© Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Inverted fullbacks are in vogue. They are the tactical concept of the time, but it’s not always clear why. The role of the fullback has evolved throughout history, and continues to do so today. Whether the latest evolution is a good or a bad thing, however, depends on its use. Are teams trying new ideas for the sake of it, to look updated on today’s trends? Or because it works for them and their players? For the United States women’s national team, at this moment, the inverted fullback looks like pure theory.
There were positives in the team’s latest display, a 2-1 win over China on Tuesday. The U.S. pressed well, their intensity disrupting Chinese rhythm, creating panic, not to mention valuable attacking opportunities. Then there was the progress of the young players. China took the lead on a free kick, but Sam Coffey — winning her seventh cap — scored the equalizing goal, a wonderfully improvised, no-backlift, curling effort into the top-right corner. Then Jaedyn Shaw, somehow still…
