In the Women’s World Cup, the U.S. has gone from favorites and defending champs to hated targets.
All it took was a 13-0 opening humiliation of outmanned Thailand, each goal punctuated by its own celebration. If the Americans weren’t ensured of getting their opponents’ best, they are now, starting with Sunday’s Group F matchup against Chile at Parc de Princes in Paris.
“This team has this capacity when you get into an event like this to flip a switch because what we’ve done over the last 2 ½ years has been building to this and there’s been some quality there,” coach Jill Ellis said. “The mindset in the players, you can just see a difference, feel a difference. The confidence is 100 percent.”
It certainly should be after steamrolling through their opener with the most goals in World Cup history. But the road gets more difficult, facing a tough, skilled Chile side that will be properly incentivized, playing for their World Cup lives after dropping their opener 2-0 to Sweden.
“We don’t go on to the pitch thinking of losing by a small margin. We go out to get something, at least a point,” Chile forward Yanara Aedosaid said. “It’s not a victory to lose by a small margin against the USA. A victory for us is to play well, to the best of our capabilities, and playing the way we know to play.”
With keeper Christiane Endler — who stars for powerhouse local side Paris Saint-Germain — the U.S. likely won’t run roughshod on Chile. Chile will sit low, absorb pressure and play for a draw and bank on beating Thailand. Still, with the world’s best strikeforce, a deep midfield and momentum, the U.S. will look to break through that bunkering.
“[It’ll be] amazing. The first game we had so many U.S. fans it almost felt like a home game,” said Lindsey Horan, who skipped college and spent 2012-16 starring at PSG herself. “I think for us to be in Paris — in the heart of it all and for me to be back in my second home — we’re all excited for the second game. The pitch is going to be remarkable. You can’t play bad football on it, so it’s going to be very exciting.”
Chile will be Ellis’ 122nd game, moving her past the late Tony DiCicco for second all-time in U.S. history, just two games behind April Heinrichs.
The U.S. will close Group F against Sweden, who actually handed them their earliest elimination loss ever in the 2016 Rio Olympics quarterfinals. Then a potential quarterfinal matchup against hosts and title contender France looms as a possible World Cup quarterfinal for a U.S. squad thinking championship-or-bust.
“We’ve had such great examples of World Cup teams in the past, the 99ers, the 15ers, and that type of team camaraderie I’ve really felt,” said Sam Mewis, who scored twice in the opener. “We have a lot more ahead of us to hopefully continue to have more exciting moments. It’s been great so far. We’re excited to see what happens next.”
