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Welcome to the World Cup, USWNT: This was the test USA needed
Four years ago, the United States never trailed on its inexorable path to a second straight World Cup title. It didn't concede a single goal in the group stage. No team outplayed the Americans for more than brief periods in any game.
It wasn't so much a fight for the title, but a smooth cruise toward it.
That's not how it usually works.
Rarely has there been a World Cup on the men's or women's side where the champion had things all its own way virtually the entire time. Surviving some trials and tribulations, staving off some mini-crises, enduring difficulties both great and small, is usually all part of the champion's journey.
Following its 1-1 tie with the Netherlands on Wednesday, the USA has now had that experience. They have been threatened. They have been tested. They have been stretched. And, if the second-half performance was anything to go by, they have been ignited.
"It was an unbelievable [response]," captain Lindsey Horan told FOX Sports. "I felt the momentum the whole time. I think the first half we can be a little disappointed with how we played, but I think we fixed things right away. Proud of the team and the response."
[USWNT 'learned a few lessons' from clawing back against the Netherlands]
"I got a little pissed at her" — Lindsey Horan breaks down her goal
If the way the team got comprehensively outplayed by the Dutch in the first half was a great cause for concern, the passionate and determined answer to it after the break should serve as an antidote to those fears.
Coach Vlatko Andonovski and his staff figured out the technical bit, introducing Rose Lavelle and making some small positional shifts to counterbalance the all-powerful five-player midfield employed by the Netherlands, the other finalist in 2019.
And the players figured out the emotional part, shaking off their lethargy, keeping their cool, fighting back in a tournament where fight-backs have been rare, and generally just getting the heck out of Wellington with a moral victory, if not all three points.
"That's a fair statement," Andonovski said, when asked if the USA had not yet shown its best form. "In Game 3 (Tuesday against Portugal, coverage begins at 1 a.m. ET, with kickoff at 3 a.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app), we expect it to grow from there. The baseline now is the second half of this game, then hopefully, as we move forward, we're going to see a better and better U.S. team."
Veterans on the squads such as Horan, Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe know what has been said about them. They know that while the USA is ranked No. 1 and is once again the favorite to win the title, skepticism is high among many whether they can actually pull it off.
[Lindsey Horan got mad, then she got even]
What must the USWNT fix in their upcoming match against Portugal?
The rest of the world has gotten stronger, smarter, and generally less fearful of the Americans. The Netherlands is perhaps the best example of that, and the way they came out firing in the early stages was clear evidence that there was no inferiority complex at play.
Yet the USA showed something here, too. They showed that there is a level of creative adaptability in this group that it has not always been given due credit for. They showed that just as opponents are capable of coming up with new ways to combat them, they can roll with the punches and devise counter-strategies on the fly.
And when they don't work, that they can just tough it out if they have to.
"World Cup NOW" crew impressed by the USWNT's resiliency
"Coming back from being a goal down is huge, especially within this tournament," defensive enforcer Julie Ertz said. "That's what it's about, you roll up your sleeves, you find your grit, then you find your goals. We want to continue to grow and get better each time."
Make no mistake, a win would have been better. The USA is in danger of losing the top spot if the Netherlands puts a truckload of goals past Vietnam. It will now have to make program history if it is to triumph. On each of the four occasions the squad has tasted World Cup success, it went perfect in its group.
[USA-Netherlands takeaways: USWNT finds resolve in second half to force a draw]
Regardless, if there is a glorious conclusion to this American adventure in Australia and New Zealand, it might be that the moment we all look back to was when Dutch midfielder Danielle van de Donk clattered into Horan, made her mad, and set off the chain of events that led to the equalizing goal.
Alexi reacts to the USWNT's 1-1 draw against the Netherlands
"What was van de Donk doing?" FOX soccer analyst Alexi Lalas asked. "You don't poke the bear. The bear said, ‘Uh-uh, that's not happening.' And she awoke."
So, too, did the defending champs. Having survived the biggest group obstacle, and with eyes now wide open, let's see what the Americans have in store next.
Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports and the author of the FOX Sports Insider newsletter. Follow him on Twitter @MRogersFOX and subscribe to the daily newsletter.
