexibility to play a 4-4-2 pairing with Smith (as she does with Ella Stevens at her club). We've been very locked into our 4-3-3 this tournament.
- Macario? Her attacking instincts are world class, there's a reason she plays centrally. If she were here, I bet we'd be in a 4-2-3-1 using her as the CAM, or at least she'd replace Morgan as a false 9. She almost got back from her ACL, but wasn't quite ready.
- Lavelle only just getting back from injury? Obviously she was the queen on the chessboard in 2019, nobody had an answer for her, she found passes nobody else saw and could dribble the entire stadium. She looks much-diminished, and if we're relying on Horan and DeMelo we're missing a lot of creativity.
- Mewis? Either one, really. Kristie played the SheBelieves cup and looked great. Dunno what kept her out of the WWC squad. Li'l sis Sam, your 2020 FIFA World Player of the Year, has had knee issues requiring multiple surgeries going back two years. But a high-energy box-to-box presence would be great to have right now, because Horan is kinda not all that interested in tracking back.
- Press? Sure, she's getting up there in years, but a fit and in-form Press would be starting over Rodman on the RW, and what she gives up to Rodman in sheer pace, she makes up for in shiftiness and passing vision in the final third.
At least our fullbacks are healthy, I guess. But that's about it. And yeah, every team has injury issues, it's part of the game, and we're supposedly the deepest squad in the world. But we've probably had more than our share this time around, at the worst time. Give us back even just Mal or Cat and I bet you we go through as group winners, and feel a whole lot better about our chances in the knockouts.