The U.S. women’s national team won its World Cup send-off match against Wales 2-0 in front of a sellout crowd of 18,000 at San Jose’s PayPal Park on Sunday. Here’s what you need to know:
- Trinity Rodman entered the match at halftime and broke a scoreless tie in the 76th minute, burying a pass across the box from Sophia Smith.
- Rodman added to the lead at the 87-minute mark, converting from the edge of the box for her fourth career international goal.
- Midfielder Savannah DeMelo was subbed into the game in the 64th minute, marking her USWNT debut. Entering Sunday, DeMelo was the only uncapped player on the team’s World Cup roster.
- The U.S., now 8-0-0 in 2023, opens World Cup group play against Vietnam on July 22 local time (July 21, 9 p.m. ET) at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand.
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
A sigh of relief
A largely uninspiring first half from the USWNT, though how much of that was due to send-off game nerves and how much was due to ongoing and lingering issues around chemistry, crispness and decision making will be impossible to know. Fortunately for the U.S., Smith and Rodman reminded everyone of just how a goal scored by this team should look: unstoppable, fast and clean. It took longer than anyone would have liked, but the USWNT was never not…
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