USWNT up the ante with proposed new four-team tournament after drama in Hawaii
The dramatic decision by the U.S. women's national team to cancel its match at Aloha Stadium over poor field conditions coincides with the planning of a four-team tournament to be hosted by the U.S. women this spring. The new tournament appears to be an arrangement that will guarantee excellent competition and field conditions to showcase the U.S. and three other soccer powerhouse nations.
Germany, France, England are being named as the three other FIFA World Ranking Top 5 teams that will join the U.S. in the new tournament. Reports are that Florida will be the location, though venue details as well as team confirmations are still being secured.
"Bringing quality opponents in, that was the priority. To bring good teams to our American public so they can see Germany, France on our soil, and England," U.S. coach Jill Ellis said Saturday.
A tournament featuring this level of opponents would not only help the U.S. prepare for the Olympics in Rio, should they qualify, but it would be a significant upgrade from the opponents of the U.S. women's 10-game Victory Tour. The cancellation of the match in Honolulu underscores the U.S. women's increasing agitation over inferior conditions. U.S. striker Alex Morgan harshly rebuked U.S. Soccer officials for failing to protect the players' health by scheduling the Victory Tour match against Trinidad and Tobago at a dangerous field.
Except for a pair of games against Brazil in October, and a rematch against China in the final two Victory Tour matches on Dec. 13 and 16, the U.S. has been untested in international competition since its 5-2 win over Japan in the Women's World Cup final on July 5. While the Victory Tour was a way for U.S. Soccer to promote the game in new cities across the country, the harsh reality is that the three-time Women's World Cup champs -- a vaunted team with some high-profile athletes -- deserve and are demanding better conditions and competition.
USWNT Jill Ellis discusses the state of the field at Aloha Stadium.
That is precisely what the four-team tournament now in the works will ensure.
The U.S. set the stage for this new tournament by choosing not play in the 2016 Algarve Cup. Germany and France will also skip the Algarve Cup this year. This is the first time in 20 years that the U.S. will opt out of this historic event -- a somewhat radical departure for the Americans given their long history at the southern Portugal tournament. The U.S. women won the Algarve Cup for a record 10th time last March.
However, in a signal that the times have changed, the U.S. is looking to be more targeted and dynamic in its match selections during the leadup to the 2016 Summer Games in Rio. With the U.S. set to play February 10 through 21 in the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Dallas and Houston, U.S. Soccer has deemed the Algarve travel in early March too demanding.
There are additional factors against the U.S. national team returning to the Algarve for the early March tournament, including the expense to U.S. Soccer for holding what is essentially a three-week camp there. Also, there is a growing unwillingness on the part of U.S. players to compete on sub-par field conditions, especially given the poor attendance at the Algarve games.
In the bigger picture, there's much to be gained for the U.S. by hosting this kind of high-profile tournament. Television audiences for the 2015 Women's World Cup final set a new record, and competitive matches between Germany, France, England and the U.S. would be compelling programming. The Algarve could not deliver that.
At last year's tournament, poor lighting forced FOX Sports to cancel its broadcast feed of the U.S. match against Iceland. While Portugal is a charming place to vacation, it's not a technological capital of the world. The women's game -- especially among the top-rated national teams -- deserve top-flight production conditions.
Also, a spring tournament in the U.S. would also feed nicely into the start of the National Women's Soccer League's fourth season. This marks the first time a women's pro league has survived that long, and an international tournament among four powerhouse teams would bring even greater exposure to the women's game at all levels.
A report from the French website Foot d'Elles said that the games would be played in Florida. The U.S. women's last Victory Tour game before taking a six-week break was held in front of 32,869 fans in Orlando, also home to the newest NWSL expansion team.
