England's
Lionesses show they could be the team to beat in 2023
England have only beaten the USA on three occasions in their last 11 meetings
Manager Sarina Wiegman
said England "don't win a World Cup now" just because they defeated
the United States - but their victory at Wembley suggests they could be the
team to beat next summer.
The USA have won back-to-back World Cups and
have long held the edge over England on the big stage.
But as European champions brimming with
confidence, England showed on Friday they are right up there with the best with
only 10 months to go until the 2023 World Cup.
The result extends England's unbeaten run to
23 games under Wiegman - winning 15 of them in a row - and was their first
victory against the USA since 2017.
It also ended the USA's unbeaten run - they had won 18 and drawn three of their last 21 matches in all competitions, winning 13 consecutive games prior to Friday's defeat.
England were fortunate on occasions as the USA
had a goal disallowed, a penalty award overturned and a spot-kick given against
them following VAR reviews.
But it was the manner in which England imposed
themselves on the USA which proved they have come a long way since the two
teams last met in 2020.
"I think the USA will be looking at us
and thinking 'wow, that's how you play in possession'," former England
midfielder Karen Carney told ITV.
"In my career, we never really had that.
We were always looking at the USA and were scared of them. But [on Friday] they
came on our home soil and saw us play them off the park at times."
England have an "aura" about them
now, added Carney, and Wiegman believes confidence has grown during her time in
charge - helped by their success at Euro 2022.
This match against the USA may only have been
a friendly but it comes 10 months out from the World Cup and will help to build
momentum.
"It was a good measure. It's good to have
a test against the USA as they have won so many things over so many years. But
it's now October and not July yet," said Wiegman.
Asked if England's unbeaten run has given them
belief they can beat anyone in the world, Wiegman added: "We have proved
to ourselves that we can do it. In the Euros we showed we could beat anyone.
"It's a thin line between winning and
losing but we could bring on something that could win against the best
opponents and that's what we showed again [against the USA]."
It was a victory earned without injured
striker Alessia Russo and captain Leah Williamson, though the USA were also
missing key players and are in a transition period with several younger stars
coming through.
Wiegman wanted her side to control the ball
and create chances which they managed to do for large periods.
The USA were also a threat and there were
nervous moments in the game for England, who were put under pressure in a frantic
and explosive encounter.
Wiegman, usually so relaxed, joked she was
"not calm at all" when midfielder Keira Walsh kept the ball inside
her own area at one point before passing it back to goalkeeper Mary Earps to
hastily clear.
"She loves to play out but I would have
preferred her to do it a little higher up the pitch!" Wiegman added.
But former England defender Stephen Warnock
believes the hosts showed enough quality and nerve to prove they can compete
with the best.
"We brought to Wembley the most successful
international team to challenge them. It showed the standard of the [women's]
game," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"This USA team will compete at the
highest level at the World Cup and this shows what England under Sarina Wiegman
can achieve."
There is still a long way to go until next
summer's World Cup though, and Wiegman is keen to stay grounded.
When asked if England can be considered the
best team in the world right now, she said: "You are the best team in the
world when you have won the World Cup. We didn't."
Meanwhile, USA boss Vlatko Andonovski
"absolutely believes" England are contenders to win next year's
tournament, though he hopes his side will be the team to stop them.
"They have an incredible squad and they
showed once again they are very good," he added.
"If you give them space, they have
players who can make a difference. They have an incredible coach and I wouldn't
mind facing them again in the final!"
