As the England Women’s squad head across the Atlantic for a demanding 10-day US tour, Head Coach Mike Molster has made it clear that he wants the trip to find and test the team’s limits ahead of next year’s World Championship.
The high-pressure schedule featuring six games against NCAA Division I programmes, including NCAA champions University of North Carolina, has been designed to push players both physically and mentally throughout the tour.
“We tried to lay it out to look as close to a World Championships as possible,” he said ahead of the team’s departure.
“My hope is that we are stressed and that our players are pushed because it will answer a lot of questions for us, not only from a personnel standpoint but also from a tactical standpoint.”
“Let’s find out - How are we doing tactically against other teams? How are we doing technically? The goal is then to walk away with a long list of things we’re doing well, but also things we need to cover.”
That list, he admits, will come from mistakes as much as successes. “Failure isn’t a problem,” he explained.
“I tell the players all the time, make mistakes. That’s what you’re trying to do, because with those mistakes comes another step forward in learning.”
The tour is also one of opportunity for the group, and Molster is relishing being able to see his full complement of players in action together across the six games with the squad’s US-based players being able to join up with the home-based core.
“I'm really excited to see how those things develop, especially over the entire week.” Molster said.
“First game, throw them all together, I’m not expecting the world,” he admitted.
“But as the week goes on and they’re playing with each other more and more often, I’m excited to see how those people begin to complement each other.”
And one area Molster is particularly keen to evaluate is the midfield depth, with an abundance of options in the squad and the opportunity to test out different line combinations throughout the tour.
“Our defence is fairly strong, goalie we’re strong as well. Midfield, we’ve got a lot of depth and we’re going to run different lines, different configurations.
“It’s about seeing who plays well with each other and what strengths they complement.”
Since the beginning of this championship cycle following the bronze medal in 2022, Molster and the team have made no secret that the ultimate goal is to be in the final at the 2026 World Championship and he will also be challenging his attack and defence to make those small improvements that he sees as being crucial in making a gold-medal game.
“We’re wanting to see that bit of improvement in our pace of play, putting enough pressure on their defensive unit with how fast we're moving, how fast we’re moving the ball and threatening throughout the entire possession from all our players”.
“On the defensive end, looking at the systems that we're running now; the strength of the teams we are facing are going to test both our players’ 1v1 skills but also our team defence, our communication and how do you react to different players you know nothing about.”
Leadership responsibilities have been shared across the squad, with appointed tour captains Alice Ripper, Emma Savage, and Charlie Wilson focusing on culture and standards off the field, with rotating game captains then handling on-field communication.
“We’ve got proven leaders who don’t need a label,” Molster said.
"We have a number of strong voices, experienced players who know our systems, know what the coaches are looking for and know the standards we set.
“It’s now important to give others the chance to step up. This is about giving people the opportunity to show they can lead in a formal role and share the responsibilities.”
The conclusion of the tour will be less of an endpoint for this England squad and more of a starting point that Molster hopes will reveal his players’ potential and set the standards for the months to follow.
“You can’t make diamonds without pressure. That’s what this tour is about, finding out who’s ready, who can step up, and who’s prepared to go even higher.”
“I’m a believer that, now you've reached another level of standard and shown me your potential I don't want you to hit that point and stop.
“Now I want you to keep moving upward in your skills and effort, we now have the time to raise your standard even higher.”
Ultimately for Molster, success on the US trip won’t be measured by wins and losses but by answers gained.
“If we come home injury-free and with a better understanding of our players, our systems, and how we respond to high-level competition, that’s success,” he said.
“Someone will be keeping score but I’m not too worried about the end result on the scoreboard. I want to see our offence scoring, our defence preventing, and I want to see players relishing playing for their country.”
The team departs on Thursday 2 October, with their first fixture on Saturday with George Mason.
See England squad and schedule HERE