The Americans have looked so refreshingly potent throughout the Olympics, and you can link their new-found approach to their attack on three people. Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson, and Trinity Rodman.
Emma Hayes placed the puzzle pieces together for the USWNT, dropping the 35-year-old Alex Morgan from the Olympics squad and leaning on the in-form Mallory Swanson for their goal production. The gamble of dropping arguably the best women’s soccer player of all time paid off. For the majority of their time at the Olympics, they’ve played vigorously, they’ve been unstoppable, and they haven’t run into the age-old accusations of playing negative football.
Their biggest obstacle didn’t come in European heavyweights Germany but in their first low block of the tournament. Aussie coach Tony Gustavsson elected to start with five defenders at the back and put all of Australia’s defenders behind the ball. All ten Australian outfielders tracked back to the box to prevent the American attack from exploding in transition.
Australia made some attacking threats early in the game on the counter. Mary Fowler sparked Australia’s big chance of that half, fighting off Lavelle and Smith and pinging an impressive through ball to Katrina Gorry.
Gorry worked the ball towards the States’ box, eventually squaring it to Fowler on the edge of the box. With a brief pocket of space, Pocket cut into the box and fired a rolling shot toward the goal. Her shot avoided both defender Naomi Girma and keeper Alyssa Naeher, but the ball ended up wide of the post.
The United States’ biggest chances came, unsurprisingly, in transition. Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith led the charge in a three-on-four situation for the Americans. Smith had the ball in the box and threatened to cut inside into the middle before laying the ball off to Swanson.
The counter fizzled out, with the ball returning to fullback Crystal Dunn. Dunn decided to shoot from outside the box, with keeper Mackenzie Arnold getting a hand on the ball to send it out for a corner.
Horan almost found the Americans’ opener, nearly scoring off an Emily Fox cross, heading her ball towards the near post. However, Arnold redeemed herself with an impressive leaping save.
Australia’s low block crumbled late in the first half, despite Arnold’s six first-half saves. Lavelle belted an in-swinging corner into the crowded box, which eventually met Sophia Smith’s head at the far post.
The ball hit Australia’s Clare Hunt at an uncomfortable and bounced enough for Trinity Rodman, who freed herself from her marker, to get to the loose ball and tap it in. After a VAR mix-up that took around five minutes to resolve, the goal was upheld, giving the States a one-goal lead.
The States opened the second half roaring. Girma’s daisy-cutting effort from outside the box only narrowly missed the goal. Smith and Rodman also enjoyed chances.
Chaos unfurled on the Aussie sideline as Australia searched for answers. If the 1-0 result held, Australia would finish third in their group. Their fate and whether they would stay alive in the Olympics would remain on Canada’s result against New Zealand. Gustavsson carried most of the stress, exploding at players, and arguing with refs. Every move he made on the sideline seemed frenzied.
He couldn’t be blamed. For most of the match, the Australian offense moved with the intensity of an old man in a nursing home. They were carved open by America’s combination play. Needing an offensive spark in the second half, they resorted to lazy crosses in the box and long shots that rolled into the grateful hands of Naeher. His anger could be understood.
The Americans doubled their lead with a sensational Korbin Albert strike. Albert got on the receiving end of a clumsy Clare Wheeler giveaway. With nearly all the time in the world and on the edge of the box, Albert took a touch before blasting her effort neatly into the bottom left corner. Arnold couldn’t get anywhere near the ball.
Smith came agonizingly close to a goal. The Thorns attacker hit both posts after he strode down the byline, cut back toward the middle of the ball, and blasted her effort goal-bound.
Australia found life with the first minute of stoppage time. Caitlin Foord banged a cross towards the cross, which Michelle Heyman headed on in the box. A streaking Alanna Kennedy met Heyman’s headed pass, slamming her shot past Naeher to keep the game open. Kennedy nearly scored again, almost connecting with Ellie Carpenter’s cross to head in a second.
Australia’s repeated attempts to even up the score in the dying minutes of the game were unsuccessful. Their last chance came in a corner, with Arnold coming off her line and into the opposing box to join the offense. Steph Catley took the corner, floating it in the it. Naeher sprinted off her line, leaped over the mass of yellow jerseys, and punched the ball out of their box. The Australians’ next pass would be ruled offsides, with the Americans claiming a tense but well-deserved victory.
The Americans have sealed first place in their group. A Saturday quarterfinal fixture against Japan, who won two matches and lost one at the Olympics, awaits.
PHOTOS: IMAGO.
