USWNT secures Olympic quarterfinals with “devastating” attack

MARSEILLE, France — After watching her players put in a “mature performance” in a 4-1 win over Germany here Sunday night, new U.S. women’s national team coach Emma Hayes was typically blunt about her feelings.

Their biggest asset? The team’s attack, in which Sophia Smith scored two goals, Mallory Swanson scored her third goal in two Olympic Games and substitute Lynn Williams completed the scoring, thus destroying any hope of a German comeback.

“I think we were absolutely crushing when we needed to be,” Hayes said after the U.S. victory secured her team a spot in the quarterfinals.

Biggest criticism? Some bad decisions led to Germany having more chances than they perhaps deserved. Goalkeeper Alyssa Naheher helped her teammates after some critical turnovers.

“I thought we were our biggest problem,” Hayes said, adding that six games into their tenure, “there are still things about us that bother me, but I have to change that.”

Hayes added that her biggest concern – aside from the knee injury that forced Tierna Davidson to withdraw and which will be re-evaluated on Monday – is the emotional recovery required in a tournament as compressed as this one.

The USWNT will play its final group game against Australia on Wednesday and Hayes plans to give the team a day and a half off before returning to the training field.

“Can you imagine the adrenaline?” Hayes said. “You’re so high that the crash is like a hangover.”

Fine words aside, it’s been a turbulent start for Hayes, who only took over the team in June but has now taken it to the knockout stages of its first major tournament. There’s still a learning curve, she said, both between her and the players and between the players themselves, but there’s no doubt Hayes is working to establish a new identity.

It’s a process that will take time, she admits. What she saw from her team on Sunday was encouraging, though. The first half hour was up and down, as sloppy defense saw the U.S. nearly fall behind early, but then take the lead, lose it, regain it and extend the lead to two goals by halftime after Smith scored her second goal.

“There have been moments where we’ve had to weather a storm,” Williams said. “And I think that’s what’s really cool about this team — nobody seems scared in those moments. It’s just a matter of, OK, what do we have to do?

“It’s more the belief that we will get the job done, no matter what anyone throws at us.”

That feeling is exactly what Hayes is looking for, and the determination the players have shown is exactly what she expects.

“I learned things about the team tonight that I wanted to see from a character and resilience perspective,” Hayes said. “When you play against an opponent at the highest level, you get to see all sides, and I got to see all sides of us tonight, which was very gratifying.”

The Americans will play their final Group B game against Australia on Wednesday and can secure first place with a draw or a win.