Any match between the fourth (Germany) and fifth (USA) ranked teams in the world would be expected to produce a close, entertaining spectacle.
On Sunday in Marseille, we got the latter but not so much the former as the U.S. women’s national team took sole possession of the top spot in their Olympic group with a convincing 4-1 victory.
Soon after a big early save from goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher to deny what was likely Germany’s best chance of the entire match, the USWNT quickly took control of the game led by their world-class attacking trio. Within ten minutes, Sophia Smith opened the scoring at the back post from a Trinity Rodman cross.
The woman donning eye-catching pink braids who German magazine Kicker described as an “American pop star” caused their country issues throughout the first half with her pace down the right flank while Smith’s opener made her the sixth USWNT player to score a goal in both the Olympics and World Cup before the age of 24.
Under mounting pressure, the Germans found a release through fullback Giulia Gwinn pushing forward to score a wonderful long-range goal to equalize in the 22nd minute. Naeher would have wished to do better, getting little push-off on her attempted diving save, but it should take nothing away from Gwinn’s strike.
Regardless, the USWNT generated an immediate response through Swanson who tapped in a rebound off the save following Smith’s top-of-the-box shot. Give credit to Swanson for continuing her run by crashing the goal, which her defender did not, ensuring she would be first to the loose ball. Of course, none of it would have occurred without the initial fight from Smith, pushing off her German defenders to get off the shot attempt.
With the goal, Swanson became the second player in USWNT history to score three goals in the group stage of a single Olympics tournament alongside Abby Wambach in 2012.
Before the half ended, and immediately following an injury to center-back Tierna Davidson, the USWNT was given a gift by the soccer gods after being recently punished.
As Smith took another shot from the top of the area, the ball took a wicked, looping deflection over German goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger for a 3-1 halftime lead.
Still getting credit for the goal, Smith became the third USWNT player to score multiple goals in a competitive match against Germany with both previous women (Carin Gabarda and April Heinrichs) doing so in the 1991 World Cup semifinal – ironically the same stage at which the USWNT last faced Germany in a competitive match back in 2015.
Just three halves into the Olympics, the USWNT’s six goals were already tied for the second-most in an Olympic group stage ever for the team (eight in 2012).
For most of the second half, manager Emma Hayes trusted her starting lineup (bar Davidson) to see out the three points but eventually substitute Lynn Williams made it seven group stage goals — becoming the first team to put four past Germany in a competitive match since the 2008 Olympics semifinal — to put a bow on the USWNT win.
In turn, the new USWNT boss passed her first major test at the helm with flying colors, reminding fans of what a dominant team feels like against fellow global powerhouses. A good omen for their chances moving forward; the winner of each of the last five tournament meetings between the USWNT and Germany has gone on to win the entire tournament. Needing a draw to win Group B, the USWNT will now aim to get the job done on Wednesday in their final group stage match against Australia.