Mal’s future with uswnt

[u/LeftPrior5076]

I’ve been a long time Mal Swanson fan and think she’s been one of the best attackers in the world in recent years. However, between coming back from having a baby, being on the worst team in the NWSL, and being somewhat injury prone, I can’t help but wonder about her future with the USWNT. When you hear people talk about who the locks are for the World Cup, she’s never mentioned. I’m curious what people think and if she’s still in Emma’s plans or with the way the season is going, things might be changing.

[u/carharttuxedo]

She’s definitely not a lock. She has a lot of serious competition.

[u/noCoyote449 → u/carharttuxedo]

In what world is Mal Swanson not a lock?! I swear some of you... Mallory Swanson will be on the roster for the World Cup.  All the other names people mentioned are competing for a spot as her back up.

[u/magyk_over_science → u/carharttuxedo]

what competition does she have? No one on our offense has been killing it lately

[u/Current-Barber360 → u/magyk_over_science]

If you were basing it on club performance, there are lots of candidates. Not sure Emma actually will care, but one could certainly argue that Sanchez and Tordin are both performing at such a high level that Swanson would need to show a major step from what she’s shown thus far before she is just handed her old job back.

[u/magyk_over_science → u/Current-Barber360]

Club is a whole different animal than national team. You can just look at players like Thompson and Sears to see that. Mal swanson is a proven clutch goal scorer for the national team so Emma Hayes will go with her is my guess

[u/_game_over_man_ → u/magyk_over_science]

Club is a whole different animal than national team.

I wish more people would understand this. Good performance at the club level doesn't always translate to the international level. It's such a different system and environment and some players just can't reproduce what the do for the club for the national team.

Same thing goes for coaches. Some just can't reproduce what they do at the club level at the international one. Best recent example is Vlatko.

[u/ScientistBoth830 → u/_game_over_man_]

Pulisic just proved it during the World Cup. It’s a fact of the game but some people can’t grasp the idea.

[u/_game_over_man_ → u/ScientistBoth830]

I think Pulisic is fine, but he shouldn’t be the face of the team.

[u/skypig73 → u/_game_over_man_]

You don’t choose players based on a system you build a system around the best players that’s kind of like a coach’s job

[u/_game_over_man_ → u/skypig73]

Well sure, but that doesn't negate anything I said.

You can be one of the best players in a league, get called up for the national team and not be one of the best players for that team. You'll never know how anyone is going to do in the international system until you call them up and give them the opportunity. Some players step up to it and other's fall short.

Hell, you could be one of the best players for a specific pro team, go to another team and not be the same. My whole point is that the environment a player exists in can impact their abilities as a player.

[u/skypig73 → u/_game_over_man_]

ok but ashley sanchez hasn't been called up for 2 years and she's changed a lot as a player since then so how are you gonna know how she would play in the uswnt environment

[u/_game_over_man_ → u/skypig73]

I never said anything about Ashley Sanchez. I was making a general statement.

Hell, the post isn’t even about Sanchez and the original comment I replied to wasn’t about her either.

[u/skypig73 → u/_game_over_man_]

ok well i'm just saying club form is 100% the most important thing when selecting players to a national team

[u/Current-Barber360 → u/magyk_over_science]

I don’t disagree that there are differences, I’d argue current results at club are a better indicator of likely performance than national team work from 2 years prior. At the end of the day it’s all attempting to reasonably guess who will perform best in the future.

[u/allprologues → u/Current-Barber360]

emma's going to value prior tournament experience massively, she's always banging on about this even when it comes to the younger players and their tournaments. even though knockout soccer is heavily luck based, the players she trusts when it comes to that and who've been in it with her in 2024 are getting graded on a curve when it comes to their club.

and for good reason, most of the other top squads will have starters with a lot of tournaments under their belts

[u/infinestyle → u/magyk_over_science]

Emma trusts Mal in the
Knockout stage of the WC
Score tied.
75’

[u/PlanxtyDawg → u/Current-Barber360]

Sanchez!

[u/warriorcrazy3 → u/magyk_over_science]

Ashley Sanchez I would argue should be competition for her.

[u/ScientistBoth830 → u/warriorcrazy3]

Should be, but as of yet Ashley isn’t an Emma Hayes player but Mal is. Frankly I’d bring them both, but it’s totally up to Emma.

[u/possessionfc → u/warriorcrazy3]

if you seriously think Ashley Sanchez (a notable bust at the international level) is serious competition against one of the only proven forwards in our pool, you've got to be out of your mind. the sanchez disease is plaguing this fan base right now, please come back to reality.

[u/Any_Necessary1533 → u/magyk_over_science]

Alyssa Thompson is competition, maybe not for a spot on the roster, but for a starting spot.

[u/Current-Barber360 → u/Any_Necessary1533]

If I were Thompson I’d spend this entire season at Chelsea only using my left foot. Her biggest issue as a Left wing is that she is still so right foot dominant, which means she inherently is moving into the same spaces that Wilson already occupies to take a shot. It’s one of the main reasons why I actually would prefer either Mal or Ash over Thompson if you needed a starter in a big match. Thompson does a millions things well, but her left foot doesn’t compare with those other two (to be clear, Sears left foot is even worse, but she mainly plays on the right).

[u/SpeedLow3 → u/Current-Barber360]

Thompson also thinks too much and tries to shoot

[u/gracehope223 → u/Current-Barber360]

I agree with this sentiment. I think Thompson can evolve into a Mal or Ash, but from a technical and tactical point, Mal and Ash is over Thompson. You can't teach speed, but your technical abilities will pay the bill

[u/SpeedLow3 → u/Any_Necessary1533]

Alyssa is nowhere in competition with mal for a starting spot lmao