However, there is the matter of being smoked 44-7 by New Zealand in the semifinals. That's something the Americans have to get past.
Part of that has been identified as a mental thing to get past.
"We have our sports psychologist, Peter Haberl, who's worked with us for many years, and he and I work very closely together," said USA Head Coach Emilie Bydwell. "We feel like our integrated approach to coaching and sports psychology is is really important to the group. We've been having discussions around this idea of like tactical awareness and our psychological flexibility framework ... and how we can bring that framework to the moment, or to the moments that make the differences in the games. And I think that, like when we look back at New Zealand and Australia games from from Cape Town, you know, we are fully in those games until two minutes into the second half. Something's going on two minutes into the second half, where we where we need to raise our level, and we need to raise our focus. And that's kind of where we again."
So there remains much to learn.
Still, 4th is pretty good and because France and Japan didn't make the Top 4, the USA is currently 3rd in the SVNS standings. Yes New Zealand and Australia are way ahead in 1st and 2nd, respectively, but it's pretty good to be on the podium, at the moment.
Now it's on to Perth, where the Eagles will get another shot at New Zealand, along with Fiji and Japan.
