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| Unleashing Carli Lloyd and lucky yellow cards: how USA won the World Cup | Unleashing Carli Lloyd and lucky yellow cards: how USA won the World Cup |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Jill Ellis had a feeling. She knew USA were going to beat Japan in the final and hoist the Women’s World Cup trophy for the first time in 16 years. | Jill Ellis had a feeling. She knew USA were going to beat Japan in the final and hoist the Women’s World Cup trophy for the first time in 16 years. |
| She could have never predicted how it would happen, though. “I let myself go there – I envisioned us lifting the trophy,” Ellis said. “Five goals is kind of a dream come true.” | |
| It was a match that felt like a wild ride, but it also felt over from about the 16th minute, when the Americans went up 4-0 and Carli Lloyd already had a hat-trick. | It was a match that felt like a wild ride, but it also felt over from about the 16th minute, when the Americans went up 4-0 and Carli Lloyd already had a hat-trick. |
| Over the course of seven games, the Americans found their way to a record third Women’s World Cup, casting Japan aside 5-2, and facing more adversity in the earlier stages of the tournament. Here are the key factors in the US’s remarkable victory. | |
| Set pieces were Japan’s undoing | Set pieces were Japan’s undoing |
| The Japanese team doesn’t have quite as much height as the Americans do. There was every reason to believe the Americans would try to put the ball in the air and hope to find an American head. | The Japanese team doesn’t have quite as much height as the Americans do. There was every reason to believe the Americans would try to put the ball in the air and hope to find an American head. |
| Related: Women's World Cup final match report | USA 5-2 Japan | Related: Women's World Cup final match report | USA 5-2 Japan |
| But they instead decided to fake Japan out with low, driven corner kicks to players’ feet, rather than their heads. It seemed like a counterintuitive choice – until it worked. Twice. | But they instead decided to fake Japan out with low, driven corner kicks to players’ feet, rather than their heads. It seemed like a counterintuitive choice – until it worked. Twice. |
| Forward Alex Morgan said the team practiced those specific tactics the day before the match. Ellis credited her assistant coach, Tony Gustavsson, with being the mastermind behind USA’s set pieces. | Forward Alex Morgan said the team practiced those specific tactics the day before the match. Ellis credited her assistant coach, Tony Gustavsson, with being the mastermind behind USA’s set pieces. |
| Japanese players said they weren’t expecting the way Americans approached the set plays. “They tried new things and set plays that we hadn’t seen before in the tournament, and we didn’t handle it well,” Japan forward Yuki Ogimi said after the game. | Japanese players said they weren’t expecting the way Americans approached the set plays. “They tried new things and set plays that we hadn’t seen before in the tournament, and we didn’t handle it well,” Japan forward Yuki Ogimi said after the game. |
| Carli Lloyd scored twice on set pieces in quick succession, and with a two-goal deficit in the opening stages, Japan never really got a chance to play the game they wanted. | Carli Lloyd scored twice on set pieces in quick succession, and with a two-goal deficit in the opening stages, Japan never really got a chance to play the game they wanted. |
| The USA back line finally faltered | The USA back line finally faltered |
| They were the big difference between 2011 to 2015. The Americans went into Sunday’s final with a whopping 513 minutes without conceding a goal, whereas in 2011, the Americans conceded five in their three games heading into the final against Japan. | They were the big difference between 2011 to 2015. The Americans went into Sunday’s final with a whopping 513 minutes without conceding a goal, whereas in 2011, the Americans conceded five in their three games heading into the final against Japan. |
| But for a back line that looked so solid for so long, they had a pretty difficult day. Julie Johnston, who had been nominated for the Golden Ball for a stellar start to the tournament at center-back, scored an own-goal and looked shakier as the stakes got higher in the tournament. | But for a back line that looked so solid for so long, they had a pretty difficult day. Julie Johnston, who had been nominated for the Golden Ball for a stellar start to the tournament at center-back, scored an own-goal and looked shakier as the stakes got higher in the tournament. |
| After that shocking early surge of USA goals in the final, the match was a much closer affair than the scoreline suggested. | After that shocking early surge of USA goals in the final, the match was a much closer affair than the scoreline suggested. |
| Related: The fans believed USA would win – and for a day, Vancouver belonged to the US | Related: The fans believed USA would win – and for a day, Vancouver belonged to the US |
| Earlier in the tournament, Ellis quipped that if USA never concede, they “have a hell of a chance” to win. But with a somewhat sloppy performance at the back, USA went back to a more familiar way of doing things: relying on a load of goals to get them through. | Earlier in the tournament, Ellis quipped that if USA never concede, they “have a hell of a chance” to win. But with a somewhat sloppy performance at the back, USA went back to a more familiar way of doing things: relying on a load of goals to get them through. |
| A blessing in disguise | A blessing in disguise |
| What if Megan Rapinoe and Lauren Holiday hadn’t missed the quarter-final through suspension? What if Ellis hadn’t changed her lineup or her formation? | What if Megan Rapinoe and Lauren Holiday hadn’t missed the quarter-final through suspension? What if Ellis hadn’t changed her lineup or her formation? |
| The Americans may not have made it to the final. | The Americans may not have made it to the final. |
| In response to losing a suspended Holiday, Ellis put Morgan Brian in her spot, asked her to do dirty defensive work, and let Lloyd primarily focus on attacking. Ellis didn’t change her formation by that point, but Brian was a revelation in the role and it forced Ellis to find a way to play Brian, Lloyd and Holiday together once Holiday’s suspension ended. | In response to losing a suspended Holiday, Ellis put Morgan Brian in her spot, asked her to do dirty defensive work, and let Lloyd primarily focus on attacking. Ellis didn’t change her formation by that point, but Brian was a revelation in the role and it forced Ellis to find a way to play Brian, Lloyd and Holiday together once Holiday’s suspension ended. |
| Ellis changed her formation for USA’s crucial semi-final against No 1-ranked Germany to one that included more central midfielders. The result was the best soccer the Americans had played all tournament as they were able to connect passes up the field and hold possession – two things that didn’t come easy earlier in the tournament. | Ellis changed her formation for USA’s crucial semi-final against No 1-ranked Germany to one that included more central midfielders. The result was the best soccer the Americans had played all tournament as they were able to connect passes up the field and hold possession – two things that didn’t come easy earlier in the tournament. |
| It’s unclear how much of Ellis’s changes were the result of recognizing the problems with the midfield. Whatever role the suspensions of Holiday and Rapinoe played is important though, no matter how small. | It’s unclear how much of Ellis’s changes were the result of recognizing the problems with the midfield. Whatever role the suspensions of Holiday and Rapinoe played is important though, no matter how small. |
| Any team that wins a world championship needs a little luck along the way. In USA’s case, it may have been disguised as bad luck. | Any team that wins a world championship needs a little luck along the way. In USA’s case, it may have been disguised as bad luck. |
| Unleashing Carli Lloyd was crucial | Unleashing Carli Lloyd was crucial |
| Things weren’t going that well for the Americans in Canada at first. They weren’t losing games, but when the players came out to talk to reporters, their shoulders were slumped and they seemed hesitant to answer questions. | Things weren’t going that well for the Americans in Canada at first. They weren’t losing games, but when the players came out to talk to reporters, their shoulders were slumped and they seemed hesitant to answer questions. |
| Why weren’t USA scoring more goals? Why weren’t USA holding possession better? How could they possibly hope to beat a team like Japan? | Why weren’t USA scoring more goals? Why weren’t USA holding possession better? How could they possibly hope to beat a team like Japan? |
| Lloyd met with USA coach Ellis after the group stage to talk about her role. Lloyd didn’t think she was being used correctly. | Lloyd met with USA coach Ellis after the group stage to talk about her role. Lloyd didn’t think she was being used correctly. |
| “She was like: ‘Don’t stress it. We’re going to find a way to get you going.’ As a player, you want to have an impact, but I knew my time was going to come,” Lloyd said. | |
| What that meant was Ellis simply gave Lloyd all that she has ever wanted: free rein to go for goal. | What that meant was Ellis simply gave Lloyd all that she has ever wanted: free rein to go for goal. |
| Lloyd has been forced to play a defensive midfielder before – that was her position in the 2012 Olympics. The fact that Lloyd scored two game-winners in that tournament may be the first hint that she is suited for a more advanced role | Lloyd has been forced to play a defensive midfielder before – that was her position in the 2012 Olympics. The fact that Lloyd scored two game-winners in that tournament may be the first hint that she is suited for a more advanced role |
| Lloyd has never looked all that interested in purely defensive work. She’ll do a passable job at it, but she’ll also end up floating toward goal. | Lloyd has never looked all that interested in purely defensive work. She’ll do a passable job at it, but she’ll also end up floating toward goal. |
| Ellis said she saw Lloyd looked poised for goals in Canada and adjusted accordingly. “When you go through a seven-game tournament, there’s peaks and valleys. Players get hot and you’ve got to ride the players that get hot,” Ellis said. “With Carli and the attacking part of her game, she was doing tremendously well so it was a natural decision for me to push her into a higher position.” | Ellis said she saw Lloyd looked poised for goals in Canada and adjusted accordingly. “When you go through a seven-game tournament, there’s peaks and valleys. Players get hot and you’ve got to ride the players that get hot,” Ellis said. “With Carli and the attacking part of her game, she was doing tremendously well so it was a natural decision for me to push her into a higher position.” |
| It was a decision that would seal World Cup victory. | It was a decision that would seal World Cup victory. |
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