Women's World Cup: How important is going unbeaten in group play?
Megan Rapinoe knows about it, Alex Morgan too, and even some of the young and incoming members of the United States women's national team have been made aware.
They know there is a proven blueprint for winning the Women's World Cup that sounds simple, has stood the test of time, and borrows from an old-school American sports phrase.
Just win, baby.
As the United States prepares for its opening Group E clash against No. 32 ranked Vietnam on Friday (9 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app), there is a natural temptation to gaze into the distance and speculate on whether a third-straight title is within their grasp.
However, soccer history shows that what Vlatko Andonovski’s squad does right now, and in the formative stages of its time in New Zealand and Australia, can have a monumental bearing on whether its campaign will end in glory or failure.
"It is not a secret that we want to win everything and if we are not winning it is below our standard," dynamic forward Lynn Williams told me. "So, obviously, we have to look at one game at a time, because if you look too far ahead you are going to mess up. But I think making a statement, winning the group, then hopefully going on, is super important."
Well, the structure of a World Cup deviously appears to be somewhat forgiving. The competition does not become single elimination until its third week, meaning that, in theory, a team could lose a group contest (conceivably even two) and still go on to win it all. That first scenario has happened before in the Men’s World Cup – the awe-inspiring Spain squad that lifted the trophy in 2010 was defeated by Switzerland in the first group game.
On the women’s side, things are a little different. Even playing out a draw in the initial stage has often been a gloomy precursor and an apparent impediment to overall success.
Six of the eight World Cup champions in women’s history went a perfect 3-0-0 in group play, the only exceptions being Germany (2-1-0 in 2007) and Japan (2-0-1 in 2011), with both of those missed steps coming against England.
The trend holds true for the USWNT as well. With all four World Cup titles, the group record was perfect, highlighting the importance of Group E this time around, despite the presence of 2019 finalist, the Netherlands, on the schedule in Game 2 on July 26 (9 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app).
Kristie Mewis speaks with Jenny Taft about the USWNT's expectations
On the flip side, the USWNT never stumbled in the group and still managed to win the tournament. The closest call came in a defeat on penalties against Japan in the 2011 final, after losing to Sweden in group action.
"That’s what has been the fuel to this team always," Rapinoe, who is gearing up for her last World Cup, said. "To strive to be the very best, to win every single [time]. For us, it's about continuing to put our best foot forward and continuing to try to be dominant and be the best team in the world. It never gets old."
That Sweden loss, on July 6, 2011, was the last time the USA lost a World Cup game in regular time, an awe-inspiring run that has set an almost impossible level of expectation.
Crystal Dunn admitted that she is aware of what the public expect from her and her colleagues, but believes that striving for domination in the group stage is a powerful antidote to either complacency, or looking too far ahead.
"Focus on the day-to-day," Dunn said. "People are like ‘are you expecting to be in the final?’ I am expecting to play against Vietnam. That’s where we are at right now. You can't get too ahead of yourself, it is a marathon not a sprint. What you do today sets you up for the future."
Who is the biggest threat to the USWNT's World Cup hopes?
Going through a tournament with seven straight wins is a mighty task, especially as international women’s soccer continues to surge in strength – and depth.
However, if history is to repeat, that’s the task the U.S. women's national team face – one they are not fazed by, and are fully expecting to execute.
Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports and the author of the FOX Sports Insider newsletter. Follow him on Twitter @MRogersFOX and subscribe to the daily newsletter.
