Such is the standard that the U.S. women's national team has carried through its many iterations over the last three decades, that a puzzling result might be cause to sound a light alarm—even if it's all part of a greater plan.
Thursday night's SheBelieves Cup opener is a case in point. Coach Vlatko Andonovski has been clear about his desire to bring along a new wave of talent, and taking a long view means that the results in the short term could be collateral damage. A 0–0 draw against the 24th-ranked Czech Republic, for instance, doesn't do much to inspire confidence when the expectation, regardless of who is on the field, is a win by any means necessary.