The USA would resume their dominant campaign in Marseille on Sunday evening, as they left the city victorious over a strong Germany side. Overcoming a disciplined defensive showing by the Germans, ascending Emma Hayes’ time as head coach would continue its commanding start.

Athleticism is the key

The USA are long-renowned for their athleticism, which is being put to good use under the management of Emma Hayes. USWNT defender Emily Fox has become a mainstay for Arsenal in the Barclays Women’s Super League, proving time and time again how valuable her physical strength and pace are to the role of right back in the latter half of last season. Her English teammates Alessia Russo and Lotte Wubben-Moy possess similar positive footballing attributes, having played alongside Fox for North Carolina Tar Heels, presenting an example of the high-quality infrastructure and training in place in the States.

The USA’s performance against a strong German side reaffirmed that speed and power are among the traits crucial to the side captained by Lindsey Horan. The squad’s ability to win on-on-ones, outrun almost any opponent, and never look tired, played a big part in this win. Their unyielding front three proved unendurable, as they controlled the entire length of the pitch, and the triumph provides an indication of the future of the USWNT.

Signs of vintage Germany

Giulia Gwinn stood out for Germany, who came close to scoring even while it was still early doors. She would bring the side level with 22 minutes on the clock, fearlessly navigating her way forward from the midfield and netting it home. Despite the loss, the Germans did pose an attacking threat and defended well at times. Searching for a new run of form after a disappointing period, Germany’s 3-0 win over Australia on Thursday did not quite prepare them for the task at hand tonight.

The opening minutes of the game saw Germany and the USA engage in an even contest, with Germany fighting back well when the USWNT took the lead. Once the USA found their third, though, it never looked likely for Germany to make a comeback. In fact, they did well to prevent further damage to the scoreline, met with such high-quality football.

Bold decisions pay off

The tenure of Emma Hayes has begun with a spark, as the new head coach has entrusted some of the nation’s newer faces with a key role in this campaign, omitting the likes of Alex Morgan. Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson, and Trinity Rodman especially, have left their mark on the contest at its earliest stages. Smith was a shining star for the USWNT again on this occasion, with two goals and a goal involvement to her name, despite coming up against some of Europe’s most experienced players.

The dynamic, forthright approach executed almost faultlessly by Hayes’ side as they continued to build momentum and pile on the pressure made it nigh-on impossible for Germany to do much more than defend with everything they had. The manager’s commitment to her plan and calculated use of her squad were effective to put it lightly, and on both sides the goal(s) were not without merit.

Germany’s creativity more easily stifled without Oberdorf

It is impossible not to wonder how different this match might have been if it were not for the unfortunate injury to Germany’s vice captain, Lena Oberdorf, before the tournament. The USA’s midfield helped them to dominate possession across the board over the duration of the game, and perhaps Oberdorf’s skillset could have been a partial antidote to the damage done by the formidable force of Hayes’ side.

Without Oberdorf, Germany’s midfield was of course still functional, and performed well given the calibre of the USWNT. However, it looked marginally less organised and more damningly, it lacked some of the creativity the new Bayern Munich signing demonstrates through her defensive play.

All in all, though, the game was an exciting one to watch, with a stellar performance from the USA, and a courageous push back from Germany. It is a reminder though, that their opening match success did not mean Horst Hrubesch’s side would have an easy road to the quarter-finals.