USWNT looking for progress, not payback, in Gold Cup quarterfinal

Laken Litman

College Football & Soccer Analyst

Alex Morgan thought for a second before answering the question.

During a CONCACAF W Gold Cup press conference on Friday afternoon, the veteran striker was asked if the United States women’s soccer team has something to prove. Among plenty of other accomplishments over the last 30+ years, this is a program that has won more World Cups than any other nation and has fought for and won equal pay. It set the standard other countries strive to meet.

But given recent history, it’s not a completely unfair question. Last summer the USWNT was knocked out of the World Cup following a penalty shootout with Sweden in the round of 16, marking the squad’s earliest exit in major tournament history. More recently, on Monday, the team lost to Mexico for just the second time in 43 meetings in its final Gold Cup group stage match. The 2-0 result cost the U.S. the top spot in Group A, which means the Americans now have to face a tougher opponent in Colombia on Sunday in the quarterfinal. While the USWNT is still a favorite to win this tournament, advancing to the semifinal is not guaranteed.

“Just because we dropped a few games in the past doesn’t mean we don’t show up with the same intention every single day,” Morgan said. “And I think that’s really important to remember. We have a very high expectation set on ourselves. Everyone does. And that’s for good reason because we have won major tournaments — the most of any country in the history of women’s soccer.

“But of course, as everyone has seen and as we love to see, the quality of women’s football globally is evolving and getting better and there’s more opportunity for women to play football year round, for more respect and opportunity for growth, and for financial stability.

“I don’t know if this next game is something we’re saying we need to prove something, but every single game is just a step in a direction that we’re trying to make as this team right now.”

The USWNT is in a time of transition. Emma Hayes, the longtime Chelsea manager who was hired as the team’s new head coach in November, has yet to take over full time. That is not expected to happen until later this spring, once the WSL season has ended. Interim coach Twila Kilgore said Friday that she and Hayes are “in lockstep” when it comes to the vision and direction of the team, but real change likely won’t take place until Hayes is on the ground.

So while the Americans’ loss to Mexico on Monday may have seemed stunning, the USWNT understands there will be more challenges along the way while they grow as a program, add young players to the national team environment, figure out different player combinations, and evolve their style of play.

“It’s a process,” Kilgore said. “There’s gonna be some bumps in the road. But we’re moving forward.”

Morgan said the team has “regrouped” and refocused itself since losing to Mexico. Younger players have been leaning on experienced ones like Morgan, Alyssa Naeher, Becky Sauerbrunn, Crystal Dunn and Lindsey Horan. There have been team meetings this week where “we dive into not only how we’re going to work on the field, but off the field and what to expect and how to support each other in different ways,” Morgan said.

“So I think it’s been a really good five days so far as we’ve processed the last game and moved onto the next game and I think we’re in a good place.”

The U.S. has faced its next opponent Colombia four times since June 2022, the most recent being a pair of friendlies last October. The first match ended in a 0-0 draw and the USWNT won the second 3-0.

Las Cafeteras are also in a period of transition, hiring a new coach after their Cinderella run to the World Cup quarterfinal last summer. The team is led by 19-year-old sensation and Real Madrid forward Linda Caicedo, who is one of soccer’s brightest young stars. None of that phases the U.S., which is trying to consistently be the best version of itself. Kilgore said Friday the key for them is to win first balls, win second balls and push the tempo against an aggressive team like Colombia.

“When we talk about our style of play, hopefully it’s evident that there’s things like width in new areas and looking to play in new areas of the pitch and starting to have these repeated moments in front of goal,” Kilgore said.

“But all of those things mean nothing if you don’t first approach the battle, and we expect that this is going to be a big battle and we’re up for it. We’re ready for it.”

Things didn’t go according to plan the last time the USWNT was in the knockout round of a major tournament. But Kilgore said they are treating this match as a “totally new tournament” and will continue “with the style of play, the tactical adjustments and the systems that we’re using to make sure that we’re moving forward and continuing to evolve so that we can not only compete at our very best this tournament, but when we enter our next tournament, we are well rehearsed.”

“We all understand that there’s not an athlete in the room – and most people in life — that their trajectory has just been [upward],” Kilgore continued. “The standards for this team are very high, and the expectation is to win in this program all the time.

“But the reality is, sometimes when you’re working on things, it doesn’t quite come off. And sometimes the opponent is really good. But these are moments that are still moving in the right direction, and we understand that how we respond to them is everything.

“And while we’re known for winning, we’re also known for competing and bouncing back and being proud of who we are and will continue to step forward in the right direction.”

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of “Strong Like a Woman,” published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.