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The US Women’s National Team (USWNT) is looking to finish the Group Stage in first place. After winning their first two games, head coach Emma Hayes’ team has already secured a spot in the quarterfinals. But their opponent, venue, and kickoff time are all still to be determined. That’s why staying top of the group with a win against Australia is vital on Wednesday, July 31. We explain more in this, our USA vs Australia preview.
Germany recap
The US currently tops the group after a resounding 4-1 win over Germany on Sunday. It was the kind of performance that had so many fans excited about the hire of Emma Hayes. The US scored early and they scored often.
Sophia Smith got the party started in the 11th minute before Germany responded just eleven minutes later. The US was undeterred, however, and promptly retook the lead two minutes later through Mallory Swanson, who is currently the joint top scorer at these Olympic Games with three goals.
Smith added her second of the game just before halftime, which took a crazy deflection before going off the post and in. Then, with less than a minute remaining in the game, Lynn Williams capped off the night with a cool finish from just outside the six-yard box.
Potential quarterfinal opponents
As things stand now, the US is top of the group. A win or a draw against Australia sees the USWNT secure the top spot and advance to the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris (where the US men will play Morocco on Friday). Should they top the group, they could face one of four opponents from Group C: Spain, Japan, Brazil, or Nigeria.
But should the US somehow not finish as the best team in their group, things could get weird. Because the women’s event at the Olympics only has a total of twelve teams competing in three groups, the last few places in the knockout rounds are filled by the top two third-place teams from the group stage.
Should the US finish second in the group, they would…
Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/usa-vs-australia-preview-fate-is-in-the-hands-of-uswnt/
Author : Lawrence Dockery
Publish date : 2024-07-30 21:21:05
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