If it’s not broken, don’t fix it. That’s the approach U.S. women’s national team head coach Emma Hayes appeared to take in the Group B finale against Australia on Wednesday. With a quarterfinal spot already locked down, Hayes made just one change to her starting line-up, adding Emily Sonnett to the defensive line, while center back Tierna Davidson remained off the game-day roster with a knee contusion. This also means Hayes started two players, Sam Coffey and Trinity Rodman, who were one yellow card away from suspension.
For her part, Rodman tallied the team’s opening goal, cleaning up a shot from Sophia Smith after a U.S. corner. She stayed in the game for another half-hour through the break before Hayes took her off the field. Coffey, meanwhile, earned a second yellow in the fourth minute keeping her out of the team’s quarterfinal match.
Hayes eventually made a triple change in the 65th minute, taking off Rodman, Rose Lavelle and Emily Fox and adding Lynn Williams, Casey Krueger and Korbin Albert. Albert’s substitution proved crucial as the controversial midfielder scored the team’s second, and ultimately winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Australia to capture the top spot in Group B.
It wasn’t just the cautionary element that caused concern over the lack of rotation. With a game every three days, the physical strain on players was also a cause for worry. Steph Yang and Jeff Rueter take a look at what the Group B finale means for the U.S. as they head to the knockout stages.
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USWNT 2 Australia 1: Korbin Albert’s goal, VAR call help U.S. capture first place in Olympic group
