Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe score braces in USWNT victory

Game one of World Cup Qualifiers for the United States is complete. Here are three takeaways from the game.

The USWNT dominated Mexico in game one of World Cup Qualifiers with a 6-0 win. That win gives the US three points and first place in Group A. Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan both had braces while Julie Ertz and Tobin Heath each had one apiece. These are the three things you should know from the match.

Strong first-half possession allowed the USWNT’s offense to explode in the second half

In the first half, the US dominated possession. It seemed as if for most of the half, Mexico couldn’t string together any possession of their own. Despite having the ball so much in the half, they were only able to put the ball in the net once. This did help though when it came to the second half.

When the game restarted after the break, the US had worn down Mexico to a point where they were finally able to get in behind and dominate. This allowed for a break out of goals and eventually, they would put up five in the second frame. The goals came from all different types of plays and from different angles.

While untested defensively, the backline played a big impact on the game

Mexico did not prove to be much of a force on the offensive side of the ball on Thursday night. This resulted in little pressure on the backline for the US. This was the first time these four had played together all year, so a low-pressure situation was good. Where they excelled though was contributing to the offense.

Crystal Dunn and Kelley O’Hara are really great fits on the backline for the style of play that head coach Jill Ellis wants to play. They were able to get involved in the attack by interchanging with the midfielders and wingers to get the Mexican defenders out of position. Becky Sauerbrunn even got in on the action with a late run into the box that helped Alex Morgan secure her brace and bring the goal total to six.

Set pieces are still a strong suit for the US

With players like Megan Rapinoe, Lindsey Horan, and Julie Ertz, it’s hard to not be good on set pieces. Thursday night against Mexico was no different for the US. Early in the second half, Rapinoe took a free kick from just above the top of the box. She would hit the crossbar, but the rebound was left uncleared by Mexico and Ertz eventually was able to crash on it and knock it home. If a team wants to avoid giving the US easy goals, they need to do a better job of marking up defensively.