Doomed by Hope Solo's blunders, USWNT draws against Colombia: Five takeaways
Crystal Dunn and Mallory Pugh scored for the U.S., which clinched first place in Group G
The group stage ended for the U.S. women's national team on Tuesday with an uncharacteristic 2-2 draw against Colombia. We'll get to the uncharacteristic part in a moment, but it's more important to note that the result doesn't hurt the USWNT's chances to win a gold medal.
With the point it acquired in the process of the tie, the U.S. advanced out of Group G in first place. So, in the words of Bill Belichick, the U.S. did its job.
Now, onto the strangeness of the match. Here are five takeaways:
1. Hope Solo didn't look like Hope Solo.
The USWNT's backline is almost always anchored by the best goalkeeper in the world, Hope Solo. On Tuesday, Solo was not the best goalkeeper in the world. She was the reason the USWNT tied.
In the 26th minute, she allowed her first goal of the Olympics to Catalina Usme. To be more specific, Solo allowed the ball to squirt through her legs.

Per ESPN Stats & Info, the early 1-0 deficit represented just the third time the USWNT has trailed this year in 18 games. There's no official stat for this, but that deficit might've came via Solo's worst on-the-field moment in her international career.
She sealed arguably her worst game for the U.S. -- at least in recent memory -- with another blunder, this time in the 90th minute, which allowed Colombia to walk away with a tie against the U.S. On first viewing, it appeared to be a perfect free kick by Usme, again.
But, consider the location of the free kick:

And consider where the ball ended up entering the goal:

So, if the ball began on the right side of the field near the end line and ended up hitting the left side netting of the goal, something must've gone wrong for the U.S., because nobody should ever score from that angle.
Something did go wrong. Solo mistimed and misjudged the ball, and ended up missing the ball when she threw her fist at it. The ball didn't miss Solo's fist because she couldn't reach it. The ball traveled over her fist because she punched at it too soon.
Below, you'll see how her arm is totally extended when the ball is still a few feet away from her. Her arm should've been fully extended the moment the ball reached her, that way she could've punched the ball away with force.

Instead, the ball escaped Solo's reach and spoiled the USWNT's win.
2. Crystal Dunn and Mallory Pugh saved the U.S.
The first two games of the USWNT's Olympic run were all about established stars like Carli Lloyd (two goals), Tobin Heath (the most consistent attacker), Alex Morgan (one goal), and Solo (two shutouts). The final group stage game for the USWNT belonged to two young, unestablished members of the roster: Crystal Dunn and Mallory Pugh.
Dunn, 24, served as one of Jill Ellis' final two cuts before the 2015 World Cup. On Tuesday, she scored the U.S.' first goal, equalizing the game at one goal apiece. In the 41st minute, Lloyd's shot deflected into the crossbar and fell toward the center of the box. Using her blazing speed, Dunn darted first to the bouncing ball and slotted it into the back of the net.
Then, in the 59th minute, Dunn broke free on the left side of the box and sent a ball across the box to Pugh, who gained possession of the ball after a deflection and exercised patience, despite her proximity to goal. In a moment of brilliance, Pugh used her quickness to cut back to the inside where she buried the go-ahead goal.
Pugh, 18, became the youngest goalscorer at the Olympics in USWNT history. Moments later, she sliced up the center of the pitch and set up Christen Press in alone on goal. Press failed to convert on the chance, so Pugh's stat line won't reflect the game-winning assist she should've been credited with.
3. Megan Rapinoe's debut
Megan Rapinoe tore her ACL in December. On Tuesday, she played for the first time since that injury, going for the first 30 or so minutes. That's the good news for the USWNT.
The bad news is that the decision to start Rapinoe made no sense whatsoever. According to the USWNT's own Twitter account, the plan all along was to pull Rapinoe after 30 minutes. If that's the case, then why did Ellis start Rapinoe as opposed to inserting her around the 60th minute? There is no real answer to that question.
Rapinoe looked fine, but also rusty in those 30 minutes. The most important takeaway here: Rapinoe was given a chance to shake off the rust and appeared to survive unscathed. Moving forward, as the competition toughens, the USWNT might need her.
With that being said, I'm not really sure how Ellis will find a way to start Rapinoe during the next phase of the tournament. Between Pugh, Dunn, and Tobin Heath, there just isn't really a spot for her in the starting 11. Still, using Rapinoe as a substitute isn't necessarily a bad problem for the U.S.
4. Don't panic.
Ignore the scoreboard, this was the USWNT's best showing at the Olympics so far.
In its opening win over New Zealand, the U.S. coasted by a weaker New Zealand side but failed to impress with its lackluster attacks and lack of creativity. In its win over France, it got lucky, as France outshot the U.S. 14-5. Finally, on Tuesday, the U.S. looked a little more like the world's best team, outshooting Colombia 16-5 and holding 65 percent of the possession.
A couple #USWNT stats...
— Paul Carr (@PCarrESPN) August 10, 2016
Expected goals: #USA 1.94, #COL 0.18
Comp passes in attack 3rd:
USA 107, COL 13
The point being, outside of two areas -- goalkeeper and finishing -- the U.S. put forth its best effort. And there's no reason to be concerned about those two areas.
Hope Solo is still Hope Solo. Just a game ago, Solo walked off as the hero. She's still the best goalkeeper in the world. Two mistakes doesn't change that. If anything, the U.S. should feel fortunate that Solo's worst moments came during a game that didn't end up mattering.
As for the finishing, keep in mind that the U.S. played a half without Carli Lloyd, another half sans Alex Morgan, and the entire game with Tobin Heath on the bench. Those are the USWNT's three best attackers in the final third. Those players won't be on sidelines for any important stretches during the knockout phase of the tournament.
The U.S. should be ecstatic. It just clinched Group G over France, found a way to give Rapinoe some valuable minutes, rested Julie Johnston and her sore groin for another game, and allowed Dunn and Pugh to shake off any nerves before the real pressure begins to mount. A week into the Olympics, the U.S. is still in perfect position to become the first team to follow up a World Cup title with a gold medal in consecutive years.
Relax!
5. What's next?
In the quarterfinals on Friday, the U.S. will face either Australia, China or Sweden. The U.S. should be favored, regardless of which country emerges as its foe.
















