USWNT player ratings: Naomi Girma a lone bright spot as USA struggles in Women’s World Cup draw vs. Portugal

The United States Women’s National Team settled for a scoreless draw against Portugal on Tuesday. It was a lackluster performance by the stars and stripes and was the opposite of what they wanted heading into the knockout rounds. They exit the group stage without a “definitive game” but the result was just enough to secure a place in the round of 16 in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. They will face the winner of Group G, possibly Sweden, on Sunday. 

Check out our USWNT player and coach ratings against Portugal:

Goalkeeper

Alyssa Naeher (90 mins)

A decent first half in positioning and distribution, and even had an average second half, but had some very nervy moments in stoppage time when she came out to collect a free kick and got nowhere close the ball which thankfully bounced out of play.
Rating: 6

Defense 

Crystal Dunn (90 mins)
Was neutralized a bit in the first half and had a stronger second half. Had to bail the team out by covering a lot of ground at times. 
Rating: 6

Julie Ertz (90 mins)
Even as a center back she tried to find the extra outlet but had no real targets for distribution. Disrupted build-ups when needed, and looked better when a bit higher off the line.
Rating: 6.5

Naomi Girma (90 mins)
Was the best player on the pitch for a team that struggled all game to ever look dangerous. Defense wins championships or so they say. 
Rating: 7 

Emily Fox (90 mins)
Had some miscues with Lynn Williams as they tried to play down the right side at times, but still tried to get up the field and into the attack. Just not enough to be able to make any meaningful crosses.
Rating: 6

Midfield

Lindsey Horan (84 mins)
Played the match like she didn’t want to pick up an extra yellow card, so at least that was a success. Struggled to connect with her midfield and attackers. 
Rating: 5

Rose Lavelle (90 mins)
First start of the World Cup and seemed really amped up from the first whistle. Tried to win fouls early but ended up picking up a yellow herself and will miss the round of 16 game.
Rating: 5

Andi Sullivan (90 mins)
Three consecutive starts for the defensive midfielder but had a rather tough outing in the group finale. Had trouble disrupting Portugal’s build up, but tried to play faciliator at times. 
Rating: 5.5

Forward

Alex Morgan (90 mins)
Tried to develop good rythm with Williams early on and connected with Rapinoe in the second half. Earned fouls in dangerous spaces and had chances inside the box, but still no goals for her in the tournament.
Rating: 6

Sophia Smith (61 mins)
Third consecutive start and had another strong opening 15 minutes of the game, but got frustrated a bit with some of the no calls. Had patience on the ball but figuring out the ultimate decision or final pass was missing.
Rating: 6.5

Lynn Williams (84 minutes)
It was the first World Cup start for the forward and she had some of the better looks on goal in the first half. Her commitment to the counter-press and off ball moment among the attacking line was good but just couldn’t find the extra outlet at times.
Rating: 6.5

Substitutions

Megan Rapinoe (Smith – 61 min)
Subbed in for Sophia Smith and played about a half hour. Immediately tried to connect with Morgan by keeping the ball on the ground, but quickly faded and had poor decision making in stoppage time to give momentum to the opposition. Bad form by a veteran. 
Rating: 5.5

Trinity Rodman (Williams – 84th min)
Did not have enough time to make an impact.
Rating: N/A

Emily Sonnett (Horan – 84th min)
Split time as a defensive mid and fifth defender but didn’t do much
Rating: N/A

Kelley O’Hara (Dunn – 97th min)
A late sub with only a few minutes played in stoppage time. 
Rating: N/A

Alyssa Thompson (Morgan – 97th minute)
Came into the match late inot stoppage time, not enough minutes to have an impact.
Rating: N/A

Coach

Vlatko Andonovski

The team isn’t clicking and have now scored less goals than when they started the tournament. He’s now going to have his hand forced in adjustments as Rose Lavelle is out for the round of 16 on yellow card accumilation. It’s not just the team that needs a statement game, its Andonovski too. 
Rating: 5