The US women’s national team beat New Zealand 2-0 and are headed to the Olympics semifinals, where they will face either Great Britain or Canada.

While it wasn’t the best game the USWNT has put together so far in London this summer, they got the job done thanks to the always-reliable Abby Wambach, and a late-game insurance goal from youngster Sydney Leroux. How did the entire team perform on Friday? Read on to find out.
 

Despite the US asserting their dominance for the majority of the 90 minutes, Solo was relatively busy in goal on Friday. The saves she had to make weren’t necessarily difficult, but it was important for her to stay focused for the entire 90 minutes. New Zealand had their moments of danger, and Solo did a good job of diffusing them when they attacked.



Rating: 7.5

The US backline didn’t have a whole lot to do on Friday against New Zealand. When NZ did put together an attack, they did well to shut it down quickly, or force a long-range shot that Solo could easily scoop up. Le Peilbet had couple of shaky moments, but overall held strong—she has come a long way since the US Olympic opener against France.

Rating: 6.5

The center back had a decent game, but didn’t have much to fend off as far as a New Zealand attack. Buehler and Rampone communicated well in the center, holding New Zealand to a few shots from outside the 18, but not allowing them to get into dangerous areas. The semifinals will certainly be a much harder test, but this was a good outing for Buehler, and should help build her confidence.

Rating: 6.5

Rampone was the best of the US backline on Friday. She cleared the ball from danger, put good pressure on New Zealand’s attacking players and even pushed forward every once in a while in the US attack. This is a positive sign for a US defense that struggled early in the tournament. Rampone has stepped up big time to help get the backline together as a unit.

Rating: 7

O’Hara held down her flank, but didn’t again, there wasn’t much for her to do. Especially considering how little action she saw, it would have been good to see her push forward and aid in the attack. A couple of times, she did, but it wasn’t nearly as much as she could have. She combines well with her winger, but didn’t take advantage of that option enough on Friday.

Rating: 6

Rapinoe was far less active on Friday for the USWNT than in any of the matches in the Olympics group stage. She took a few corners, had a handful of decent crosses but overall wasn’t incredibly impactful. Rapinoe was subbed off in the 71st minute, replaced by Heather O’Reilly. Forgettable game for the winger.

Rating: 6

Lloyd had a solid game in the midfield, with the only blemish in the 79th minute when she was issued a yellow card for a harsh tackle on New Zealand striker Hassett. Aside from that, Lloyd held down the midfield for the US, feeding Morgan and Wambach in the attack. Overall, a good outing for the USWNT veteran.

Rating: 7

Cheney wasn’t as active this match as she has been in the past games for the USWNT. She helped Lloyd control the center of the pitch, but wasn’t as big a factor in the offensive end as she was in the group stage. But, she put in a solid 90 minutes before being subbed off for Amy Rodriguez in stoppage time at the end of the match.

Rating: 6.5

Heath put in a great game on the wing for the US. She was helpful on defense, and active in the attack. Midway through the second half, she played a fantastic ball to Morgan who should have finished—one of the several times Morgan’s final touch let her down. She could have easily had an assist there, but it was not meant to be on Friday. A strong game for the young winger, who has a promising USWNT future ahead of her.

Rating: 7

Morgan was lively throughout the match, but struggled to find the back of the net when she had many opportunities. Her main contribution was the assist to Abby Wambach on the USA’s opening goal in 27th minute. She did good work to beat her defender on the left wing and make space to get the pass off to Wambach. If Morgan’s finishing touch had been as sharp as it usually is, she could have easily scored a goal or two. But in the end, the US wouldn’t need it. Maybe she’s saving her goals for the semifinal.

Rating: 7

Wambach put together yet another solid game, scoring the opening goal for the US and giving the New Zealand defenders trouble throughout the match. While Morgan was busy losing her defender, Wambach made a fantastic run to the far post, slipping in behind her defender. Morgan slotted her a perfect pass that landed right at her feet in front of a wide open goal. It was an easy 27th minute finish for Wambach that was the result of her excellent off-the-ball movement.

Rating: 7.5

The late second half substitute only player for ten minutes against New Zealand on Friday, but she didn’t need more than that to make an impact. Six minutes after entering the game, Leroux gave the US the insurance goal they desperately needed. She beat her defender, made a great run into the box and finished past NZ keeper Bindon to give the US a 2-0 lead, and help them book their ticket to the semifinals.

Rating: 7.5