PREVIEW – FIFA 4th ranked Germany is set to play 5th rank United States in a key Group Stage game on Sunday in Marseille, France. The Olympians will face off at 1 p.m. MT. The U.S. and Germany enter the match tied atop the Group B standings.
The Lady Yanks are coming off an underachieving 3-nil victory over 64th-ranked Zambia. They scored all their goals in the first half and missed several point-blank shots that could have made the game 8-0. They also fell flat in the second half. Perhaps the heat and humidity in the South of France impacted their performance.
Trinity Rodman summed up the team’s overall play, “Going off this game, I think there’s still a lot of areas we need to improve, more finishes that should go in the back of the net still, even being up 3-0,” Rodman added, “So happy about the performance, but there’s still a lot of room for improvement.”
Mallory Swanson led the team with two made-for-TV goals. She was assisted by Sophia Smith and Lindsey Horan. Smith came out early with a hard knock to her leg. Head coach Emma Hayes has not yet received an update on the severity of Smith’s injury. Teammate Jaedyn Shaw is also injured. She was not present at the Zambia match.
Before their final training session before the match, head coach Emma Hayes updated members of the media. She reported that Smith will be ready to play and that her roughed-up ankle is “fine.” Hayes also forecasted what her team should expect from the Germans.
Olympic rules allow alternates to replace injured players as long as teams provide six hours’ notice to tournament leadership. Hayes may select one of these players to round out her bench: Croix Bethune, Jane Campbell, Hal Hershfelt, and Emily Sams.
Germany dominated Australia at Stade de Marseille and departed for their hotel with a 3-0 win. They outshot Australia 17-8 and finished the game with seven corner kicks. Conversely, the Americans have not scored on a direct set piece of any type in years. Whoever wins three points is assured a spot in the upcoming knockout stage. See Group B standings here.
The U.S. leads the overall series with Germany 23W-5L-7D, including a 4W-1L-0D advantage in meetings at the World Cup and Olympics.
The USA and Germany played most recently in two friendlies at the end of 2022, splitting the matches in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. and Harrison, N.J. Germany won the first of the two meetings 2-1 in November 2022. The U.S. closed out the 2022 campaign with a 2-1 come-from-behind victory.
U.S. OLYMPIC WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM ROSTER:
GOALKEEPERS (2): 18-Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage), 1-Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)
Broadcast coverage will be provided by the USA Network, Telemundo, and Peacock.
Photo Credit: John Babiak
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2 thoughts on “USWNT Germany Preview: Sophia Smith Questionable for Olympics Showdown”
The United States has not scored on a direct free kick in several years. Your fact about set pieces is incorrect and this entire article has a negative tone.
The fourth paragraph reads “the Americans have not scored on a direct set piece of any type in years.” Are we not saying the same thing? What about the article gives off a negative tone?
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Brendan Ploen 
The United States has not scored on a direct free kick in several years. Your fact about set pieces is incorrect and this entire article has a negative tone.
The fourth paragraph reads “the Americans have not scored on a direct set piece of any type in years.” Are we not saying the same thing? What about the article gives off a negative tone?