HARRISON, N.J. — United States women’s national team head coach Emma Hayes said her team still needs to improve its decision-making in the final third, but she saw signs of progress in the 1-0 win over Mexico at Red Bull Arena on Saturday.
Hayes’ third game in charge of the U.S. was the Americans’ penultimate match before the Olympics and its first with the roster that leaves for France next week in search of the program’s first Olympic gold medal since 2012.
“If we use [the Concacaf Gold Cup] as a reference point, I think it’s fair to say this game was much more measured, much more controlled,” Hayes told reporters. “[We] limited them to very little, so [it’s] a step in the right direction.”
The victory comes less than five months after Mexico’s historic 2-0 victory over the USWNT in the group stage of the Concacaf W Gold Cup, the Americans’ first loss to Mexico on home soil.
Saturday was a more measured game that saw the USWNT retain 70% of the possession and keep Mexico from finding the counterattacking opportunities that allowed the visitors to thrive at the Gold Cup.
USWNT forward Sophia Smith broke the deadlock in the 64th minute. Rose…
