The USWNT’s collective reaction after Sydney Leroux lofted her penalty kick up and over the crossbar was telling. It was a scene of utter heartbreak and dismay. It’s always tough to deal with a loss accrued in a penalty shootout. That cruel and capricious affair that typically favors fortune over form. The United States clearly felt that their title defense had ended much too soon. The felt they had deserved to be in the final four.

But do they?

Fair play to Nigeria who came out in the second half with enough pep and pomp to unsettle the Americans. The Nigerians sent more numbers going forward and wore the United States defense ragged. The team outpaced the United States in the counterattack and outmuscled them in their final third. They also attempted to play football and mostly succeeded. The team’s passing and pace did the U.S. in.

The free kick was glorious and Bianca Henninger is not to be blamed for the equalizer. Nigeria were duly rewarded for its positive, crafty play while the United States simply ran out of ideas. Sydney Leroux was constantly kept under the watchful eye of Nigerian captain Joy Jegede. Leroux was essentially marked out of the game.

The United States did enough to secure a 1-0 advantage in the second half. While far from spectacular, they maintained possession reasonably well. The back four (and particularly Crystal Dunn) dealt well with Nigeria’s passing movement in the box. They were organized and clean, as they have been for the entire tournament. Kristie Mewis and Amber Brooks helped patrol possession in midfield. But regardless, the United States simply weren’t creating without Leroux’s initiative. That’s why the U.S. goal came off of a defensive error from a short corner kick. Brooks was in the right place at the right time and assured her team of its passage to the semifinals.

But that wasn’t to be as Nigeria outplayed the U.S. with more guile and more endeavour in the second half. While it wasn’t necessarily a rip-roaring performance from the Nigerians, it was enough to keep the U.S. muted.

The United States showed a bit more spirit in extra time. Mollie Pathman and Meg Morris tried to stretch the Nigerian defense with their fresh legs. Kristie Mewis was calm and composed as usual and her effort late into the period smashed the crossbar. An inch lower and it probably would have been a mirror image of the goal she scored against Switzerland.

Penalties came and Bianca Henninger made four saves but only two counted. Captain Christine Nairn was first up for the U.S. Much like her entire tournament, her tame effort was disappointing. Mewis naturally struck the United States’ best penalty as she hit it hard and high into the left corner. Sydney Leroux needed to convert to keep her team in the tournament. She skied it instead. Her look was one of disbelief. And then the agony came.

If it’s any consolation to this team, their fate is similar to the 2006 U-20 USWNT squad. That team narrowly escaped the Democratic Republic of Congo in the first match, hammered Argentina in its second and bested France in its final match. France finished second in the group. The team advanced past Germany ( a very different U-20 Germany side apparently) in the quarters before falling in penalties to China. Lauren Cheney missed the decisive kick.

That squad was talent-laden and nearly every player on it has found some kind of success in WPS. Who’s to say the same will be true for this team. While the team has done well, where would it have possibly been without Leroux’s five goals? Probably third in Group D behind Ghana.

The United States’ play paled in comparison to that of Germany’s, South Korea’s and even Mexico’s (although they look to be getting beat by South Korea). The lack of fluid movement in midfield in the final third is a worry. Sydney Leroux dominated the center of the park with her tricky, vertical runs but she made the most of her chances. Much like on the senior level, play on the flanks seems far too underdeveloped. The distribution down the middle by Mewis and Teresa Noyola was generally excellent but that was it as far as variabiliy is concerned. A few good long balls were served in from the back as well but long balls are easily read by astute center backs.

What does this say about the development of the United States’ Women’s National Team? There appears to be a few good central midfielders, center backs and full backs on the way up. But depth of forwards and wingers? Not so much. That being said, the brilliance of Sydney Leroux almost makes it easy to forget such things.

View Original Post at allwhitekit.wordpress.com

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• 2010 U-20 Women`s World Cup in Germany