The United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) kicked off their 2023 World Cup campaign with a 3-0 victory over Vietnam last night. While the line for this game was at 6.5, in favor of the two-time defending champions, Vietnam were much more resolute than expected. Sophia Smith grabbed her first goal in the 14th minute, but the USWNT waited all the way until extra time of the first half to put in their second. Their final goal came in the 77th minute on a low-driven shot in front of an open net via Lindsey Horan. But, the Americans failed to convert on 25 other shots throughout the night, which probably raises some concerns for when the competition level goes up a gear. In turn, let’s dive right into our USA-Vietnam takeaways and break down what this performance means to them moving forward.
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USA-Vietnam Takeaway #1. The USWNT are less ruthless than in years prior
First, this USWNT side is just less ruthless than they have been in years prior. They are still miles better than most teams in the field, but to their own standards, if feels like they have taken a step back. Last night, they underperformed on their expected goal (xG) count of 4.3, and only put 22% of their shots on frame.
Against a team in their first ever World Cup game, the level of end product should be higher. Moreover, if we want to get specific, Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe took a combined seven shots, with none of them challenging Tran Thi Kim Thanh in goal. Morgan also had a horrific penalty take, in the space between the first and second goal; it might be time to find someone else for the spot kicks. All in all, this scoreline would have been at least a little larger had this game been played in 2015 or 2019.
USA-Vietnam Takeaway #2. Sophia Smith has arrived
As we expected and already predicted, this World Cup feels like Sophia Smith’s arrival party. We already knew she was a lethal goalscorer, we just needed to see her do it on the big stage. Last night, she did just that with a first half brace on an xG of just 0.8. On top of that, she was able to contribute on the third goal with an assist and muster three progressive carries, and two tackles on the night.
Our takeaway for Sophia Smith is that despite being only 22 years old, she is already one of, if not the most important player in this USWNT attack. On a night where others were not as clinical as they needed to be, she stepped up in a major way. Now, they face the Netherlands, and fans and players alike will look at her for the finishing in what will be a much more competitive contest.
USA-Vietnam Takeaway #3. The USWNT Defense Goes Untested
Nobody should love the fact that the USWNT faced no shots or defensive situations last night. Vietnam only had 18 touches in the entire attacking third, with no touches in our box. While this has happened before, it does not make anyone feel better about the state of the USWNT defense.
One of the biggest question marks heading into this tournament, is how they would cope without central defender and captain Becky Sauerbrunn. That question is still unanswered, and now they go on to play the Netherlands, who were finalists in 2019. In their last 20 games, they have only been shut out once. Additionally, they scored twice against the United States in their 2021 Olympic quarterfinal match. The Dutch can score, even without Vivianne Miedema, and they will ask a lot of questions about Vlatko Andonovski’s defensive setup.
Finally, this game against Vietnam proves there are less automatic victories in the Women’s World Cup. The game has elevated to a point where most scorelines are kept rather close. From a betting perspective, keep that in mind when looking at World Cup first-timers like Vietnam in future group stage matches.
