USWNT Still Has Plenty Left to Show in Concacaf Qualifying Tournament

The U.S. has cemented a Women’s World Cup berth, and an Olympic one is within reach despite the overall product not quite hitting the usual standard.

It’s not easy being the U.S. women’s national team sometimes. Win matches you’re supposed to with ease, and it’s expected. Fail to produce at a high standard, and the alarm bells start to ring, justifiably or otherwise.

In black-and-white terms, the Concacaf W Championship has been a success for the U.S. so far. Operating under the qualifying conditions set by the region, the top-ranked Americans cemented a berth in the 2023 Women’s World Cup after just two games, against teams ranked 60th and 51st in the world. They haven’t conceded a goal in three matches, and with two more wins, they’ll earn an automatic place in the ’24 Olympics. All of this has been achieved with a select group of core players missing, and a group of younger players being brought along for their first qualifying ride at this level.

But the performances haven’t been all that great—there has been some heavy rotation along the way—and even coach Vlatko Andonovski is keenly aware that while this is a results-based competition whose format heavily favors the likes of the U.S., there’s another level or two for his side to hit before it reaches its maximum potential.

“I have to say if you asked me if we are ready to play in the World Cup tomorrow, we’re probably not ready for it,” Andonovski candidly said following Monday’s 1–0 win over Mexico. “But we are going to be ready in a year, absolutely.”

The USWNT has qualified for the 2023 Women’s World Cup :: Fernando Llano/AP

Midfielder Andi Sullivan spoke Wednesday from Mexico, on the eve of the U.S.’s Concacaf W Championship semifinal against Costa Rica, about how the team is taking a detailed view of its performances. Amid the sense of accomplishment, there’s a greater level of acknowledgement regarding where things could be done better and an understanding about the vulnerabilities on which better opponents could pounce. 

“We’ve been looking a lot at details that aren’t getting exploited in these games but could potentially hurt us or help us in other games,” said Sullivan, who started two of the three group games.

Mexico was purportedly the best team (26th in FIFA’s latest ranking) the U.S. faced in the group stage and it put up a valiant fight Monday, yet it went winless on home soil, didn’t score a goal and finished last in their quartet. Costa Rica (37th) is up next, and a lopsided history between the two would suggest the U.S. will find its way through. In terms of a potential chance to face and ace a test, there’s one permutation out there that fits the bill, and it’s a matchup in the final vs. Canada.

It was Bev Priestman’s side that denied the U.S. a shot at Olympic gold last summer and sent the Americans to a bronze-medal game. And should they meet again in next Monday’s W Championship final, a return trip to the Olympics would be on the line (the second- and third-place finishers will meet next year for the region’s other berth at Paris 2024).

Sullivan claims that “we take every game as if we’re playing in the World Cup or playing in the Olympics, so it doesn’t feel like that much of a shift from a player’s perspective,” but you can only play that mental exercise so many times. A match with those kinds of tangible stakes against that kind of rivalry opponent is what this U.S. group sorely needs. 

Sullivan said that during down time at the W Championship, the U.S. has been watching the Women’s Euros, as the daytime match schedule jives well with the U.S.’s training and game times. It’s a glimpse at some of the other top teams in the world (six of the top 10 in FIFA’s rankings are UEFA nations) and a chance to scout those who may stand in the way of a World Cup three-peat next summer in Australia and New Zealand.

“It’s been fun for us to discuss and watch together at meals,” she said. “It builds the excitement toward the World Cup. We’re enjoying it as fans for the game but also as preparing us for the World Cup and who could potentially be there.”

Andonovski and the USWNT need to win two more games to qualify for the 2024 Olympics :: Fernando Llano/AP

The two opponents the U.S. has next—Costa Rica and either Canada or Jamaica—will be there by virtue of their top-two group finishes at the W Championship, and the opponent for two friendlies in early September, 39th-ranked Nigeria, could qualify with a win on Thursday. In 10 games against overmatched competition this year, the U.S. has conceded just one goal, going 9-0-1. It’s abundantly clear that things could be a lot worse and that any problem the U.S. has—conceding too many chances, being more proficient in the final third, making the most of its possession advantage, breaking down compact sides, playing with a greater overall level of crispness—is fixable. But with its two remaining matches in Mexico, there’s plenty the U.S. needs to iron out in order to both secure its ticket back to the Olympics and feel more assured about its play a year from now.

“I’m very happy with with the progress of the team, development of the team and the development of the individuals within the team as well,” Andonovski said. “I think that we’re doing a good job and we’re moving in the right direction.”