Emma Hayes' USWNT is different. Plus, Kevin Durant's near-perfect night

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Good morning! I hope your boss is cool with “Gold Zone” being on all day.  

Turnarounds: The USWNT is so back

The U.S. women’s national team scored more goals yesterday than it did in the entirety of the 2023 World Cup. Let that sink in. Sure, Mallory Swanson was injured then — but it’s clear, with her fit and a new coach in place, this is not the team of the last few years. Some takeaways from yesterday’s 4-1 wipeout of (a very good!) Germany:

• The Americans have now guaranteed their place in the quarterfinals, with Swanson and Sophia Smith proving to be extremely dangerous.
• Add in Trinity Rodman, who scored in the opener against Zambia, and the U.S. front line is looking like a true three-headed monster. And, oh, you’ve got Rose Lavelle adding to the attack? Sheesh.
• Lynn Williams — who, remember, was originally an alternate for this squad — came off the bench late to ice the game. Ice it she did.
• Coach Emma Hayes went with the same starting lineup for the first two games, and didn’t make non-injury-related subs until Williams entered in the 85th minute. It feels likely she’ll give some starters a rest in the next match, where the Americans now only need a draw to win the group.

Also worth monitoring: U.S. center back Tierna Davidson left the game with an apparent knee injury in the 44th minute, replaced by Emily Sonnett, who did her part in the second half. Stay tuned for updates on Davidson.

Next up for the USWNT? Australia at 1 p.m. ET on Wednesday to close out group play.

Olympic Greats: KD’s near-perfect night

Remember when we were worried about Kevin Durant, who missed all of Team USA’s exhibition games with a pesky calf injury and had people questioning whether he should go to Paris? That was a whole … 6 days ago. It’s no matter; he’s in Olympic KD mode now.

Durant, the greatest scorer in U.S. men’s basketball history, looked very much like himself in the 110-84 win against Serbia yesterday. He was a perfect 8-for-8 in the first half en route to a 23-point performance in less than 17 minutes. Remember: Durant hadn’t played in a game in nearly three months, and just did that.

It’s the latest feat in his peerless USAB legacy, Sam Amick writes. One that includes:

• Three Olympic basketball golds.
• A chance to become the first American man ever with four.
• A demonstrated loyalty to the program by choosing to play in the last four Olympics.
• The selflessness to accept a role off the bench yesterday. (Durant has come off the bench just three times in his NBA career, averaging 19.3 points on 58.8 percent shooting, FYI).

“I told Coach (Kerr), whatever he needs from me, I’m willing to do anything and adapt to anything,” Durant said. And Kerr didn’t rule out using him as a sixth man (a wild luxury to have) going forward.

The Americans next have a rematch with South Sudan on Wednesday (3 p.m. ET).

Our most interesting Olympic events (at a decent hour):

• Men’s street skateboarding final
  11 a.m. on NBC and Peacock
  
• Men’s and women’s swimming finals
  2:30 p.m. on NBC and Peacock
  
  
• Women’s basketball: USA vs. Japan
  3 p.m. on USA Network and Peacock

Other medals decided today: archery, canoeing, cycling, diving, equestrian, fencing, gymnastics, judo, shooting

Metal count:

1. 🇺🇸 United States — 12 (3 gold, 6 silver, 3 bronze)

2. 🇫🇷 France — 8 (3 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze)

3. 🇯🇵 Japan — 7 (4 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze)

Pulse Picks

Chemistry could be the one thing this U.S. women’s basketball team is lacking, as Chantel Jennings writes. Will limited prep time impact its ability to win an eighth straight gold?

Happy MLB trade deadline eve! Jim Bowden has you covered on top storylines and best available players on the market.

I enjoyed this piece from Jeff Howe, who detailed Baker Mayfield’s road back to the Buccaneers and the QB’s aspirations in Tampa Bay.

American gymnast Jordan Chiles is facing the cruel reality of missing out on the Olympic all-around final because two teammates finished ahead of her in qualifications.

Melanie Anzidei has the details on 14-year-old McKenna Whitham, who became the youngest player to debut in a first-division men’s or women’s soccer match in the U.S. yesterday.

Alec Lewis has an insightful story today on how J.J. McCarthy’s parents helped him reach the NFL … by taking a step back.

Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: The LeBron opening ceremony meme. Of course.

Most-read on the website yesterday: Our Simone Biles live blog of the qualification round in Paris. Checks out!

Top podcast in The Athletic network: On “Full Time with Meg Linehan,” Tamerra Griffin, Steph Yang and Meg recap the USWNT’s big win over Germany. Are the Americans gold medal favorites now?

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(Top photo: Luisa Gonzalez / Reuters / USA Today)