da aviator aposta： Vlatko Andonovski unleashed some surprises in his team's World Cup opener, so expect changes for the group-stage encounter
da casino： The United States women's national team's 2023 World Cup introduction was something of a soft launch. They were welcomed to New Zealand by an overmatched, but game, Vietnam team. What resulted was a dominant USWNT win, a 3-0 victory that could, and should, have been a lot heavier.
Their next outing, though, will look different. Their second game isn't against a minnow Vietnam, but rather the team they beat in the World Cup final four years ago in France. Game two comes against the Netherlands, and the U.S. will have to show what this team is and can be at this tournament.
There's no room for error against the Netherlands, a team that will certainly know what they're in for here. This is a new Netherlands team, but also a very new USWNT squad. We got a glimpse of that U.S. team against Vietnam, although the group's true best XI is still a bit of a mystery due to Vlatko Andonovski's rotations.
So how does he line up the USWNT in this one? Were his opening game surprises a sign of things to come or a pre-planned rotation? GOAL takes a look at how the USWNT should line up on Wednesday against the Netherlands…
Please enable Javascript to view this contentGetty ImagesGK: Alyssa Naeher
No need to go too deep for this one as Naeher is the starter. She did next to nothing in the opener, but could be key here against a Netherlands team that should be able to create against the U.S.
AdvertisementGettyLB: Crystal Dunn
At times, it feels like she's being held back at left-back due to her ability to get forward, but you do have to acknowledge how important Dunn is to this USWNT.
Against Vietnam, she wasn't quite as effective as she could have been, although this Netherlands match will be a different type of game. Her defensive capabilities will surely be tested in this one after having very little to do in that area of the game last time out.
GettyCB: Naomi Girma
The World Cup debut is out of the way, and it was a good one. This, though, will be Girma's first real test. She did what she needed to do against Vietnam, which was almost exclusively clean-up duty. In this game, she'll certainly be tested early and often as the Netherlands will no doubt look to go at the young center-back.
She hasn't seemed overawed yet since arriving on the international stage. On Wednesday, she'll really get the chance to show what she's made of.
CB: Alana Cook
It was something of a shock to see Cook benched against Vietnam but, in hindsight, it's understandable. With just two primary center-backs in the squad, it makes sense to get rest where you can, even if it's the opening game.
Cook, then, will be fit and ready for this one. She'll be eager for her first World Cup start after seeing Julie Ertz given the chance to partner Girma last time out.
Could Ertz start in this spot again? Definitely. She did well against Vietnam and, given her experience, it may be useful to have a veteran back there. Still, we'll go with Cook, a natural center-back, given the opponent.