USWNT 1, Canada 0. What's a 9 anyway?

There was plenty to like in Wednesday's USWNT’s 1-0 win over Canada.

The defensive structure smothered any of Canada’s attempts to counter quickly, the midfield dominated the ball, and, while there was a lack of sharpness in the attack, Ally Sentnor’s 55th-minute goal silenced what could have been a larger conversation about the lack of a true number nine. 

Ok, so let’s have that conversation.

Ally Sentnor, despite wearing the number nine, is not a true striker.

Sentnor’s superpower in this case is her ability to play across multiple positions in the attack, especially as Hayes has to start planning for a more limited roster at next summer’s World Cup. 

However, she can play well as a striker, especially as modern high-tempo soccer leaves less time for those moments when a world-class number nine receives the ball with their back to goal and creates a productive sequence. Sentnor is great as the first defender, is good running off a wide player, and is good at receiving and distributing on the run.

All key characteristics for what new KC Current manager Chris Armas will want out of the position this season, and, in light of the Cat Macario and Sophia Wilson absences, Sentnor might be the best player for what Emma Hayes wants from the position right now.

Moving Sentnor closer to the goal accomplishes a few things:

1. It allows Sentnor to drift and potentially pull a defender out of line, creating space for a wide player to run into – something that created chances for Alyssa Thompson to cut inside and rip shots against the grain. 
2. It means that Sentnor won’t have as many opportunities to shoot from outside of the box. 

Sentnor’s average positioning proves that she is starting to understand the positional ask. She found the goal-scoring areas, made some smart runs, and hounded the backline to the tune of three recoveries, a tackle, and an interception in the attacking half. 

The understanding appears to be growing, but she’s not all the way there yet.

The hope – especially if you’re a KC Current fan – is that with more time at the position, Sentnor will learn how to slow down and pick out her opportunities. 

All four of Sentnor’s shots came from the center of the box, including her goal from a gatherer corner kick opportunity, and a hurried shot attempt after winning the ball off of Jade Rose. 

After arriving in KC last season, some of this skillset had started to develop, but her movement still drifts too much into other player's runs off the ball.  

Looking back at last season, she has clearly progressed. The inefficient shot selection ate away at her general productivity in 2025 and her shot selection has to continue developing with more minutes – out of necessity – this season. Especially as Croix Bethune looks to create chances for her to run onto the ball in dangerous areas.

In an ideal world, Sentnor can offer Emma Hayes a different look against a tired backline late in matches, but without the first-choice strikers, Sentnor offers a flexibility that probably moves her up the depth chart past players more typical strikers like Yazmeen Ryan and Riley Tiernan. 

What did you think of Sentnor at the nine? Leave me a comment.