On Sunday evening, the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) continued their Olympic journey with an emphatic 4-1 win against Germany at the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille.
Sophia Smith’s two first-half goals and another Mallory Swanson goal had the USWNT in a comfortable position by half-time after a tentative and cagey opening 10 minutes. While Smith’s second goal had a bit of fortune involved, her first had resulted from an excellent interchange down USWNT’s right flank. Lynn Williams’ goal sealed what was an excellent performance overall in the second half from Emma Hayes’ side, and one that was arguably their best in two years.
This was Hayes’ first big test against elite opposition. The performance was enough to satisfy the coach, but it wasn’t without its flaws.
In contrast to the USWNT’s initial match against Zambia, this game was rich with tactical elements. Key features included a back-three system, fluid interchanging play, and effective wing play. However, here were still several questions regarding the midfield’s performance — especially the double pivot. Despite these concerns, the overall display provided enough evidence for Hayes to feel that her influence and vision are already firmly imprinted on the team.
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Hayes named an unchanged lineup for this game, with the front-line trifecta retained as well as the midfield trio of Rose Lavelle, Lindsey Horan, and Sam Coffey. Though the defensive line stayed the same, now there was a different approach in trying to both contain and nullify the German attack.
Hayes implemented a back-three in-possession system, instructing Crystal Dunn to advance and provide width while Emily Fox took on the role of the third center-back. Hayes had previously experimented with this approach but its effectiveness was particularly evident in this match. Both German wingers — Lea Schüller and Klara Bühl — had relatively quiet evenings, unable to stretch the US defense as often as they desired. Nevertheless, they managed to find some success in exploiting spaces between the midfield and defense.
The back three
The back-three in build-up was used to assuredly shore up the defense with numbers and deny the Germans space to counter-attack in case of midfield turnovers. But, as you’ll read on, there were a few chances given up that were a result of turnovers from the USWNT’s double pivot.
This back-three shift was also implemented in response to Germany’s 4-2-4 / 4-4-2 system that had Alexandra Popp and Janina Minge playing in central midfield. They used their pace and power to overrun the USWNT’s midfield duo and attack the spaces between the lines. Germany’s central two strikers would also crowd up the middle, making it hard for the US to defend and ultimately leaving the full-backs to deal with the wingers in 1-on-1 situations.
Popp and Minge played aggressively and wanted to shift the ball out to the two German wingers for them to pick the spaces behind the full-backs and isolate themselves with the widest defender. The USWNT’s system, though imperfect, still managed to successfully nullify the German wingers to long or blocked crosses.
The crosses
Center-backs Tierna Davidson, Naomi Girma, and Emily Fox all remained positionally disciplined throughout the game and did not allow their wingers to control their movement; they ensured play was always in front of them. Fox and Girma covered their spaces well, and the chances the US gave up were a direct result of the midfielders not covering their spaces sufficiently.
If there’s one point to be made about the American midfield is that it’s still liable to giving up space, unless the midfielders drop deep and create a mid-block. There were a few moments where Horan lazily allowed a couple of passes to slip by her into the defensive half-space when Rodman was too high and Fox was then isolated. Coffey picked up an early yellow card that rendered her somewhat ineffective in going into many tackles.
The system relied heavily on the two holding midfielders to maintain their positions and provide cover for the wide center-backs when the Germans attacked from the flanks. Giulia Gwinn’s goal highlighted a lapse in this strategy, as a lack of pressure from the US allowed the German right-back to invert and exploit their defensive half-space on the left.
Addressing these positional issues will be a priority for Hayes, but overall, there are clear signs of a tactical identity forming within the team that moves beyond pure counter-attacking football.
The back three’s implications were not just felt in defense but also further upfield. It was also in part due to the way the US wanted to build their attacks. In this case, there was a heavy left-sided bias with Dunn overlapping to allow Swanson to once again drift inside and interchange positions with Smith. The duopoly of Swanson and Smith shifted focus away from Rodman and Lavelle on the left to allow the US to have a switch of play, with the latter two stretching play — especially with Rodman playing an extremely wide role.
The Washington Spirit forward became the pseudo-right wing-back, but with more of a focus on attacking the opposition’s full-back and making late runs into the box. This was the idea, at least; however, there was a slight role reversal where the build-up came down the right. In those cases, Fox played out to Lavelle, who performed a one-two exchange with Rodman, who would then drive past Germany’s Felicitas Rauch to cross in for Smith to score at the back post. It was Swanson’s central run to pull the center-back away from the line of the cross that made this goal.
The combination play of the front three shows the chemistry and tactical versatility each of these players have, which can create effective chaos in the final third. Added to this was the excellent off-the-ball performance by Rose Lavelle. The No. 10 was dynamic all evening, constantly covering passing lanes and even tracking back to stop Lea Schuller from the edge of the US box.
Lavelle’s off-ball role was to ensure the opposition was pressed in and to stop any supply into Popp or Minge. The German center-backs aren’t the quickest passers, which created the perfect storm for Lavelle’s press to create turnovers. In essence, Lavelle carried out the off-the-ball duties to allow the front three to thrive. Couple that with two holding midfielders, and the system setup seems tailor-made for Smith, Rodman, and Swanson to thrive.
A final test against Australia awaits the USWNT on Jul. 31, and, their performance against Germany will go a long way in making them a feared force once again.
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