USWNT fall to England in preview of potential World Cup clash

By Laken Litman
FOX Sports Soccer Writer

This was the game everyone had been anticipating for months. 

The reigning World Cup champion United States against the recently crowned European champion England at the iconic Wembley Stadium in front of a sold-out crowd.

England won 2-1 in a game that was technically a friendly, but certainly didn't feel like one. From start to finish, the match was wild, fun and entertaining. It had everything from questionable VAR calls to a Megan Rapinoe free kick smacking Lauren Hemp in the face to 17-year-old Alyssa Thompson making her national team debut.

This was the U.S. women's national team's first loss since last year's 1-0 semifinal result against Sweden in the Tokyo Olympics, but as coach Vlatko Andonovski said multiple times the past few weeks, the result didn't matter as much as this game was all about preparation for next summer's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Here are three thoughts on the match.

2023 World Cup final preview?

These two sides could very well meet again in next summer's World Cup final. They're certainly two overwhelming favorites, and neither team was even at full strength Friday.

The U.S. didn't have Alex Morgan, who missed the trip with a knee injury. Morgan recently won the NWSL's Golden Boot for leading the league with 15 goals in 17 games. Andonovski said that had this been a World Cup final, Morgan would have been available.

The USWNT were also without rising star forward Catarina Macario, who plays for Lyon. She has been out most of the year after tearing her ACL in June. 

Winger Mallory Pugh was also unavailable after leaving camp early to tend to a family commitment back home. The U.S. would like to think all three players would be available next summer.

In Morgan and Pugh's absence, Andonovoski started Rapinoe, Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman up top. The three of them combined for what would have been the most beautiful goal of the game had it not been disallowed by VAR. In the first half, Smith beat Millie Bright one-on-one on the right side, Rapinoe flicked off her cross and Rodman finished in the back of the net to briefly make the score 2-2. 

Meanwhile, England, which arguably looked a little crisper than the U.S., didn't have captain and center back Leah Williamson or striker Alessia Russo, who were both out with injuries. They will also likely be available next summer for a potential rematch.

Obviously, the U.S. wanted to win, but Andonovski said multiple times this match wasn't about bragging rights. It was all about World Cup preparation. He said nobody will remember this result if they win it all next year. In March 2019, England beat the U.S. at the SheBelieves Cup, but then the USWNT beat the Lionesses later that year in the World Cup semifinal.

That's what Andonovski hopes happens again.

"They showed once again that they're very good, and that if you give them a little space, they have players who can make a difference," Andonovski said after the match.

"I wouldn't mind facing them in the final again."

Sophia Smith's star power

The 22-year-old Smith looks like one of the best players in the world and doesn't even have 25 caps for the national team yet.

Smith scored one goal and would have had an assist, too, had the USWNT's second goal not been reversed by VAR. The Portland Thorns forward, who scored 14 goals in the NWSL this season (one fewer than Morgan), is dangerous every time she has near the ball. She's fearless and runs right at defenders and wins one-on-one battles. She's tough on herself when she doesn't score multiple goals in a game.

Smith, who has said she wants to be the best player in the world, currently leads the USWNT in scoring this year with 10 goals. Before playing England, she most recently scored a brace in the USA's 4-0 victory over Nigeria in September.

"I thought Soph was very good," Andonovski said. "She seemed like she made a name for herself. But we can't forget she's [22] years old. To come in an environment like this and to be a difference maker, to score a goal and have another incredible assist for a goal that was called back, it just shows the potential that she has.

"But I think that we haven't seen the best of her. These are games that will expedite her development, and I'm excited to see what she looks like six months from now, nine months from now."

Young players getting experience

One of the things the U.S. will continue to work on as it gears up for next summer is getting its young players more experience. Andonovski's starting lineup against England averaged just 55 caps per player with Rapinoe and Lindsey Horan being the only players with more than 100. 

Smith, Rodman, Sofia Huerta, Emily Fox, Alana Cook and Naomi Girma all started the game with fewer than 25 caps.

Rodman, 20, and Girma, 22, stood out as youngsters who could soon solidify starting spots on this roster for years to come. They both looked comfortable and at ease. Rodman should have had a goal, and Girma, who is a leading candidate for NWSL Rookie of the Year, rarely made mistakes on the back line against the European champs.

Then late in the game, Andonovski gave Thompson the opportunity to get her first cap with the national team. Currently a high school senior, the 17-year-old Thompson came on late in the game for Rapinoe. With her appearance, she became the 70th teenager to earn a cap for the USWNT, the youngest player to debut since Pugh made hers — also as a 17-year-old — in 2016.

Up next for the U.S. is a match against Spain on Tuesday in Pamplona at Estadio El Sadar before hosting Germany on U.S. soil for two November friendlies. Expect Andonovski to keep getting more young players into the mix as the team prepares for next summer.

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously covered college football, college basketball, the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team and the Olympics at Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. Her first book, written in partnership with Rizzoli and Sports Illustrated and titled "Strong Like a Woman," was published in spring 2022 marking the 50th anniversary of Title IX.