USA vs Germany preview: American women two wins away from gold

The US Women’s National Team (USWNT) is just two wins away from a gold medal. With an extra-time win over Japan on Saturday, they advanced to the semifinals for the second straight Olympics. The team standing in the way of a gold medal game appearance is a team they have already beaten at these Olympics: […]

The US Women’s National Team (USWNT) is just two wins away from a gold medal. With an extra-time win over Japan on Saturday, they advanced to the semifinals for the second straight Olympics. The team standing in the way of a gold medal game appearance is a team they have already beaten at these Olympics: Germany. Here’s our USA vs Germany preview ahead of the semifinal match.

Japan recap

To get to a point where they are only two wins away from bringing home the gold, the US first had to get past Japan. The game was a slog. Both teams were playing their fourth game in nine days. The number of games, combined with the small roster size, meant that fatigue was undoubtedly a factor.

The game went 0-0 into extra time. It wasn’t until the first half of extra time that Emma Hayes made a substitution (Hayes has repeatedly preached the value of continuity). In any event, it was one of the starters that made the difference. In the 105th minute, Trinity Rodman (daughter of former NBA great Dennis Rodman) scored a scintillating goal to give the US a lead they would not relinquish.

Germany’s quarterfinal

Like the US, Germany is just two wins away from a gold medal. And like the US, they had to put in extra work to win their quarterfinal match-up.

Their game against Canada, however, went all the way to penalty kicks. Canada, of course, has been at the center of controversy during these Olympics for the use of drones to observe the training sessions of teams they were facing.

But in the end, Germans have historically always been tough to beat on penalties. It proved to be true for the Canadians as they made just two of…

Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/olympics/usa-vs-germany-preview-american-women-two-wins-away-from-gold/

Author : Lawrence Dockery

Publish date : 2024-08-05 18:44:22

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