USA vs. Zambia: Match Recap & Highlights | 2024 Paris Olympics

NICE, France (July 25, 2024) – The U.S. Ladies’s Nationwide Crew loved a profitable begin on the 2024 Paris Olympics — its first event underneath head coach Emma Hayes – dominating Zambia on the way in which to a 3-0 scoreline within the south of France. A blistering first-half efficiency, highlighted by a slick purpose from ahead Trinity Rodman and a 70-second brace from ahead Mallory Swanson, powered the USA to earn the three factors.

Captain Lindsey Horan contributed two assists in a dynamic first-half exhibiting from the younger Individuals. Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher posted her third shutout within the final three video games and the USA restricted Zambia to simply three pictures on body, all on remoted forays within the second half. Seven gamers made their Olympic debut as Hayes fielded this system’s youngest beginning XI (27.4 years) at a Ladies’s World Cup or Olympic event because the Beijing Video games in 2008.

The USWNT now has opened the Olympic event with a victory in six of eight all-time appearances. The 2024 competitors contains 12 nations in three teams of 4. The highest two groups in every quartet following the group-stage spherical robin, together with the 2 finest third-place finishers, will advance to the Aug. 3 quarterfinals. The USA’s Group B additionally options Germany — the two-time Ladies’s World Cup champion and 2016 Olympic gold medalist — and 2023 Ladies’s World Cup semifinalist Australia. The Germans rolled previous Australia, 3-0, earlier on Thursday, establishing a top-of-the-group showdown on Sunday in Marseille.

Zambia arrived in France ranked sixty fourth on the earth however had been anticipated to current a problem that belied its ranking. The Copper Queens have improved significantly briefly order, climbing 39 locations in FIFA’s desk over the previous two years whereas making their Olympic (2021) and Ladies’s World Cup (2023) debuts. In between, they received bronze on the 2022 Ladies’s Africa Cup of Nations. Zambia additionally has produced two of the most costly gamers within the historical past of the ladies’s recreation. Barbra Banda’s transfer to the Orlando Pleasure and Racheal Kundananji’s signing by Bay FC, each earlier than the beginning of the 2024 NWSL season, set new benchmarks.

This was the first-ever recreation between the groups and limiting the risk offered by Banda and Kundananji was a chief concern. To that finish, veteran Crystal Dunn, whose function has diversified underneath Hayes, celebrated her one hundred and fiftieth cap with a return to left again. The U.S. protection did nicely to chop off service to the Zambian pair and when Banda acquired up a head of steam operating on the U.S. purpose, which she did on a number of events, the U.S. heart backs duo of Naomi Girma and Tierna Davidson had been capable of run her down earlier than she may create any actual hazard. That supplied the U.S. assault — which had created myriad possibilities however only one purpose on this month’s Ship-Off friendlies — time to search out its groove.

It took simply 17 minutes. After hitting the crossbar twice and lacking a few further promising appears to be like, together with one second into the match from Horan, the Individuals rediscovered their of entirety. Rodman scored her first purpose of 2024 off a feed from Horan and a nimble roll of the ball behind her leg that froze two Zambian defenders. That dribble made room for her shot, which she slotted beneath Zambian goalkeeper Ng’ambo Musole from 14 yards out.

Swanson then broke the sport open together with her 70-second brace spanning the twenty fourth and twenty fifth minutes. Each targets got here due to her robust, well-timed runs into the penalty space — the primary off a feed from Horan and the second off an help from Sophia Smith. Swanson’s thirty fifth and thirty sixth worldwide targets had been her first in official competitors because the 2022 Concacaf W Championship and marked her first targets at a world championship because the 2019 Ladies’s World Cup.

The three targets towards Zambia matched the USA’s finest scoring half this 12 months. When Zambia’s Pauline Zulu was proven a pink card for a thirty fourth minute, last-defender foul on Smith, the three factors basically had been assured.

Confronted with three group-stage video games in simply seven days and allowed solely 18 lively gamers, Hayes changed Smith – who took a knock on her ankle — with Lynn Williams within the forty third and playmaker Rose Lavelle with Korbin Albert at halftime.

The USA dominated the ball within the second half whereas 10-woman Zambia defended deep and looked for Banda on the counter. Rodman and Swanson every got here near including to their accounts as the competition approached the hour mark and a few crisper ending would have simply doubled the scoreline. The purpose scorers, together with Horan, then had been substituted within the sixty fifth minute and the USA ultimately outshot Zambia 27-8. The African additionally cleared a number of U.S. pictures out of the purpose mouth that had been destined for the web.

The USA’s Olympic journey will proceed on Sunday, July 28, towards previous rival Germany on the Stade de Marseille in Marseille (9 p.m. native / 3 p.m. ET onUSA Community, Telemundo and Peacock). The USA holds a 23W-5L-7D all-time benefit within the sequence and received the newest aggressive fixture between the edges, the 2015 Ladies’s World Cup semifinal in Montreal, Canada.

GOAL SCORING RUNDOWN

USA — Trinity Rodman (Lindsey Horan), seventeenth minute: Sophia Smith’s sensible assortment on the sideline and decisive dribbling down the left wing opened up the Zambian protection. Her feed inside to Horan was relayed towards Rodman contained in the penalty space. Rodman’s deft roll of the ball together with her proper foot eradicated two Zambian defenders and drew goalkeeper Ng’ambo Musole off her line, permitting the U.S. ahead to slip the ball dwelling. USA 1, ZAM 0

USA — Mallory Swanson (Lindsey Horan), twenty fourth minute: The Individuals doubled their lead on a purpose that resembled the opener. Smith fed Horan from the left, then the captain slipped the ball into the penalty space. However this time it was Swanson on the top of it. She took a single contact, rounded the ‘keeper and completed excessive into the left aspect of the web together with her left foot from a tricky angle. USA 2, ZAM 0

USA — Mallory Swanson (Sophia Smith), twenty fifth minute: Rose Lavelle picked up a unfastened ball in midfield and handed to Smith within the left channel. Smith noticed Swanson racing into the penalty space and located her with a slick outside-of-the-foot go. Swanson shielded Zambia’s Martha Tembo, took a contact previous the ‘keeper, after which completed into an empty web. USA 3, ZAM 0 FINAL

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• The USWNT improves to 28W-4L-7D all-time on the Olympic video games and 6W-2L-0D in Olympic openers. The USA’s 28 wins on the Olympics are 10 greater than some other crew within the historical past of the Olympic Ladies’s Olympic Soccer event.
• The USWNT improves to 9W-1L-3D on the 12 months and is now unbeaten in 10 consecutive video games following the defeat to Mexico on Feb. 26 on the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup.
• Seven gamers – Coffey, Fox, Girma, Rodman, Smith, Albert and Nighswonger — made their Olympic debut towards Zambia whereas Rodman turned the primary participant since Alex Morgan in 2012 to attain in her first Olympic match.
• At 22 years, 66 days of age, Rodman is the youngest participant to attain for the USWNT at a world championship since a 21-year-old Mallory Swanson scored towards Thailand within the USA’s opening win on the 2019 FIFA Ladies’s World Cup.
• Swanson’s brace was the primary multi-goal recreation by any participant on the 2024 Olympics and he or she is now simply the sixth participant in USWNT historical past to attain a number of targets in an Olympic match, becoming a member of Tiffeny Milbrett, Angela Hucles, Alex Morgan, Carli Lloyd and Megan Rapinoe.
• Horan is the fifth participant in USWNT historical past with a number of assists in an Olympic match, becoming a member of Mia Hamm, Heather O’Reilly, Megan Rapinoe and Julie Ertz.
• Smith’s help on Swanson’s second purpose was the tenth of her profession and her second profession help at a world championship. She additionally arrange Horan’s purpose within the USA’s opening win of the 2023 FIFA Ladies’s World Cup.
• Alyssa Naeher recorded her second profession Olympic shutout.
• The U.S. protection has now stored a clear sheet in every of its first 5 matches underneath head coach Emma Hayes, the second-longest streak to open the tenure of any full-time USWNT head coach, trailing solely a streak of 9 consecutive shutouts to open the Greg Ryan period.
• Hayes is the eighth head coach to steer the USWNT into a serious event and simply the fourth to report a win in her first world championship match, becoming a member of Jill Ellis (2015 World Cup), April Heinrichs (2000 Olympics) and Anson Dorrance (1991 World Cup).
• Crystal Dunn made her eleventh all-time look for the USWNT on the Olympics and have become the twenty sixth participant in USWNT historical past to earn 150 caps.

– U.S. WOMENS NATIONAL TEAM MATCH REPORT –

Match: United States Ladies’s Nationwide Crew vs. Zambia
Date: July 25, 2024
Competitors: Paris 2024 Olympics; Group B
Venue: Stade de Good: Good, France
Attendance: 5,550
Kickoff: 9 p.m. native / 3 p.m. ET
Climate: 84 levels; humid

Lineups:
USA: 1-Alyssa Naeher; 7-Crystal Dunn, 12-Tierna Davidson, 4-Naomi Girma, 2-Emily Fox; 17-Sam Coffey, 16-Rose Lavelle (3-Korbin Albert, 46), 10-Lindsey Horan (Capt.) (14-Emily Sonnett, 65); 11-Sophia Smith (8-Lynn Williams, 43), 9-Mallory Swanson (13-Jenna Nighswonger, 65); 5-Trinity Rodman (6-Casey Krueger, 65)
Substitutions Not Used: 18-Casey Murphy, 20-Croix Bethune
Head coach: Emma Hayes

ZAM: 18-Ng’ambo Musole; 13-Martha Tembo, 3-Lushomo Mweemba, 5-Pauline Zulu, 4-Esther Siamfuko; 17-Racheal Kundananji, 15-Hellen Chanda, 14-Prisca Chilufya (12-Avell Chitundu, 37), 10-Grace Chanda (16-Esther Muching, 38), 11-Barbra Banda, 9-Kabange Mupopo
Substitutions Not Used: 1-Catherine Musonda, 2-Diana Banda, 6-Rhoda Chileshe, 7- Misozi Zulu, 8-Ochumba OsekeLubandji,
Head coach: Bruce Mwape

Stats Abstract: USA / ZAM
Photographs: 27 / 8
Photographs on Objective: 8 / 3
Saves: 3 / 5
Nook Kicks: 5 / 2
Fouls: 5 / 7
Offside: 3 / 1 

Misconduct Abstract:
ZAM – Pauline Zulu (Ejection) thirty fourth minute
USA – Trinity Rodman (Warning) 44
ZAM – Martha Tembo (Warning) 45

Officers:
Referee: Ramon Abatti (BRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Rafael Alves (BRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Guilherme Camilo (BRA)
4th Official: Veronika Berntskaia (KGZ)
VAR: Daiane Muniz (BRA)
AVAR 1: Rodrigo Carvajal (CHI)

Michelob Extremely Superior Girl of the Match: Mallory Swanson