Bill Shankly: “A football team is like a piano. You need eight men to carry it and three who can play the damn thing.”

The U.S. women’s national under-23 team defeated England 4-2 at Accrington Stanley’s Wham Stadium on Monday evening UK time. It was a game that emphasised the fact that, while most of a game may be played between the boxes, most games are won and lost inside them.

If anything, England looked the more organised team. They pressed high and aggressively, not just following triggers and patterns but regularly looking to tackle or at least leave contact on their direct opponent. It was tough for the U.S. to get out of, try as they might, with the ball on the ground, and led to England gaining territory and momentum.

By the time England’s high press got going, however, they were already 1-0 down. Both of England’s goals were crosses that looped in after U.S. defensive misjudgements. And each time they conceded, the U.S. went and added another themselves, scoring their third within four minutes of England’s first, and a fourth within 11 minutes of England’s second.

For all the organisation and effort in England’s team play, there was a distinct difference in actual attacking quality, which ultimately decided the game. I was very impressed by Keira Barry, an outside right who played with positivity and aggression, always looking to take on and produce a good cross. Apart from Barry, however, there was limited threat from England’s forward and attacking midfield players. That was in stark contrast to the U.S. side, who threatened every time they got forward.

The U.S. opened the scoring on the counter after winning the ball in midfield. Ally Sentnor squared, Sarah Weber pulled off a brilliant layoff after good movement to arrive late in front of her marker, and Emeri Adames was ultra composed, faking a shot with her first touch to floor her opponent before finding the bottom corner with her ‘weaker’ right foot. It was a sensational, decisive goal in the second minute of the game, when most people off the field—and some on it—were still settling in.

Adames celebrates opening the scoring (Credit: England Football’s YouTube channel)

England’s aggressive press went against them in the 43rd minute, a missed tackle in midfield opening the game up. Again, the Americans were clinical, moving the ball forward at speed with a minimum of touches. There was more superlative link play from Weber, performing a 180 on the run and laying off to keep the play flowing. Out the ball went to Maddie Dahlien, who did her trademark cut in and shoot routine to double the U.S. lead with the help of a slight deflection.

I’m sure one of the big positives the U.S. coaching staff will take away from this game is how their players reacted to conceding their first goal. It was an inswinging cross from a free kick that was allowed to bounce in the area and went straight in. It was a surprise goal to concede, but there was no recovery period. The U.S. went straight back upfield and tested England’s defence out instantly, then scored their third soon after.

A clearance was flicked on by Weber to Dahlien, who got the better of England right-back Evie Rabjohn. Dahlien is quick and can go outside or inside, which created uncertainty for Rabjohn a number of times. Having cut in and shot for her goal, Dahlien this time went on the outside and squared the ball with her left foot. Sentnor steamed in to finish with a great run, but the ball ended up with Weber, who cleverly peeled off her marker and finished first time.

There was another element of fortune behind England’s second, a Barry cross looping over U.S. goalkeeper Neeku Purcell, who slightly misjudged the ball flight. But again the one-goal margin didn’t last long.

For their fourth goal, the U.S. again quickly took full advantage when England’s aggressive pressing faltered. Sarah Schupanksy, subbed on for Dahlien, did the best she could with a difficult pass out fired into her at pace. She flicked it on first-time into an area, and England were caught out. Sentnor latched onto the ball at halfway, drove on into the space, and deceived England’s defence with her finish. Committing her opponent, Sentnor looked as if she was about to open up on her preferred right foot and aim for the far corner or utilise the 2-v-1 the U.S. had on that side. Instead, she slotted cooly into the near corner.

That fourth goal summed up the game, in a way. England were organised and aggressive, worked hard and had a clear plan to put the U.S. under pressure which largely worked. Only when it didn’t work, they paid hard cash. Any mistake, opening or loose ball was pounced on, and the U.S. attacking section of Sentnor, Dahlien, Adames and Weber did not wait for the table to be set before eating.

The most impressive of the quartet, for my money, was Weber. She has played up front for Louisville in this, her rookie year, impressing without producing scintillating numbers, partly due to the nature of the team she plays in. Here her quality was on full show. Her link play for the opening two U.S. goals was outstanding, and her movement in the box was excellent, always looking to separate from her marker and make space for herself. She has good penalty box instinct, that’s for sure, but she also did a lot of work in the build-up to goals. It was a comprehensive No.9 performance; I’d go so far as to say that her club coach Bev Yanez would be easily forgiven for seeing a bit of herself in the display.

This is not a game to draw wild conclusions from, but the quality difference in the final third was glaring. That’s before we get to the substitutions. The U.S. swapped their starting front four for Schupansky, Riley Tiernan, Pietra Tordin and Karlie Lema, all of whom have impressed and earned consistent minutes already in their rookie NWSL seasons. On paper, there wasn’t much of a drop-off in levels when those subs were made, which speaks to the depth within this U.S. under-23 squad.