There is a lot of competition to become the USWNT’s next true No. 10 (even if they might not be wearing the number, for reasons). Rose Lavelle is still only 28 and has the resume and rare dribbling creativity among U.S. midfielders. But Ashley Sanchez, Savannah DeMelo and Olivia Moultrie are all in contention. Before PSG decided Korbin Albert was a defensive midfielder, the Notre Dame sharpshooter seemed destined to join the fray as well.
Catarina Macário would be the unquestioned solution, but after her debut for Chelsea, her current club and incoming USWNT coach, Emma Hayes, called Macário “a world-class striker.” While each potential central attacking midfielder has a unique skill set, Jaedyn Shaw’s game is the best complement for the USWNT’s young forwards.
Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson and Alyssa Thompson are all dynamic players who attack space with and without the ball. Lynn Williams is also (finally) part of the forward group, and at 30 can’t be considered a young forward but was essentially the mold God used to create her national team peers.
All are lightning fast, dynamic, intelligent and capable of making quality decisions at top speed – which should be the USWNT’s biggest asset. In order to ensure it is, they’ll need a No. 10 who’s quick to see space and make decisions. No player presently auditioning to be the new No. 10 does this better than 19-year-old Jaedyn Shaw.
Largely, the later space is seen by a player the more difficult the pass becomes. When speed of thought and recognition is functioning at a high level, simple passes can become dangerous passes. Shaw possesses the ability to execute simple and complex passes quickly and to devastating effect, maximizing the frequency with which she can create chances.
According to StatsBomb data for the 2023 NWSL regular season, Shaw’s fouls won, dribbles and carries, and touches in the box are low for an attacking midfielder, yet her on ball value (OBV) in passing and shooting, expected goals and expected goals per shot are standout characteristics. The juxtaposition reveals Shaw’s superpower: she doesn’t need much time on the ball to create quality chances.
In non-nerd, Jaedyn Shaw is a gas pedal. The pedal itself is just a catalyst, but when engaged a bunch of other mechanized sorcery – technical term – happens to increase speed. This is exactly what Shaw does for her team’s attack.
Through balls are a skill Shaw utilizes to quickly break lines of defense. In the clip above, the ball is perfectly weighted to roll softly in front of an attacker at full sprint 25 yards or so away, and Shaw’s ability to create the space to deliver the pass is equally impressive. She sees her teammate running wide without many passing lanes then accelerates to jump in front of her defender, using her body to shield and receive the ball before knocking it forward to give her the time to spot the pass, and momentum to execute it.
Throughout 2023, Shaw created four direct shots from through balls and led the league with .47 through balls per 90.
What jumps out in the graphic are the deep areas of the pitch in which the through balls originated. This is a tremendous asset, as Shaw doesn’t need to occupy space near the box to thread a pass that leads directly to a shot.
The USWNT has struggled to produce threats on goal from through balls, and typically play a slow or plodding style to target Alex Morgan and Lindsey Horan through the air in an effort to get the ball to stick in the attacking third. We can, and should, aspire to more threatening ideas.
With Shaw, the U.S. could finally get Rodman, Smith, Swanson, Thompson and Williams more directly involved in threatening goal, and more succinctly: running. The pace at which the majority of USWNT forwards want to play is a tremendous advantage over any backline that doesn’t include Sarah Gorden. But the group’s willingness and ability to use their skills out of possession means they can be just as menacing in pressing and counterpressing systems.
If you remember Shaw’s StatsBomb radar, another key area in which she rates highly is possession adjusted pressures (PAdj Pressures). This metric takes into account variances in possession across teams to measure the rate at which a player presses an opponent.
The clip above shows why Shaw’s pressing instincts, combined with her speed of thought and execution, increases her ability to quickly create chances once the ball is won.
Shaw recognizes the turnover and waits for pressure from a teammate to give her an opportunity to step in and reclaim the ball. She does so brilliantly, then shifts into a tight pocket of space, drifting into an area behind and between two would-be defenders to create a passing lane. Shaw uses defenders’ reactions to her receiving the ball to play a one-touch pass to an attacker in space.
However, don’t let all of this facilitating deceive you, Shaw can score as well. And she does so with the same cleverness and execution that is in her passing. Shaw has an uncanny ability to simplify things in a complex game, which allows her to make things easier for teammates, and herself.
In the clip above you see it all. Shaw just drifts about, between and around defenders, remaining unnoticed until the ball finds a player with a clear passing angle to her. Let’s be honest, the 2023 Houston Dash were not good, so a goal against a team with the second-fewest points in 2023 might not be a groundbreaking example. Except the Dash allowed the fewest goals in the league, and a big part of that was goalkeeper Jane Campbell having an absolutely absurd year.
Shaw, using her ability to read opponents and make things simple for herself, was one of only twelve players to beat Campbell in open play all year. As Campbell rushed out to narrow Shaw’s angle for a shot or pass, she didn’t anticipate the teenager being calm enough to fake a first action, leaving her sprawled on the ground while Shaw rolled the ball into an open goal.
Again, we see Shaw’s primary attributes coming into play to increase the value of the final action. In the end, this 1v1 against the best keeper in the league in 2023 turned into a simple tap into the back of the net. Shaw plays with the intention of creating these situations for herself or others and excels at it.
Unleashing the USWNT’s most significant advantage – its attack – is best accomplished through a player who doesn’t need much time on the ball to act as an accelerant, and that person, by definition, is Jaedyn Shaw.