The Women’s World Cup concluded its best run yet with the United States women’s national team’s 2-0 defeat of the Netherlands on Sunday, the fourth title and second-successive World Cup for the ladies of the red, white, and blue.
There will be temptations from some to give the USWNT approximately 11 out of 11 spots on a Best XI, but let’s face it: The best team didn’t often have its best game during its unbeaten run through France.
[ MORE: What we learned about the USMNT this summer ]
Some are no-doubters: Having this team without Julie Ertz or Kelley O’Hara would be criminal. But there are a lot of tough decisions here.
Should a quarterfinalist get a player on the XI, given that France lost to the champions in a brutal draw? How many USWNT players should make it? Alex Morgan did all her statistical damage in one match, but did so much that doesn’t show up on the score sheet. And how do we pick three center backs when the best defenders were out wide?
Ultimately, we’re playing a right back out of position because we can, because Julie Ertz is going to clean up a lot of messes, and because this team will never take the field: It’s a post on the Information Superhighway.
Sari van Veenendaal (Netherlands)
O’Hara (USWNT) -- Wendie Renard (France) -- Lucy Bronze (England)
Kosovare Asllani (Sweden) -- Ertz (USWNT) -- Rose Lavelle (USWNT) -- Sherida Spitse (Netherlands)
Megan Rapinoe (USWNT) -- Alex Morgan (USWNT) -- Ellen White (England)
This was tough. Who was our most egregious omission?
