USWNT vs. Uzbekistan: What We Can Learn

The USWNT has been the most dominant force in women’s soccer from the beginning. There is simply no doubt about that. So, it can be difficult to find opponents of the same caliber when scheduling friendlies with other countries.

For teams outside of the top 15 of the FIFA rankings, beating the USWNT is almost impossible. However, those matches for the smaller nations against the USWNT get the opportunity to showcase their skills against the best of the best.

Uzbekistan has surprisingly risen to 48th in FIFA’s rankings, which is enormous for a country that’s never been known for soccer. The end results might not have gone the way Uzbekistan wanted, but we’ve learned quite a bit about how other countries are developing quickly. 

Naturally, the first game was a cakewalk for the United States, the match ended 9-1, and the USWNT looked as dangerous as ever. It was easily apparent how much better the USWNT was; every time they pressed forward, there was little to no resistance. By the time Uzbekistan’s defense would get into any kind of positioning, the ball was already in the back of the net.

This match was an excellent opportunity for Ashley Sanchez and Jaelin Howell to get some more international experience. However, one thing we need to highlight is the goal scored by Uzbekistan. 

Uzbekistan finds the back of the net ?? pic.twitter.com/THv6u5I2JH

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) April 9, 2022

This was the first goal scored by an opposing team on American soil in TWO YEARS. The USWNT has played teams like France, Australia, and Iceland, but it’s Uzbekistan that ends up breaking the streak. It really goes to show how the game is evolving overseas.

If you would’ve said Uzbekistan would score against the USWNT and that too from a set-piece, you’d be declared crazy. The game is steadily growing in other countries, like Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, three other teams in the top 50 of the FIFA rankings. 

Now the second match didn’t get to offer much for Uzbekistan but gave the USWNT a glorified training session with a 9-0 win. Not that the USWNT needs extra confidence, but the team chemistry is on another level. Matches like these in international friendlies are still good for the United States to develop more of that chemistry on the field and off.

For Uzbekistan and for other teams that have to deal with a second match against the USWNT, it’s almost unfair. Once the USWNT had the film from the first game to analyze and break down tendencies, the second match was not going to be close. While the amount of goals conceded isn’t ideal for any country, Uzbekistan came in and represented itself on the world stage–that level of exposure is still a big deal. 

It’s easy to say the USWNT dominated and Uzbekistan won’t be very good, but in reality, the sport is growing internationally. It might not be a year from now or five or even ten years, but the rest of the world will eventually catch up, and there will be more than five to ten teams that are truly capable of beating the United States in the future.

Until then, let’s enjoy the dominance the USWNT has on women’s soccer because they are truly a joy for us all to watch when they are at their best. 

Featured image via @USWNT on Instagram

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