VAR was very unkind to the US, we were 0-3. Actually, w/o VAR the US wins 3-1. But we were missing 6 or 7 regulars from the starting line-up. I say 6 or 7 because Sullivan will probably end up being a fixture on the backline. Absent: Morgan, Heath, Press, Ertz, and Dunn and Sauerbrunn, although they entered the match late. England was absent one starter.
England is very, very good and my pick to win the WC 2023. But they did not dominate a very young US side like I would have expected. This match was a perfect set-up for 3-0 or 4-1 type result, and the Lionesses failed to deliver. We even played a high school kid getting her first cap! The new USWNT is talented and athletic, but...but...this game is not only played between white lines, it's played between the ears! And it is a physical sport too. The US has not replaced Carli Lloyd and I don't see anyone ready to step up, yet. Difference maker.
It's not fair, nor realistic, to expect the US to win a third straight World Cup. It is so tough to reach the top and virtually impossible to stay there. One year out from the WC Finals and all I see are glaring weaknesses in the new USWNT. The return of our missing regulars would help, but most of them are out because of nagging injuries and that happens to veteran players. And our ROCK on defense, Becky Sauerbrunn, is 37 years old. She'll be 38 for WC '23. How many minutes can she go in the grueling schedule of the WC Finals? And whoa! if she goes down with an injury.