[ColoradoTree]

Maybe they'll be giving more time to Davidson at that position, which would strengthen her utility role of playing anywhere on the backline plus holding mid.

But I wish they had spent more time developing a young outside back, like, say, someone who was just drafted in the first round in the NWSL and played outside back at Stanford . . .

Anything that increases Davidson's role on that team is good news and something I'd welcome, but it sure seems like Jill Ellis sees Davidson as her center back of the present and future, when she's healthy. I expect her to start alongside Sauerbrunn this summer at the World Cup, with O'Hara and Dunn as the outside backs. (Davidson would definitely be starting if she hadn't gotten hurt, so maybe it's Dahlkemper this summer instead. We'll see.)

And I hear you on Tegan, but Coach Ellis clearly believes she doesn't have to take already-developed outside backs when she can just pluck them from the overstuffed ranks of forwards and wingers and turn them into outside backs. It's an experiment that clearly worked with O'Hara, and seems to be working well with Crystal Dunn. (I mean, my goodness, O'Hara and Dunn would be a deadly attacking tandem for most countries around the world, and for us, they get turned into defenders. Is there any soccer team anywhere that has that kind of attacking acumen at outside back?)

Dunn is only 26, and Sonnett (seemingly O'Hara's primary backup at right back) is 25, even though it seems like she's been around longer than that. So there is some youth still at outside back. (Once Sauerbrunn (33) leaves the national team, it seems like center back will be held down by the Davidson-Dahlkemper tandem, and Dahlkemper is only 25, so that's a pretty youthful center back duo going forward.)

[ColoradoTree]

Maybe they'll be giving more time to Davidson at that position, which would strengthen her utility role of playing anywhere on the backline plus holding mid.

But I wish they had spent more time developing a young outside back, like, say, someone who was just drafted in the first round in the NWSL and played outside back at Stanford . . .

Anything that increases Davidson's role on that team is good news and something I'd welcome, but it sure seems like Jill Ellis sees Davidson as her center back of the present and future, when she's healthy. I expect her to start alongside Sauerbrunn this summer at the World Cup, with O'Hara and Dunn as the outside backs. (Davidson would definitely be starting if she hadn't gotten hurt, so maybe it's Dahlkemper this summer instead. We'll see.)

And I hear you on Tegan, but Coach Ellis clearly believes she doesn't have to take already-developed outside backs when she can just pluck them from the overstuffed ranks of forwards and wingers and turn them into outside backs. It's an experiment that clearly worked with O'Hara, and seems to be working well with Crystal Dunn. (I mean, my goodness, O'Hara and Dunn would be a deadly attacking tandem for most countries around the world, and for us, they get turned into defenders. Is there any soccer team anywhere that has that kind of attacking acumen at outside back?)

Dunn is only 26, and Sonnett (seemingly O'Hara's primary backup at right back) is 25, even though it seems like she's been around longer than that. So there is some youth still at outside back. (Once Sauerbrunn (33) leaves the national team, it seems like center back will be held down by the Davidson-Dahlkemper tandem, and Dahlkemper is only 25, so that's a pretty youthful center back duo going forward.)