USWNT’s Olympic opener review: The good and the not-so-good

Expectations will always be high for the United States women’s national team. Unlike their overhyped soccer brethren, the USWNT possess a long, proud history of major tournament success, having won four World Cup championships and four Olympic titles.

Last year’s disappointing World Cup showing prompted big changes to the program. Head coach Vlatko Andonovski resigned after the U.S.’s abrupt round-of-16 exit last August. Emma Hayes was hired from Chelsea to overhaul the roster, reinvigorating the group with youth over veteran stars like Alex Morgan.

Hayes had only four friendly matches to prepare the USWNT for the Paris Olympics. The last exhibition game, a frustrating 0-0 draw against Costa Rica, raised red flags about the U.S.’s attack going into the Games.

On Thursday in Nice, the Americans kicked off their pursuit for a fifth Olympic gold with a 3-0 victory over Zambia. They entered the tournament with several questions about their betting favorite status. The first foray in France provided some clarity on this USWNT, with some good and some not-so-good takeaways.

The U.S. scoring drought was always going to end against Zambia, the lowest-ranked side in the tournament at No. 64. And a healthy Mallory Swanson was never going to come up empty, as she found the net twice in 66 seconds for the fastest brace in USWNT history. They were her first Olympic goals in eight years due to a long, unfortunate history of injuries, most recently (and painfully) a torn patella tendon before last year’s World Cup.

The players are still learning Hayes’ system, but the lack of clinical finishing (as witnessed in the Costa Rica friendly) has to be concerning. Hayes admitted to The Athletic that the U.S. should have scored “at least five” goals in the first half. The Americans were unlucky to hit a crossbar and have two goal-line clearances, but they also played the final 60-plus minutes with a player advantage due to Pauline Zulu’s red card. Considering the circumstances, three goals felt meager.

With Zambia down to 10 players, Hayes got to use all five substitutions and conserve the energy of some of her attack’s key components. Rose Lavelle played only 46 minutes. Swanson, Trinity Rodman and captain Lindsey Horan were removed after 65 minutes. Fresh legs will be needed Sunday when the USWNT takes on Germany, a 3-0 winner against Australia.

Naomi Girma’s speed is impressive. Keeping a clean sheet isn’t too impressive when the game is 11 vs. 10, but it was still amazing to watch Girma match stride for stride with speedy Zambia striker Barbra Banda, the NWSL’s co-leading scorer with 12 goals. The U.S. center back routinely makes her presence felt defending and making clearances in the 18-yard box, but her recovery speed against Banda was a sight to see.