Alex Morgan admitted that the U.S. women’s national team was not at its best in its World Cup opener against Vietnam.
The USWNT defeated Vietnam 3-0 in a game it controlled from start to finish, but it squandered a number of chances — including a missed penalty by Morgan — in a match it could have easily won by many more goals.
The U.S. will have to be sharper in its second game, a World Cup final rematch against the Netherlands on Wednesday night U.S. time, which is Thursday afternoon in New Zealand.
Speaking at a press conference, Morgan said the USWNT needs to work out some of the kinks from the Vietnam match moving forward.
“I think we saw a lot of glimpses of our potential, but I feel like we weren’t always clicking on the field,” the USWNT co-captain said.
“I feel like some of the plays that we had were a little forced or rushed. So I think it’s having a little more patience, switching a little bit more, having our movements be a little more synchronized. And so I think we’re looking to apply that for this next game and moving forward.”
Several of the underdogs at this World Cup have performed admirably against strong opponents, including CONCACAF sides Jamaica and Haiti, who tied France and narrowly lost to England, respectively.
“We’re seeing that every game is really competitive,” U.S. defender Sofia Huerta said. “We’re glad to see the CONCACAF teams come here and perform so well and make a name for themselves, because every time we have to qualify [for the World Cup] and we’re in the CONCACAF tournament, it’s difficult. I don’t think people realize how hard it is to play some of those teams.”
Morgan added: “There haven’t been many games where teams are able to break through easily against opponents.
“So we knew that would be the case with Vietnam, but we were trying to be patient. I feel like at times we could have just stood on the ball a little more and kind of been a little more decisive with our play. So I think that’s something we could apply to the next game.”
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