Vlatko Andonovski liked how the U.S. played vs. the Netherlands, but not many other people did

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — To a certain kind of trained ear, Vlatko Andonovski’s assessment of the U.S. women’s soccer teams’ 1-1 tie with the Netherlands sounded familiar. In fact, it sounded a little too familiar.

“Even though it didn’t finish the way we wanted to finish, I thought it was a very good match for our team, especially for a group of young players,” Andonovski said after a game in which his team had a 18-5 advantage in shots, but was out-possessed 56% to 44%, completed 138 fewer passes than its opponent (386-248), and flat-out didn’t pass the eye test for too much of the afternoon.

Have you heard words like that before? If you’re reading this back home in Philadelphia, you probably have, and not just from Union manager Jim Curtin.

Does it help to know that Andonovski is a longtime Kansas City resident and a diehard Chiefs fan?

At the end of a news-conference grilling from the American media horde, it was hard to avoid wondering if Andy Reid had watched the game back in the heartland. The two coaches know each other, and Andonovski has been a guest of honor at Arrowhead Stadium many times.

» READ MORE: Lindsey Horan’s header saves a 1-1 tie for the U.S. vs. the Netherlands at the World Cup

A reporter from abroad joined the fray by asking Andonovski if he thought we haven’t seen the best of the U.S. yet at this World Cup. There was only one possible answer to that, and, this time, Andonovski gave it.

“I think that’s a fair statement.” he said. “This team has not had time together. The first time we saw this team together was in Game 1 [of the tournament], and now we saw them again in Game 2. So in Game 3, we expect to grow from there. … The baseline is the second half of this game, and then hopefully as we move forward, we’re going to see a better and better U.S. team.”

Though the U.S. did play much better in the second half than the first, Andonovski affected things in a big way by not making more than one substitution. No team on the planet has a deeper bench than the U.S., but Lynn Williams, Megan Rapinoe, Ashley Sanchez, and six other outfield players watched Rose Lavelle’s entry at halftime be the Americans’ only swap.

Williams’ absence was particularly glaring, since Trinity Rodman too often looked overmatched against the Netherlands’ veterans. Williams’ proficiency at pressing, cutting in from wide, and shooting seemed tailor-made for the moment, but she could only watch from behind the goal, where Rodman shot a big late chance wide of the far post.

“Of course we thought about substitutes, and Lynn was probably one of the first that would have been on the field if we needed to change something,” Andonovski said. “But I thought we had control of the game, and I thought that we were knocking on the door of scoring a goal. The players played well; we were around the goal the whole time, and I just didn’t want to disrupt the rhythm at that point.”

» READ MORE: Rose Lavelle recalls her goal of a lifetime ahead of another U.S.-Netherlands showdown

Doesn’t that also sound a little too familiar, knocking on the door without busting it open the way it could have been?

“We just didn’t want to jeopardize anything,” Andonovski said as he finished his thought. “I thought all three of our forwards were very good today: dangerous, created opportunities, and were a handful.”

As for the U.S. players, this wasn’t a moment to hear from the youngsters. It was a moment to hear from the veterans who didn’t just know how much of a missed opportunity the tie was, but must now lead the locker room’s preparations for Tuesday’s group stage finale against Portugal (3 a.m., Fox29, Telemundo 62, Peacock).

“Going into the locker room, coming back out and having the fight that this USA team is about, it was a little bit different than the first half, and I think we were unlucky not to get a second goal,” Alex Morgan said. “The fact that this team fought back is a little bit of that mentality that we needed [going] into this tournament. And I think it’s just a little unfortunate that now first place in this group is up for grabs, but we’re going to do everything we can this next game.”

The fire the U.S. needed to come from behind came not from any shots taken with the ball, but from a shot taken by Lindsey Horan in a crunching challenge with Daniëlle van de Donk. The teammates at French club Lyon then exchanged some heated words, and got stern talkings-to from referee Yoshimi Yamashita.

» READ MORE: Sophia Smith’s family revels in watching the USWNT’s World Cup breakout star

“Unfortunately I did not take it in a good way — I got a little heated, and she got to hear it,” Horan said. “Julie [Ertz] came up to me in the box and she was like, ‘Linds, please just don’t get another yellow card. Just score this goal to shut everyone up.’ And that’s what happened.”

Horan was steaming mad, and she took out her anger a few minutes later in the best way possible: by rising high for a superb header of a Lavelle corner kick.

“That’s where you get the best football from [me],” Horan said. “I don’t think you ever want to get me mad, because I don’t react in a good way. Usually, I just go and I want something more — I want to win more, want to score more, I want to do more for my team.”

Van de Donk wasn’t surprised.

“I already knew when she came up to me, and I was like, ‘You’re going to be smiling at me in 20 minutes after the game,’” she said, and, right on cue, Horan walked by and offered a teasing nudge.

That closed the book on that. But the book on the Americans’ group stage finale Tuesday against Portugal is now wide open. Though the U.S advances out of the group with a win, draw, or even any loss of five goals or fewer, in order to secure first place and an easier knockout-round path, the team has to not just win, but keep a plus-2 goal difference edge over the Netherlands.

“Absolutely, that’s in the back of our minds, not closing out this game,” Morgan said. “Now we have to work even harder to get the goals and make sure that we secure that first place.”

Those are the words U.S. fans, whether the thousands in Wellington or the millions back home, want to hear. Soon it will be time to live up to them.

» READ MORE: All of our 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup coverage in one place, from how to watch to who to watch

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