US have yet to produce their best at Women’s World Cup, says coach after going Dutch in 1-1 draw

WELLINGTON – The United States have yet to produce their best performance at the Women’s World Cup, coach Vlatko Andonovski said on Thursday, after the Netherlands held them to a frustrating 1-1 draw in their second match of the tournament in Wellington.

Co-captain Lindsey Horan powered a terrific header into the net to level the affair in the second half and save the four-time champions from outright embarrassment after not putting up much of a fight early on in the match.

It was the first World Cup draw that the Americans have seen since Sweden held them 0-0 at the 2015 tournament.

“(In) the first half, we allowed them to take control of the tempo and slow down the tempo a lot more than we wanted,” said Andonovski, five days after the US beat Vietnam 3-0 in their opener.

The early performances were below the level the Americans can achieve due in part to the relative lack of experience the starters have with one another, he added.

“This team have not had time together. I mean, the first time we see this team together is in Game 1 and now we saw them again in Game 2. So in Game 3, we expect it to grow from there,” he said.

“As hopefully we move forward, we’re going to see (them get) better and better.”

While much has been made of the relative inexperience of the US team, with 14 World Cup newcomers among the 23-player squad, Andonovski spent precious pre-tournament time retooling his starting line-up amid a glut of injuries. Julie Ertz moved to centre-back after veteran Becky Sauerbrunn was ruled out and new addition Savannah DeMelo has taken on more workload with midfield stalwart Rose Lavelle’s minutes limited.

“(The young players) grew throughout the game individually, but also as a team, we grew throughout the game as well. I’ve said this before, this team are not just young, this team are also a fresh team,” said Andonovski.

The fiercely fought rematch of the 2019 final lived up to its billing as the Dutch enjoyed the ascendancy in the first half before hanging on when the Americans found their groove.

The Dutch struck first through midfielder Jill Roord in the 17th minute and the US went in at half-time trailing in a World Cup match for the first time since 2011. Horan answered from a Lavelle corner in the 62nd minute, making a great run to the near post to power a header past goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar.

There were no cheers in the Netherlands’ dressing room, just a quiet sense of satisfaction, said coach Andries Jonker. He said: “We’re definitely not unhappy – we did a good game. There were phases that we controlled and there were phases that they controlled, so in the end 1-1 is a fair result.”

In the other Group E game on Thursday, Portugal swept aside Vietnam 2-0 with goals from Telma Encarnacao and Francisca Nazareth, earning them their maiden World Cup win. REUTERS