The U.S. women's national team came from behind to beat Iceland 3-1 at Nashville's Geodis Park on Sunday, with head coach Emma Hayes continuing to experiment with her team as her post-Olympics project begins.
Hayes made nine changes from the team that started in Thursday's 3-1 win over Iceland and oversaw a group that dominated in possession and shots but went down in the first half. The visitors earned a corner kick in the 31st minute and Karolina Lea Vilhjalmsdottir scored an olimpico, forcing the USWNT to play catch-up to extend Hayes' unbeaten streak as the team's head coach to 12 games.
The head coach made several substitutions throughout the second half, hoping to add some intensity and accuracy in front of goal as the USWNT searched for an equalizer. It finally came in the 72nd minute coursey of substitute Lynn Williams, with an assist coming from Emma Sears in her first cap. Sears and Williams also played big roles in the go-ahead scored by Lindsey Horan just four minutes later.
The Olympic gold medalists return to action on Wednesday when they close out the October international window with a friendly against Argentina at Louisville's Lynn Family Stadium.
Sears became the first USWNT player to notch a goal and assist in her debut since Christen Press in Feb. 2013, making the most of her 35-minute cameo on Sunday. She entered the pitch at a pivotal moment for the U.S., who were chasing an equalizer and needed some attacking flair to push the game in their direction as they struggled to create quality chances. While Hayes called upon a handful of veterans like Williams and Sophia Smith, Sears did not look out of place as she joined them and left the game with the accomplishments to show for it.
Sears joins Alyssa Thompson as the second player in this international window to score her first international goal, both making the most of their minutes in the USWNT's era of experimentation. Hayes also used the occasion to give a debut to defender Emily Sams, who impressed in a 90-minute shift, while Yazmeen Ryan and Olivia Moultrie earned starts as well.
In the early days of her USWNT tenure, Hayes has generally opted to stick to the game plan she started with, even if the state of play cries out for a new idea. She often characterizes change as a "disruption," and described a series of them as a "repeat [of] step one all the time" in pre-match remarks on Saturday. Yet, Hayes has been equally eager to lead the USWNT's evolution and introduce some new players and concepts to the fold, and she finally got a chance to go bold in Nashville.
As the USWNT engaged in a 40-plus minute search for an equalizer, Hayes threw on attacker after attacker into the game with the hopes that it would work out. It did, offering a mix of something old and something new in the process. The USWNT's longstanding attacking depth got a refresh as rising talents like Thompson and Sears entered the pitch, but the team's vintage winning spirit also kicked in, something a younger generation has seemingly inherited after collecting gold in Paris. Sunday's strategy may not be Hayes' go-to, nor does it need to be. Her full embrace of experimentation, though, suggests she will use all her options as she aims to update the USWNT for an increasingly competitive women's soccer landscape.
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It was a little rocky, but the USWNT extend their unbeaten run in Hayes' tenure to 12 games. The ups and downs were not entirely unexpected since Hayes made nine changes to the lineup, but the game offers plenty of food for thought as the USWNT enter an era of experimentation -- both tactically and in terms of personnel -- as they chart a route to success at the 2027 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics.
90'+4 With perhaps the final chance of the game, Sears seals the deal with a debut goal. The USWNT are in the box and stifled by Iceland, but the ball falls to Sears and she takes a powerful strike from distances that leaves the opposition -- and the audience -- stunned. What a debut for the NWSL rookie.
89' It took the USWNT a little while to get going in attack in this second half, and they now have eight shots and 1.57 expected goals since the break. Smith becomes the latest to aim for goal as she goes solo, though the Iceland defense is able to sniff out the chance. Hayes' subs seem to have paid off, though, since the intensity that was missing in the first half has clearly turned up.
76' And just like that, the USWNT are in the lead. Sears takes a freekick yards away from goal and sends it towards Williams on one post, who then smartly plays the ball across the face of goal. Horan's right there and easily finishes from close range to complete the comeback.
72' The USWNT's search for an equalizer is officially complete, courtesy of Williams. The hosts are in perhaps their best period of sustained pressure as they launch attacking play after attacking play, with Sears eventually combining with Williams, who scores from close range. For Sears, her one-touch pass to Williams is an impressive way to mark her first cap at any level for the USWNT.
65' Hayes makes one final substitution, with Smith coming on for Krueger. It's a big formation change as the USWNT chase an equalizer -- Smith appears to be up top with Williams, with Swanson and Sears on the wings.
63' The USWNT earn a freekick yards from goal and Horan steps up to take it, opting to go straight for goal. It wasn't a bad idea and forces a save out of Runarsdottir, which marks the first shot for either team in this half.
56' Hayes makes a couple more changes, introducing Sears and Williams for Shaw and Ryan. Sears makes her debut, becoming the fourth player to do so this camp, after a strong rookie season with Racing Louisville -- she has five goals and one assist so far this season.
54' The USWNT have spent the early minutes of the second half looking for the equalizer and see some success on the wings, but so far do not have much to show for it. In one instance, the U.S. go forward when the referee calls a foul, causing Sonnett to yell at the official for stopping the hosts while in the midst of an attacking play.
46' The teams are back from the break and Hayes has opted to make a few changes, with Moultrie, Coffey and Nighswonger exiting for Thompson, Horan and Fox. It's a big vote of confidence for Thompson, who spent the better part of a year out of the group despite making the 2023 World Cup roster but earned a return after strong play for Angel City. Thompson started on Thursday and scored her first international goal in the process.
Iceland have the lead at halftime, marking the first time the USWNT have trailed at the break since an April game against Canada. The U.S. are down thanks to a brilliant olimpico from Iceland on their only meaningful chance of the game, with the hosts firmly in charge of possession. It has not materialized into great chances in front of goal, though -- they have 5 shots but just one on target and 0.49 expected goals, while Iceland are two for two with shots on goal but have mustered up 0.09 expected goals.
43' Iceland earn another corner off a rare attacking opportunity, though the USWNT are out of danger quickly. To the surprise of few, the USWNT have dominated the 12 minutes since Iceland's opening goal but did not muster a shot until just now, when Ryan and Swanson worked to create a chance only for the ball to deflect and head straight out of play.
31' Iceland take a surprise lead with their first meaningful look at goal. Jonsdottir makes her way towards goal but Sams does well to keep her in check, allowing Sonnett to clear the ball out for a corner. Vilhjalmsdpttir, though, capitalizes on the set piece in stellar fashion with an olimpico. This marks the first time the USWNT trail under Emma Hayes, and makes the rest of this match a fascinating watch as we wait to see how the team will respond.
26' The USWNT are still looking for the game's opening goal, with Swanson a particularly active member of the front line with 11 touches and one shot so far. Outside backs Krueger and Nighswonger are also doing their part to contribute to the attack but the hosts are still stuck at three shots, one on target and 0.21 expected goals. By comparison, though, iceland are at zero in each of those categories.
11' The USWNT continue to go for goal, forcing another corner out of Iceland and also creating some opportunities from distance. Not much in terms of meaningful chances just yet, though -- Iceland's still doing well to keep the U.S. at bay, even as they dictate the tempo so far in Nashville.
3' The USWNT mount their first serious attack of the game, with Swanson getting on the end of a play but a deflection sends the ball out of play. The hosts earn a corner but Iceland are able to clear the ball out of the box.
The game is officially underway at Nashville's Geodis Park, with the USWNT looking to continue their unbeaten run to 12 matches under Emma Hayes.
Shortly before kickoff, U.S. Soccer holds a ceremony for Mallory Swanson to commemorate her 100th cap. The federation's higher-ups, including president Cindy Parlow Cone, present her with flowers and her family walks onto the field to celebrate. Swanson becomes the second USWNT player to celebrate her 100th cap this camp, with Emily Sonnett marking the occasion on Thursday.
The USWNT will pay tribute to Kelley O'Hara at halftime after the player's retirement. She played her final game on Sept. 9 in NJ/NY Gotham FC's 2-1 win over the Houston Dash before being placed on the season-ending injury list.
O'Hara was part of the USWNT's World Cup winning teams in 2015 and 2019 and amassed 160 caps in her 13 years on the national team. She also won Olympic gold in 2012 and was a respected player in the NWSL, winning the Championship in 2021 with the Washington Spirit and last year with Gotham. This marks the second celebration of O'Hara's career in a week -- she was feted at Gotham's final regular season home game last week, which became a star-studded affair as her ex-USWNT teammates like Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe came out to celebrate her.
Iceland make six changes from the team that lost 3-1 on Thursday, though the goalscorer on that day -- Selma Sol Magnusdottir -- hangs onto her starting spot. Here's a look at Iceland's lineup.
Iceland starting XI: Runarsdottir, Eiriksdottir, Viggosdottir, Arnardottir, Asgeirsdottir, Magnusdottir, Sigurdardottir, Antonsdottir, Arnadottir, Jonsdottir, Vilhjolmsdottir
This camp marks the first chance for Emma Hayes to expand the player pool, which is one of her priorities in the post-Olympics period. She also hopes this rotated team will help address some areas of improvement after Thursday's win over Iceland, a game that was more of a battle than the scoreline indicates.
As promised, Emma Hayes offers another international debut in this game, this time with a start for defender Emily Sams. She was an alternate on the Olympics roster and has enjoyed a strong season with the Orlando Pride, who recently lifted the NWSL Shield, but Sams is just one of many changes to the lineup. Some other notable starters include Casey Murphy, Olivia Moultrie and Yazmeen Ryan, who made her debut on Thursday. Here's the lineup in full.
USWNT starting XI: Murphy, Krueger, Sams, Sonnett, Nighswonger, Coffey, Albert, Moultrie, Ryan, Swanson, Shaw
The USWNT are back in action and could hopefully offer some food from thought after an intriguing game three days ago. Head coach Emma Hayes slowly but surely is integrating new talent into the team, rewarding Alyssa Thompson with a start on Thursday and Yazmeen Ryan and Hal Hershfelt with their debuts. Thompson scored her first international goal in the process, but with four uncapped players on the roster, more fresh faces could be in the mix today.
Stick around for pre-game updates and in-game coverage.
