Football

USWNT aim for gold medal match at 2024 Paris Olympics with a Germany rematch on tap in the semifinals

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3m ago

Aug 06, 2024 / 2252 Views

Evan Walker

Happy Monday! The U.S. women's national team are back in the Olympics semifinals, continuing their strong streak to open Emma Hayes' tenure as the head coach. I'm Pardeep Cattry with a USWNT-themed newsletter to start the week.

📺 Footy fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Monday, Aug. 5
🥇 Olympics (men): France vs. Egypt, 3 p.m. ➡️ Peacock
🇺🇸🇲🇽 Leagues Cup: Toluca vs. Sporting Kansas City, 9 p.m. ➡️ FS1

Tuesday, Aug. 6
🥇 Olympics (women): USWNT vs. Germany, 12 p.m. ➡️ USA Network
🌍 Preseason friendly: Dortmund vs. Villarreal, 12:30 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network
🥇 Olympics (women): Brazil vs. Spani, 12 p.m. ➡️ Peacock
🇺🇸🇲🇽 Summer Cup: Gotham vs. Angel City, 5 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Network, Paramount+
🌍 Preseason friendly: Real Madrid vs. Chelsea, 7 p.m. ➡️ ESPN2
🇺🇸🇲🇽 Summer Cup: Kansas City Current vs. North Carolina Courage, 5 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Network, Paramount+

⚽ The Forward Line

🇺🇸🇩🇪 USWNT, Germany meet again

The U.S. women's national team will face Germany for a spot in the gold medal match, a rematch of the group stage encounter in which the USWNT won 4-1. That result was easily the most impressive of Emma Hayes' short tenure as the U.S. coach, since it both spotlighted the attack's qualities as well as the collective team's ability to suffocate Germany and cancel their ability to chase the game. Tuesday's semifinal, though, could be quite different from the last time these two met after both survived slog-like quarterfinals.

The USWNT needed a goal in extra time from Trinity Rodman to break the deadlock in their quarterfinal against Japan on Saturday. Though they dominated possession, as expected, they generated few quality chances and put in a performance that was reminiscent of last summer's unimpressive Women's World Cup run. Emma Hayes' side put just three of their 15 shots on target, including just one in 90 minutes. They were able to keep Japan at bay with just one shot on target, though seemed to be reactive for much of the second half as Japan looked for a go-ahead goal.

Sam Coffey's absence in midfield was definitely felt by the USWNT as she served a yellow card suspension, with Korbin Albert doing little to make an impact in Coffey's place. It was far from the U.S.' only problem, though -- fatigue seemed to set in for the players, most of whom had started four games in the span of 10 days. Hayes also bet big on her starters, opting not to make a substitute until extra time began. She defended her choices post-match, per The Athletic.

Hayes: "I'm paid to do this job. What I'm interested in is what we do in-house. I've been coaching football matches a long time. I've said it from the beginning, connections help. I don't believe we'd have gone through if we'd have made too many changes."

Hayes seems committed to letting her core group of players develop chemistry, perhaps something she feels necessary considering she had just four games to work with before arriving in France for the Olympics. Things did technically play out in her favor with the game's lone goal scored and assisted by starters Rodman and Crystal Dunn, respectively. With the team now set to play their fifth game in 13 games -- and either the gold or bronze medal match just a few days later -- one wonders if Hayes will be forced into making some personnel choices just to combat the inevitable fatigue of a manically organized competition.

🔗 Midfield Link Play

✅ USWNT's clean bill of health

Despite her reticence with substitutions, EMMA Hayes has been forced to change her lineup on a few occasions at the Olympics because of injuries and suspensions, but the head coach delivered some big news on Monday in Lyon -- everyone trained ahead of their Game against Germany on Tuesday.

Question marks around fitness have followed the USWNT during their entire spell in France so far. Most notably, the news suggests that Tierna Davidson could be back in the mix for the semifinals after missing time over the last two games with a knee contusion, but Hayes' pre-match comment is also good news for the likes of Emily Fox and Trinity Rodman. Fox was substituted off late against Japan with an apparent leg injury, while Rodman required the help of a trainer during extra time on Saturday but seems to have come out relatively unscathed. Jaedyn Shaw, meanwhile, missed the group stage with a leg injury but was an unused substitute against Japan.

The USWNT have been able to survive the availability issues thanks to their standout attackers, each of whom have lived up to the billing so far in France. Sophia Smith has two goals so far while Rodman and Mallory Swanson each have three, and Lynn Williams also has one from her appearance as a substitute against Germany in the group stage. Rodman, in particular, has had a star-making turn in France, especially after the stellar goal against Japan, earning Darian Jenkins' player of the match honors for her ability to show up in the big moments.

Jenkins: "I want to see her heat map because she was up and down the right side of the pitch and even early in the match, we could see the fatigue in her. Her body language was a little bit not as we usually see her. She was fouled numerous times and got back up and kept going. It should have been a yellow card. She just kept chugging through and ultimately got a goal after taking opportunities that weren't on frame, even. She kept her confidence and I think we've seen a lot of growth in this player, but especially throughout this game, I was very impressed."

Their success has perhaps papered over the cracks in the USWNT's midfield, which has felt unresolved for years and continues to appear that way. Sam Coffey's expected re-introduction to the lineup after serving a yellow card suspension will likely improve matters, but the midfield trio -- which includes Lindsey Horan and Rose Lavelle -- continues to feel disjointed as the defense and the attack gel well together. Against Japan, when Korbin Albert was in the lineup, the USWNT struggled to make forward passes in the attacking third, reflecting a tournament-long showing in which the midfield struggles to connect with the players in front of them. It does not feel like a problem that will be solved at the Olympics, regardless of whether the U.S. play in the gold or bronze medal match. It was a sign of weakness at times in their last match against Germany, though, and may be an area of focus again on Tuesday.

🔗 Top Stories

🇺🇸 USWNT beat Japan: Trinity Rodman leads the pack in the latest batch of player ratings, scoring an eight out of 10 on an imperfect day for the USWNT.

❌ U-23 USMNT post-mortem: The U-23 USMNT are out of the Olympics after losing 4-0 to Morocco in the quarterfinals on Friday, a result that does not make the tournament a failure -- even if it leaves some wanting more from the U.S. men's program.

🆕 Matarazzo to USMNT?: Hoffenheim's Pellegrino Matarazzo is the latest manager to be linked to the vacant USMNT job as the pressure mounts on U.S. Soccer to get this hire right.

✈️ Transfers latest: Conor Gallagher is inching closer to a move to Atletico Madrid in a move that's expected to help Chelsea's finances, while Tim Ream is nearing a transfer to MLS' Charlotte FC after a decade-plus in England.

🥇 WoSo Olympics recap: Three quarterfinals went to extra time, two required a penalty shootout and one had a very late game-winner in a marathon day of women's soccer at the Olympics.

🔴🔵 Barcelona take preseason Clasico: Barcelona beat Real Madrid 2-1 in a preseason friendly at MetLife Stadium on Saturday, with Pau Victor emerging as the surprise star of the night after scoring a brace.

🎥 No VAR in EFL: Ahead of the start of the EFL season this weekend, Geoff Shreeves explains one very unique feature in these English leagues -- there's no VAR.

🗣️ Reo-Coker talks to Kudus: Nigel Reo-Coker catches up with West Ham's Mohammed Kudus during the team's preseason tour of the U.S. and ahead of their first season with manager Julen Lopetegui.

📈 USL's moment: With new stadiums, more high-profile players and the possibility of promotion and relegation, the USL is well and truly on the rise.

💰 The Back Line

💵 Best bets

Olympics men's soccer: gold medalists
💰 THE PICK: Morocco to win the gold medal (+430) -- Hopes are still high that hosts France can go all the way in the midst of a fairly impressive tournament, and so they are rightfully the oddsmakers' favorites. There's no reason to sleep on Morocco, though, who have arguably been the most exciting team in the tournament. Soufiane Rahimi has been one of the biggest stars of the competition with five goals, leading the way for a team that feels destined to medal -- if not win the gold.
Olympic women's soccer: gold medalists

💰 THE PICK: USWNT to win the gold medal (+165) -- Reigning Women's World Cup winners Spain may be the favorites for gold after surviving a penalty shootout against Colombia, but the USWNT may argue that they have been the more impressive team in France so far. The U.S.' in-form attackers have allowed them to go on a deep run, and with a gold medal fitting of a redemption arc within grasp, betting on EMMA Hayes' team might be a wise one -- even if room for improvement exists.

📺 What's on CBS Sports Golazo Network

☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10 a.m.): Hosts Susannah Collins, Charlie Davies, Nico Cantor and Alexis Guerreros help fans get their day started on the network's flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest soccer storylines. Morning Footy is also available in podcast form, so you'll never have to miss an episode.

3️⃣ Attacking Third (Monday, Thursday): The leading women's soccer podcast and social brand is now a live studio show. The NWSL season is back and our coverage of the women's game is stronger than ever. Our analysts will be breaking down the USWNT, NWSL and European domestic season all year long. And don't miss Wednesday live streams on YouTube at 11 a.m. ET.

⚽ Call it What You Want (Monday night): A weekly podcast where Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies and friends cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful Game in the United States. You can also catch the show streaming live on YouTube every Monday at 11 a.m. ET.

🥅 Scoreline (Daily): Scoreline is the newest place for fans to catch up on all the biggest news and results impacting global football, match highlights from the top soccer competitions and all the can't-miss goals from the day's action, starting Thursday and airing seven days a week.

📺 How to watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network is a free 24/7 channel exclusively dedicated to offering unparalleled coverage of all the top soccer competitions worldwide. You can stream for free on the CBS Sports app, Pluto TV and Paramount+.