Meg Linehan
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In The Journey to the Cup, The Athletic follows six players as they work towards a place in the 2023 Women’s World Cup. Follow along as we check in with them each month in the build-up to the tournament, tracking their progress as they prepare both mentally and physically for a chance to shine on the game’s biggest stage.
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The comeback year continues for Lynn Williams.
Following her return to the U.S. women’s national team earlier this year in New Zealand, where she had a goal and an assist during the road trip, Williams picked up her first start of 2023 in the SheBelieves Cup during the USWNT’s 1-0 victory over Japan.
Speaking to a handful of reporters at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, enjoying the warm weather of Texas after a chill in Nashville, Williams still had the same enthusiasm she had in January about making her way back to the USWNT.
“I love being back in this environment. It’s a tough environment to be in, as I’m sure everybody can imagine. I’m feeling more and more like myself every single day. I still think I have a bit more to feel like myself again,” she said. “It’s always an honor to be here.”
For Williams, being on the field — getting touches on the ball and seeing up close the patterns the team is building — is exactly what she wants. And if there was one thing, in particular, she was happy about ahead of the SheBelieves finale, it was how long she had stayed on the field.
Williams cracked triple-digit minutes played at this year’s SheBelieves Cup (64 minutes vs. Japan, 13 minutes vs. Canada, 30 minutes vs. Brazil) and earned the most minutes she’s played in a single match since the USWNT’s trip to Australia in the final window of 2021. For comparison, in the 2022 SheBelieves Cup, Williams played 45 minutes against New Zealand in the USWNT’s 5-0 win and 11 minutes in its 5-0 win over Iceland.
The 64 minutes at GEODIS Park against Japan in February, starting alongside Alex Morgan and Mal Swanson on the forward line, are key to showing how Williams could contribute to this team without necessarily being involved in the game-winning goal.
“One of the things that Lynn is very special at, is she’s probably one of the best defenders from the attacking players. There is no hesitation when she goes into press, (she) drives the press, drives the intensity of the team, sets up a good rhythm,” USWNT manager Vlatko Andonovski said during the postgame press conference in Nashville. “Once again (versus Japan), she did it, and the only thing that was the problem — it wasn’t Lynn’s problem — was the team’s shape at the beginning of the game. We’re trying to solve, figure out what were the angles, what were the areas that we had to cover, at times it made it harder for Lynn. But once we solved it, especially at the beginning of the second half with the adjustments, I thought she was very good.”
A couple of days later, Williams’ assessment of the match reinforced that the USWNT had learned a valuable lesson from being pushed by Japan’s aggressive 3-4-3.
Six goals in 2023 ✅
Goals in five straight USWNT games ✅Mallory Swanson 😤
Watch the SheBelieves Cup on @hbomax pic.twitter.com/S2K6eKfLWg
— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 19, 2023
“You give credit to Japan, they are very skillful women,” she said. “Anytime you go in with a plan, even the most skillful teams can break down your plan.
“Just to be able to win and learn, I think is incredible. Sometimes you win, and you’re like, ‘Yeah, we were just the better team.’ I don’t think that was the case against Japan. It was, ‘We won and we learned something.’”
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Much like Andonovski’s assessment, Williams said there were fixes the team had to make — even more so because she thought the U.S. was running more than expected in the first half.
“You have to be able to adapt and problem solve on the fly, then get to halftime and say, ‘Look, this isn’t working. What do we need to do?’” she said. “The second half, you saw us working a little more, our shape was better, and we were on the ball more.”
In addition to an increase in minutes in the past two years, Williams has seen another number jump: the number of children in the mix at national team camp. Crystal Dunn, Adrianna Franch and Alex Morgan all travel with their children for matches in the States now.
And Williams prides herself on being one of the best “aunties” on the team.
She has plenty of practice already, being an aunt of five in her own family.
“I just think it comes naturally,” she said, smiling, “and obviously Crystal is a good friend of mine and her baby is adorable. So it’s pretty easy to just take him and hold him all the time. He’s heavy, he’s like a bowling ball. I’m like, ‘No wonder why you’re so strong, Crystal.’”
Best aunts on the planet 💃 pic.twitter.com/DDo3EDJkyr
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) February 17, 2023
Challenged to present her list of top aunties on the team — for Marcel only, just to provide some parameters — Williams was ready with an answer, though found it tough to limit herself on the list. Turns out the USWNT works as a team in plenty of regards, not just on the field or fighting for equal pay.
“Top three: I’m going to put myself, Alyssa (Naeher), and Midge (Purce),” she answered. “But you know, Rose (Lavelle) and Mal love making him smile.”
After the SheBelieves Cup match against Brazil, Williams’ top aunties list got some external validation from teammate Megan Rapinoe to much amusement.
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“Lynn is much better,” Rapinoe confirmed. “She’s babysitting and stuff. I’m not going and getting them from the room, I’m just in the meal room.”
Rapinoe felt confident about putting Williams at number one, at least in terms of actual caretaking. She did have one note, however.
“In terms of vibes, I’m up in their face. We’re gonna teach them things that they need to know,” Rapinoe said, to a round of laughter. “Lynn’s really probably No. 1. I’m not babysitting. I’m like, ‘Who’s responsibility is this?’ It’s not mine.”
Having Marcel, Kamari and Charlie around can keep the mood light and is something that helps take the edge off the pressure of a World Cup year.
“Kids keep you present,” Williams said. “There’s always downtime, there’s always time to relax. They make you laugh and giggle and they play together. It’s like a dance party sometimes.”
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(Photo design: Samuel Richardson)
Meg Linehan is the women's sports lead for The Athletic. She continues to write columns and features around women's soccer, as well as host Full Time and contribute to the free weekly women's soccer newsletter, but also works to deliver a big-picture, conceptual vision for women’s sports coverage across The Athletic. Follow Meg on Twitter @itsmeglinehan
