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USWNT 3, Iceland 1: Alyssa Thompson's first international goal helps U.S. secure victory

25 October 2024Last Update :
USWNT 3, Iceland 1: Alyssa Thompson's first international goal helps U.S. secure victory

The U.S. women’s national team defeated Iceland 3-1 on Thursday in its first match following its gold-medal run this summer at the Paris Olympics. Alyssa Thompson and Jaedyn Shaw, both still teenagers, scored first before Sophia Smith provided a late dagger to seal the result.

Thompson was the only player to start who did not play in this summer’s Olympics. The 19-year-old was widely expected to be called back into the national team following an excellent run of form with Angel City in NWSL. She did not disappoint in Austin, Texas, providing the opening goal, which was also her first international goal.

“I get in those situations a lot in games, so I knew what to do: put it in with my right,” Thompson said during her halftime interview.

Since the NWSL’s return from the Olympic break, Thompson has scored five goals with Angel City and noted she’s spent extra time after training working on cutting in off the wings with an eye for goal alongside her NWSL teammate Christen Press. Thursday night, she got another perfect opportunity to show what those extra reps have unlocked.

Thompson last played for the U.S. in 2023, featuring in the final match of the year in Texas. Despite her inclusion in the 2023 World Cup roster, she missed out on an Olympic spot under head coach Emma Hayes.

“Just coming onto the field and wearing the jersey in the beginning, I was like, ‘This is surreal,’” Thompson said during halftime. “Being able to get my first goal, I can’t describe how I feel. I’m just so happy.”

Iceland equalized in the second half when Selma Magnúsdóttir scored in the 56th minute with an effort from outside the box that beat goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher in the bottom left corner. But the tie didn’t last.

Shaw was a second-half substitute, but that didn’t stop her from scoring. While her Olympics went in an unexpected direction after she picked up a muscle injury in France, Shaw had no issues returning to her scoring ways with the national team having fully recovered.

“It was a really tough month for me,” Shaw said of the Olympics after the match. “But it was also the best month of my life. I learned a lot from it. It just made me hungry to come back and produce the same, if not more.”

Smith also picked up some USWNT minutes, after finally making her NWSL return for the Portland Thorns in a limited capacity last weekend. Smith had an ankle injury resurface in September and had missed out on multiple Thorns matches. Smith, one-third of the “Triple Espresso” forward line at the Olympics, added the exclamation point with her goal in the 88th minute.

Gotham FC’s Yazmeen Ryan earned her first U.S. cap Thursday night, subbing on Mallory Swanson in the 66th minute alongside Shaw and Casey Krueger. Hal Hershfelt of the Washington Spirit also finally earned her first cap for the USWNT in this match, after traveling with the team to France this summer as an alternate.

Coach Emma Hayes called up six uncapped players as part of her 26-player roster for the October window, though only 23 players can dress for each match.

“We looked a little rusty,” Hayes said in her postgame press conference. “We haven’t played together since the Olympics, and I think we look like a team with a lot of players on the back end of the season.”

While she liked their short passing game, Hayes said the performance in the final third during the first half wasn’t good enough and that they weren’t switching the ball quickly enough. Both were addressed at halftime.

“It’s up to us to inject that urgency into the game,” she said. “The players that came from the bench did that.”

The USWNT still has two more matches in this international window. They play Iceland again Sunday in Nashville (5.30 p.m. ET, airing on TNT, truTV, Max, Universo and Peacock), before their final match on U.S. soil this year next Wednesday against Argentina in Louisville (7 p.m. ET, airing on TNT, truTV, Max, Universo and Peacock).

(Photo: Brad Smith / Getty Images)

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