USWNT Makes A Miraculous Return To The Race To Olympic Finals After 12 Years

This Tuesday, the US women’s football match once again appeared to be heading towards a draw, up until the extra time. Similar to the difficult quarterfinal victory over Japan, this nerve-wracking triumph served as a wake-up call following the brash thrashings the US had inflicted during the Emma Hayes era's dawn phase. However, any kind of victory will do, particularly if it puts the USWNT in the Olympic final. A hard-fought and occasionally difficult-to-watch 1-0 victory over Germany in extra time sent the US into Saturday's final against Brazil, guaranteeing the Americans at least a silver medal. This time, Sophia Smith took on the heroic role, making use of her agility and craftiness on a day when both qualities had mostly vanished due to extreme exhaustion.

The Match At A Glance

The US took the lead thanks to a goal from Sophia Smith, a 23-year-old striker who raced onto Mallory Swanson's pass in the 95th minute and slipped the ball past the charging Ann-Katrin Berger, goalkeeper for Germany.

Up until that point, Emma Hayes' team had had difficulty defeating a resilient German team, whom they crushed 4-1 during the group round.

Laura Freigang's header in the 119th minute almost sent the match to penalties, but US goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher made a fantastic save to save the match for Germany, the 2016 Olympic champions.

Hayes’ Hard Work Finally Bearing Fruits

Hayes, who has an 8-0-1 record since beginning her stint in earnest in late May, has had a trying few days. When asked who may face her in the championship match, she let out a sigh and replied, 

"I don't care. I want a drink."

However, she has also embraced this difficult journey, as it aligns with her goal of putting her new squad to the test following her twelve years as Chelsea's manager. She hasn't made many replacements in the last two games, 

"Because I want them to develop. I want them to suffer. I don't think you can win without that moment, therefore I want them to have it. And I haven’t had long enough for this group to get that yet, and I want to see who they are when it’s hard.”