Jessica Alcheh-USA TODAY Sports
United States women’s national team interim coach Twila Kilgore said she wanted more efficiency from her team in its second group-stage game of the Concacaf W Gold Cup, against Argentina.
She appeared to get that from an opening 20 minutes played at a furious pace. The U.S. scored three goals in a nine-minute span early in the game, and although the Americans continued to dictate play throughout the 4-0 victory, goals were harder to come by in the second half, including after Argentina went down to 10 players for the final 15 minutes plus stoppage time.
The U.S. heads into Monday’s final group-stage game against Mexico with six points from two games in Group A and a spot in the quarterfinals already booked. Still — and predictably — there is room for improvement.
These are three big talking points from the U.S.’ 4-0 win over Argentina on Friday in Carson, California.
Another shape change
The U.S. started the tournament in aggressive three-back shape, building upon a trend from the end of 2023, but Friday’s match brought the return of a back four. Naomi Girma and Tierna Davidson resumed their old Stanford partnership as the central pair on Friday, with Crystal Dunn at left back and Casey Krueger at right back.
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