U.S. beats Zambia
The U.S. beat Zambia 3-0 on the opening day of the women’s soccer tournament at the Paris Olympics, located on the French Rivera in steamy Nice between the Mediterranean Sea and the French Alps.
In their new coach’s first competitive game, the Americans dominated with two goals from Mallory Swanson, another from Trinity Rodman, and two assists from captain Lindsay Horan — all within the first 25 minutes
Redemption for the U.S.
Zambia is ranked 64th in the world, worst in the Olympic field, so it was not a surprise the U.S. won. It was a good start for a team trying to erase the memory of last summer’s World Cup, where the U.S. bowed out short of the semifinals for the first time.
A New Chapter
Last summer’s World Cup loss led to Vlatko Andonovski’s firing, Emma Hayes’ hiring, and the start of what U.S. Soccer hopes will be a new chapter in the program’s storied history.
The road ahead gets much tougher with the U.S. facing fourth-ranked Germany and No. 12 Australia in its final group-play matches. The Americans are fifth in the latest FIFA world rankings, their lowest ranking ever.
The Challenge Ahead
The first round of the Olympics should be a breeze for Team U.S.A. to get through to the quarterfinals. The major challenges lie with No. 2 France, the Olympic host; top-ranked Spain, the reigning world champion; and Canada, the defending Olympic champion. With these teams, along with Germany, there won’t be any easy games in the final rounds.
Coach Emma Hayes
The U.S. has gone 12 years without playing for a title in the Summer Games. If the team doesn’t make it back to the top of the medal podium this summer, that result combined with last summer’s World Cup debacle, will mark the first time the Americans have gone a full four-year cycle without winning a major international championship. Hayes’ job is to make sure that doesn’t happen.
“The first part of the first half was exceptional,” she said. “To come out the way we did, the intention, the intensity, the decision-making, the execution, it should have been at least 5-0 at halftime. There were things within our structure I didn’t like. But those are easy fixes. “If we had asked me at the beginning of the game ‘would you be happy with a 3-0 winner?’ I probably would have said no. However, for the performance and the chances created and finding the back of the net, I don’t want to be too hard on the players.”
Germany on Deck
The USA’s Olympic journey will continue Sunday, July 28, against old rival Germany at the Stade de Marseille in Marseille (9 p.m. local / 3 p.m. ET on USA Network, Telemundo and Peacock). The USA holds a 23W-5L-7D all-time advantage in the series and won the most recent competitive fixture between the sides, the 2015 Women’s World Cup semifinal in Montreal, Canada.
