The USWNT offense is still a work in progress, but shows improvement in its pre-Olympic win over Mexico

HARRISON, NJ – The U.S. Women’s National Team’s identity has almost always been tied to an offensive philosophy, and in the year since they disappointed in that regard at the Women’s World Cup, the offensive effort remains a work in progress.

Their 1-0 win over Mexico on Saturday offered signs of optimism but was imperfect as the team put just six of their 17 shots on target and scored just once thanks to Sophia Smith’s strike in the 64th minute. The team was happy with another victory in the run-up to the Olympic Games, which start for them on July 25 against Zambia. But even as they showed glimpses of their potential at the Red Bull Arena, the group admitted the final touches needed to be put on their attacking game plan.

“I think we lost a bit of patience in the final third,” Smith said after the match. “I think we get excited when we get in there but maybe one touch too many, one pass too many and for me personally I should have finished a few more chances to start with to put it away but that kind of thing is fine . -tune-up. We have another game against Costa Rica and I have no doubt that things like that will come, but I’m very happy with how we played.”

New coach Emma Hayes, who took charge in just her third USWNT match on Saturday, is focusing her efforts on ensuring her team’s attack is versatile.

“We started the game really well, so it was good intensity and great opportunities,” Hayes said. “I think we rushed that game a little bit [the] intention is good. I can’t criticize the players for that, but it teaches them the right moments – when to progress, when not to – and then in and around the penalty area, how to access the right spaces at the right times. , at the right time. It will take some time, but we made an adjustment during halftime. I thought the team responded very well to that, very quickly, as we had only just embedded structural principles.”

Hayes has vowed to tactically develop a squad full of promising young talent in a bid to put the disappointment of the Women’s World Cup behind him. She has regularly admitted that her approach will be multi-layered and that it will take time, probably more than the short run-up to the Olympics provides. Still, the group has learned a lot in their short time with Hayes.

“I think it’s important for a group to be more patient on both sides of the ball,” said the midfielder Rose Lavelle said. “I think we definitely saw that today defensively, which is great because obviously it saves our legs a little bit because we don’t have to sprint all the time and press all the time, and it’s more picking and choosing our moments. I think we are.” still a very, very good press team, but now being able to pick those moments I think makes us more dangerous because we’re not just going every time and I think we’ll continue to build on that to get better.”

Smith also added that the tactical flexibility allowed the trio of her, Mallory Swanson and Trinity Rodman to change things on the field.

“I think the nice thing about our attacking players is that we can all play anywhere, we can move, we can be dynamic and if something feels good to someone in another space, we can go into that space and the other person will feel it. A work in progress,” said Smith. “I think we’re trying more and more every game and creating a lot of chances from this, so so far it’s good.”

That was the case with her goal, assisted by Swanson.

“I just moved to the side and saw an opening. I was frustrated with myself, I missed the other opportunities, so I was confident this one would go in and Mal [Swanson] “I played a really good pass and I just saw an opening and finished it as best I could.”

In a sense, Hayes molds the team in her image as a tactical pragmatist whose favorite part of the job is solving various challenges.

“My job is to put us in the best possible positions and be versatile in the game,” said Hayes, “because we are playing against a team that is very well coached, that closes down spaces and you have to constantly find where they are . and how they change, and that’s the part of coaching you want to enjoy the most, adapting.”