Earlier today I wondered what U.S. women’s national team head coach Jill Ellis would do with the starting lineup for the World Cup semifinal match against England.
We’ve got our answer, and she made a decision that I didn’t even anticipate was an option: Ellis has chosen to leave Megan Rapinoe out of the starting eleven.
Christen Press will start in Rapinoe’s place on the left wing for the United States in the match, and considering Rapinoe is coming off four straight goals in two games, a lot of fans are asking: Why?
Before I dive in, I should say that there may still be a report to come out that Rapinoe is injured. If she proves to be healthy, however, the decision does have a possible explanation.
UPDATE (2:30 p.m. ET): It appears that Rapinoe may be hurt. Reports inside the stadium say she isn’t warming up with the team.
England’s best player is Lucy Bronze, a speedy right defender who likes to get forward and join the attack. Rapinoe, as brilliant as she is with the ball, isn’t a plus defender, and doesn’t have the speed of Christen Press.
Especially with a United States lineup that has a left back in Crystal Dunn, who isn’t really a left back, it’s understandable that Ellis would want the quicker Press on the left side to perhaps track back more and help Dunn handle Bronze. (Or, it appears more than possible, Rapinoe is hurt.)
Ellis has also opted to drop Sam Mewis from the starting lineup, who’s arguably been the United States’ best midfielder in the tournament so far, in order to get Lindsey Horan back into the lineup. I wrote about that decision a lot more in depth earlier.
They are both bold plays, but ones that do have some logic behind them.
