January Camp Joy
When the whistle blew on Friday night at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, the USWNT had outscored Colombia 10-0 across two games and outshot them 55-2. While we can (and should) appreciate the domination across the stat sheet, this friendly series served purposes beyond an offensive clinic. This camp sought to condition the American players, particularly Lloyd and Rapinoe, who have missed NWSL and USWNT play for nearly a year. It also served to see the debut of Catarina Macario, a Brazilian-born phenom that recently received approval to represent the United States. Most importantly, however, this camp served as the first of many opportunities for players to make their cases as to why they deserve one of the 18 seats on the plane to the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics.
Given its purposes, this camp did not disappoint. Rapinoe and Lloyd looked as fresh as ever, with the former recording 2 goals & 1 assist, and the latter dishing 3 assists. Macario was arguably one of the strongest players on the pitch, even notching her first USWNT goal less than 3 minutes into her first career start.
Many players took the opportunity to shine on the pitch and prove what they would bring to Team USA in Tokyo, from Lavelle’s footwork, to Dahlkemper’s playmaking, and to Dunn’s grit. Perhaps the best players were the Mewis Sisters, as Sam and Kristie accounted for 4 of the 10 goals scored, and made their presence undoubtedly felt through aerial challenges, pass interceptions, and continuous pressure on the Colombian goal.
All players will look to carry this momentum into the SheBelieves Cup, which kicks off on February 18, back in Orlando. The USWNT will face Canada, Brazil and Japan in its annual round-robin tournament. All of these teams have qualified for the Olympics, which allows the USWNT to find its weaknesses against top-notch teams as it looks to become the first team to win the FIFA Women’s World Cup and Olympic gold back-to-back. In the meantime, we can continue to appreciate the sheer offensive dominance of this American team.
