USWNT 1 Japan 0: Trinity Rodman’s extra-time goal propels weary US into Olympic semifinals

It was far from the most entertaining soccer match this Olympics has ever offered — even French-influenced boos rang out every time the U.S. played from the back. It was striker Trinity Rodman who ultimately fought through tired legs and a compact Japanese defense to find the net for the U.S. in extra time of a drawn-out quarterfinal.

Despite the great respect and knowledge of Japan, the team of Emma Hayes, coach of the US women’s national team, had a hard time against their opponent.

Japan kept their front three of Rodman, Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith at bay for much of the match. The trio that had been so dominant in the group stage slowed down in the opening match of the knockout round. Could tired legs, forced midfield changes and cautious play be to blame? Certainly, but Japan are also a very clinical team, capable of ceding possession and attacking when they can create chances.

“Minimal changes give you a better chance to build creativity, so I’m not going to change anything I’m doing,” Hayes said before the quarterfinals. But on Saturday, the lack of rotation led to the opposite of creativity. And yet she waited until the start of overtime to make her first substitution: Lynn Williams for Swanson.

For the first time at the Paris Games, the US had to rely heavily on its defensive play until Rodman connected on a shot from over 90 yards to put the US ahead.

Jeff Rueter and Steph Yang analyze the quarterfinals.

Rodman’s overtime goal keeps U.S. national team’s hopes of an Olympic berth alive

Before the Olympics, Rodman played primarily a creative role for the U.S. national team.

All three attackers possess incredibly dynamic skills, each capable of threatening a shot and picking out a clever pass while dribbling at full speed. With Swanson and Smith being the most outspoken scorers for club and country of the trio, Rodman has selflessly embraced picking the final ball, often sending a low cross from near the touchline back into the heart of the penalty area for an onrushing attacker to fire home.

During these Olympics, however, Rodman has reminded the world that she, too, can score with the best. Her first two international goals of the year came in the group stage, but against Japan it again looked as if she would find an assist rather than score herself. That changed in extra time — albeit with a frustrating first attempt, when a left-footed shot in the 104th minute flew wide of the crossbar, denying a central run from Smith.

Two minutes later, Rodman tried again. US fans will be grateful she did.

TRINITY RODMAN BOW. 👏

THIS IS ABSOLUTELY AWESOME. THE USWNT COMES INTO OVERTIME.#Olympic Games in Paris | 📺 US and Peacock photo.twitter.com/rNlebzAyOo

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 3, 2024

The goal made the 22-year-old winger the youngest USWNT scorer in an Olympic knockout match in 20 years. It also redeemed what had been a frustrating opening 90 minutes for her, though you could say the same about the regulation rules for almost every member of the starting lineup. You have to worry that Rodman and others will be even more lethargic in a semifinal with so little rotation and limited rest.

When the going gets tough, a team has to try something new. Hayes is incredibly fortunate to have a third scoring option in Rodman’s quality.

Jeff Rueter

Hayes risked production for chemistry

Once again we saw a lack of rotation from Hayes, with only one change forced by Sam Coffey’s yellow card suspension, meaning Korbin Albert started deep in midfield.

There was a bit of a midfield shuffle, with Lindsey Horan pushing quite high with the forwards and Rose Lavelle being withdrawn for long periods in each half. You could see they were trying to keep some lanes open with an extra forward to occupy the Japanese back five, but players weren’t connecting on the final few passes or making runs into the right spaces.

Mistakes can happen when you’re nervous, and sometimes everyone is just weirdly off in timing. But they can also be caused by tired legs. When I saw Swanson and Smith counter in the 25th minute without Horan or Rodman keeping up with them to make a run to the far post, tired legs seemed the most likely culprit. The same thing happened a few minutes later when Smith went for the goal, but instead of crossing, she just skied the ball high and wide.

Japan occasionally added to the mix with their transitional play, dragging the US up and down the pitch while picking their moments to get ahead. This has been Japan’s game plan in the past, with teams getting frustrated for long periods before trying to push quickly. It hasn’t always worked out well for them; just look at their comeback against Brazil, when they really piled on the pressure in the latter part of the second half, and had to squeeze out the win via a penalty and Momoko Tanikawa’s wonder goal in injury time. But even with their limited access to the final third, the US were often bailed out by Japan serving a sub-optimal final ball.

Whatever the reasons, it certainly feels like a lack of confidence in Hayes’ bench – again, perhaps something to lay partly at the feet of US Soccer for allowing such a short lead time in onboarding Hayes, which certainly wasn’t conducive to building trust. But again, all parties knew the timeline here, and if Hayes wasn’t willing to walk to the edge of a cliff at this tournament, then this was always going to be the sleeper outcome.

Steph Yang

What was the reason for the lack of production in the American front three?

Few teams throughout the group stage had as complete a line on the pitch as the US attack. The interplay between Swanson, Smith and Rodman seemed seamless through three games. Often the service from this trio was underestimated, both from Lavelle in the area and via line-breaking balls from Horan, Coffey and the centre-backs.

Unfortunately, injuries and suspension limited the selection of the latter category of players against Japan. Coffey and Tierna Davidson were useful in keeping possession moving with their passing acumen. While Albert performed similarly to Coffey’s standard of upfield directionality, Emily Sonnett is not the same type of passer as Davidson. Most notable, however, was a complete change in approach from Horan, who had been hugely ineffective in the quarter-final.

In Hayes’ early days, Horan has yet to find a natural role in her new coach’s preferred team format. If this Olympics has made anything clearer, it’s likely that she won’t be the team’s most effective option in a double-header, whether she’s partnered with Coffey or Albert. That could open up an opportunity for other midfielders to get into the pool, but it does make you wonder how Hayes will get the most out of her captain in the years to come.

Jeff Rueter

How does the lack of rotation affect the semi-final?

The Olympics are perhaps the world’s most famous test of endurance. Given how little rotation there was in the starting lineups for the four events and the late substitutions in the quarterfinals, just being able to run in time for Tuesday’s semifinal is worth a medal.

The tournament has been a real test for Hayes, who only officially took charge in late May after a full season with Chelsea in the Women’s Super League. No other competition in international football has such a restrictive structure as the Olympics. The squad cap of 18 players limits a coach’s ability to rotate and bring in two options focused on the same role, while the three-day schedule offers little time for rest or adjustments on the training pitch. Still, Hayes has left her team in trouble ahead of one of the most important games of the tournament.

Hayes has stuck with her core of starters throughout the Olympics (Marc Atkins, Getty Images)

There is good news about the approaching semifinal. Coffey is coming back from her suspension and, in a moment where she turns a curse into a blessing, returns to midfield with the freshest legs in the lineup to anchor the midfield. The United States will take on the winner of Canada and Germany. Between beating Canada in both the W Gold Cup and the SheBelieves Cup and a 4-1 group stage drubbing of Germany, neither opponent will be as intimidating as Japan was in this round.

Throughout the group stage, three teams stood out in the underlying statistics: the United States, Japan and Spain. The USWNT are considered favorites, but we can’t be too sure given how tired the players looked in the closing stages. Emily Fox, Albert and Rodman all needed coaching help in overtime, with Fox coming off late with a leg injury. Fox has been crucial to the USWNT’s buildup, particularly on the right side. The coaching staff will have to work hard over the next 72 hours to ensure the players are ready to take advantage of a relatively favorable matchup for a match of this magnitude.

Jeff Rueter

What’s next?

The USWNT will play Germany in an Olympic semifinal at Stade de Lyon on Tuesday, August 6. Germany needed extra time and penalty kicks to defeat Canada in their quarterfinal.

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(Top photo: Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images)