Key events
Reporting from Aberdeen:
I have eagerly followed the tournament, but despite some thrilling moments, the overall play has been lackluster. I watched all four quarter-finals on Saturday, and I use “watched” lightly.
Many predict that we’ll see the USA facing Spain later this week – and I concur – but it may be in the Bronze Medal match.
Though the USA triumphed over Japan in the quarter-finals, their possession play was poor, frequently losing the ball. I believe the Germans have learned from their earlier defeat to the USA in group play, and they may benefit from Popp’s absence.
I forecast a win for Germany.
That prediction seems a tad overboard. No chance Spain will end up competing for bronze.
Just to emphasize a point – I just caught a minute of skateboarding, and Team GB’s Sky Brown edged out the USA’s Bryce Wettstein for a podium spot after just two runs.
So, my apologies to Emma Hayes and her team. If Germany emerges victorious, you can blame me.
A troubling sign for the USA – it seems luck favors US teams when I am not watching. The women’s volleyball team had a comfortable lead in Set 1 until I tuned in, and then they nearly lost it. After I stopped watching, they breezed through Set 2.
I’m not one to suggest it’s all about me, but the universe has been peculiar with my involvement in sporting events. Duke hasn’t won a basketball game I’ve witnessed since ’92. My old high school experienced notable success in football only after my graduation. And the list goes on.
Germany lineup
Goalkeeper: Ann-Katrin Berger (Gotham FC)
Defense (left to right): Felicitas Rauch (North Carolina), Marina Hegering (Wolfsburg), Kathrin Hendrich (Wolfsburg), captain Giulia Gwinn (Bayern Munich)
Midfield (left to right): Klara Bühl (Bayern Munich), Janina Minge (Freiburg), Sydney Lohmann (Bayern Munich), Jule Brand (Wolfsburg)
Forward: Nicole Anyomi (Eintracht Frankfurt), Sjoeke Nüsken (Chelsea/ENG)
Three of the starting players – Rauch, Minge and Anyomi – were previously listed as alternates. Germany is without Alexandra Popp (ill) and Lea Schüller (knee tendon injury). Lohmann steps into Popp’s central midfield role, while Anyomi takes Schüller’s place.
Berger had an outstanding performance against Canada, even executing the deciding penalty kick herself before a quiet audience of 12,517 in Marseille, likely distracted by sailing delays. The downside: Germany produced only one shot on target, and now they face Naomi Girma and the returning Tierna Davidson.
According to The Guardian’s ranking of the <a href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2024/jan/09/the-100-best-female-footballers-in-the-world-2023\">top 100 female footballers</a>, Popp is in 6th place, Lena Oberdorf 16th, Bühl 72nd, Merle Frohms 81st, and Lina Magull 97th. Frohms is available as the backup keeper while Bühl will participate. The other three players listed are unavailable, with Oberdorf sidelined by a knee injury.
On paper, this team doesn’t appear to pose a significant threat to the USA. However, this is Germany we’re discussing.
US lineup
Let’s appreciate the stylish lineup announcement from US Soccer, and highlight what’s new today:
The Semifinal XI vs Germany 🇺🇸 #USWNT x @Visa
Lineup Notes ⤵️
— U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (@USWNT) August 6, 2024
Keep an eye out for Tierna Davidson’s name. This center back is making her comeback from injury today (due to the Olympics’ limited roster rules, Emily Sams returns to the reserve list), while Sam Coffey is back in the lineup following suspension. Both will start, meaning versatile defender and defensive midfielder Emily Sonnett, along with center midfielder Korbin Albert, will provide strong bench support.
In case you’re curious about these player details:
Goalkeeper: Alyssa Naeher (Chicago)
Defense (left to right): Crystal Dunn (Gotham FC), Tierna Davidson (Gotham FC), Naomi Girma (San Diego), Emily Fox (Arsenal/ENG)
Midfield (from defensive to less defensive): Sam Coffey (Portland), Lindsey Horan (Lyon/FRA), Rose Lavelle (Gotham FC)
Forward (left to right): Sophia Smith (Portland), Mallory Swanson (Chicago), Trinity Rodman (Washington)
Following Albert’s recent experience at Parc des Princes, Horan is ready to play in her home stadium in Lyon.
The Olympic formation is anticipated to be a 4-5-1 setup with Smith leading the line while Swanson and Rodman position around Lavelle in midfield. They will exhibit fluid movement – expect to see Rodman on the left or Swanson covering various positions – though this might be perceptibly stretched.
Preamble
Welcome to a match potentially seen as a referendum on the renowned English coach Emma Hayes, but it really presents a test for the US women’s soccer team’s famed attack, which appears to have lost its potency since scoring four goals against Germany and seeking a moniker as striking as “the triple-edged sword,” the name given to the trio that dazzled in the inaugural Women’s World Cup back in 1991.
Points awarded to anyone who can identify those three players.
More critically, this match will determine whether the USA or Germany advances to the chase for gold.
Although the USA triumphed 4-1 in group play, and Germany stumbled through to the next round via a 0-0 draw and penalty shootout victory against Canada (Germany? Who would have imagined?), nobody will underestimate this encounter. The US women have several injury issues, and … well … it’s Germany.
Beau will join shortly. Meanwhile, here’s how the US team made it this far:
The United States women’s national team, under the new leadership of Emma Hayes, is just two victories away from a record-extending fifth Olympic gold medal, following a spectacular extra-time goal from Trinity Rodman that secured a tightly fought quarter-final against Japan, which was rather uneventful until the end.
The women’s football tournament at the Paris Games is pivotal in evaluating whether the Americans’ uninspired 46-month span under departed coach Vlatko Andonovski will be regarded as a disappointing period or if, as some in the global football community have indicated, it marks a permanent decline from their status as perennial favorites.
The verdict is still undecided, but early indications are favorable. Hayes, who took the helm two months ago, has led the US to four victories in her initial four critical matches. After scoring only four goals across four games during last year’s World Cup debacle, the Americans blasted home nine throughout an impeccable run in the Olympic group stage. The anticipation for the tenth goal felt prolonged, but its arrival has brought Hayes’ team within reach of the coveted podium.
“It was highly tactical,” stated Hayes. “That’s why I appreciated it. It was a display of grit and resolve, with one remarkable moment sealing it.”
You can read the full report below:
