The U.S. swarmed their opponents in a 3-0 win, offering a small glimpse into what life will look like under their new coach
Priority No. 1 for Emma Hayes as U.S. women's national team manager: fix the attack. It's a group that's too talented and too important. A quiet World Cup led to a short World Cup, which is the reason Hayes was brought in in the first place: to inject some much-needed life into a team that needs to claw its way back to the top.
That clawback has started, even if Hayes truly hasn't. We won't see the Chelsea boss leading the USWNT until next summer but, on Saturday against China, the U.S. showed that they're already moving into this new era at a rapid pace.
The U.S. took down China 3-0, with Sophia Smith, Lindsey Horan and Trinity Rodman getting on the scoresheet. More important than the result, though, was how it came together. For the first time in so long, the U.S. looked like a team with a plan, an identity, and some ideas of what they wanted to do on the attacking end.
It's important to remember that this is a start. One game does not make up for everything that happened this summer, not by a longshot. However, this brief bridge period before Hayes arrives is off to an ideal start as the USWNT is already beginning to look like itself again.
GOAL breaks down the winners and losers of Saturday's match…
GettyWINNER: Emma Hayes
She wasn’t actually at the game on Saturday, despite meeting with the team briefly this week. The broadcast said she’s since left the country to focus on Chelsea.
However, you can see Hayes’ fingerprints all over the USWNT win. Tactically, the U.S. shook things up, totally moving away from the 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 we’ve so often seen. With four midfielders on the field, the U.S. was completely fluid, looking like a 4-2-2-2, a 3-5-2 or a 3-2-2-3 at different times.
Whatever you want to call it, it sure was effective, which is something we haven’t seen from the U.S. in some time. Hayes is known as a tactician, a coach willing and able to change up formations and systems when the game calls for it. There will be plenty more experimenting in the future, for sure.
Overall, this first impression, even if it didn’t include an actual appearance from Hayes, was a good one. The U.S. seems to already be benefiting from their new coach… imagine what will happen when she actually takes over!
AdvertisementGettyLOSER: Sophia Smith
Oh, it feels really, really harsh to put here here because she was, in fact, very, very good. However, with just a bit more composure or luck, Smith could have really run the score up in this one. She got her goal, a fantastic early finish from a perfect Rodman ball, but she could have had three or four goals added to her resume.
Starting centrally after largely playing on the wing in USWNT colors, Smith showed all of the things that make her such a good striker for the Portland Thorns: speed, intelligence, and skill. The only thing missing was the finishing, and it went missing a few times. Still, you’ll credit her for getting in those positions to finish, and by no means was this a bad game from Smith.
It was exactly the type of game you’d want to see from her, albeit with a few fewer goals. Overall, though, it was a promising performance, but Smith will definitely be looking back wondering how in the world she didn’t add more to her 15 career USWNT goals by the time this one was over.
WINNER: Attacking flow
The biggest cause of the USWNT’s downfall Down Under was the attack. In the biggest moments, the goals totally dried up. There were no ideas, no creativity and, ultimately, no results.
In the friendlies since the World Cup, there have been some positive moments. There have also been some moments where the U.S. has lacked fluidity and confidence in that part of the field, a carryover from a difficult tournament this summer.
The attack had no such issues on Saturday. This was the most dynamic this group looked in a long, long time.
Smith had plenty of chances to finish, a sign of how well the pieces around her worked together. Rodman, the clear star of the match, had a goal and two assists as she ran the show throughout. Casey Krueger added so much from her right-back role, bombing forward regularly, while midfielders Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle and Savannah DeMelo pulled strings in the way we’re accustomed to seeing. Then, once subs were made, the level never dropped.
For the first time in a long time, the U.S. truly played with some sort of purpose. The attacks were vicious and confident, creating chance after chance against a good China team. Finally, this group played to a level equal to the sum of its parts. Hayes can raise that level even higher, for sure, which is bad news for the rest of the world.
GettyLOSER: The old guard
We knew that, after the World Cup, some new faces would be introduced to the USWNT. Even the most optimistic of fans couldn’t have expected this many new faces, though, so it's good to see them adapting quickly.
Olivia Moultrie and Jenna Nighswonger became the latest young stars to earn their first USWNT caps, and neither looked overawed by the moment. Both players had some decent spells during the game, offering glimpses into why they've been so good in the NWSL
Last camp's breakout stars, Mia Fishel and Jaedyn Shaw, were also involved off the bench and the duo once again impressed. Fishel had a few good looks at goal, although she didn't get on the scoresheet. Shaw, meanwhile, just missed a goal of her own by inches as she was unable to get a head to Lindsey Horan's cross on the USNWT's second goal. The teenager did, however, get an assist, teeing up Rodman for the third and final goal of the day.
We're seeing the player pool turnover before our eyes, with a group of young stars stepping into the spotlight. We'll see how many of them can play their way into the picture by the Olympics, but it's pretty clear that their time is coming.
10 members of the World Cup squad weren't on this roster, although that includes the retired Megan Rapinoe and Julie Ertz. For the rest of that group, though, the fight is just beginning as Olympic roster spots are very much up for grabs.