Photo Copyright Yukihito Taguchi via USA TODAY Sports
The quarterfinal match between the U.S. women’s national soccer team and Japan on Saturday was far from entertaining, but it was the most tactical battle the team has faced so far under head coach Emma Hayes. The close game extended into extra time before a Trinity Rodman wonder strike secured the 1-0 victory.
Despite the recent form of the USWNT’s attacking trio, Japan managed to keep all three players quiet for most of the game. Rodman, Mallory Swanson, and Sophia Smith wreaked havoc on opponents in the group stage but with games every two days fatigue played a big factor in what became their poorest outing so far.
Hayes went into this game with only one change to the lineup, a forced swap that saw Korbin Albert start for the suspended Sam Coffey who had been integral from the six position. Emily Sonnett continued to fill in at centerback for the injured Tierna Davidson while Jaedyn Shaw was available on the bench after missing the group stage due to injury, a timely and welcome return.
The rest of the starters have played the majority of the minutes because of Hayes’ insistence on building team chemistry. “Minimal changes gives you the better chance to build the creativity, so I will not change anything I’m doing,” Hayes told media ahead of the quarterfinal.
Unfortunately for the viewers this meant the U.S. played lethargic football, partially due to fatigue but also because of the tactical plan executed by Japan.
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Japan seemed to effectively study the USWNT’s previous games in order to play to their own strengths while also nullifying many of the US team’s strengths. Their first half performance in particular seemed to stop the sensational front three from firing on all cylinders. So, how did Japan stop the U.S. from playing a much smoother game?
In short, the game largely came down to Japan’s out-of-possession tactics. Japan’s outfielders lined up in a 5-4-1 formation in and out of possession but most importantly, it had intent. Their game plan was to allow the U.S. defenders time on the ball along the back line but to stop supply into the wide players.
Japan’s back-five stayed largely in line with each other, with the midfield three patrolling the half-spaces to pounce on anything that went into their zones, as the game screenshots show. Australia also deployed a back-five against the U.S. but lost, the stark difference between their effectiveness was Japan’s ability to manage their energy and know when to allow the U.S. to have the ball and when to jump in.
They allowed the back-three, especially Sonnett, to have the ball and didn’t expend much energy in pressing Albert. Instead, Japan let the ball move towards the middle half of the pitch before making their intentions known. They created a box-like shape to create the illusion of trapping Albert in, but it was meant more to force the U.S. to go wide quicker and create the pressing trap out wide.
Albert’s performance was closely monitored, but she performed solidly at defensive midfield and shouldn’t attract much criticism for her showing on the field. She maintained possession effectively and recovered the ball when needed.
The main concern was the absence of Horan (or Lavelle), which prevented the U.S. from employing a double-pivot to counter Japan’s midfield block. Utilizing a double-pivot could have tempted Japan to push forward, creating space for a No. 10 and a dropping striker to operate, thus allowing the wide forwards to drift into more open spaces.
Horan has yet to find comfort in this 4-2-3-1 shape when playing as one of the two No. 6s. If these Olympics have made anything clear it is that she is likely suited to a more natural No. 10 role, the next international window could see a change in starting eleven because of this.
It’s telling how much it frustrated the U.S. when Horan and Lavelle were both shut down so effectively and had negligible influence over the game with loose touches and mistimed passes out.
So far, Lavelle has been their best playing in possession, especially with passing in close quarters to unlock the front three, but even she needed to be moved around to try and have more of an influence. From dropping deep to being a pivot to right wing, Lavelle’s lack of creativity made it harder for the U.S. to affect play. This was compounded by them resorting to safe passing out from the back instead of riskier passes.
Hayes’ team sorely missed the deeper passing range of Davidson that was badly needed to create more opportunities to open up the switches of play.
This picture encompasses the game’s story. The limited arrows in the wide areas prove the lack of penetration and success in getting Rodman and Swanson in isolated one-on-one duels.
The game overall lacked pace and creativity, desperately needing a spark from the substitute’s bench. Although Lynn Williams was brought on, Hayes’ trust in her starting eleven seems unshaken. Despite this, we’ll likely see rotation in their semi-final on Tuesday — this starting group cannot endure another 90+ minutes without experiencing increased fatigue and potentially risk missing out on the final.
Regardless of tactical struggles, this win propels the USWNT to yet another semifinal appearance and a shot at reaching the podium in Hayes’ first major tournament with the USWNT.
