HARRISON, NJ – United States women’s national team head coach Emma Hayes said her team still needs to improve its decision making in the final third, but she saw signs of progress in the win. 1-0 to Mexico at Red Bull Arena on Saturday. .
Hayes’ third game in charge of the US was the Americans’ first before the Olympics and the first with a squad that leaves France next week in search of its first Olympic gold medal since 2012.
“If we use [the Concacaf Gold Cup] as a point of reference, I think it’s fair to say this game was more measured, more controlled,” Hayes told reporters.[We] they have limited them to very small ones, of course [it’s] a step in the right direction.”
The victory comes less than five months after Mexico’s historic 2-0 win over the USWNT in the group stage of the Concacaf W Gold Cup, the Americans’ first loss to Mexico on home soil.
Saturday was a more balanced game that saw the USWNT keep 70% of the possession and prevent Mexico from getting the attacking opportunities that allowed the visitors to win the Gold Cup.
USWNT player Sophia Smith broke the deadlock in the 64th minute. Rose Lavelle played the ball in behind the Mexican defense and popped Trinity Rodman free on the USWNT’s right before Rodman found Mallory Swanson at the top of the box.
Swanson opened up an opportunity to continue to convert the ball to Smith, who lifted his defender and buried the shot with his right foot.
Leading up to the goal, the USWNT dominated the game but was a waste in front of the net. The USWNT finished the game with 17 shots and 1.94 expected goals — while limiting Mexico to .07 xG — per TruMedia. Smith admitted it was confusing to get to his record, but said he didn’t mind.
“I mean, let’s not worry about it,” Smith said. “I know Trin can score goals, I know Mal can score goals, I know I can score goals. Those things are — they will come. We just need to be patient with ourselves.”
The Americans’ best chance of the first half came in the 21st minute in a sequence that finally ended when Rodman hit a shot that just missed the far corner. Rodman was a rush in that game, dropping deep to receive the ball from Naomi Girma, then turning to take part in the play further up the field. Rose Lavelle played Rodman to the end, and eventually Smith got on the end of a shot that was saved by Mexico goalkeeper Esthefanny Barreras.
Hayes said the “little details” were the difference between Saturday’s 1-0 result and a huge margin of victory. He pointed out small details like looking to see the position of the target before shooting.
“You just have to look at xG at the end of the game: It’s two points and it should be big because for the chances we created, we didn’t hit enough frames,” Hayes said. . “I still think it’s something that needs to be added, but I think the difference in speed from the first half to the second half was even bigger for us. A lot of controlled.”
Captain Lindsey Horan stepped up to the midfield in the second half after playing alongside Sam Coffey on a double pivot in the first half, and the USWNT found immediate success. Two minutes into the second half, Swanson took a shot to the chest from Smith. Five minutes later, Smith was on the receiving end of a free-kick past Horan.
Smith soon found the back of the net, then hit the post nine minutes after his goal.
The win was the third in as many games for the USWNT under Hayes, who spent time in Europe with Chelsea before joining the club.
Hayes & Co. they have less than two weeks to prepare for the Olympics, where they hope to avoid becoming the first team in program history to fail to win a World Cup or Olympic title at a major tournament. The USWNT was eliminated from last year’s World Cup in the round of 16, in a penalty shootout against Sweden.
Americans must adjust: On Friday, Hayes and US Soccer announced that forward Catarina Macario, who was previously on the 18-man roster for the Olympics, has been replaced by forward Lynn Williams. Macario is dealing with “knee irritation” after his recent return from a torn ACL in 2022.
The USWNT has more attacking talent than Macario, and the first team Hayes named on Saturday is the team he will field at the Olympics. Progress was evident, but there was clearly room for improvement.
“I think we’re just scratching the surface,” Hayes said. “I think there are a lot of stages to be done for everyone.”
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