Photo Copyright Patricia Giobetti for The Equalizer
Momentum is a funny thing when it comes to national team starting lineups. A good performance can put the wind at your back; a bad one can blow it in your face.
We try to read the tea leaves from a head coach’s public statements, and what kernels members of the media are able to glean on background, in order to guess which way the gust has shifted. In the end, we might still be left feeling surprised by which cheek it stings.
Such an experience unfolded in San Jose, California, on Sunday, when United States women’s national team head coach Vlatko Andonovski posted the starting XI for the team’s World Cup send-off game against Wales. Lynn Williams seemed like the obvious choice to start on the left wing, with Sophia Smith setting up on the right next to Alex Morgan.
Instead, Alyssa Thompson took to the left flank at kickoff. Broadcasters Luke Wileman and Julie Foudy repeatedly noted that this was the strongest available lineup, which suggests that their background…
