Kristie Mewis has been backed to succeed at West Ham despite not being in the same 'bracket' as one former United States women's national team star.
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Mewis signed for West Ham in JanuaryNot mentality monster like USWNT icon LloydBut backed to bring an 'expectation to win'WHAT HAPPENED?
Mewis joined the relegation-threatened Hammers in the January transfer window, fresh off the back of helping Gotham win a first ever NWSL title. She doesn’t have the major international honours that many of the other USWNT stars who have played in the Women’s Super League do as she fell out of the picture with the national team between 2014 and 2020. However, after completing an inspiring return to the side a few years ago, she’s being backed to have a real impact with her new club after making the switch to England.
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Speaking to GOAL about West Ham’s January transfer business, former England midfielder Izzy Christiansen said: “[Head coach] Rehanne Skinner had to be backed in the window, bringing in Kristie Mewis and Katrina Gorry in particular, and they've now got a playmaker in Marika Bergman-Lundin. It's definitely a test of Rehanne Skinner to get those signings embedded in the team and I think, to be fair, so far, she's done that. Kristie Mewis had an impact off the bench against Spurs. They didn't win but I think the impact will definitely give them confidence.”
Christiansen was at Manchester City when USWNT icon Carli Lloyd joined the club in 2017, two years on from her World Cup final hat-trick. Asked what kind of impact it has on a team when someone from the USWNT’s winning environment comes in, she said: “It's massive. Carli Lloyd had a bit of an anomaly of a mentality. She stood out. She was like Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of mentality. I wouldn't put Kristie Mewis into that bracket but I think being part of that USWNT at any point, even last year during the World Cup, there's that level of expectation to win.
“I think coming into West Ham, Kristie Mewis probably needed to have a level of expectation where she wanted to impose herself but also not do it in a disruptive way, I suppose. I'm sure she's done that and she's definitely had an impact on the pitch so far.”
GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
West Ham had a dreadful start to the WSL season and remain second-from-bottom in the table. However, a strong January window has certainly given them a boost, with Skinner’s side taking English champions Chelsea to extra time in the FA Cup before beating relegation rivals Bristol City in a crucial encounter last week.
DID YOU KNOW?
There was a six year gap between Mewis' 15th and 16th caps for the USWNT. When she scored her second international goal in November 2020, it came 2,722 days after her first, setting a record for the longest span between goals in USWNT history.