The Fastest Players on the USWNT
It is hard to beat a team with speed. You can’t defend what you can’t catch, and you can’t score if you’re cut off before you even get started. Having at least one speedster per line is an underrated route to success. So, who’s got the speed for the United States? Let’s check out the fastest players on the USWNT.
Trinity Rodman
Rodman has mad speed. And that’s meant literally–the way she moves and runs through defenders is fierce and aggressive. She will switch between finesse and absolutely trucking her way through a backline like it’s nothing. Facing Rodman down when she is coming up the wing takes a lot of bravery from any defender. Think of Rodman as that unstoppable force; it takes an immovable object to slow her down.
Sophia Smith
Sophia Smith is the absolute definition of quick. She is so hard to mark because, at the drop of a hat, she will turn on that burst of speed she needs to roast any defender. Putting speed up front is the obvious choice, but Smith has that smart speed. She can think as quickly as she can move and makes it look effortless. Smith is like an assassin, and you don’t know you’re toast until it’s too late.
Rose Lavelle
Lavelle may be the oldest player on this list, but she has always been noted for her speed. Thanks in part to her speed, Lavelle is a stellar midfielder. She seems to have a special extra gear she can shift into when she finds herself on a break. Her ability to run down the ball, whether it’s helping out on defense or making something happen on the opposite half, is a thing of beauty.
Naomi Girma
Usually, when we think about the fastest players on the USWNT, we automatically go to our goal scorers, but a slow backline can fall flat, and that’s a recipe for disaster. Girma has quickly emerged as a leader for the backline, and that is due in part to how smart and tactical she is. It seems like no matter who she is up against, Girma has the ability to slide herself between the ball and her mark. She can be up against some of the fastest players in the world, and she will not only track them down but strip them with one well-placed foot.
Croix Bethune
Having made her debut and being named as an alternate for the USWNT, it would be impossible to talk about the speed of this squad without mentioning up-and-comer Croix Bethune. Bethune is absolutely deadly. She and fellow speed demon Rodman are the one-two punch of the Washington Spirit. It seems like she needs little to no time at all to crank it all the way up to a sprint. She showcases speed in all aspects of her play, from breaking away with a long ball to ball handling.
Featured image via Getty Images
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