#soccer formations

Take fucking notes. THIS is what changing your formation depending on the team you play and the players you have looks like. It's getting the job done, closing the flanks for a team notoriously bad at playing through the middle.

Also you may have said this already but is there a reason you choose Alex over Pinoe? Do you think she’s better?

Oh good question, it really just came down to the hypothetical team I put the formation against. CP is very smart and very fast. She seems like a great connection between a solid midfield and two great attackers, particularly against the hypothetical team I had them up against (the Netherlands).

THAT BEING SAID, I assume with this formation she WOULD stay up with Tobin and Alex as a 3 forward line. But it's not a secret that I like CP in the midfield, and I feel like classifying her as a forward is a bit restrictive.

The formation you're looking for does exist! tbh anything you can come up with numbers wise that ends in 11 players on the field exists. It would conventionally be a 3-4-3 though, which is very popular and really handy. It would leave Lindsey Horan behind the forwards and Julie Ertz ahead of the backline with Sam and Rose holding the wing positions in the middle.

As for Rapinoe vs Alex, tbh has very little to do with Alex and more to do with the fact that I don't like Rapinoe. I don't know if THATS not a secret but she'd be really far down in my list if I was a coach. There's no denying she's a great player, but she's too floppy and too injury prone. And I refuse to start a flopping fish in my starting XI. (Granted Alex is not always impressive but she doesn't trip and fall in the box quite as much in such dumb ways and I appreciate that in a player)

Oh okay, that's actually not impossible, and I think I've used one before? BUT since you're giving me a very basic premise, let's work with it.

I would probably have all 4 on the field (I assume you mean Sam and not Kristie for the Mewis part) for a tough on the midfield opponent, probably Netherlands? Especially if they have a fit and tip top DVD and Miedema on the field. Assuming everyone is match fit for the uswnt too I'd go with:

A 3-5 (see as a 1-3-1 for the midfield)-2

Sonnett-Sauerbrunn-Dunn

Ertz

S. Mewis-Horan-Lavelle

Press

Heath-Morgan

With possible substitutes (assuming the 5 sub rule):

KO (for Sonnett), Dahlkemper(for Dunn), Purce(for Morgan—this is MY game and I refuse to consider Midge a defender), Davidson (for Ertz) and K. Mewis (for Rose—minute limiting to prevent injury)

I'm hoping the team rolls out with the younglings this time, just to see what happens. Granted, Colombia is gonna come in guns blazing but if any game is a good time to give people the start? this is it. However, I'm expecting the roster to stay p similar to the first game. I'm inserting a few of my personal picks though

So, assuming the same formation I'm gonna go with

Bledsoe (or Campbell, I don't really mind either one, I just wanna see a rotation since this team isn't expecting too many shots from Colombia)

Sonny, Broon, Dahlkemper, Dunn

Howell, Macario, S. Mewis

(and since everyone and their MOTHER is injured up top): Lloyd, Rapinoe, Williams

I just want to see how some of these kids do when they're put in a starting position with a team that's pretty young and has most of its senior team members back.

You didn't ask but I'm gonna give you the Colombia roster I want too

(formation: 3-1-4-2)

Sepulveda

Carolina Arias, Daniela Arias, Kelly Ibarguen

Daniela Montoya

Orianica Velasquez, Diana Ospina, Kelly Caicedo, Jesika Caro

Linda Caicedo, Catalina Usme

The slight change in the mid/back is because Daniela Montoya is a solid #6 and we should be able to close the lines through the middle and give more pressure up top with a bigger midfield. Especially with Caro Arias closing the RB line and the midfield having all its senior players. Caro Arias being back also means that Orianica Velasquez can go back to her natural position in the midfield where she does MUCH better. I also want to see if Linda Caicedo can start (don't forget she's 15yrs old) and push Catalina Usme to stay up top and make plays.

I would use the 10 role loosely when it comes to the US because they don't really have a "playmaker". Horan is a good CM but she's not NECESSARILY a dedicated 10. She does have good potential for it. Rose, on the other hand, is more of a playmaker. She doesn't always score for the passes she makes, the only problem is when she does get a chance to play bc of injury someone else takes up the 10 role. However they both have huge 10 potential.

Christen is a 9/7, especially in this formation. I still stand by the fact that she'd be a great midfielder, because her game is very fluid BUT yes, she's playing a pure running striker right now.

you absolutely can play two 10s, the same way that you can play two 6s. It just depends on the shape of your lineup. Right now, the lineup doesn't really have a 10 BUT they do end up playing 10s. Ertz is lined up just behind the midline, ahead of the backline. Lindsey and Rose are playing 8s, down the wings, HOWEVER bc the LB and RB move up, they usually end up in the middle playing and sending passes to the strikers and helping in recoveries.

OH YES

I do love a 3-2-3-2. Any variation that leaves any 3 midfielders free to support one or two strikers up front is a beautiful thing. Especially because the two up front would probably be a 7 and a 9, the 3 in the middle would be two 8s on the wings and a 10 in the middle making the plays, and the 2 ahead of the backline would be defensive midfielders that would be in charge of recoveries and creating a buffer that would be hard to get through. Does it leave the field open for long passes and more onside room? Yes. But if your midfield is on its A game and the backline has good side defenders that can work like a well oiled machine.

If one of these days the uswnt listens to me about changing their formation, this would be one I would support, especially against teams that like to play from the middle (kind of like the netherlands).

Love to see former soccer players dropping in that good good experience!

I mean, look, if it ain't broke don't fix it.

But there's no reason this team shouldn't have performed way better today. Granted Sandra Sepulveda was ON FIRE and some defenders were taking good tactical fouls, so I can't knock them too hard. Clearly Colombia was the weaker team today but they were not going to go down without a fight and I love them for it.

But, if the uswnt spread their midfield out and left 2 attackers to slip behind the defensive midfields (two kids playing a #6 position they usually don't play in and were at a severe disadvantage), Lindsey could've done a much better playmaker job and Colombia would've been fuuucked.