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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.
USWNT drives deep into Australia defense
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…
Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/olympics/uswnt-hold-on-in-climactic-2-1-win-to-beat-australia/
Author : Deolu Akingbade
Publish date : 2024-07-31 20:55:38
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