It’s Now or Never! USWNT vs. Sweden Round of 16 Preview

“We gotta assume that Sweden, they see blood in the water, they are sharks that see a weakened United States.”

In today’s show, the Cooligans are joined by former NWSL pro Jordan Angeli to preview USWNT’s upcoming Round of 16 match against Sweden in the Women’s World Cup.

Jordan is not feeling great about this game considering the United States’ current form, also recalling the last time these teams faced off in the Olympics when Sweden “whooped” the U.S.

However, she points out that the time for USWNT to reset is now.

“This is a new tournament. This is a U.S. team who, despite what happened in the group round, and we saw that in ‘15, they figure out a way to win games,” Jordan says.

The two agree that one MASSIVE change manager Vlatko Andonovski needs to make is putting Julie Ertz in the midfield. Christian goes so far to say that he doesn’t believe the U.S. can win if that adjustment doesn’t occur.

Jordan believes that it’s not all on Vlatko, as the players have to be able to adjust on the fly and get the job done themselves.

Polanco and Angeli discuss the various formation adjustments they’d like to see, pondering ways to unlock the midfield.

“It seems like we have the best players on the pitch, but we don’t have the best team,” Christian says.

Jordan agrees, stressing that the team needs to play with more tempo and spend less time individually on the ball. She also believes that cleaning up the issues on set pieces will be imperative, as Sweden is very effective in the air.

“If you’ve been watching this team, there’s been questions about how they solve issues for a couple years now,” she says.

With no room for error, USWNT’s problem-solving capabilities will be put to the test against Sweden. Only time will tell if they have what it takes to move on...

Want to hear more from the Cooligans? Check out the full episode, which includes expanded thoughts on the upcoming USWNT-Sweden match with Jordan Angeli!

SHOW BREAKDOWN

Women’s World Cup Round of 16 preview and Germany gets bounced w/ Jordan Angeli of Attacking Third!

• The 2023 Women’s World Cup has gone completely insane and Jordan Angeli of @attackingthird is here to talk about it! Germany failed to qualify for the knockout stages for the first time in their history following a 1-1 draw with South Korea, meaning Morocco is through to the Round of 16 in their first WWC appearance. Christian and Jordan break down all the craziness from Thursday’s matches before previewing the USWNT’s clash with Sweden. Let us know who you think will advance to the WWC quarterfinals in the comments!

Watch more below!

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