Carli Lloyd’s brace gives US the win: 3 takeaways

The United States women’s national team beat Chile 4-0 in the final game before World Cup qualifiers. Here are three takeaways from the match.

Two first half goals for the USWNT put it in solid position to take Game 2 against Chile. Just after halftime, Carli Lloyd put one away to make it 3-0. A late goal from Lloyd in stoppage time would complete the brace and give the US a 4-0 win. Now the US will gear up for CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers at the beginning of October.

The US has depth at the forward position

We’ve seen all kinds of combinations up front for the US this year. Typically, Jill Ellis’ squad has played with one forward and two wingers which has provided more width to the lineup. This has proved to be very helpful in scoring goals for the US in 2018. In these two games alone, Ellis has featured Alex Morgan, Mallory Pugh, Tobin Heath, Amy Rodriguez, Crystal Dunn and Christen Press up front.

The goals are coming for these players as well. It doesn’t matter which trio Ellis goes to, they are putting the ball into the back of the net. Heading into qualifiers, it will be important to figure out which three will play together in which situations.

Getting Megan Rapinoe back will be key

So far this year, Megan Rapinoe has been arguably the best player for the US. She did make the roster for the two games against Chile, but was forced to withdraw due to a rib injury. Heading into qualifiers, though, it’ll be very important to get Rapinoe back.

Luckily for the US, Tobin Heath has stepped up in Rapinoe’s absence. But just imagine what it will be like to have both of those creative mindsets on the field at the same time. It gives the US so many options when it comes to set pieces, something that can make or break a team in tournaments. While the US won’t want to rush her back, it’ll be important if she can play for the qualifying tournament.

Getting Kelley O’Hara and Mallory Pugh minutes is huge

When the roster for the Chile friendlies were announced, the big story was the return of Kelley O’Hara and Mallory Pugh. Both had been injured all summer, missing out on the Tournament of Nations. With both returning to play with their NWSL teams in the last month, Ellis brought them back into camp.

On Tuesday night, both were in the starting XI. O’Hara, who is a bit more behind in her recovery, played 31 minutes before coming off for Crystal Dunn. Mallory Pugh scored a goal in the first half before coming off at the break for Carli Lloyd. This was important as these two were able to pick up minutes in a no-pressure situation prior to the qualifying tournament.