Shake up needed if Matildas are to defeat powerhouse USA side and keep Paris Olympic fate in their own hands
Having survived by the skin of their teeth against Zambia, the Matildas take on women’s football giants the USA. ERIN SMITH breaks down the changes they must make to stand any chance.
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Compact, sharp and flawless - that is how the Matildas need to beat their bogey team USA.
A draw will get the Matildas out of the group stage but if they go into the clash with that mindset it is likely to be their undoing.
The Matildas have registered just one win in 33 games against the Americans.
It was USA who shattered the Matildas’ hopes of a bronze medal at the Tokyo Games.
Poor performances have marred the Matildas’ Paris Olympics so far.
A 3-0 loss to Germany and lucky escape against Zambia in a 6-5 epic leaves them third in the group.
With two close to perfect performances the USA, led by new coach Emma Hayes, are at the opposite end of the spectrum to the Matildas.
The revamped side, which was bundled out of the World Cup in the group stage, has already scored seven goals this tournament – almost double the four they scored during last year’s Cup.
Their position in the quarterfinals is locked in.
Coach Tony Gustavsson doesn’t have a secret stash of players to turn to in a bid to get the team firing.
It means the team is likely to remain mostly unchanged – with his only real card to play being to start super sub Michelle Heyman.
Socceroos great Robbie Slater said the switch upfront was an obvious and necessary change.
“They don’t really have a No. 9,” Slater said.
“Playing Heyman off the bench against Zambia as a weapon worked but the USA are a completely different kettle of fish.
“He doesn’t have a lot of options to mix it up – we’ve got what we’ve got.”
Heyman said she is expecting another tough fight.
“We all know that the USA is going to be another high energy game,” Heyman said.
“So we’re just going to continue to try and build momentum off this game.
“We’ve got something within us and we just have to go out there and give it our all and keep pushing for each other.
“I think it is going to come down to belief within the team, hard work and dedication to do everything we can to get that win.”
Gustavsson said after the win against Zambia that in tournaments like the Olympics spirit can sometimes be the key to success.
Slater said they would have to build on the momentum and energy the win created.
“They’ve got to improve on that winning feeling, they came back from the dead and somehow turned it around,” he said.
“It will be a tough game but they need to go in with a winning mindset.”
USA will play a very different game to Zambia.
Slater said Gustavsson needs to approach this game differently.
“Against Zambia he tried to play this open expansive football, we couldn’t keep the ball against them, we can’t do that against the USA,” Slater said.
“I think he is going to have to be compact, have little space between the lines and play on the transition.”
With the USA already through the group stage there is a chance Hayes will opt to rest players but Slater thinks it is unlikely.
“The USA will want to keep their momentum going, I can’t see her starting a different team,” he said.
The Matildas will play USA in Marseille on Thursday at 3am (AEST).
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