October 27, (THEWILL) – The United States women’s national football team were held to a disappointing 0-0 draw by Colombia in Utah, on Thursday night. Alex Morgan missed a penalty for the hosts in the 44th minute, striking the post before sending the rebound over the crossbar.
Veteran defender, Becky Sauerbrunn, returned to international duty as a second half substitute, her first appearance since missing the World Cup earlier this year through injury. The US controlled possession and had nine corners to Colombia’s one, but lacked cutting edge in attack.
Interim head coach, Twila Kilgore, has a difficult job motivating the team until a permanent replacement for Vlatko Andonovski is appointed. There was little meaningful preparation on show for next year’s Olympics. Execution was below the usual high standards of the USWNT, summed up by Morgan’s penalty miss.
Although there is potential in the American squad, established players have not been delivering as per their usual and new faces like Jaedyn Shaw have been given few opportunities to impress. The inertia which has plagued the team for months, and which caused the upset at the World Cup, continues.
The teams meet again on Sunday in California. The USWNT will hope for an improved performance to restore some confidence ahead of a crucial 2023. However, significant issues remain unresolved for now.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
