WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- As the shot from Sweden's Caroline Seger arced toward the top corner of the U.S. net, defender Becky Sauerbrunn had only one thought.
"Oh God, no!"
Her fear turned to joy a millisecond later as Meghan Klingenberg -- all 5 feet, 2 inches of her -- leaped into the air and headed the ball off the crossbar and out.
"It was brilliant," U.S. manager Jill Ellis said. "Brilliant timing, and a huge defensive play."
It was more than that, actually. On a night when the U.S. attack never really got going in a 0-0 draw, Klingenberg's save was the signature moment in a game that featured exceptional performances along the U.S. back line. Ali Krieger bounced back from a tough outing against Australia, as did Julie Johnston, who played with much more confidence whether defending or passing the ball out of the back. Becky Sauerbrunn was her usual dominant self, and even on the one occasion when she made a mistake -- a missed tackle on Sweden forward Lotta Schelin that allowed a momentary two-on-one in the second half -- Sauerbrunn engaged what she called her "oh crap speed" to make up for it and tackle the ball away.
"Luckily I found [that speed] and was able to make a play because I was not going to be the reason that we went down," she said.
But afterward, talk gravitated toward the smallest member of the back line, and a reason why she plays big. Johnston offered up that Klingenberg has the highest vertical leap on the team.
"For [Klingenberg] to jump that high wasn't shocking, but just to have that focus that late in the game to clear that off is phenomenal," she said.
Sauerbrunn added, "She's like a sprite."
When Klingenberg was asked point-blank about her ups, the normally talkative defender clammed up, saying at one point she didn't know, and later to ask U.S. fitness coach Dawn Scott if it was true. After being asked again, Klingenberg would only confirm that it was one of the highest.
"I guess when you're this short," she said, "you have to make up for it somehow, right?"
It was a play not just borne of athletic ability, but also repetition. Klingenberg said the team had been practicing set pieces all week given that set pieces are often the difference between winning and losing in a World Cup.
"I know when Hope slides across I need to slide in and make sure I'm covering the line because I'm her far side," she said. "And that's what I did, so luckily I got a head on it and it went out."
Time has proved to be an ally of the U.S. defense as well. It was back at the Algarve Cup in March, when Johnston joined the lineup, that the unit began to solidify and find some consistency. Confidence came in the 2-0 victory over France in the final. The benefits of training together for the past month have also allowed a chemistry to develop. Now the balance in the unit is there to see. There is pace and toughness and an ability to get forward when needed.
"We're like-minded in how we defend," Sauerbrunn said. "I think we all analyze the game a little bit, we're strong at using our bodies, we're quick to go to ground when we need to. We're decisive when we need to be."
Given the hesitancy that seems to characterize the U.S. attack these days, that is a welcome attribute to have. The defense can help the team buy time for the attack to get going.
There are no guarantees, of course, and time is short, but the defense is ready to do the heavy lifting once again in the group finale against Nigeria on Tuesday in Vancouver.
"It's do what the team asks of you," Johnston said. "You need to get back, and as defenders, you want clean sheets -- that's what you want to do."
And right now that's exactly what the U.S. women need.