USA-Nigeria Wrap: Generations Converge For Survival, Victory In 'Group Of Death'

The United States women’s national soccer team completed its first task at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup by finishing on top of the so-called “Group of Death.” Now the real fun begins.

Team USA defeated Nigeria 1-0 on Tuesday in Vancouver, clinching the top spot in the so-called “Group of Death” and a place in the Round of 16 — the starting point of the World Cup’s knockout phase.

The United States outplayed Nigeria by some distance, dominating possession and territory and creating more scoring chances. Only wasteful finishing and bad or missed calls from the referees prevented Team USA from winning by a larger margin. Nigeria produced a few moments of danger, but Team USA’s win was professional, expected and deserved.

Abby Wambach scored the game’s only goal when she volleyed home Megan Rapinoe’s corner kick in the 45th minute. The intensity of Wambach’s celebration showed how important the goal was, given her, her fellow forward and the rest of the team’s troubles scoring goals in their first three games of the tournament.

Wambach, 35, is the eldest of Team USA’s forward corps. She papered over the cracks in Team USA’s offense with her well-taken finish. Wambach’s strike partner, Alex Morgan, 25, was unimpressive in her first-ever World Cup start. Morgan is trying to rediscover her form on the fly, but the chances she missed show how hard it is to do so at the highest level.

The Americans’ attacking struggles continue, but they’re defending like a team that intends to go deep into the tournament. Hope Solo continues to stand out in goal, providing security in those increasingly rare moments when the defenders don’t do their jobs perfectly. Fullbacks Ali Krieger and Meghan Klingenberg continue to defend with authority and attack with both drive and purpose.

Central defenders Becky Sauerbrunn, 30, and Julie Johnston, 23, have forged a formidable partnership in recent weeks, and their play reached new heights in Nigeria. Their focus, maturity and all-around ability have kept Christie Rampone, 39, on the bench for all but minutes in the tournament. Rampone made history when she entered the game against 10-woman Nigeria in the 79th minute, but it seems head coach Jill Ellis will continue to rely on the Sauerbrunn-Johnston partnership, as the stakes increase.

Team USA still must link each department together to produce the sort of irresistible performance we expect. The chances of it happening in the knockout rounds are slim, as the opponents become increasingly difficult and nerves and pressure have greater effects on Team USA’s players.

If Team USA is to succeed in Canada, it will do so through organization, balance and rotation, instead of sheer quality. That will mark a break from the past — in which the technical ability of Team USA’s players were better or equal to their rivals — and a step toward a future where the gap between the best and the rest is as thin as Team USA’s margins of victory in Group D play.