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The No. 1-ranked US Women's National Team got exactly the type of friendly match it expected against No. 28 Colombia, and it ultimately got the result everyone imagined. But it did not come without a struggle.
The Americans were surprisingly held scoreless in the first half after a slow, sloppy, lackluster performance against a compact and combative Colombian team that only concerned itself with defending. But two second-half goals by Sophia Smith and a late debut goal by Taylor Kornieck helped the USWNT ease to a 3-0 win.
The USA could have registered a more rotund scoreline had it converted two penalty kicks. But both Lindsey Horan and Rose Lavelle saw their spot kicks saved by Colombian 'keeper Catalina Perez, who dived to the same side to parry away the seemingly identical kicks in the 45th and 70th minutes.
The game was the first of two against Colombia — the second will be Tuesday in Sandy, Utah — as the USA prepares for the CONCACAF W Championship in July. That will be a high-stakes competition; it will serve as the qualifying tournament for both the 2023 World Cup and the 2024 Olympics.
With the W Championship being held in Monterrey, Mexico, the USWNT chose Colorado and Utah to prepare for the altitude. The Americans also got the type of test they're likely to see against their W Championship group opponents Mexico, Jamaica and Haiti. Colombia sat back in a defensive block that proved a challenge to break down.
For that reason, the goal-scoring struggles against a stubborn opponent will give head coach Vlatko Andonovski plenty to think about, especially since the Americans are entering these summer matches without a handful of key starters who are out due to injury (Catarina Macario, Tierna Davidson and Sam Mewis) or pregnancy (Julie Ertz and Crystal Dunn).
13 - The @USWNT has won its last 13 matches against CONMEBOL opposition, keeping clean sheets in each of the last 11 games. Routine. pic.twitter.com/eB7Mmc07R9— OptaJack⚽️ (@OptaJack)
The USWNT routed Colombia 4-0 and 6-0 in friendlies in 2021, but the goals were harder to come by in Colorado.
Clearly, the player absences didn't help. The Americans had been building around Macario and they missed her game-breaking ability, vision and dribbling skills. She always had it in her to create a scoring chance out of nothing. Without her, the U.S. team looked slow, deliberate and predictable against a Colombia team fielding a line of five defenders.
The 0-0 first half was a blueprint for the USA's opponents at the CONCACAF W Championship. With no room to run in behind — the Colombians sat very deep — and too many Colombian yellow shirts in the way, the USA labored for stretches. There was little flow or creativity, passes were off, quick combination play was rare, and crosses into the Colombia box were often wayward.
The USWNT still created enough looks in the first 45 minutes, but a lack of sharpness in and around the box proved costly. Mallory Pugh had an off night: She misfired on the best look of the first half with the goal at her mercy. Lavelle also poked a shot wide from a favorable position.
Colombian goalkeeper Perez took care of the rest. She stopped a point-blank shot from Lavelle, a Horan header and then the Horan penalty kick attempt. That spot kick was a gift from the referee before the halftime whistle after Smith fell in the box on the follow-through of a clean Colombian tackle.
A number of factors contributed to a very different second half, one where the USWNT had more space in which to operate.
First, the Americans introduced two subs who helped to change the tempo of the game — Ashley Sanchez in midfield (for Lindsey Horan) and Alex Morgan at center forward (for Ashley Hatch). Sanchez's energy and weaving dribbling runs disrupted the Colombians' defensive shape, and Morgan's runs stretched the Colombian defense enough to open seams for others to run into.
Ashley Sanchez off the crossbar! 👀 pic.twitter.com/OwxNWBDW6d— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer)
Individual brilliance from @USWNT's Ashley Sanchez ✨ pic.twitter.com/FUhCmTXgYs— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer)
And Colombia inexplicably opted to push its defensive line higher upfield, and the USWNT made them pay with a pair of goals. The speedy Smith ran into the newfound space that Colombia allowed in behind, and Lavelle was the ideal facilitator, picking out pinpoint passes that hit Smith in stride on goals in the 54th and 60th minutes.
Smith and Lavelle were already the best USWNT players — together with left back Emily Fox — in a first half to forget. Smith was at the center of the USA's best chances in the opening 45 minutes, setting up two of them and winning the penalty. But she was more direct in the second half and she and Lavelle executed plays in ways the Americans simply couldn't earlier in the game.
"The chemistry is getting better and better each day and we need to keep working on it," Smith told Fox Sports postgame after notching her fifth and sixth goals in only 16 appearances. That productivity means she has essentially locked down a starting spot on the forward line heading into July.
The two goals were especially memorable for Smith. The Windsor, Colo., native had friends and family in the stands.
On another level.Sophia Smith.#USWNT pic.twitter.com/qyWBUNC1aj— Our Game Magazine (@OurGameMagazine)
Among the six second-half subs introduced by Andonovski was 23-year-old debutant Kornieck, and she'll never forget it.
The former University of Colorado player capped her 17-minute stint with a last-minute header goal off a Megan Rapinoe set piece, becoming the 21st U.S. player to score on her debut.
The goal was a small sample of what can be expected from the 6-1 Kornieck, who became the tallest field player in USWNT history.
The match was further proof that depth continues to be a strength of this squad. Kristie Mewis came off the bench to play in midfield, Sofia Huerta filled in at right back, and soon-to-be 37-year-old Rapinoe won a dangerous set piece, nearly scored on another dead ball, and stroked a masterful delivery to Kornieck to cap the match.
As witnessed once again against Colombia, the USWNT squad has enough talent to get results, especially against significantly inferior opponents. It just might not always look so easy.
21 - @taylorkornieck is the 21st player in @USWNT history to score on her debut and the first since Kealia Ohai in 2016. Heights. pic.twitter.com/A99yCQoJWM— OptaJack⚽️ (@OptaJack)
