The U.S. women’s national team defeated Japan on Saturday afternoon, with Lindsey Horan providing the game-winning goal via penalty kick. A record 50,644 fans watched the U.S. take on Japan at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, the largest crowd for a domestic USWNT friendly and the largest home crowd since the 1999 Women’s World Cup final.
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It took less than a minute for Japan to strike first — the first time the USWNT’s allowed an opening-minute goal since 2003 — but the U.S. responded with an aggressive high press. There was some additional early trouble when center back Naomi Girma was forced to exit the match in the 18th minute after going down. As of the final whistle, there were no additional updates on any potential injury beyond a first half update that she was being evaluated.
Even with Japan’s ongoing habit of trying to stay comfortable off the ball and look for transition moments, the U.S. looked particularly attack-minded, often pushing higher with both Jenna Nighswonger and Sam Coffey. Jaedyn Shaw lined up as the No. 10 with Trinity Rodman, Alex Morgan, and Mal Swanson in front of her and Lindsey Horan underneath. And after a week dominated by talk about Korbin Albert’s social media activity, the midfielder came off the bench to play the final 12 minutes of the match.
A new USWNT look for Jaedyn Shaw
Managing to keep Shaw in the starting XI even as Mal Swanson returns for the USWNT was a win-win. Shaw played high out of the midfield, pairing with San Diego Wave teammate Morgan by lurking underneath her or pushing up off her shoulder into space — asking Japan’s center backs to split their focus.
There’s also a strong pairing brewing with defensive midfielder Sam Coffey, as illustrated by the team’s equalizer in the 21st minute. Coffey pressed high, forcing a turnover, and then laid a ball off for Shaw.
JAEDYN LEVELS IN ATL!!! #USWNT x @VW pic.twitter.com/0qY2E0A42p
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) April 6, 2024
One of the USWNT’s current challenges is how it’s constantly swimming in attacking talent and figuring out how to get everyone on the field at the same time — which will only get harder as Catarina Macario also regains full fitness. Keeping Shaw (or Macario) in the No. 10 role and using Morgan like it did today, draws focus and opens up runs for Shaw centrally, or allows for Swanson and Rodman to drift inside. That might just be the answer the team’s been looking for — even as it leaves one of its most creative players, Rose Lavelle, potentially out of the starting XI.
With Shaw, we’re witnessing the start of a special career. She’s not just a promising goal-scorer for the USWNT, but also someone who reads the game at a high level. She is also proving to be really, really good at scoring goals.
5 – Jaedyn Shaw is the only player in #USWNT history to score in her first five career starts.
She's only the 13th player to score in 5 straight starts in any point in her career and at 19 years, 138 days old, the youngest ever to do so. Unstoppable. pic.twitter.com/C7WBEftzt6
— OptaJack⚽️ (@OptaJack) April 6, 2024
Keeping Shaw on the field and as the No. 10 allows every other attacking player greater freedom. This is already an attacking line that likes to have some fluidity, with the wings swapping sides and movement between all three up top, but adding Shaw into the mix makes that tactical approach feel even more fluid and fun.
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Mal Swanson and Cat Macario return
Nearly one year to the day after her patellar tendon injury, Mal Swanson started for the USWNT and immediately looked comfortable in her return, a tremendous sign for a team looking to bounce back from last summer’s World Cup. Swanson had an instant impact continuing the form that has been serving her well in Chicago so far. Her movement on the wing to create space and attacking pressure with Nighswonger and Morgan created early chances and her penetration in the box forced a goal-line clearance out of Japan in the 14th minute. It wasn’t bad to have her back on corner kicks either.
Later in the first half, Swanson switched more central to combine with Rodman, while Shaw moved left and the U.S. tried to keep pressure very high in Japan’s defensive third. Putting her in that space meant she had fewer opportunities to put the screws to Japan’s outside backs as she’d done earlier, picking up the ball and turning the corner around them to deliver into the box.
In the second half, with the 63rd-minute substitution of Sophia Smith for Rodman, Swanson moved to the right wing, evoking the old one-two punch of Smith and Swanson that worked so well for the U.S. before Swanson’s injury. Swanson ended up playing 78 minutes total, subbing off as fellow returning teammate Catarina Macario came on for Morgan.
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With Macario in, the team shifted into a 4-4-1-1 formation with Macario playing the No. 9 in front of Horan. The game dropped into a slower tempo at this point, with not a lot of opportunity to release Macario high, but it was just as well to give her a less frantic reintroduction given her status still building minutes. In terms of getting two possible high-impact players back in the game, it was a good bit of business.
Korbin Albert picks up minutes
It was business as usual at USWNT open practice in Atlanta two days before the game, with Albert warming up alongside her teammates without comment about Albert’s previous social media activity. Albert had previously engaged with content on TikTok that runs counter to the U.S. team’s long-running and public support of LGBTQ+ rights. Her activity included reposting videos — one of which included a sermon given in a Christian worship space talking about how being gay and “feeling transgender” is wrong. She also liked content about Rapinoe being injured in her final game.
Both players and head coach Twila Kilgore answered questions about whether Albert’s presence had become disruptive during the week with polite but firm insistence that it was an internal matter for the team to discuss.
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Albert subbed on for Sam Coffey, who exited to be evaluated for a head injury, as part of a triple change in the 78th minute, alongside Macario and defender Crystal Dunn. There was some reaction from the crowd in Atlanta when her name was announced in the stadium (fans in the stands reported heavy booing, but from the press box the reaction registered as more scattered). On the broadcast at home, it was impossible to gauge the reaction in the stadium in the moment.
(Photo: Brad Smith/Getty Images for USSF)