The contenders for the 2024 Olympic women’s soccer tournament are down to the last eight as the United States prepares for Saturday’s quarterfinal match against Japan.
The USWNT won all their games in the group stage under new coach Emma Hayes in emphatic style, beating Zambia, Germany and Australia. After a lackluster showing at the World Cup last summer, the U.S. is showing progress, but can it medal at this summer’s Olympics?
We asked our writers Sam Borden and Jeff Kassouf to answer some of our burning questions from the group stage and tee up the knockouts.
1. What’s the biggest change you’ve seen in new coach Emma Hayes?
Borden: I think Ryan O’Hanlon did an excellent statistical analysis of the USWNT’s games so far at Hayes, and the numbers clearly back up what I’ve seen on the field here – the US is playing the ball and they don’t have to rush it. up-the-field in a way that has often been done in the past. Subbing Mallory Swanson for veteran forward Alex Morgan has given the cast a boost they haven’t seen in a while and so far, it’s been great. This US team has a discernible (and entertaining) philosophy, and they have players who are skilled enough to deliver. As a viewer, it’s something fun to watch.
Kassouf: Much of what Hayes brings to the table is unheard of. There is no shortage of talent in this team, but collectively, they are struggling with purpose and identity in and around the build-up to the 2023 World Cup. Something is missing: confidence, direction, belief. It’s easy to see how Hayes evokes that even from a general perspective, and we only see — maybe — 5% of his total work. Eight of the 11 starters were brought out of the World Cup (and Swanson was injured in the entire world, not dropped), so the changes here are not all about personnel. Tactically, this team is more flexible after being very rigid last year.
2. Who are the players who have impressed you the most and who have disappointed you?
Burden: To impress, I would say Sophia Smith — really, all the front three, but I like to see how Smith adapts to play differently with the national team — as a more aggressive and advanced forward — compared to the way she works on the ball — the club. Smith knows it’s a work-in-progress, but the mental shift is fascinating to see.
As for the disappointment, it’s hard to pick one person after three very positive results — perhaps you could say that Rose Lavelle, who has been managing the minutes, didn’t deliver the kind of performance we’re used to seeing. from him in his limited time on the field? I would call his class more “incomplete” than disappointing.
Kassouf: Another obvious answer beyond Smith is Trinity Rodman. I don’t think the public really appreciates the fact that Rodman is the only player who has appeared in every game since the start of 2023. This may have been a normal statistic back in the day, but this is a team that has been in trouble. outstanding inspection, and his quality has been such that he has been one constant. He is a two-way player who gets credit for scoring goals and running the ball very well, but you will also find him deep in the box covering fullbacks. That is why they are so important. Nor should we mention Naomi Girma here, after her second unstoppable Barbra Banda kill in two months (for club and country).
There was nothing to dislike about the USWNT’s time in France outside of Sam Coffey’s injury and suspension issues, but I would say the USWNT needs more from Lindsey Horan. They struggled against Germany with a pair of high turnovers deep inside their own half, and Germany – who could be opponents in a potential rematch in the knockout stages – seemed to make zero attempts to lock them out of the game.
Those performances were the exception rather than the rule for Horan, but Coffey’s suspension means Horan will likely have to play in a tweaked role against Japan that includes more defensive duties. The USWNT needs the best, especially as a deep distributor.
3. What will determine the game between the USWNT and Japan in the quarterfinals?
Borden: Like the United States, Japan’s reckoning with the rise of women’s soccer around the world has dampened its astronomical expectations at major tournaments, but there is no doubt that Japan is still strong. I hope this game depends on how the USA can maintain the shape in the defensive third of the field.
Without deep midfielder Sam Coffey, who is suspended, and with Tierna Davidson expected to be injured (likely to be replaced again by Emily Sonnett), the USA will be under pressure to be as strong in front of goal as Japan, coming off a victory over Brazil in the group stage match Finally, it will attack from a different angle. The American front three has been impressive this tournament, but this is a match where the back four will be in the spotlight.
Kassouf: I agree that continuing to maintain a strong defensive shape will be important. Japan scored 31 seconds into the last time these two teams met in April (a 2-1 USA win), and the USWNT had to fight from behind after Girma was injured early. One of the interesting matches is that Japan likes to play in transition, which is not a history of success for them. The USWNT likes to transition, but in Japan, they face a team with the technical ability to execute (Did you see Momoko Tanikawa stoppage-time champion against Brazil?) with new precision to attack on the counter.
They also have the potential to present a challenge from the back five with better organization than Australia, and this is a challenge the USWNT can rise to. International football is often about moments of transition, and this will also be a defining element of this game.
The question the USWNT must answer to defeat Japan
Jeff Kassouf reacts to the USWNT’s 2-1 win over Australia that gave them a place in the women’s soccer quarterfinals against Japan.
4. Will the US win the gold? Why not?
Borden: Normally, I’m not one to “feel” about such things and there’s no question that, on paper, Spain are the class of the tournament. The defending world champions have plenty of players in France and there’s no reason to think they won’t be there eventually. The recipe is not good for USA either – new coach, different tactics and so on – but I still have the feeling that if we get a Spain-USA final, something special will happen for America. Hayes is a winner and I have a feeling this team will produce the last bounce from last year’s World Cup slump: a gold medal.
Kassouf: I don’t have a strong argument, Sam. The tournament is about momentum because the talent level is possible, and the U.S. has plenty of it. However, there are other teams riding, from Spain, as already mentioned, to the incredible and ridiculous story that Canada is now, also having won all three matches on the field but minus six points. If both advance, we’ll see another US-Canada semifinal, a rematch of the 2021 Olympic semifinal that Canada won in a shootout.
I’m also Spanish on the other side of the bracket. We are still ahead of ourselves, obviously, but I think bronze or silver is real and respectable. Any medal would mark a significant response to the 2023 World Cup.