USA trip about more than the results for Ward

Irish Examiner

6 days ago

Michelle O'Brien holds the distinction of being the only Irish player to score against the USA and she was American-born herself.
Ireland are back Stateside this week, preparing for two friendlies against the side ranked first in Fifa rankings, starting late on Thursday night in Colorado (2am Fri, Irish time) and concluding on Sunday in Cincinnati (8pm Irish time).
It marks a reunion for English friends Carla Ward, in charge of visitors, and Emma Hayes leading the Americans.
They worked together last summer when the USA claimed gold at the Paris Olympics, five months before Ward was appointed as Ireland boss.
History and form illustrate this is a mismatch.
Ireland lag 24 places behind their hosts in the global listings and are missing a clutch of regulars, including captain Katie McCabe.
Transatlantic relations have contributed to 16 friendlies between the nations' women's team.
All 16 went the way of the Stars and Stripes.
O'Brien's goal in the 5-1 thumping back in 2004 at Soldiers Field marks Ireland's sole goal.
Ward's first objective as Ireland boss of promotion to League A didn't go to plan as Slovenia snatched top spot, leaving them with a playoff against Belgium in October to join the top 16 nations in next year's World Cup qualifiers.
These friendlies were scheduled within that context.
'The result is not what we're going after,' admitted Ward, after settling into the team hotel, preparing for a game in 100 degrees of heat and at 1,600m of altitude.
'We'd be foolish to say we are coming here to win these games of football but we have to look bigger than that, where we're at and trying to build.
'We've got quite a young squad here so there will be a few players we'll look at across both games naturally.
'We have to make sure we put ourselves in a position to be competitive. So across the two games, I'd like to think we can have a look at a decent amount of players.'
US-based players Denise O'Sullivan and Kyra Carusa will join up on Monday with a squad that's increasingly showing a proportion of players without clubs.
Heather Payne and Aoife Mannion are in that boat too, the latter staying home despite appearing in a 7-a-side tournament for Manchester United at the end of May.
'I'm not surprised there are an amount of players without a club - that is normal for this time of year,' stressed the former Aston Villa and Birmingham City manager.
'There are a lot of people who are having conversations with clubs.
'I'm quite hands-on by speaking to a lot of the players and I understand who is potentially going where. There is no concern. This is normal for this time of year, unless you are on a two- or three-year deal.
'Aoife has had a difficult year. She struggled with a few injuries towards the back end. She is exhausted. And we have to look after people on a human level as well. It's not about flogging them. It's about looking after them.'