United States dispatches Vietnam 3-0: Takeaways from World Cup-opening win
AUCKLAND, New Zealand — The United States women's national team began its quest for a historic World Cup three-peat by beating Vietnam 3-0 in its opening game of the 2023 tournament.
Sophia Smith scored two goals in the first half, and co-captain Lindsey Horan added the third in the second for the USWNT, which prevailed despite a missed penalty kick by Alex Morgan shortly before intermission.
The Americans will take on the Netherlands on Wednesday in their next group stage game (9 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app) — a rematch of the World Cup final the U.S. won four years ago in France.
[Highlights from U.S. win over Vietnam]
Here are a few quick takeaways following Friday's match:
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Play of the game
In the days leading up to the game, U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski and his players made it clear that even though they were facing another team making its debut on soccer's biggest stage, they did not expect a repeat of the World Cup record-shattering 13-0 victory over Thailand in their first game of the 2019 competition.
Sure enough, the Vietnamese were as defensive as advertised, and they repeatedly tried to disrupt the attacking rhythm of the four-time champs by fouling the U.S. players whenever possible.
Still, it took Smith less than 14 minutes to give the favorites the lead. Horan began the play with a no-look pass to Morgan that carved through Vietnam's midfield. Morgan flicked the ball into space for the onrushing Smith, who took a touch and cooly beat goalkeeper Thi Kim Thanh Tran with her left foot:
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The U.S. squandered several chances of varying quality before the half was out, none bigger than Thanh's save on Morgan from the spot in the 43rd minute.
Smith finally doubled the Americans advantage — following a lengthy video review — deep into second-half stoppage time. But it was her first that sent the Americans on their way to victory.
[Social media reaction to U.S. win]
Turning point
After Morgan's uncharacteristic miss from 12 yards, it looked like U.S. would take the slimmest lead possible into the locker room at halftime. But Smith's second, which the assistant referee incorrectly ruled offside on the field, gave her team the cushion that it probably deserved when she pounced on a clearance and sent a low shot through a sea of bodies (and for the second time, Thanh's legs) and into the net:
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[Behind Sophia Smith's supreme confidence]
Key stat
While the outcome was much closer than the 2019 opener, it would've been uglier for Vietnam had Thanh not made a number of key saves. In addition to her stop on Morgan, she also kept out several golden chances in the second half.
The U.S. fired 28 shots on goal in all, and while just seven on them ended up on target. Thanh made four saves to keep the final result more than respectable for her team.
What's next for the USWNT
With Job 1 accomplished in the form of three crucial points, the U.S. can now turn its attention to its most important first-round World Cup game since the group stage finale it needed to win against Nigeria in 2015 to guarantee a first-place finish over Australia and the more favorable round of 16 matchup that came with it.
The favorites must be better in that one. The Dutch are a formidable foe. A loss could be disastrous, as it would likely see the Americans face Spain or Sweden, both legitimate title-contenders, to open the knockout stage.
But after taking care of business in the curtain-raiser, the Americans — who will have a fresh Rose Lavelle after Lavelle played just the last 27 minutes off the bench Friday — have to like their chances.
What's next for Vietnam
Despite the multi-goal defeat, the Vietnamese can hold their heads high. By standing toe-to-toe with the most dominant, successful national team on planet futbol, they did their country proud in their first World Cup on the men's or women's side.
That experience ought to serve Vietnam well against Portugal in their next outing. And with an extra day of rest, don't be shocked if they emerge with a point — or maybe even three.
Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.