3-1, 3-1, and 3-0—these were the score lines by which the USWNT secured victories in their October camp, with wins in a doubleheader against Iceland and then Argentina. With these perfect three victories, the American ladies were able to extend their winning streak to 12 matches. While it suggests everything is in their control, Sam Mewis has some ‘vulnerable‘ and ‘exposed‘ moments of the group to share.

The USWNT icon had some talking points regarding the second game that Hayes and Co. played against Iceland. “The midfield looked a little bit disjointed,” Mewis beganon her own co-hosted podcast show , The Women’s Game, basically complaining about the poor center half of the pitch display from the ladies. “I think that the positioning occasionally left us vulnerable at the back.”

“The combination of Korbin Albert and Sam Coffey—at times they were both getting beat by one pass. The moments that we saw our backline really vulnerable and kind of getting exposed by Iceland’s attack, I felt like the midfield could have provided some more help,” added Sam, questioning the midfield’s ability of not being able to set the play they are often accustomed to.

That explains why the USWNT felt more vulnerable in the second game against Iceland. Stelpurnar Okkar surprisingly took the lead against the recent Olympic gold medalists in the first half, marking the first time the USWNT trailed by a goal under Hayes. While the presence of new faces was one reason for this, there’s no denying that the midfield’s poor performance also played an equally significant role. Then again, a look at the scoreline would trick everyone into believing that this is not much of an issue, Mewis still urges her own counterparts to make a quick fix.

Sam Mewis’ advice for USWNT midfielders on how they can play under Emma Hayes!

Having played as a midfielder herself, Sam Mewis shared her perspective on how the USA midfielders can elevate their game. Firstly, she emphasized the defensive responsibilities of the midfield, focusing on protecting the back line, cutting off passing angles, making tackles, stopping transitions, and helping the team win the ball higher up the field through organization.

On the attacking side, she expressed a desire for the midfield to take a more active role in initiating play from deeper positions. Mewis noted that, currently, much of the playmaking is starting from the center-backs, with outside backs excelling in wide play. While she values this wide approach, she believes players like Sam Coffey have the skill to make strong forward passes and should be given more opportunities to do so.

“I’m seeing the play being set from more from the backline and I just want to see the midfield be more involved in that,” said Mewis, urging the midfield to play a greater role in orchestrating the attack, rather than leaving it primarily to the backline. While it surely seems to be useful advice, it remains to be seen whether Emma Hayes will help the USWNT midfielders embrace it.