MARSEILLE — To be in the mixed zone at the Stade de Marseille after an Olympic soccer match is to witness an impromptu tap show: As each player enters a little maze of ropes to perform their tournament duties, their spikes play out a chaotic rhythm, punctuated by laughter or sighs, depending on which side the result lands.
The good vibes continued for the U.S. women’s national team, fresh from a commanding 4-1 win over Germany on Sunday night. Center back Naomi Girma was giggling as she took baby steps toward the press box. Fellow defender Jenna Nyswonger helped her keep her balance. Some players stopped to untie their cleats and put on their socks. Whatever their methods, they all shared the same upbeat, yet still determined, mood.
After all, the U.S. Women’s National Team has six points from their first two games, dominating Group B and locking themselves into the quarterfinals of the 2024 Olympics, but that’s just the beginning: a win or draw against Australia will clinch first place in the group and the knockout stages will begin in Paris later this week.
“I think we’re playing more organised and disciplined and having fun,” midfielder Rose Lavelle said, assessing the difference between this game and the start of last summer’s World Cup. “We have a lot of special players and we’re finally starting to work together, but we know we’re still at the next level.”
At last year’s World Cup, the U.S. scored four goals in three group stage games before losing to Sweden on penalties in the round of 16. At this summer’s Olympics, the U.S. has already scored seven goals in two games, including four against Germany alone.
And with the starting forward line of Sophia Smith, Mal Swanson and Trinity Rodman all scoring, with Smith taking the spotlight with two goals on Sunday, there was a theme in the mixed zone when it came to special players:
“That’s typical Mal.”
“Soph is Soph.”
“Give Trinity the ball and let her do what she wants.”
Swanson, Rodman and Smith combined for the majority of goals for the U.S. Women’s National Team at the Olympics (Getty Images)
The way players talk about their teammates isn’t just a casual acceptance of the level of talent on the field and an assumption that it will naturally manifest itself, but also a reminder of the depth of trust they have in one another and the level of selflessness required to produce results when it matters most.
“Anything I can do to help this team,” Swanson said. “It doesn’t matter who’s scoring as long as we’re getting the results we need, that’s what matters. It’s showing on the training ground and you’re seeing it.”
Bigger challenges lie ahead, and while the U.S. Women’s National Team feels it has yet to reach its full potential, it’s clear it’s ready to meet them.
“This is probably the sixth or seventh game we’ve played up front together,” Smith said after the game. “We’ve been playing really good, really fast, we’ve meshed really well. I don’t think we’re doing like 70 percent of what we can do.”
Last summer, the U.S. Women’s National Team showed strong defense with center back Girma having a World Cup breakout and goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher doing her best to lead the team. And compared to a lackluster warm-up, the team showed some offensive prowess, which they demonstrated early in this tournament.
“You can see the whole team working together from top to bottom,” Naher said Sunday. “We know how well our team does defensively. And to have four goals is huge for us, especially getting those early goals. It set us up from the get-go.”
As important as the early lead was, it may have been Lynn Williams’ second-half goal that felt most breakthrough for the U.S. on Sunday, as her team finally showed the relentlessness it needed throughout the match with a late finish.
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Emma Hayes was very happy with the goal, especially after the U.S. failed to score in the second half of their match against Zambia.
“It just proves the importance of the team and the importance of finishers that come on the pitch,” Hayes said. “When you get your chance you’ve got to take it. This is at the top level.”
But like his players, Hayes went beyond the goals in terms of results and spoke not only about Williams the player, but also about Williams the person.
“She embodies everything you want in a team – caring, extremely hard-working, purposeful. Everything she does is deserving of tonight’s accomplishments,” Hayes said. “She doesn’t give up on herself, but most importantly, she’s a great teammate.”
Williams was originally a reserve player for the U.S. women’s national team (Getty Images)
Perhaps that’s best summed up by the fact that when asked how she felt about the goal, Williams quickly replied that she was more excited about winning.
“We had some moments, especially in the second half, where we had to weather the storm,” the U.S. defender said. “I think that’s really great about this team, and what’s great is that nobody is scared in those moments. Everybody’s doing their part, defensively, offensively. I don’t know if it’s a change of gear, but it’s just more belief that no matter what anybody throws at us, we’re going to get the job done.”
Hayes said he learned what he wanted to see from his team on Sunday in terms of character and tenacity. They conceded a goal to Germany but fought back quickly, with Naeher making some big saves and overall helping defensively.
Of course, she saw the missteps. Lavelle said the team was its own toughest critic, and she would agree. But Hayes, who saw the team get out of its comfort zone thanks to Germany providing a “top-level opponent” in Marseille, has seen it from every angle, and she’s ready to tackle it.
“The front three were really dynamic overall and really fun to watch and most importantly, they were having fun,” Hayes began, before apologizing for the ensuing development. All they did on Sunday was secure the three points.
“We’re not here to surprise everybody with a match and never do it again. We have to build momentum,” she said. “First of all, it’s about bouncing back from a match like this. You can imagine the adrenaline. That’s my biggest concern right now.”
“You get so high and then it’s like having a hangover. We have a day and a half to recover before we go on the training field. We have to analyse what we can control and beat Australia – that’s it.”
The athletes have a rest day on Monday with no travel, but a rest day doesn’t necessarily mean a 24-hour rest, which is not the case in an event like the Olympics.
“I’m going to be happy tonight,” Lovell promised, “and I have another match in two days.”
(Top photo: Getty Images)
