US Women’s National Team Open World Cup With 3-0 Win

The U.S. Women’s National Team opened their 2023 World Cup with a 3-0 win over Vietnam in Auckland, New Zealand.

In front of a crowd of 41,107, the USWNT rode to victory via a strong two-goal, one-assist performance by young striker Sophia Smith.

Although the U.S. arrived in matching tailored suits, the first half felt anything but coordinated. Offensive miscommunications slowed the team down, and Vietnam’s defense often shut down the Americans’ attack before they were able to take a shot.

Still, they did shoot: The U.S. had 17 shots (five on goal) in the first half, and 28 shots overall, but only three goals.

Most disappointing was a missed penalty kick by co-captain Alex Morgan, whose shot was saved by Vietnamese goalkeeper Trần Thị Kim Thanh.

The main bright spot of the game was Smith, who is quickly becoming the new face of the USWNT.

The 22-year-old striker scored twice in the first half. In the 14th minute, Smith scored off a pass from Morgan, sliding it past Kim Thanh and into the back of the net.

The second came deep in what would become 11 minutes of stoppage time. Smith took a longer shot, once again sliding it just under Kim Thanh for a goal. Although the goal was briefly called back with an offsides call, a (long) VAR check reserved the call and gave Smith a well-earned brace.

In the second half, as Vietnam grew more tired, the plays began to connect better.

The USWNT’s offensive focus often came from the attack-focused center back duo of Naomi Girma and Julie Ertz.

In the only goal of the second half, momentum began way in the back with a long Ertz pass forward to Smith. Smith then set up a beautiful and challenging pass to co-captain Lindsey Horan, who put it in for a goal.

Expectations were sky-high going into this game. Many were expecting something similar to the USWNT’s first game of the 2019 World Cup, when the team destroyed Thailand 13-0.

But this is not the U.S. team of 2019; for one, this team is young, filled with World Cup debutantes who have not necessarily played much with each other. The eleven players on the starting roster had never played together in that exact configuration, and there were moments that it showed.

This game should have been an easy, high-scoring win. This is Vietnam’s World Cup debut, and they are only ranked 32nd in the world (the U.S. is currently ranked first).

Although there is nothing wrong with a 3-0 result, this is a game that Vietnam will exit feeling triumphant with their performance, while the U.S. may walk away with some frustration.

There are certainly some things to work out before they play the ninth-ranked Netherlands — a rematch of the 2019 World Cup Final that the Netherlands will be itching to win. The U.S. plays the Netherlands next Wednesday in Wellington at 9 p.m. ET.