It’s been mostly quiet on the Western front for the USWNT since last summer’s World Cup full-body dry heave. A couple of friendlies to send off legends, a couple more to close out the year with no stakes, and an easy start to the Women’s Gold Cup last week with resounding wins over the Dominican Republic and Argentina. But in this current iteration of the USWNT, there’s always a rake somewhere nearby.

The USWNT lost to Mexico in their last group game of the Gold Cup last night, 2-0, and frankly, the Yanks were lucky to only lose by that much. Some old problems still haven’t been fixed.

This has been a tournament where interim manager Twila Kilgore has been doing some experimenting with personnel and formations, perhaps giving incoming Emma Hayes a wide sample with which to work. Against Mexico, the USWNT rolled out an inverted fullback look, which actually makes a ton of sense given the flexibility Emily Fox (and Crystal Dunn in the future) has. Fox would join Sam Coffey at the base of midfield from right back, giving the US a box midfield with Rose Lavelle and Lindsey Horan ahead of them.

At least, in theory. But once again, the US looked mighty squirrely when faced with a determined and organized press from an opponent, with either massive space between the defense and midfield or the two parts of the midfield, leading to a bevy of turnovers or hoofed long balls in the general direction of Horan’s head.

And on the shockingly rare occasions the US got the ball into the attacking third, everyone looked like they’d just been introduced to each other. Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman and Lynn Williams just looked to run into space behind the defense that wasn’t there. They never rotated, never interchanged with the ball, nor looked like they had any plan. When that left the US pretty toothless, Rodman, Horan, Lavelle, or Smith went a little hero-ball to no more effect.

That said, there are some caveats. The US lost to two Mexican golazos, one off a critical mistake from Becky Sauerbrunn. Sauerbrunn is only in the squad as an injury replacement, and it was plain to see why as she got blitzed a couple times in the evening and could have surrendered a second much earlier when Kiana Palacios walked her. Alana Cook probably doesn’t give up this chance.

The match was clinched when Mayra Pelayo went bombs away from somewhere near the Santa Monica pier:

Another caveat is that almost all of the USWNT squad is only in preseason, with the NWSL season not having started yet. A lack of sharpness isn’t a shock, but a lack of sharpness shouldn’t be leading to deserved ass-whippings by a team that they had beaten 16 straight times.

Perhaps more discouraging was that while trailing by a goal in the second half, Mexico produced the better chances and looked like the more dangerous team while the US thrashed about like a child who hasn’t realized they’re in the shallow end yet.

The US will still almost certainly win the Gold Cup, though they’ve made things trickier on themselves, and should they have another bad day at the office, Colombia or Brazil are certainly good enough to take advantage. Mexico just proved they could too. Hayes will have a challenge when she finally arrives.

The Ricketts need a handout?

Everyone in Chicago suddenly has their hand out:

Should be correct to say that it’s the Ricketts children that would like to get something for free, as they have for their entire, spoiled, fail-progeny lives. Laura Ricketts, who owns the NWSL’s Red Stars now, is trying to shape her demand for money she doesn’t need nor deserve — especially after daddy sold TD Ameritrade for $26 billion — in terms of “equality” instead of greed. The Red Stars play in a perfectly fine soccer-specific stadium out past Midway Airport, but rich doofuses never pass on the chance to get something for free. If Laura Ricketts wants her own stadium somewhere closer to downtown Chicago than the desolate hellscape of Bridgeview, she’s more than welcome to ask Papa for the cash.

The Cubs just want $30 million for “security” upgrades in their bid to land the All-Star Game in the next few years. They’ll claim the ASG will mean big revenue for the city and the $30 million is merely a paltry investment on that.

The floodgates opened after both the Bears and White Sox started crying poor and stupid about their pursuits of new stadiums that they say will be major economic boosts, but only if they don’t have to pay for them. And now it’s Whinge-a-palooza at City Hall and Springfield.

It’s a universal law around here that any member of the Ricketts clan can go screw when asking for money that doesn’t belong to them, right behind when Reinsdorf and the McCaskeys do. Perhaps they could all form the world’s ugliest and most balloon-handed circle jerk.

And a beautiful finish

Let’s end things with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’s gorgeous give-and-go with Connor Brown to clinch a 4-2 win for the Oilers over the Kings last night.

That’s how you draw it up.