U.S. women are ready for a meaningless game against winless Colombia

Clearly Jill Ellis, coach of the U.S. women’s soccer national team, doesn’t think injuries are a good thing. But if they come at the right time, they’re not a bad thing either.

“Well, they force you to make changes,” Ellis said. “I don’t think that’s bad at all, especially to prep for a major world event. If you go in and rely on one player for the whole time and that player [gets hurt] what’s your game plan?”

Injuries left Ellis without four starters during the run-up to the Rio Olympics, forcing her to experiment with a number of lineups and game plans, some of which her team will likely use in its final group-play game Tuesday against winless Colombia in steamy Manaus.

With wins over New Zealand and France in Belo Horizonte the U.S., three-time defending Olympic champion, had already qualified for the quarterfinals before making the four-hour trip to the edge of the Amazon. A win or draw against Colombia would give it the group title as well, opening up what appears to be a far less challenging road to the final.

The group winner will play against a third-place team in Brasilia and if it wins, come straight to Rio de Janeiro for the final two games. For the group runner-up to reach next week’s final, it would have to play in three cities in seven days.

Ellis prepared for a fatiguing Olympic tournament by auditioning 22 women in 2016 before cutting her roster to the Games’ limit of 18, five fewer that is allowed on a World Cup roster. It left Ellis confident enough in her team’s depth that only two players — backup goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher and midfielder Megan Rapinoe — have yet to play in Brazil.

“Gone are the days where it’s just about two players’ partnerships,” Ellis said. “This team’s evolved now to where it’s about the total team attack, the total team defending. And everybody knowing their role.

“So I think the pieces fit really well.”

Among those who missed playing time to injury were midfielders Tobin Heath (hamstring) and Carli Lloyd (knee). Now healthy and rested, Lloyd has scored two of the three U.S. goals in Brazil with Heath setting up both.

“With such a short turnaround we have to use every single player on this roster,” said midfielder Morgan Brian, who also sat out part of July with a hamstring issue. “And that’s what’s really cool about this tournament: Every single player is going to be needed at some time.”

kevin.baxter@latimes.com

Twitter: @kbaxter11