Pre Match Notes

The U.S. Women’s National Team is set to face Zambia for their first Olympic Group Stage Meeting. The U.S. is in a challenging group with Zambia, Australia, and Germany. While many are expecting the U.S. to make it out of the group stage, and are hoping for a better result than the last World Cup, the U.S. is going to have to put up a fight if they want to move on. These are teams the U.S. cannot take lightly.

Leading up to the Olympics, the USWNT would play Mexico and Costa Rica in two send-off friendlies. The U.S. would come away with a 1-0 win against Mexico, but would end up with a scoreless draw against Costa Rica. After the match against Costa Rica, many questions were raised among fans on whether the U.S. would be ready for the Olympics. In both games, the U.S. had the most possession and control, and the team created many chances; however, the glaring issue for the U.S. is their inability to score goals. This was especially clear in the U.S.’s match against Costa Rica, where there would be plenty of good services from Trinity Rodman, Lindsey Horan, Sam Coffey, and Mallory Swanson, but the attack would fail to convert the clearest chances in front of goal.

When it comes to this match against Zambia, we can expect to see the U.S. with the most possession and control. The team still needs to be careful in regard to Zambia’s counterattack and transitions, nevertheless, the backline in addition to Sam Coffey and Lindsey Horan in the midfield, should have things covered. We can expect to see good build-up plays in midfield and attack; however, in order for the U.S. to be successful in this match, they need to connect where it counts and finish their chances.

Line Up

Starting Eleven: We have Alyssa Naeher in the goal. For defenders Emily Fox, Naomi Girma, Tierna Davidson, and Crystal Dunn. For midfielders Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle, and Sam Coffey. For forwards, Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson, and Sophia Smith.

Substitutes: Korbin Albert, Casey Krueger, Lynn Williams, Jenna Nighswonger, Emily Sonnett, Casey Murphy, Croix Bethune.

First Half Notes

USWNT 3-0.

Goal Scorers for the U.S.: Rodman (1), Swanson (2).

Horan would play it in for Rodman. Rodman would draw the goalkeeper off her line and score. In a similar play that would lead to Rodman’s goal, Horan would play it up to Swanson, who would score the U.S.’s second goal. Swanson’s next goal would come off a cross from Smith.

This first half is going well for the U.S. Zambia is down to ten players after a Denial of a Goal Scoring Opportunity (DOGSO) on Swanson, giving the U.S. the complete advantage. Despite the red card going in the U.S.’s favor, the U.S. has been able to maintain good possession and control. The team still needs to be careful when it comes to Zambia’s counterattack. Zambia, in transition, was where they were the most threatening to the U.S. backline.

When it comes to the U.S. attack, they missed a few good chances at the start of the first half; however, as the half went on, the U.S. started connecting better in regard to their build up plays and chances. Finishing may need more touching up, but it’s great to see the U.S. up by three, after failing to convert in their friendly against Costa Rica. The U.S. has been able to get behind Zambia’s backline surprisingly well on the wings, without facing much resistance. We could see more of that going into the second half.

The U.S. needs to maintain their pressure, and keep creating more chances. So far, this was a good first half. Hopefully, the U.S. can continue scoring in the second half.

Second Half and Closing Notes

USWNT Wins 3-0.

Goal Scorers for the U.S.: Goal Scorers for the U.S.: Rodman (1), Swanson (2).

It was a lackluster second half. The U.S. was still able to maintain possession and keep control. There were a few moments where Zambia was able to counter and get their attack forward; however, Girma, Davidson and Naeher did well at stopping Zambia’s attack. Despite being down to ten players, it was nice to see Zambia still making an effort to launch their attack and get forward. There were moments where Zambia was able to outpace the U.S. defenders. In the U.S.’s upcoming games, this is something the defense needs to be more careful with.

In regard to the U.S.’s attack, it was quieter. Hayes would take off Rodman, Horan, and Swanson in the 65th minute. While the attack was still able to get forward and create chances, there wasn’t that same explosiveness that we saw in the first half. This was to be expected since the U.S. already had a good lead, and didn’t need to score anymore goals. The goal for this second half, appeared to be more along the lines of control and game management, which the U.S. was able to achieve. Overall, this is a good start to the USWNT’s Olympic run.