USA vs Vietnam score, result, and highlights as Sophia Smith stars for USWNT in World Cup 2023 group opener

Simon Borg

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USA vs Vietnam score, result, and highlights as Sophia Smith stars for USWNT in World Cup 2023 group opener image

Many U.S. women's national team fans looking for a lopsided rout against debutants Vietnam didn't get it, as the Americans were held to a 3-0 victory to give them a positive, if not perfect, start to their 2023 World Cup three-peat bid.

The USA got two goals and an assist from Sophia Smith, who was the brightest player on the field for her end-product. But the USWNT were only able to develop a series of half-chances, broken plays, hopeful balls into Vietnam's box, unconvincing shots, and they seemed to play down to the opposition for stretches.

In fairness, Vietnam were committed to making life difficult on the Americans with relentless defense, and it didn't help that the Americans also failed to convert a penalty just before halftime. Forward Alex Morgan watched her poor spot-kick attempt stopped by the Vietnamese 'keeper when the scoreline was still 1-0 in the first half.

U.S. manager Vlatko Andonovski made some tweaks to this first starting lineup with midfielder Julie Ertz lining up as a central defender in place of regular Alana Cook, and Savannah DeMelo making her first international start in a World Cup in place of Rose Lavelle.

USWNT stars Lavelle and Megan Rapinoe, whose minutes are being measured by the manager due to injury concerns, came on in the second half and Lavelle in particular gave a boost to an attack that was generally lackluster outside of flashes from Trinity Rodman down the right side.

The Americans go top of Group E with the Netherlands and Portugal facing off Sunday in Dunedin, New Zealand. The first tiebreakers are goal difference and then goals scored if teams are level on points.

The USA will need to improve ahead of upcoming matches against the Netherlands (July 26 at 9 p.m. ET) and Portugal (Aug. 1 at 3 a.m. ET). Only the top two advance to the Round of 16. The Americans will want to finish in first place, since second place will likely face No. 3-ranked Sweden in the Round of 16.

Team PTS GP W L D GF GA GD
1. USA 3 1 1 0 0 3 0 +3
2. Netherlands 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3. Portugal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4. Vietnam 0 1 0 1 0 0 3 -3

MORE: How Trinity Rodman became a superstar

USA vs Vietnam final score

  Final Goal scorers
USA 3 - Sophia Smith (Alex Morgan) 14'
- Sophia Smith 54'
- Lindsey Horan (Sophia Smith) 77'
Vietnam 0  

Lineups:

USA (4-3-3, right to left): 1-Naeher (GK) — 23-Fox (3-Huerta 84'), 4-Girma, 8-Ertz 19-Dunn (5-O'Hara 84') — 9-DeMelo (16-Lavelle 63'), 17-Sullivan, 10-Horan — 20-Rodman (7-A. Thompson 75'), 13-Morgan (15-Rapinoe 63'), 11-S. Smith.

Vietnam (5-4-1, right to left): 14-Kim Thanh (GK) — 17-Thu Thao, 2-Thu Thuong (3-Thi Kieu 61'), 13-Diem My, 4-Tran Thi Thu, 5-Hoang Thi Loan — 23-Bich Thuy (22-Nguyen 62'), 9-Huynh Nhu (12-Hai Yen 76'), 7-Tuyet Dung (21-Thi Van Su 46'), 11-Thi Thao — 10-Hai Linh (6-Thuy Nga Tran 89')

Sophia Smith is already the USA's breakout star at World Cup

The brightest moments for the USA against Vietnam came on plays which involved Sophia Smith. Generally, when Smith was on the ball around the penalty area, good things happened.

She made a decisive run in behind the defense for her first goal, and she didn't waste time unleashing a shot that trickled through for goal No. 2. Her assist on the third goal was also high quality with an incisive run and cutback cross.

"I think we have a little more in us," Smith said in a postgame flash interview about the U.S. performance. "I feel relieved. I was little bit anxious going into the tournament. So it's good to have a game under our belt and get a feel for it and know what to expect. But we know the next two games are going to be hard."

USA need improvement ahead of Netherlands match

The ability of the USWNT attack to consistently generate quality chances and the ability of the midfield to create were some of the chief concerns heading into the World Cup and they were not exactly dispelled by the performance against Vietnam.

Outside of the movement that led to the opening goal — a Lindsey Horan pass into Alex Morgan, who laid it off to Sophia Smith —  the sharpness, urgency, timing, accuracy, decision-making, speed of execution, and ruthlessness was absent in the attack. And it's unclear how they develop these in five short days.

Over the last year it's becoming abundantly clear that the USA relies on Smith, and increasingly Trinity Rodman (in the absence of Mallory Swanson) to make the game-breaking plays that bring opposing defenses to their knees. But that formula won't always work against the better teams in this tournament who will also test the USA's backline in ways that Vietnam were simply unable to.

USWNT stock up, stock down vs Vietnam

In addition to Smith, Trinity Rodman had a few good plays down the right side and center forward Alex Morgan had the exquisite back-to-goal pass to Smith, but then failed to convert a penalty at an important juncture of the match.

Savannah DeMelo made her first U.S. start in place of Rose Lavelle, but couldn't take advantage to make her presence felt against an inferior opponent. The difference in quality was immediately noticeable when Lavelle retook her spot after replacing her. But DeMelo has time to grow into the team. 

The other central midfielder, Lindsey Horan, had a key contribution on the opener and was a willing participant in attack. She pushed into the box on multiple occasions, but she wasn't sharp on a handful of chances before she finally found her goal in the final stages of the match.

It's also worth noting that Alyssa Thompson made her World Cup debut at age 18, becoming the second youngest USWNT player in World Cup history, while Megan Rapinoe earned her 200th cap in her fourth World Cup, but neither left a mark while on the field.

Julie Ertz's move to center back

Vlatko Andonovski made clear in the pregame that Ertz was back to 100 percent, and she was fit enough to start and go the entire match against Vietnam. But the qualities that have made her a standout at central midfield are muted further back in central defense.

Ertz is at her best when she's reading the game, free to roam and make plays, and even join the attack every now and then. The 31-year-old is still too influential to make the move to defense just yet.

"I think finishing our chances for sure," Ertz told Fox when asked what she wanted to see the USWNT improve. "I know we had some [chances] that we didn't finish. "And just being clean on the ball. I think those were the main things we'll focus on ... and just individually be better."

USA vs Vietnam live updates, highlights and commentary from Women's World Cup

Final: USA 3-0 Vietnam

97th+ min.: Chance USA. What a ball by Lindsey Horan to Rose Lavelle at the far right post! Lavelle can't get on top of the ball and her header is off the mark. Beautiful service from Horan.

90th min.: Nine minutes of stoppage time!

85th min.: Chance USA! Rose Lavelle nicks the top of the bar! She's been bright since coming on. Her ideas and creativity in attack have been refreshing in the USA's lackluster attacking performance.

84th min.: SUBS USA. The two fullbacks are replaced with Sofia Huerta and Kelley O'Hara coming in. O'Hara will take over at left back for Crystal Dunn.

77th min.: Goal USA! Lindsey Horan finally gets her goal. Sophia Smith does the work down the right and her cutback cross finds Lindsey Horan who hammers it home.

76th min.: SUB Vietnam. And they're milking the clock as they do it, picking up a yellow card along the way for delay of game.

71st min.: Chance USA! Megan Rapinoe joins the group of misfiring USA forwards with a shot that goes way off the mark on a cross by Rose Lavelle as the subs connect. The ball took a weird hop, but Rapinoe looked disappointed with her effort.

63rd min.: SUBS. Both USA and Vietnam make changes. Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle, who are having their minutes limited in this tournament, will get about 30 minutes. Rapinoe is playing wide left and Sophia Smith moves central.

56th min.: YELLOW card to Lindsey Horan for a high boot. It's a good call by the referee. The USA still not playing with the urgency of a team desperate for goals. Maybe they're measuring themselves.

50th min.: Chance USA! Trinity Rodman with the cross from the right and Lindsey Horan takes it first time, but she missed the opposite post.

46th min.: Second half is underway. The USA need more goals. Goal difference can come into play to determine who wins Group E. Only one sub by Vietnam.

Halftime: USA 2-0 Vietnam

54th+ min.: The USA goal stands! The referee takes the word of the VAR that there is no offside, and it's 2-0 USA.

52nd+ min.: Goal USA??? A Sophia Smith shot finds its way through bodies and into the back of the net. But an offside is flagged. VAR is checking it.

49th+ min.: Chance USA. It's another half chance for the Americans in the box, but it's a broken play and they're chasing a loose ball.

Credit to Vietnam for solid defending. Sophia Smith has tried to beat defenders 1-on-1, but the Vietnamese team is staying with her step for step.

45th min.: Eight minutes of stoppage time. If the score remains 1-0, this would be a disappointing half for the USA.

44th min.: Penalty save! Vietnam's goalkeeper makes the save. Morgan's shot is central. And Morgan gets hurt as she chased down the rebound.

43rd min.: Penalty USA! The referee gives the penalty and Alex Morgan is set to take it.

40th min.: Penalty USA? Trinity Rodman was brought down by a scissors tackle on the right side of the box. It looked incriminating on the replay, and the referee goes to the monitor. The question will be whether the defender got to the ball first.

36th min.: Injury stoppage. USA's Julie Ertz is down for treatment after the ball grazed her eye on a header attempt. And the Americans take advantage for a huddle with head coach Vlatko Andonovski on the sideline.

31st min.: Chance USA! Another chance, and Lindsey Horan hooks it wide after a goalkeeper clearance. The USA are not sharp enough inside the box.

28th min.: Chance USA! It's a great mid-air control by Alex Morgan who takes the shot and the diagonal effort goes wide of the far post.

19th min.: Chance USA! This time it's Savannah DeMelo who has a shot after good work by Trinity Rodman down the right. But her shot is right at the 'keeper.

14th min.: Goal USA! Sophia Smith scores it on a back-to-goal layoff from Alex Morgan. Well-executed play by the USA to penetrate the Vietnamese defense and Smith slots it home, right between the 'keeper's legs.

Scenes from the watch party in Kansas City and DC: 

10th min.: Vietnam enjoy a few minutes in the USA's half and the debutants have weathered the early storm. They're getting comfortable as the minutes go by. The USWNT would do well to keep up the tempo of the game and not let Vietnam drag it down.

7th min.: Chance USA. Lindsey Horan is raiding the box and her shot is blocked by the Vietnamese 'keeper. But there was an offside on the play. The pressure is already relentless.

5th min.: Just five minutes into the match the USA has a couple of shots blocked in the box and a set piece delivery finishes wide. The pressure has started in earnest.

1st min.: Vietnam kick off, and Trinity Rodman is down after a few minutes, landing hard on the ground. She needs treatment.

Kickoff

3 minutes from kickoff: Teams are on the field and it's the U.S. anthem first.

5 minutes from kickoff: Hype video courtesy of Oprah Winfrey.

10 minutes from kickoff: Vietnam also has their supporters in the stadium:

15 minutes from kickoff: Tom Brady's message to the USWNT earlier in the day:

35 minutes from kickoff: Savannah DeMelo's second cap comes in a World Cup match. Vlatko Andonovski has clearly quickly become a fan.

35 minutes from kickoff: USWNT players passing the time before warmups:

50 minutes from kickoff: Here's what success looks like for Vietnam in this tournament.

1 hour from kickoff: We've got the USWNT's starting lineup for the match. And it looks like Julie Ertz will be at center back, while Andi Sullivan plays at holding midfield.

1 hour, 45 minutes from kickoff: The scene outside Eden Park with under two hours until kickoff. Reminder it's already Saturday in New Zealand.

2 hours from kickoff: The USWNT players are showing up in style to Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand.

3 hours from kickoff: Here's the latest on the availability of the three U.S. players that had fitness concerns coming into the tournament. Managing minutes is not synonymous with not playing. So we could see Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle in this game, especially if the USA are having issues breaking down Vietnam.

4 hours from kickoff: The betting market is on the same page as U.S. fans: It's not about whether the USA are beating Vietnam. It's about how many goals they can score and how good they look doing it.

MORE: Megan Rapinoe's blue hair explained

USA vs Vietnam lineups

Starters Alana Cook and Rose Lavelle are on the bench to start the match. Cook is a surprise, with Julie Ertz taking her place at center back, while Lavelle's situation was clear from the outset given manager Vlatko Andonovski indicated he'd be managing her minutes. Savannah DeMelo gets the nod over Ashley Sanchez to replace Lavelle in this one.

A reminder that this U.S. team is without injured starters Becky Sauerbrunn, Mallory Swanson and Catarina Macario, who did not make the final roster.

MORE: A full breakdown of the USWNT roster for the 2023 Women's World Cup

USA starting lineup (4-3-3, right to left): 1-Naeher (GK) — 23-Fox, 4-Girma, 8-Ertz 19-Dunn — 9-DeMelo, 17-Sullivan, 10-Horan — 20-Rodman, 13-Morgan, 11-S. Smith.

USA subs (12): Kingsbury (GK), Murphy (GK), Huerta, Cook, O'Hara, Sonnett, K. Mewis, Lavelle, A. Sanchez, Rapinoe, L. Williams, A. Thompson

According to The Sporting News' Vietnam chief editor Thien Liu, this Vietnamese team will be about defending first and counterattacking, but the lack of physicality and experience will present challenges for them against the USA.

They'll rely on captain Huynh Nhu, the only player plying their trade overseas (Portugal), set-piece specialist Nguyen Thi Tuyet Dung (look out for Olimpico attempts on corners), and 21-year-old up-and-coming winger Nguyen Thi Thanh Nha, who has explosive pace out left and starts the game on the bench.

Vietnam starting lineup (5-4-1, right to left): 14-Kim Thanh (GK) — 17-Thu Thao, 2-Thu Thuong, 13-Diem My, 4-Tran Thi Thu, 5-Hoang Thi Loan — 23-Bich Thuy, 9-Huynh Nhu, 7-Tuyet Dung, 11-Thi Thao — 10-Hai Linh

MORE: More on the Vietnamese team from the Sporting News Vietnam desk

USA vs Vietnam live stream, TV channel

Here are the details for the live stream and TV channel to watch USA vs Vietnam in the 2023 FIFA World Cup:

MORE: The current U.S. roster broken down by college, state and club team

  TV channel Streaming
USA Fox, Telemundo,
Universo		 Fubo, Peacock,
Telemundo Deportes site/app,
Universo NOW,
Fox Sports site/app
UK BBC One BBC iPlayer,
BBC website
Australia  — Optus Sport
Canada TSN1, TSN4, TSN5, RDS TSN+,
TSN site/app
RDS site/app
India DD Sports Fancode
New Zealand Sky Sport 1 NZ Sky Sport NOW, Sky Go
Singapore  — StarHub TV+
Hong Kong Now TV Viu

USA: The USA vs Vietnam match will be televised on Fox in English and on Telemundo and Universo in Spanish, with all three channels streaming on Fubo, which is available to new users on a free trial.

Subscribers to cable, satellite or telco packages can use their authenticated credentials to access a live stream on the Fox Sports site/app, Telemundo Deportes site/app, and Universo NOW. A Spanish-language stream will be available to subscribers of NBC streaming platform Peacock.

Canada: The USA vs. Vietnam match will be available to watch on TSN1, TSN4 and TSN5 in English and on RDS in French. Streams will be available on TSN+, the TSN site/app, and the RDS site/app.

Simon Borg

Simon Borg Photo

Simon Borg is a senior editor at The Sporting News who has covered football/soccer for over a decade. A supporter of Italian club Parma Calcio from his years growing up in Europe, he was previously a long-time member of Major League Soccer's digital media team, as a multimedia content producer, on-air personality, and Editor-in-Chief. Based in New York City, Borg is multilingual and has covered the domestic and global scene for TSN since 2021.