USWNT vs. Germany score, results: Sophia Smith puts USA women's soccer into gold medal match at 2024 Olympics

Kyle Bonn

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USWNT vs. Germany score, results: Sophia Smith puts USA women's soccer into gold medal match at 2024 Olympics image

Just three days ago, Trinity Rodman played hero as the United States escaped with a gritty extra-time victory against Japan in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Olympics.

Now, against Germany in the semifinals in Lyon, it was Sophia Smith’s turn to put on the cape as the USWNT once again needed the additional 30 minutes but snatched a 1-0 win, putting them in the gold medal match.

The three-headed attacking triumvirate of Smith, Rodman and Mallory Swanson continues to put opponents to the sword, and did so again here as it was Swanson’s brilliant through-ball that unlocked the German defense and threaded Smith through on goal. All three players now have three goals in the tournament, a sensational return, although Smith probably should have had a hat-trick in this match as she was stonewalled twice by Ann-Katrin Berger on a pair of one-on-one opportunities to put the game away.

While Smith gets the headlines, Alyssa Naeher was critical to the victory as well, making a sensational kick-save at the buzzer as Germany desperately searched for an equalizer.

The United States will play for a gold medal at Parc des Princes in Paris on Saturday against the winner of Brazil or Spain, while Germany will still have a chance for bronze against the loser of that other semifinal.

The Sporting News followed the USWNT vs. Germany match live, providing score updates, commentary and highlights as they happened.

STREAM:Watch USA women's soccer vs. Germany on Fubo in United States

USWNT vs. Germany final score

 ScoreGoal scorers
USA1S. Smith (96')
Germany0–

Kickoff: 6 p.m. local (12 p.m. ET / 9 a.m. PT)
Location: Groupama Stadium (Lyon, France)
Referee: Bouchra Karboubi (MAR)

Starting lineups:

USA (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Naeher (GK) — 2. Fox, 4. Girma, 12. Davidson (Sonnett, 46'), 7. Dunn (Nighswonger, 91') — 10. Horan (Albert, 91'), 17. Coffey, 16. Lavelle (L. Williams, 60') — 5. Rodman, 11. S. Smith, 9. Swanson (Krueger, 110').

Germany (4-4-2, right to left): 12. Berger (GK) — 15. Gwinn, 3. Hendrich, 5. Hegering (Schulze-Solano, 79'), 19. Rauch (Doorsoun, 106') — 16. Brand, 6. Minge, 8. Lohmann (Senss, 91'), 17. Buhl — 21. Anyomi (Freigang, 69'), 9. Nusken.

USWNT vs. Germany live updates, results, highlights from 2024 Olympics semifinal

FULLTIME: USA 1-0 Germany

THE UNITED STATES WOMEN WILL PLAY FOR A GOLD MEDAL! Sophia Smith's goal is the difference, and Alyssa Naeher makes a gargantuan save to seal it with almost no time left! What a thrilling result!

120th min: Chance, USA! Oh no, Sophia Smith has yet another chance to put the game away, having sent two defenders for a hot-dog and finding her way through on goal, but she's again stonewalled by Ann-Katrin Berger!

119th min: Chance, Germany! WHAT A SAVE BY ALYSSA NAEHER! Unbelievable from the U.S. goalkeeper as she leaps before producing a kick-save to stop a free-kick opportunity! You knew the Germans would have at least one chance on goal down the stretch, but the USWNT star comes up clutch!

114th min: The United States have started to sag back in a defensive stance as Germany pushes forward for an equalizer. The European side have a corner, and it's a nervy one, but Alyssa Naeher has it in the end after a shot is deflected up into the air and into her arms.

110th min: Mallory Swanson comes off after brilliant work through the second half and extra-time of this match, replaced by Casey Krueger in a defensive switch.

108th min: Jule Brand is booked for yanking back Sophia Smith in midfield in a desperate attempt to win the ball back.

2nd half extra-time kickoff: They're back underway with just 15 minutes to go before the U.S. advances or a penalty shootout if they finish level.

Germany withdraws Felicitas Rauch and brings on Sara Doorsoun, which indicates a formational switch to a back three.

HALFTIME OF EXTRA-TIME: USA 1-0 Germany

Sophia Smith's extra-time goal has the United States in front, and they seem to have ice in their veins since going in front, looking to punish Germany for pushing higher up the pitch in an effort to turn the game around. Still, that huge save by Ann-Katrin Berger on Smith's chance for a second could loom large if Germany manages to find an equalizer. Just 15 minutes stand between the United States and a spot in the gold medal match!

104th min: Chance, USA! Sophia Smith has the chance to put the game away, as she's clean through on goal down the left, but Ann-Katrin Berger makes the one-on-one save brilliantly! What a stop! That has to be a second for the United States!

103rd min: Chance, USA! Trinity Rodman takes aim from distance and blasts one just inches over the crossbar! Not far off!

96th min: GOAL! USA! SOPHIA SMITH IS THE LATEST SOURCE OF HEROICS FOR THE UNITED STATES!!! Mal Swanson threads her through perfectly past a trailing defender Felicitas Rauch, and the U.S. have taken a lead in extra-time for the second straight match!

Kickoff of extra time: Well, USWNT fans were clamoring for substitutions, but the ones we get are surprising. Crystal Dunn and, sensationally, captain Lindsey Horan, are withdrawn for Jenna Nighswonger and Korbin Albert. The captain's armband is handed to Naomi Girma.

It's shocking in part because Horan is such a central figure in this midfield setup, but also because she's the team's penalty taker, and the possibility of a shootout looms large if these 30 minutes end even.

Germany counters by bringing on Elisa Senss to replace Sydney Lohmann in midfield.

END OF REGULATION: USA 0-0 Germany

We will go to extra time after a scoreless 90 minutes for the second straight game, for both the United States and Germany.

Everyone is absolutely exhausted, but both coaches have resisted making substitutions as much as they can. The likes of Jaedyn Shaw sit on the U.S. bench waiting to make an impact, and USWNT fans are getting impatient watching clearly exhausted players out on the pitch.

86th min: Chance, USA! Mallory Swanson puts the ball in the back of the net but she was flagged as offside on the feed! Replay shows she was quite clearly off.

85th min: Mal Swanson runs a breakaway attack but overcooks a vertical through-ball for Sophia Smith and the chance disappears. Everyone is so tired.

79th min: Chance, USA! A USA corner is kept alive by headers from Sam Coffey and Naomi Girma before Lindsey Horan directs a header of her own on goal, but it's stopped by Ann-Katrin Berger!

77th min: Now Marina Hegering goes down with an injury, and she'll need to be replaced as the trainer signals to the bench for a substitution.

All players from both teams are clearly suffering from exhaustion. Everyone is extremely tired, and it's effecting the quality of the match, which has devolved somewhat.

68th min: There's a hydration break for the players as Nicole Anyomi goes down with a cramp after making a long counter-attacking run that fizzles out when her entry feed is cut out by Naomi Girma.

62nd min: Chance, USA! Mallory Swanson has a glorious chance to take the lead but can't find the target, putting her shot into the side netting! Swanson is threaded in by Naomi Girma and rounds the goalkeeper, and from a tight but manageable angle, she looks to thread the ball past two defenders and into the open net, but can't finish the chance!

The flag was up for offside on the delivery, so it may well not have counted anyway, but what an opportunity flashing by!

59th min: The U.S. will make a substitution as Rose Lavelle will exit and be replaced by Lynn Williams. The change was in question for a moment as Trinity Rodman was down in some pain, but she gets up gingerly without needing treatment, making a point to the official about Germany's continued fouling. The alteration moves Mallory Swanson into midfield as Williams enters the attack.

56th min: Germany has taken solid control of this match, and the U.S. is having a hard time dictating possession or tempo. Giulia Gwynn has a go from distance and puts her low shot wide of the frame.

49th min: Germany have started brightly in this second half, with Jule Brand a dangerous attacking threat. The U.S. has defended against this wave of pressure well, before getting forward themselves eventually.

2nd half kickoff: They're back underway in Lyon, with both countries serenaded by Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" over the loudspeaker.

There's a change for the United States, as Tierna Davidson is replaced by Emily Sonnett. It's hard not to worry about Davidson's injury, but it's possible that this was planned while she works back to full fitness in a short period of time.

HALFTIME: USA 0-0 GERMANY

A fun first half that ends scoreless, with both teams creating good chances, mostly early in the half, but coming up empty. The game slowed as the half wore on, but both teams showed good attacking impetus.

The difference in the game has been the repeated fouling by Germany, which saw Marina Hegering booked late in the half and promises to produce more yellow cards should it continue. The European side will have to be careful with this approach if they want to finish the match with 11 players, while the U.S. players know they'll win fouls if they go at their opponents with one-on-one dribbles.

44th min: Marina Hegering is the first player of the match to be booked as she commits her fourth foul of the match already, earning a yellow card for the accumulation.

41st min: The game has slowed a bit from its earlier pace, and Germany has sat back a bit to grind things down. The U.S. has been unable to create much since the half-hour mark, with Naomi Girma coming the closest but failing to make contact on a corner.

31st min: Another foul by Germany in a dangerous area but the USWNT fails to make them pay with a wasted free-kick routine. Julie Foudy continues to repeat her stat ad nauseam about the U.S. women not scoring a free-kick goal in many years.

24th min: Chance, Germany! A tight-angle shot from Jule Brand is headed for the inside of the far post but Alyssa Naeher makes a diving save! That's a well-placed effort with a very tight window to shoot at, but Naeher is positioned perfectly and gets down to make the save!

23rd min: Lindsey Horan is pummeled on the touchline resulting in Germany's seventh foul of the match to just one for the United States. At some point, the referee will have to start pulling out yellow cards for accumulation.

21st min: Chance, Germany! Goodness, Germany nearly score straight from a corner, as Alyssa Naeher has to awkwardly bat the ball off the line after it was fizzed in by Klara Buhl and headed for the back of the net!

17th min: Shortly after a solid spell of possession for the United States comes to nothing, Alyssa Naeher has to be strong and fight through bodies to get a punch on a Germany corner. Both teams pressuring the opposition back line in moments through this game. It's been fun, but someone will want to get a breakthrough before it slows and legs tire in this Lyon heat.

11th min: A brilliant tackle by Naomi Girma to dispossess Nicole Anyomi sees a Germany chance fall apart, and then Trinity Rodman nutmegs a defender to win a foul. The vibes of this match are off the freakin charts right now.

8th min: Sophia Smith and Rose Lavelle get into space at the top of the penalty area but get in each other's way, and Smith's shot is, like Rose's a bit earlier, straight at the goalkeeper.

3rd min: Chance, USA! Rose Lavelle is wide open for a shot on goal but her curled finish is right at the goalkeeper! Trinity Rodman gets out on the counter and her cutback cross is dummied through the legs of Mallory Swanson right to a trailing Lavelle completely unmarked, but her finish is poor!

This match is already more open than at any point for the U.S. against Japan, as Germany are looking to go right at the United States and the USWNT replying in kind.

Kickoff: They're underway in Lyon! This is the home stadium for Lindsey Horan at the club level, who has played for Olympique Lyonnais Feminin since joining on loan in early 2022 before making her move permanent a year later.

It's quite hot in Lyon today, above 90 degrees.

USWNT vs. Germany: Pre-match commentary, analysis, more

15 mins to kickoff: Rematches at these major tournaments aren't terribly common, but the U.S. women have indeed been here before. They've defeated the same opponent twice in a major tournament on two occasions — Brazil in the 2004 Olympics and Japan in the 2008 Olympics, meaning it's never happened at the World Cup. Germany, meanwhile, have never been beaten twice by the same opponent in a major competition.

30 mins to kickoff: At just 22 years old, Trinity Rodman continues to break records with the USWNT as she becomes an established and critical member of the revitalization of this squad. Rodman's goal against Japan made her the youngest player to score an extra-time goal since 19-year-old Heather O'Reilly in 2004, and her appearance in today's game gives her joint-most starts in a major tournament before turning 23, with her eighth start equaling Cat Whitehill.

45 mins to kickoff: The Golden Boot race at the Olympics is still wide open, and a number of Americans are still in the mix. The leader is Marie-Antoinette Katoto of France, but they were bounced from the tournament in the quarterfinals, while second-place Barbra Banda of Zambia went out in the group stage.

That leaves Mallory Swanson and Trinity Rodman both on three goals as the leaders of anyone still left in the competition, and Sophia Smith has two herself. Any of those three could easily catch the eliminated players above them, especially if they advance to the final.

1 hour to kickoff: The Germany lineup is in, and there are some glaring absences. Most notably, legendary goal scorer Alexandra Popp does not appear in the squad as she has picked up an illness, while fellow forward Lea Schuller misses out with knee inflammation. Both were late announcements on Tuesday morning, leaving fans reeling from the last-minute news.

Nicole Anyomi of Eintracht Frankfurt comes straight off the alternate squad and into the starting lineup for Popp, while Sydney Lohmann enters for Schuller, moving Sjoeke Nusken up into the attack.

1 hour 15 mins to kick: The USA lineup is in, and it's exactly as we expected. Tierna Davidson returns to the starting lineup after her two-game injury absence, while Emily Fox is in as well despite leaving late in the quarterfinal victory with what appeared at the time to be a concerning fitness issue. Emma Hayes is pressing on ever further while leaning heavily on this set of 11 players.

1 hour 30 mins to kick: The U.S. women are sticking with the white tops they've worn through the entire Olympics, but will switch to red shorts for today's match instead of the whites or blues worn previously.

1 hour 45 mins to kick: U.S. Soccer has confirmed that Tierna Davidson will be reactivated to the squad, having recovered from her leg injury that kept her out of two matches. It's likely that she will now be a part of the starting lineup, with Emily Sams returning to the alternate squad.

2 hours to kickoff: All but one of the nine goals scored by the USA women to this point in the Olympics have been scored by the attacking trio of Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson, and Trinity Rodman.

It represents a massive return to attacking prowess after the front three seemed highly disjointed last summer at the Women's World Cup, as Smith in particular struggled under Vlatko Andonovski's coaching. Even as teams show them enormous respect by coming out in a low defensive block, they've found ways to strike. It was ugly at times against Japan, but Rodman found a way to break through in the end to secure the victory.

USWNT vs. Germany kickoff time

This semifinal match at the 2024 Summer Olympics kicks off from the Groupama Stadium on Tuesday, August 6 at 6 p.m. local time in Lyon, France. Here's how that time translates across some of the major territories around the globe:

 DateKickoff time
USA/CanadaTue, Aug. 612 p.m. ET
USA/CanadaTue, Aug. 69 a.m. PT
UKTue, Aug. 65 p.m. BST
AustraliaWed, Aug. 72 a.m. AEST
IndiaTue, Aug. 69:30 p.m. IST

USWNT vs. Germany lineups, team news, starting 11

The United States has dealt with a few injury scares at the Olympics this summer, but it appears those are largely behind them now. Head coach Emma Hayes said everyone in the squad trained in full on Monday, hinting that all players would be available for selection in this match, and that has indeed come to pass.

That includes Emily Fox, who was withdrawn late in the quarterfinal with what appeared a painful ankle injury, and Tierna Davidson who was injured in the second group game and was unavailable for both the group finale and the quarterfinal. Sam Coffey returns to midfield from her yellow card suspension while all other booked players see their accumulation wiped clean.

It leaves the injured Catarina Macario as the only absence from the U.S. squad from a full-strength perspective, as the Chelsea forward had to withdraw from the Olympic squad in the days before the competition began.

USA starting lineup (4-3-3): Naeher (GK) — Fox, Girma, Davidson, Dunn — Horan, Coffey, Lavelle — Rodman, S. Smith, Swanson.

USA subs (7): Murphy (GK), Krueger, Nighswonger, Sonnett, Albert, Shaw, L. Williams.

Germany were dealt a double hammer blow the morning of the match as it was announced veteran forwards Alexandra Popp and Lea Schuller would be unavailable for this match. Popp has picked up an illness and was replaced by Nicole Anyomi, while Schuller is sidelined by knee inflammation and is swapped out for Sarai Linder.

They are also without young midfield star Lena Oberdorf who suffered a torn ACL just weeks before the Olympics began. No German players have picked up a yellow card suspension either, and all cards are wiped from this point forward.

Germany starting lineup (4-4-2): Berger (GK) — Gwinn, Hendrich, Hegering, Rauch — Brand, Minge, Lohmann, Buhl — Anyomi, Nusken.

Germany subs (7): Frohms (GK), Schulze-Solano, Doorsoun, Linder, Senss, Freigang, Endemann.

USWNT vs. Germany live stream, TV channel

 TV ChannelStreaming
USAUSA Network, TelemundoFubo USA, Peacock, NBC Sports app/website, Telemundo Deportes en Vivo
UK —discovery+
Australia —Stan Sport, 9Now
Canada —CBS Sports app/website
India —JioCinema

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Kyle Bonn

Kyle Bonn Photo

Kyle Bonn, is a Syracuse University broadcast journalism graduate with over a decade of experience covering soccer globally. Kyle specializes in soccer tactics and betting, with a degree in data analytics. Kyle also does TV broadcasts for Wake Forest soccer, and has had previous stops with NBC Soccer and IMG College. When not covering the game, he has long enjoyed loyalty to the New York Giants, Yankees, and Fulham. Kyle enjoys playing racquetball and video games when not watching or covering sports.