Relief rushed over the faces of U.S. players and fans alike as the referee blew the final whistle to end the match against Spain. This was the United States' first real test of the 2019 Women’s World Cup, and honestly, they barely passed. The final scoreline was a hard fought 2-1, but even that was lucky.

With marginally better possession (54% to Spain’s 46%) and only three shots on-target, the United States narrowly avoided elimination in the round of 16. Both goals came from penalty kicks taken by Megan Rapinoe, and while they were skillfully taken, they weren't the aggressive, hard-earned goals U.S. fans have grown accustomed to.

The United States' defense was nearly disastrous for the team. Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher’s decision to send a short pass to the doubly marked Becky Sauerbrunn left her in an impossible situation that quickly resulted in a goal by Spain’s Jenni Hermoso. Crystal Dunn is a powerful forward for her club team, the Carolina Courage, but her poor defensive performance during today's game meant that center defenders Becky Sauerbrunn and Abby Dahlkemper had to do a lot of backtracking.

The dominating forward line that came to play in the group stage disappeared. The midfielders, particularly Rose Lavelle, sent some beautiful through balls beyond Spain’s back line, but the U.S. strikers failed to connect. Rapinoe did well to put away the penalty kicks but looked weak along the wing during regular play. Alex Morgan’s injury from the match against Sweden was clearly affecting her, and the targeting from a highly physical Spanish side (who committed 17 fouls to the United States' 5) essentially left the United States to play a man down.

One of the greatest strengths of the USWNT is their deep bench, and one has to wonder why head coach Jill Ellis didn’t draw from it until the match was nearly over. Alex Morgan is ordinarily the best striker in the world, but with her injury it seems clear that Carli Lloyd (or one of the many other talented U.S. forwards...see Jessica McDonald or Mallory Pugh) should have started. Rapinoe should have been subbed during half time and replaced by Christen Press. Press came off the bench in the United States’ only other match against Spain to score the game-winning goal and would have offered new creativity and energy where Rapinoe struggled. Ali Krieger should have come in to replace the struggling Crystal Dunn, or Ellis should have rearranged the lineup to feature Julie Ertz as a center defender.

The United States was able to scrape by thanks to Spain’s inability to capitalize on opportunities, but they won’t be so lucky when they face the host team, France, on Friday. The USWNT will need to be well-rested, in shape, and with a new lineup if they have any hope of defeating a formidable French side.