'America's got that ruthless streak of wanting to win,' says England coach Phil Neville

LYON, France — The talented United States team boasts the likes of Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, among other weapons, but England coach Phil Neville has been more impressed with something else.

“America’s got that ruthless streak of wanting to win,” he said.

Neville could not get over how well the Americans performed while protecting a 2-1 lead in the waning minutes of their Women’s World Cup quarterfinal win over France in Paris on Friday.

“The last five minutes, the game management was fantastic,” said Neville, whose team will battle the United States in Tuesday’s semifinals. “They took the ball into the corner. They knew what it took to win and they celebrated like winners.”

That ruthlessness, that will to win, has been a vital part of the team’s psyche for decades.

When she joined the squad as a 16-year-old in 1987, former USA captain Julie Foudy was surprised by the mentality set by coach Anson Dorrance and captains April Heinrichs and Laurie Henry.

“Oh, my gosh, these women are ruthless,” Foudy recalled. “They would do anything to win, and that was always the foundation. It’s always been in our fabric. What we talked about was that mentality to grind it out. We considered ourselves very blue collar, gritty, and took a ton of pride in that.”

“That’s win at all costs. That means tactically adapt in a way we never have in four years,” forward Christen Press said, referring to using five defenders against France in the second half.

That mindset has resulted in an unparalleled dominance of the women’s game with three World Cup championships and four Olympic gold medals.

In games that don’t matter, it wasn’t the end of the world or the World Cup if the USA lost.

In January friendlies, for example, the squad struggled, falling to France and barely getting past Spain. When it counted, the Americans eliminated both in the knockout round.

“Just simply the team rises to the occasion,” Press said. “We’ve done a great job of flipping pressure and making it inspiration, making it motivation. We know when the stakes are the highest and the tournaments are the biggest, you have to find another level in yourself to win.”

England, which has made tremendous strides the past decade to become a world power, lacks the same history. So Neville has used winning this winter’s SheBelieves Cup, hosted by the United States, as a launching pad. It was the team’s first tournament triumph.

“Elite sport is about winning,” he said. “Nobody cares who gets the silver or bronze. It’s the gold medal everybody wants.”

If both sides’ previous formations hold up, a world-class confrontation between Rapinoe and defender Lucy Bronze could emerge. Rapinoe (five goals) has scored all four of the USA’s knockout-round goals. Bronze, whom Neville has called the best player in the world, struck for a marvelous goal from distance in the 3-0 quarterfinal win over Norway.

Neville teased the possibility of using former St. John’s All-American Rachel Daly in Bronze’s role, with the latter moving to midfield.

“Rachel Daly did a lot in the SheBelieves against her [Rapinoe], and the ability of Lucy Bronze to step into midfield,” he said. “We have a decision to make. Rachel is in fantastic form.

“Megan is someone from Day One that I really admired. I remember my first SheBelieves [in 2018] when a ball bounced on the touchline. I went to catch the ball and her studs came right through my Apple watch. What I liked about it; she didn’t say sorry. She just got on with it. She’s a winner.”