The United States women’s national team ended their two-leg series against Russia this past week with two wins and a very strong glimpse of the future.
The U.S. won the first game 4-0 and the second game 5-1, showing their dominance.
It seems as if the team’s subpar performance in the She Believes Cup last month has really invigorated and motivated the players to produce better results.
But from these two games arose the main talking point: the future of the United States women’s national team looks incredibly strong.
Rose Lavelle was one of the few players that really stood out. She dominated the attack and played phenomenally in both games, even scoring her first international goal against Russia.
The team’s second game against Russia on Sunday was Lavelle’s third straight start for the team and it looks like she has cemented her place in the starting line up for the United States women’s national team. Since Lavelle’s debut against England in the She Believes Cup, she looks like one of the best young prospects of the team.
Another young player who’s been gaining positive notoriety is 18-year-old attacker Mal Pugh. The University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA) striker has seriously impressed and shown incredible talent since her debut on Jan. 23 against the Republic of Ireland.
She also made history when she became the youngest player to ever make her debut at 17 years, eight months and 25 days, breaking Heather O’Reilly’s debut in 2002. In 20 appearances for the United States women’s national team, Pugh has four goals and nine assists, which shows her incredible ability even at such a young age.
Another player to make her international debut was Megan Oyster. After impressing with the Washington Spirit and the Boston Breakers, Oyster finally got a call up to the national team and made her debut on April 6 against Russia, coming on as a substitute for Kelley O’Hara in the 68th minute. With the addition of Oyster to the national team squad, USA’s defense looks incredibly solid.
Oyster provides yet another option for the back line and her performances over the past few years show it.
Overall, the future of the United States women’s national team looks very exciting. With several young and upcoming players making their debuts, the team looks to make a huge statement in the World Cup in 2019.
For fans, all these players bring more excitement to the game and more role models to look up to.
And with the NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League) starting in a week, fans are looking forward to these player’s performances at the club level.
Luke Stergiou can be contacted at lstergiou@kscequinox.com
