The best things come in threes and the U.S. women’s national team front three is no exception. On Tuesday in the Olympic Games semifinal, it was Sophia Smith who scored the winning goal. But collectively, Smith, Trinity Rodman and Mallory Swanson have contributed to 10 of the team’s 11 goals this tournament.
“Honestly, I don’t remember anything that just happened,” Smith told NBC after the match. “I know Mal played me a perfect through ball. I know I had to step up in a big moment for this team.”
By now it’s clear U.S. women’s national team head coach Emma Hayes wants to stick with her chosen starting XI as far as they can go. The team had some forced rotation when defender Tierna Davidson returned from injury and midfielder Sam Coffey returned from a yellow card suspension. However, Davidson only played one half and was substituted for Emily Sonnett at halftime. Another key player, midfielder Rose Lavelle, came off in the 60th minute for forward Lynn Williams, perhaps nursing some foot or ankle tenderness from a hard block in the quarterfinal against Japan.
For their part, Germany didn’t look fresh either, which seemed to manifest in a highly physical game with plenty of shoves and barges. Was it by design to frustrate the U.S. and break up any attempt at…
