The USWNT are moving on after a thrilling extra time goal by young star Trinity Rodman put the USA up 1-0 against Japan.
From the beginning there was no doubt Japan was going to be a tougher game than the group stages. Japan knew how dangerous the Americans trio of forwards were which led to them playing five defenders, leaving the forwards with no time or space.
For the first time this tournament, the USA was held to only three shots the entire game, but only one goal was needed.
After battling for over 100+ minutes, veteran defender Crystal Dunn played a long ball for Rodman down the right wing. Rodman had to have the perfect touch to bring it down but also keep it close to her, as she did. After controlling the ball she cut back to her left foot and found the far side of the net, putting the USA up 1-0 in the final minutes of the first half of extra time.
With one half of extra time left, the USA needed to compact and defend. As they played, it was very clear they wanted to clog as much space as they could while defending and not putting as much pressure into scoring another goal.
In the end, the one goal by Rodman proved to be enough to put the Americans into the next round where they will meet a familiar opponent.
USWNT v Germany:
A group stage rematch. After the USA beat Germany 4-1 in the opening round of play, they will meet again in the semifinals on Aug. 6, at 12 p.m. ET.
In their first meeting, apart from the score, the game was fairly even. The USWNT had possession slightly more than the Germains. The US registered eight shots on goal and Germany had seven, but the Americans made their shots count.
A question for Germany is will they change their formation after the success Sophia Smith, Mal Swanson and Rodman had against them? Smith ended with a brace, Swanson netted one and Lynn Williams, who subbed in for Smith, added another one towards the end of the game.
Germany originally played a 4-4-2, but knowing how well those three work together and the depth at forward, we might see Germany in a more defensive formation.
One concern for the USWNT is the lack of subs. Going into the semifinals, head coach Emma Hayes has continued to use the same starting 11, minus injured players or players who had to miss a match because of yellow cards. With the tournament schedule and the level of intensity, these players will start to fatigue.
It seemed that the entire US team was a bit off against Japan, could that be because of the minimal rotation of players?
This far into the tournament, you have to go with what is working. You can not risk changing a starting 11 that has been very successful throughout the tournament, but some of them could have sat and rested against Australia in the group stage.
The US will get Sam Coffey back after missing the previous game because of receiving too many yellow cards in the group stage. The hope is Tierna Davidson can make her way back into the lineup after suffering a knee contusion, but nothing is confirmed.
What will we see from the Americans this time against Germany? Watch on Tuesday, Aug. 6 at 12 p.m. ET.
