the first half was worse than the 2nd, but the whole game, our midfield was playing extremely narrow, which allowed the dutch to switch fields and use the width of their midfield 5. difference was, we were able to thwart the dutch ability to switch from side to side as easily as they did in the first. Rose coming in helped for sure, but Horan was awful in her positioning when out of possession.
Yup, the US frequently lacked midfield width when attacking.
Defensively, though, I have no problem with the midfield being compact. Generally speaking, most of the team
should be compact on defense, they should generally gravitate towards being more along the path from the ball to the goal, more towards the middle of the field than the edges. There are contexts that call for variations on that, but that's the general rule.
The problem was with whomever was supposed to be providing defensive balance on the weak side for the US (i.e. the third defender). Whoever that might be varies throughout the game, but multiple times with multiple players, the US was getting it very wrong, arriving late, diving in and getting beat off the dribble.
Good third defender play requires the third defender to position themselves at the proper distance and angle with respect to both the ball and the weak side attackers such that they can arrive at a crossed ball's destination at roughly the same time the ball arrives. And then need to establish themselves as the new first defender with poise and balance.
At that point, the new first defender's priority is to delay penetration and allow the rest of the team to rotate across the field while maintaining good shape. It requires good alertness and anticipation skills and discipline.
The very first rule you teach to players about being a first defender is that they should NEVER dive in and they cannot allow themselves to get beat, even if it means stepping off a half yard. If you attempt to intercept the pass or close in to pressure the receiving player into a mistake, you must get either the ball or the player or leave time to step off.
That just didn't happen right for the US for much of the game. Thankfully, it wasn't really required in the final 35 minutes or so.
US has to correct the third defender play before the next game. It's a glaring weakness no coach at the international level will fail to have observed and will surely probe it in subsequent games.
) and trigger more hilarious personal attacks from you?