For Mallory Pugh, the answer seems pretty simple after serving as a starter and goal-assister for the US women’s national team in a clean sweep through Rio Olympic qualifying this month.
It’s not just because Pugh is very good – which she is – but because the national team program finally looks ready for some shake-ups after relieving the built-up pressure to win a Women’s World Cup last summer.
Showing favor over some of the team’s veteran staple starters, coach Jill Ellis has launched a youth movement in a team that was the oldest average age at last summer’s World Cup. The Americans won the trophy, of course, but no longer is Ellis’s focus just on getting through to the next big tournament. Now Ellis and the US is building toward the 2019 Women’s World Cup and beyond.
With that, comes a group of new faces who are trying to catch Ellis’ eye and take advantage of an opportunity to break into the top team in the world. But have any of them pushed their way into starting contention? And, further ahead, can a new Girls’ Development Academy continue the conveyer belt of talent?
Impressive Pugh should be on her way to Rio
The question that pundits seemed to ask repeatedly during this month’s Concacaf qualifiers was whether Pugh was really as confident as she appeared when she played, or if she was just too young and inexperienced to know any better? As of Sunday, when she played 90 minutes against Canada and notched an assist en route to a gold medal in the qualifying tournament, it’s safe to say she earned to be called the former: confident, aggressive and crafty.The high school senior was recently close to making history by skipping college to play professionally in the US, with the Portland Thorns taking the needed steps to acquire her. She later committed to UCLA, but it became clear why the Thorns went after her so enthusiastically. Her ability to take on and then beat opponents, as well as create chances for her teammates, makes her look far more polished than her mere 17 years of experience. (This step-over and assist against Puerto Rico serves as a quintessential example.)
The midfield belongs to Horan
It’s hard to imagine the US team without Heather O’Reilly. She has been a staple since she was 17 and still, at age 31, remains one of the fittest and most resilient players in the player pool. But when she was left off the roster for qualifying, it was the surest sign that Ellis is ready to turn to a younger and perhaps more technical generation. To that end, players like Lindsey Horan, Samantha Mewis and Stephanie McCaffrey could be the ones keeping her from returning.source by:http://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/feb/25/uswnt-mallory-pugh-jill-ellis-future
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