The tough quarter-final triumph against Japan served as a reality check after the US’s enthusiastic thrashings during the Emma Hayes era.
But a win is enough in any case, especially if it means the United States will compete in the Olympic final. A year to the day after one of their lowest points, a penalty shootout loss to Sweden in the first knockout stage of the 2023 World Cup, a hard-fought and sometimes difficult-to-watch 1-0 extra-time victory over Germany advanced the US to Saturday’s final in the Parc des Princes, ensuring at least a silver medal.
The squad has failed to reclaim the imperious brilliance that was once the trademark of American sides; perhaps it never will, given other countries’ significant improvements. However, by reaching the Olympic final, the United States has returned to a familiar stage following the uncertainty and uneasiness of the previous head coach, Vlatko Andonovski, as a group of excellent veterans faded over time.
After winning four gold medals and one silver from 1996 to 2012, the United States lost in the quarterfinals in Rio and had to settle for bronze in Japan three years ago. The US has a chance to win another championship, but their semi-final performance may raise questions about whether their previous 4-1 victory against Germany in the group stage was the worst possible outcome.
The scoreline did not tell the whole story, as both teams had roughly equal efforts on goal. However, the humiliation clearly prompted Germany to revise and redouble their efforts to establish a tactical bulwark against the usually effervescent attacking trio of Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson, and Trinity Rodman, who had scored eight of the US’s ten goals prior to this match but were only sporadic threats on Tuesday.
Rodman’s extra-time goal helped the US defeat Japan 1-0 in the quarterfinals, breaking through a persistent low defensive block with individual inspiration. Up to that moment, the US had easily defeated Zambia 3-0 and Australia 2-1 in the group stage, as well as Germany, with four goals.
As against Japan, a superb extra-time goal was enough to defeat stubborn and well-drilled opponents and extend Hayes’ impressive run of results. The 47-year-old Londoner has won eight and drawn her first nine games, including a 4-0 victory against South Korea just two months ago. She’s not wasting time in her quest to restore the United States’ worldwide dominance and develop a young, unstoppable roster.
The celebrations at the final whistle were naturally exuberant, representing a release of emotion after a stressful night. There was one of those unusual first quarters where there was so little action that the referee ignored the delays caused by fouling and blew the half-time whistle without adding any stoppage time—a compassionate act in this case.
The atmosphere was subdued, with the 60,000-capacity Olympique Lyonnais stadium far from full, and there was little to stir the small audience, their “U-S-A!” chants taking on a tunnel-like echoing tenor in the cavernous arena. The game developed into a drab midfield fight that suited the Germans, who recovered from a slow start to successfully thwart American attacks while mounting a rare aggressive surge of their own.
Rose Lavelle’s early shot after three minutes was easily saved by the tenacious goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger (of Gotham FC and formerly of Hayes’ Chelsea), but the chance, Rodman’s menacing run, and the amount of space generally available to the US in the final third appeared to be bad news for Germany.
However, the underdogs had the best chance of the first half, with US goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher needing to go nearly full stretch to save a low drive from Jule Brand in the 24th minute. When the sides met in the group stage nine days ago, the United States led 3-1 at halftime; this time, they were equal at the break.
Naomi Girma and Emily Sonnett, who replaced Tierna Davidson at halftime, dominated the second half. The fact that American center backs were becoming more relevant highlighted Germany’s rising confidence and threat, while the United States provided too much patience and too little pace. US possession was frequently squandered, passing the ball laterally, failing to produce territorial progression, and allowing Germany plenty of time to settle into their defensive posture.
Soon after the hour, Girma took matters into her own hands by rushing into the middle of the field and spectacularly finding Swanson. Swanson rounded the goalie but blasted her shot wide rather than square the ball to a teammate for a straightforward finish, despite the fact that there was a suspicion that she was offside.
During the waning minutes of the second half, the United States of America made a comeback, but Germany maintained their composure and forced the game into extra time. Following their elimination of the reigning champions, Canada, by the use of penalties in the quarterfinals, it is quite unlikely that they would have been opposed to a shootout.
The dynamic nature of the However, Smith had alternative thought processes. She was able to put the ball into the net after being neatly fed by Swanson five minutes into extra time. She was able to beat Feli Rauch and Berger, who was hurrying to get to the throw.
Through the use of broadcast microphones, Hayes was able to guide the team from the sidelines while simultaneously encouraging the players to “hang in there.” And this is exactly what they achieved, despite the late pressure from the Germans, with Naeher being called into acrobatic action once more with a fantastic stop in the last moments, while Smith might have had another couple of goals as Germany left gaps at the back.
Hayes, as everyone knows, is a winner; the only question now is the colour of the medal.