Megan Rapinoe has joined a growing list of people saying the U.S. women’s national team should have made earlier adjustments during this summer’s World Cup.
In an interview with The Atlantic published on Tuesday, Rapinoe — who before the tournament had announced plans to retire at the end of the 2023 NWSL season — acknowledged that the changed approach seen in the team’s round of 16 meeting with Sweden would have helped the team in the group stage.
“It felt a lot more fluid,” said Rapinoe. “I think we set up more to our strengths and what was going to make us hard to beat. I wish we’d done that earlier, because we would’ve had more time with it. But obviously, hindsight is 20/20.”
USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski resigned after the team had its worst-ever showing at a World Cup. He drew intense criticism from pundits for an oddly-implemented 4-3-3 formation that prioritized pushing numbers high up the field over midfield connections on both sides of the ball.
Facing the Swedes without a suspended Rose Lavelle, the U.S. switched things up. Defender Emily Sonnett was deployed as a surprise midfield starter in a 4-2-3-1, while the aggressive early runs from midfield were held until the team had progressed further up the field in possession.
The changes worked to some degree: the USWNT saved their best performance for their toughest opponent, only to go out on penalties after finishing troubles undermined their play.
Rapinoe: USWNT could have gone further
The USWNT’s tactical issues in the group stage contributed to being second-best for a substantial chunk of a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands, as well as a dispiriting scoreless draw against Portugal that nearly saw the team eliminated in stoppage time.
In a different formation, and with more consistent numbers in the midfield, the U.S. looked like a more formidable foe. A win over the Dutch, in particular, would have secured the top spot in Group E, which in turn would have resulted in a less daunting round of 16 clash against South Africa (a team the USWNT has beaten in every previous meeting without so much as conceding a goal).
Lindsey Horan, whose own role within the two approaches was markedly different, hinted on the RE-CAP Show podcast that the players may have tweaked the team’s planned tactics on their own.
While saying that the tactical changes should have come earlier, Rapinoe was a bit more philosophical in evaluating the World Cup as a whole.
“Was there a little bit more in the tournament for us? Yes, I think so,” said the 38-year-old, echoing the thoughts of many outside the team’s bubble. “But in the end, I think we played as good as we could, and we tried as hard as we could, and sometimes you lose… I don’t look at it as this devastating thing and a verdict on who we are as players or as a team.”
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