AUCKLAND, New Zealand — As the clock ticked on for the U.S. women’s national team in its biggest fixture of the Women’s World Cup group stage, the game seemed to be crying out for an American substitute or two.
With the USWNT level with Netherlands 1-1, wingers Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith started to look tired. They were pushing hard for a winning goal — in fact, three of Rodman’s four missed shots of the match came in the final 15 minutes. But the players’ passing accuracy started to drop, and their tendency to lose the ball went up, particularly after Lindsey Horan‘s 60th-minute equalizer. In the period from the opening minute of the second half to the 75th, Rodman completed zero of the nine passes she attempted, according to ESPN Stats &…
