The US women’s national team triumphed 3-0 against Vietnam in their 2023 Women’s World Cup opener at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand as goals from Sophia Smith and Lindsey Horan propelled the American side to three points.
Smith opened up the scoring for the USWNT in the 14th minute, connecting with a flick from Alex Morgan just outside the box before heading to the left and sending the ball to the lower right corner.
Vietnam did well in holding off the American side for that long, but the goal only gave head coach Vlatko Andonovski’s side momentum. The team continued to push forward with chances from Julie Ertz, Horan and Morgan but to no avail as the Vietnam goalkeeper Trần Thị Kim Thanh stopped every shot.
Morgan then had the opportunity to double the score, after a foul on Trinity Rodman inside the box awarded the USWNT a penalty in the final minutes of the first half. But the veteran failed to convert the opportunity, sending the shot straight into Thanh’s hands.
The forward redeemed herself minutes later, supplying Smith with another ball to strike right into the back of the net. Despite moments of deliberation from the referee on a potential offside call, it was deemed good to propel the USWNT to the 2-0 lead.
After several shots, Horan finally got her goal in the second half with a right-footed rocket into the center of the goal as Thanh stepped away from the post for an earlier save.
Though the American side dominated, displaying boundless individual talent, the team as a whole needs more time to adjust to one another. It felt like 11 talented figures on the field, instead of one team pushing forward. There were specific moments of unity, especially between Morgan and Smith, but this still doesn’t seem like the iconic USWNT on the field.