U.S. not scoring any style points but still winning at Women's World Cup

OTTAWA, Ontario – Jill Ellis doesn't do loud. She's so soft-spoken that when she has something important to communicate from the bench to the field, she asks an assistant to yell. So it meant something on Monday night when she was asked about the way the United States women's national team has been winning, and she responded emphatically.

"This is the World Cup," the head coach said after the USA capitalized on a 47th-minute red card to beat Colombia 2-0 in the round of 16. "I'm really pleased to advance. It's about finding a way."

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This elicited groans from no less than former U.S. star Michelle Akers, who pondered why Ellis is even coaching the team if she's satisfied with yet another positive result from yet another lackluster offensive show. Julie Foudy also chimed in, tweeting her displeasure with the on-field strategy. There seems to be a disconnect between what Ellis and a lot of pundits and former players are seeing: Ellis sees victories on the road to a title; her critics see a predictable approach that could eventually lead to doom.

But while that debate gets stronger as the USA advances, there's this question to ponder: Does it even matter if the Americans win ugly?

[Women's World Cup: Latest news | Scores and Schedule | Group standings]

Style points don't win championships; defense does. And what's been somewhat overlooked in this tournament has been the U.S. backline. It's been impenetrable, allowing only one goal in the very first match against Australia. Since then, the Americans have gone 333 minutes without conceding a goal and only gotten better at preventing chances. Sweden got a few, Nigeria got fewer and Colombia only mustered two shots on goal. If Hope Solo, the best goalkeeper in the world, is only seeing two shots in a match, the USA doesn't exactly need to light up the scoreboard.

There is little panic on the U.S. side. Alex Morgan and Tobin Heath both acknowledged the issues on offense after Monday's win over Colombia. Morgan said she didn't even get 10 touches in the first half, while Heath said the overall attack needs to be more "dynamic."

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But even these comments were made in an untroubled tone. Carli Lloyd has consistently said the offense will come along. Morgan looks to have recovered from a knee injury before the tournament, Abby Wambach is still good enough at age 35, Heath is starting and creating plays, and Megan Rapinoe, suspended for Friday's game along with Lauren Holiday, is going to create chances for her teammates no matter how little help she gets. The U.S. is so deep that underachieving doesn't necessarily mean un-achieving.

That doesn't absolve the lethargy in midfield, of course. The Americans haven't really controlled the play there, which is kind of staggering considering the wealth of talent with Lloyd, Holiday and Rapinoe. Plays don’t seem to grow from midfield. Instead, they stall there, or don’t even start. So there’s a disconnect between that area and the final third of the field where the forwards roam. Rapinoe (and Morgan, to some extent) has made the attack look a lot better than it’s been. Without Rapinoe on Friday, though, it may look unsightly. Welcome to winning ugly.

But teams on both the men's and women's side have won World Cups with suffocating defense and just enough offense. The U.S. is so deep and so loaded that the flaws may simply be glossed over. If Morgan continues to find her stride, Rapinoe's crosses from the wing might be enough should the U.S. get by China.

Yes, there are problems, but are they problems that Solo and the defense can't solve?

We really don't know how vulnerable the Americans are because of their offensive flaws. There's a chance we'll never find out.

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