USWNT vs. Mexico: 3 things to watch for in World Cup qualifying

The meaningless friendlies are over; it’s time to get down to business. Here are three things to know ahead of the USWNT’s first World Cup qualifier.

Ladies and gentlemen, now it’s real. CONCACAF qualifiers for the 2019 Women’s World Cup kick off for the United States on Thursday night, when they take on Mexico. The game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on Fox Sports 2. Here are three things to to watch out for as the USWNT kick off qualifying.

What will Jill Ellis do on the backline?

It seems head coach Jill Ellis is confident playing a back four with her outside backs stretching the field and getting involved in the attack. The thing that’s still unclear is who will play back there. Against Mexico, one of the three teams likely to secure automatic bids for France, expect Ellis to go with a more experienced backline.

With Stanford star Tierna Davidson unavailable due to a broken ankle, expect veteran Becky Sauerbrunn to start alongside Abby Dahlkemper at center-back. On the outside, it’s a toss up. If the USWNT’s games earlier this year are any indication, Crystal Dunn will start on the left with Emily Sonnett on the right. Neither is a true outside back, but both give Ellis a look she seems happy with.

How will the youngsters handle the pressure?

Just half of the current U.S. roster has played in World Cup qualifiers before. This presents an interesting challenge that will be important to keep an eye on. This cycle has seen a good amount of turnover after a large number of players from the 2015 roster moved on. Despite the inexperience of a large portion of the roster, the average age for the team is 27.9.

These players have all been competing at a high level in the NWSL week in and week out. While they haven’t experienced the pressure of qualifying for a World Cup, they still have the experience playing in high-level games. Over half the roster participated in the NWSL playoffs this year, with five going head-to-head in the NWSL Championship game roughly two weeks ago. All of these players should be able to rise to the occasion, but don’t be surprised if there are a some jitters in the first few minutes of the game.

The U.S.-Mexico rivalry

In women’s soccer, the main CONCACAF rivalry is between the United States and Canada. However, history does run deep between the U.S. and Mexico. The Mexican federation played a big role in helping establish the NWSL, and while the number of Mexican players has dwindled, there are still three in the league.

These two teams have met 36 times, but Mexico have won only once and drawn once. However, the one win did come in qualifying for the 2011 World Cup. The U.S. need to make sure they’re fully focused in this game if they want to avoid letting Mexico sneak in for win number two. A win against Mexico would all but assure a first-place finish in the group.