The young and dangerous USWNT ended the group stage on the top of their table with a record of 3-0-0.
The trio of Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman and Mal Swanson dominated whenever they were on the field together. You would never guess Smith and Rodman are appearing in their first Olympic games.
There are five more players who are making their Olympic debuts: Star defender Naomi Girma, Sam Coffey, Emily Fox, Korbin Rose and Jenna Nighswonger.
USWNT vs Zambia:
The USWNT opened up their Olympics with a dominating 3-0 win against Zambia. Trinity Rodman opened up the scoring for the USA as she scored her first ever Olympic goal. Not far after Mal Swanson scored two more in 70 seconds and put the USA up 3-0. Captain and veteran Lindsey Horan added two assists to help propel this young team to their opening victory.
Alyssa Naeher posted a clean sheet and had a very slow game as she only had three saves the entire game. The defense was strong as they limited Zambia to three shots on goal.
This was the first meeting ever between the two countries. They will continue onto the rest of the games in the group stage. With the win, the USWNT sits on the top of the table with Germany, each having three points and a goal differential of three.
The USA and Germany will play for the top spot in the table on Sunday, July 28 at 3pm.
USWNT vs Germany:
USA and Germany, two top teams in the world of women’s soccer, one big test for the USA. With a 4-1 win over Germany, is the USA playing the best soccer they have played in years?
It is no secret the USA has declined over the years and lost that top spot in the rankings. This game was a huge test for the young USA team and they brought everything they had to the table.
Smith found the back of the net twice while Swanson added another goal and assist to her impressive Olympic outing and Lynn Williams added a late goal for her second ever Olympic goal. Naeher was a brick wall in net as she only allowed one goal on seven shots.
Everything is clicking for the USA right now. The lone goal Germany scored is the first goal scored on the USA since head coach Emma Hayes took over. Goal scoring has been no issue as they have scored seven goals so far.
The young stars looked good as they punched their ticket to the knockout rounds before even completing the group stage.
They will close out the group stage on Wednesday, July 31 at 1pm against Australia.
USWNT vs Australia:
USA locked their place into the quarterfinals with a win in the previous game, now they were playing for first place in their group. With a 2-1 win against Australia, they finished 3-0-0 and with nine points.
Rodman continued her terrific play in the Olympics by scoring the opening goal. After some debate if it counted, the USA were on their way to an undefeated group stage. Albert added her first ever Olympic goal to put the team up 2-0.
Australia netted one in added time, giving themselves a fraction of hope. Ultimately, it was too late and the US walked away victorious.
For the majority of the game, it seemed the USWNT were playing a game of keep away. The team showed their patience on the ball and how they can control a game. The USA ended with 71.7% of possession for the game.
The USWNT will now prepare for the knockout rounds, beginning this Saturday.
USWNT vs Japan – Quarterfinals Preview:
After thriving in the group stage, the USWNT is ready for the quarterfinals against Japan on Aug. 2 at 9 a.m. ET.
Japan had a record of 2-0-1 in the group stage. They lost to reigning World Cup Champions Spain 2-1, then beat Brazil 2-1 and Nigeria 3-1.
Japan has recently played a 5-3-2, which clogs the defense, making it harder to make through balls to forwards. The USA will have to adapt to Japan’s formation and play to the outside more than through the middle when breaking that last line of defense.
This group stage was a huge test for the Americans as they had much to prove after the disappointing early exit in the FIFA World Cup just last year.
One huge difference from this group is their goal scoring ability. Through three games they have found the back of the net nine times. In the World Cup, they only scored four goals in four games, not including the penalties scored against Sweden when they got sent home. This year it seems that any time a US player touches the ball, it finds its way to the back of the net.
The forward trio of Smith, Rodman and Swanson shined throughout the group stage.
Smith and Rodman each ended with two goals, one assist while Swanson ended with three goals and one assist.
This trident has scored seven of the nine USA goals in this tournament.
Rodman and Smith are the first USWNT players to record a goal or assist in all three group stage matches in a major tournament since Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan in 2012.
Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher has been a brick wall in net as she has only allowed 2 goals through three games. The defense has been there to help her through any loose rebounds and protect her when needed.
The USWNT will be without starting midfielder Coffey in the quarterfinals as she had two yellow cards in the group stage. They have yet to announce if Jaedyn Shaw or Tierna Davidson will be back for the quarterfinal game.
The influence of new head coach Emma Hayes has not gone unnoticed. There are glimpses of the old, powerhouse USWNT teams at times. With a young roster, they will only continue to grow.
After an exciting group stage, how will they fare against Japan?
