The expectations are impossible to avoid. The starting quintet from the 2014 championship team is back. The 20th anniversary season recalls images of older Mercury teams just as fondly remembered.

Stacked with the talent of an all-world squad, this year’s Mercury figured to join the storied ranks of its own standout predecessors.

Doing so, however, is turning out to require much more than simply putting all that talent in a Phoenix uniform.

“Champion players don’t make a championship team,” said Mercury Head Coach Sandy Brondello. “If you’re not on the same page, you’re not going to win. I don’t think we’re on the same page quite yet, but I know we’re capable of getting there.”

That statement followed Phoenix’s 81-80 loss in their season home opener. They led for almost entire game, even holding a seven-point advantage after a Diana Taurasi and-one layup with 3:43 remaining.

The Mercury didn’t make another field goal after that. Seattle, meanwhile, couldn’t miss. They made all five of their final shot attempts, including Jewell Loyd’s game-winner with two seconds remaining.

Phoenix now sits at 0-3, a far cry from the start they anticipated having. With defending champion Minnesota up next on Wednesday, there is no easy solution in sight. There is only the right one.

“We have to keep working,” Brondello said. “The games don’t get any easier. We have to keep working. We have to make sure we stay together. We have to make sure we hold each other accountable.”

There is no doubt the Mercury can get to that point. They showed their potential in Wednesday’s opening quarter, outscoring the Storm 23-12. The ball zipped from player to player on offense, while hands and feet were active on defense.

Meanwhile Taurasi has been everything fans hoped she would be upon returning to the WNBA. Her first six made field goals were all from beyond the arc, and she finished with team-highs in points (23) and assists (six). Through the first three games of the season, she is averaging 24.3 points, 5.7 assists and 1.7 steals per contest.

Yet the onus is still on the team as a whole to step up its game. Brondello wants her team to be dissatisfied, angry even, with their start to the season — as long as that anger directs them in the right direction.

“I want them to show their emotion when they’re [angry],” she said. “Most importantly, don’t let it affect your teammates. You can get angry with yourself. How do you change that? You bring the energy. You bring the focus. You bring the communication. That can be contagious. If each and every one of them does that, we’ll be fine.”