da dobrowin： The U.S. midfield is a mess at the moment with bad form and one key suspension, so what can they do to change things?
da betano casino： Generally, for a team the caliber of the U.S. women's national team, the group stage is the time for a little rotation. Coaches can save an extra surprise, some extra razzle dazzle, for the knockout stage, catching opponents off guard by not necessarily showing their true team until it really counts.
Well, it would be stunning if Vlatko Andonovski had an ace up his sleeve at this point. If he did, he'd have played it by now.
The U.S. head into their Round of 16 clash with Sweden as the subject of criticism, having underperformed expectations in the group stage. After a 3-0 win over Vietnam, the U.S. drew both the Netherlands and Portugal, with the former being way less acceptable than the later. In fact, the U.S. was one post away from elimination. For a team of the USWNT's reputation, it's stunning that the situation was that dire.
So, they now limp into the knockout stage, and they do so without arguably their most important player. Rose Lavelle is out, having picked up two yellow cards to earn a suspension. Replacing her will be nearly impossible, but it's something Andonovski will have to try and do.
The question is, then, how does Andonovski line up the USWNT in this one? Does he unleash some surprises, or does he trust the team that stumbled through the group stage to find their way? GOAL takes a look at how the USWNT should look against Sweden…
Getty ImagesGK: Alyssa Naeher
Naeher didn't make a single save in the group stage, but that stat isn't as damning as you'd think.
The U.S. allowed their three opponents to put only one shot on target, the goal from Jill Roord in the Netherlands draw, leaving Naeher wildly untested through three games so far.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesLB: Crystal Dunn
If Andonovski really wants to shock everyone, he could push Dunn into the midfield and put Fox back on the left, but that seems like a massive decision to make at this point in time.
Instead, Dunn will likely remain on the left-hand side, where she's certainly been one of the team's more active players.
GettyCB: Naomi Girma
A no-doubter here, and probably for the next decade.
Girma has been the USWNT's best-performing player so far this summer, with her poise and confidence in her defending really standing out.
She starts, in this game and any further ones.
CB: Alana Cook
He has to do it this time, right? Right?!
Andonovski has faced criticism for starting Julie Ertz at centerback despite glaring needs in midfield and, by doing so, he's indicating he doesn't fully trust Cook, for whatever reason. But, given what we've seen so far in the midfield, he's going to have to trust her now.