For 106 minutes, the United States and Japan slogged by way of their 2024 Olympic ladies’s soccer quarterfinal to the purpose of occasional jeers from the group because of the sluggish, passive nature of the sport. To name it a chess match could be beneficiant; tactical wit was offset by technical lapses that prevented a breakthrough.
Then got here the inevitable: Trinity Rodman.
Rodman collected a protracted diagonal ball — a tactic the USWNT largely averted previous to that — from Crystal Dunn, then minimize inside Japan defender Hikaru Kitagawa and smashed a left-footed shot into the far higher nook to clinch a 1-0 victory.
The aim despatched the Individuals by way of to the semifinals and ensures they’ll play for a medal subsequent week. It was additionally a reward for USWNT head coach Emma Hayes’ insistence on endurance and steadfast want to stay together with her trusted core of gamers regardless of the three-day turnaround of the Olympic matches. The strategy produced a efficiency in contrast to another on report for a U.S. group identified to play direct and thrive in transition.
The USWNT completed the match with 1,026 passes tried, essentially the most in a sport by any group in both of the final three Olympics or final 4 World Cups, per ESPN Stats & Data. (Spain set the earlier mark with 925 vs. Japan earlier at these Olympics.) Previous to Saturday, the USWNT’s earlier excessive mark for tried passes in a match over that very same time was 649, in a 13-0 win over Thailand on the 2019 World Cup.
Saturday could possibly be seen because the turning level within the Individuals’ identification, and it has been solid by acquainted protagonists.
Hayes made only one change to her beginning lineup once more, inserting Korbin Albert — who hit a shocking game-winning aim in opposition to Australia on Wednesday — into the holding midfield function instead of the suspended Sam Coffey. Emily Sonnett began at center-back once more instead of the injured Tierna Davidson. The USWNT used the least quantity of rotation in an Olympics because the 2000 Video games, a pattern that continued as Hayes opted to not make a substitution by way of regulation.
Japan arrange in a compact 5-4-1 defensive form that challenged the Individuals to seek out a person second of brilliance and precision to interrupt by way of. The duty was much like the one confronted three days earlier in opposition to Australia, besides Japan is a extra gifted and disciplined aspect.
It resulted in a slog of a match.
The USWNT held 70% possess and tried over 1,000 passes, numbers that Japan fortunately conceded because the USWNT probed laterally with out inflicting issues going ahead. The Individuals’ 31 touches contained in the opponent’s field and 0.69 anticipated objectives, per TruMedia, solely marginally bettered Japan, which was joyful to take a seat again and discover particular person moments on the counterattack.
Probably the most clear-cut alternatives of the primary half got here from Japan 35 minutes into the match, first when Mina Tanaka separated from Lindsey Horan within the field however scuffed a shot, then a minute afterward a counterattack that ended with Miyabi Moriya skying her volley over the bar.
This was exactly the kind of sport Hayes had warned about, one which examined the USWNT’s new identification to its core. For years, the Individuals met low blocks — from gifted and inferior groups alike — with a way of palpable frustration and impatience, usually lumping balls ahead.
Hayes, who had confronted loads of disciplined defensive opponents in her earlier 12 years at Chelsea, has preached restraint. The USWNT was affected person to a fault at instances on Saturday, settling for lateral passes at speeds too sluggish to tug Japan out of practice.
USWNT center-back Naomi Girma performed 105 passes within the first half alone, greater than another participant in a complete knockout sport of a World Cup or Olympics courting again to 2011, when Opta began measuring.
Saturday was the embodiment of all the pieces Hayes and her gamers have mentioned they might do. Nonetheless, it required a second of brilliance from Rodman to safe a end result and stop the end result from being determined in a penalty shootout.
Rodman has been the USWNT’s most dependable attacking participant, contributing a aim or an help in all 4 Olympic matches (a primary for the USWNT since 2012, per Opta) and persevering with her streak as the one participant to have appeared in each match for the group because the begin of 2023.
Her aim on Saturday made her the youngest USWNT participant to attain in a knockout-round sport of the Olympics since 20-year-old Lindsay Tarpley scored within the 2004 gold-medal sport.
The problem forward is now additionally oddly acquainted to the one which loomed after Wednesday’s last whistle: what are the implications of the USWNT’s scarce rotation come the semifinals in opposition to Germany (who the Individuals defeated 4-1 within the group stage) or outdated foe Canada? A part of Saturday’s sluggish sport state and heavy touches may undoubtedly be credited to heavy legs from USWNT gamers.
Coffey will return from suspension, whereas Davidson’s well being stays in query. Jaedyn Shaw made the sport day roster (which had solely 17 gamers as a result of Coffey’s ban) on Saturday for the primary time this match and will provide recent, inventive legs within the semifinal.
These worries are for Sunday, as Hayes absolutely informed her gamers and anybody who would pay attention after the match. One sport at a time has been the message from Hayes, and the USWNT is now taking part in for a medal, which was all the time the benchmark to achieve coming into these Video games for a group in transition.
They slogged by way of Saturday’s quarterfinal, however in a novel means. As docile because it may need appeared at instances, it was additionally the progress the Individuals have been looking for.