The U.S. women's national team put its finishing woes to bed in emphatic fashion as the team opened its Olympic adventure with an emphatic 3-0 win over Zambia in Group B play.
Installed as favorites to win the 2024 tournament despite last year’s World Cup disappointment, the USWNT began their road to recovery as Mallory Swanson bagged a quick brace to lead the way, while Trinity Rodman contributed to the scoresheet as well.
The match began much like their scoreless draw against Costa Rica in an Olympic warmup friendly, where the United States ripped off 26 shots but failed to score. But Trinity Rodman’s 17th minute opener finally opened the floodgates after a host of missed chances.
From there, it was elementary, as Mallory Swanson scored a pair of goals just a minute apart to put the U.S. three goals in front before the half-hour mark. The USWNT hardly looked inspired to push for more, and a triple-substitution at the 65-minute mark brought on defensive reinforcements to see out the game without further injury.
The win didn’t come without a cost, though. Jaedyn Shaw was withdrawn from the squad with a leg injury just 90 minutes before kickoff, and Sophia Smith was brought off before halftime with an apparently ankle issue. With Catarina Macario already out with a setback in her knee, the U.S. attack is suffering from fitness concerns despite looking fully fit just weeks before the tournament.
MORE: 2024 Olympic football schedule and results
USWNT vs. Zambia soccer final score
| Score | Goal scorers | |
| USA | 3 | Rodman (17'), Swanson (24', 25') |
| Zambia | 0 | – |
Kickoff: 9 p.m. local (3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT)
Location: Allianz Riviera (Nice, France)
Referee: Ramon Abatti (BRZ)
Starting lineups:
USA (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Naeher (GK) — 2. Fox, 4. Girma, 12. Davidson, 7. Dunn — 10. Horan (Sonnett, 65'), 17. Coffey, 16. Lavelle (Albert, 46') — 5. Rodman (Krueger, 65'), 11. S. Smith (L. Williams, 43'), 9. Swanson (Nighswonger, 65').
Zambia (4-4-2, right to left): 18. Musole (GK) — 4. Siamfuko, 5. Zulu (red card, 34'), 3. Mweemba, 13. Tembo — 10. G. Chanda (Muchinga, 38'), 14. Chilufya (Chitundu, 38'), 20. H. Chanda, 17. Kundananji — 11. B. Banda, 9. Mupopo
MORE: Who will win women's gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics? | How to watch USWNT matches at the 2024 Summer Olympics
USA vs. Zambia live updates, results, highlights from 2024 Olympics
FULLTIME: USA 3-0 Zambia
The United States are off to a dominant start at the 2024 Summer Olympics, downing Zambia with ease. They could have easily pushed for more through the second half with the player advantage, but the Sophia Smith injury just before halftime seemed to spook Emma Hayes a bit, and she clearly instructed her side to shut it down over the final 30 minutes.
Overall, the U.S. struggled to finish chances early on before suddenly going three goals up, and that was more than enough to make them satisfied.
90th min: Chance, Zambia! Casey Krueger makes a necessary block to deny Rachael Kundananji a consolation goal! The world's most expensive player looks to be free on net after getting past a challenge in midfield, but Krueger comes flying over from her left-back position to deny the game's final chance!
84th min: Emma Hayes is more than happy to see this game out with hardly any a challenge. The U.S. is controlling possession in dominant fashion and playing keep-away effectively.
76th min: This game has slowed to a crawl as neither side wishes to risk injury to push for a goal. The U.S. have a free-kick just about five yards out top the penalty area shaded slightly left of center, but Korbin Albert's delivery is headed way wide.
65th min: Emma Hayes makes a trio of changes, with Lindsey Horan, Mal Swanson, and Trinity Rodman all withdrawn, with Casey Krueger, Jenna Nighswonger, and Emily Sonnett coming on. That will see Crystal Dunn pushed up into a winger role.
With Swanson brought off, the USWNT remain without a hat-trick in their Olympic history.
59th min: Chance, USA! Trinity Rodman has all day to pick out the top-left corner, but her curler doesn't quite get the required bend and it goes wide! She will want that one back, as the space she was afforded begged a better finish.
54th min: Chance, Zambia! Tierna Davidson makes a goal-saving tackle on Barbra Banda to keep Zambia from finding a goal on the break! It's a clumsy one, but accurate enough as she dispossesses Banda who was threaded through by Kabange Mupopo.
52nd min: The U.S. has controlled play early in the second half as expected, but they seem to be in cruise control, not flooring the gas pedal with the match firmly in their grasp. An understandable approach with health and fitness now the primary concern.
2nd half kickoff: The final 45 minutes are under way, and Emma Hayes has made a change to protect Rose Lavelle, who has been hampered by nagging injuries in the recent past. She's replaced by Korbin Albert.
With the U.S. up three goals and holding a player advantage, the second half should be little more than a formality.
HALFTIME: USA 3-0 Zambia
The United States completely dominated the entire 45 minutes to begin their Olympic journey, but there will be concern for the mounting injuries. With Jaedyn Shaw already withdrawn from the matchday squad 90 minutes before kickoff and Cat Macario out of the Olympics with her knee flaring up, Sophia Smith has gone off injured before the break.
Still, it's a strong start for the USWNT against a defensively vulnerable opponent. In truth, it could have, and should have, been a lot more. Hopefully the goals will get them going from a finishing perspective with matches against better opponents to come.
45th min: Chance, USA! Moments after Trinity Rodman is booked, she draws a booking to Martha Tembo as she burns one defender and then absorbs a shove from a second racing down the right wing.
On the set-piece, the ball is placed on a platter for Rodman who's all alone in front of net, but she puts the free header wide! It's a poor finish on a huge chance to score!
44th min: Trinity Rodman picks up a cheap yellow card fouling a Zambia midfielder from behind. That's less than ideal in a tournament where two yellow cards result in a suspension, especially after the injury to Sophia Smith.
40th min: There's a real concern for the United States here, up big but sweating the fitness of Sophia Smith who's down receiving treatment on her right ankle. It's unclear what happened, but the U.S. will want her healthy after a few injuries already to begin the competition.
It looks like Emma Hayes isn't taking any chances, and rightly so, readying Lynn Williams on the touchline. It will be interesting to see who takes over at the top of the attack in the No. 9 role, as there are no natural strikers on the pitch for the USWNT at the moment.
38th min: Zambia make a pair of substitutions to account for the red card disadvantage. Esther Muchinga and Aveil Chitundu enter, replacing Grace Chanda and Prisca Chilufya.
30th min: A yellow card is shown to Zambia defender Pauline Zulu, who chops down Sophia Smith right outside the penalty area. She's lucky not to concede a penalty, as it was very close to being inside the 18-yard box.
Indeed, VAR gives it a long look for a penalty, and also maybe for a last-man foul as well...and here we go, the referee is going to the monitor for a review! On replay, it does appear to indeed be outside the penalty area, but could there be a red card coming? Indeed it is! The free kick stands, but a red card is shown to Zulu for DOGSO! She's off!
25th min: GOAL! USA! Mal Swanson has a second in as many minutes! Sophia Smith across to Swanson who touches past the charging goalkeeper and finishes her second!
Mal’s second!
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) July 25, 2024
🎥 » @TelemundoSports
pic.twitter.com/CDS8h4IXWV
24th min: GOAL! USA! Mallory Swanson has a second for the United States as Lindsey Horan assists another!
The U.S. captain scythes a brilliant delivery right to the penalty spot for Swanson making a diagonal run, and her first touch leaves the defender in the dust, finishing with ease.
Mal’s first!
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) July 25, 2024
🎥 » @TelemundoSports
pic.twitter.com/x0rgJKK1iW
20th min: Chance, USA! Rose Lavelle comes close with a diving header, but her contact isn't quite enough on the cross from Trinity Rodman, and Ngambo Musole easily collects it on the hop.
17th min: GOAL! USA! Finally, after all those chances, Trinity Rodman opens the scoring for the United States! A brilliant finish!!
She receives the ball on the penalty spot with her back to goal and shielded by a Zambia defender, but produces a sensational flick and turn to get free, and finishes with the off-balance strike to find the deserved opener.
THE USWNT IS OFF AND RUNNING. 🇺🇸
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 25, 2024
Trinity Rodman with a tidy turn and finish to open the scoring against Zambia! #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/yyorSnoMSD
15th min: Chance, USA! HOW HAS THE US NOT SCORED?!?! Sophia Smith smacks the crossbar with a header after a great cross from Crystal Dunn is placed on a platter! They're pummeling the Zambia net but can't find the opener!
13th min: Lindsey Horan has the ball on the penalty spot with all day to shoot, but looks to be in slow motion as she lines up the effort and fails to get a shot off before being closed down by a defender. You've got to do better there!
Barbra Banda gets on her horse on a counter-attack shortly after, but tracked by two defenders, can only shoot into the waiting arms of Alyssa Naeher, and the offside flag goes up at the end of it.
9th min: Chance, USA! Now Trinity Rodman comes close, hitting the crossbar! She's left all alone from 12 yards out but strikes the woodwork after being closed down by the goalkeeper! Then moments later Crystal Dunn comes agonizingly close to finding the bottom-left corner but puts it just inches wide.
This early pressure would normally be promising for the USWNT, but after the 26-shot scoreless draw against Costa Rica, there are some real concerns regarding their finishing.
5th min: Chance, USA! Sophia Smith forces a save by Ngambo Musole! It's similar to the earlier chance by Lindsey Horan, as she looks to tap a cross on frame at the near post, and while she gets it on target, it's right into the grasp of the goalkeeper from point-blank range.
1st min: Chance, USA! Lindsey Horan comes inches from opening the goal just seconds into the match! The U.S. charge forward straight from the kickoff, and a cross along the end line to Horan at the near post sees her redirect the ball agonizingly wide of the woodwork! She had a window there to find a goal, but can't make it happen!
Kickoff: They're under way in Nice! Emma Hayes begins her first high-leverage competitive action against an attack-minded opponent on the rise. How will the U.S. fare?
USA vs. Zambia: Pre-match commentary, analysis, more
15 mins to kickoff: While Barbra Banda often gets the headlines, she's one part of a two-headed monster in the Zambia attack, with Racheal Kundananji as the other half.
Incredibly, the pair of forwards currently stand as the two most expensive players in women's club football history, with Banda's move to the Orlando Pride for $740,000 only beaten this past offseason by the $860,000 that NWSL expansion side Bay FC shelled out to acquire Kundananji.
30 mins to kickoff: There were some concerns floated regarding the USWNT front line after a scoreless draw with Costa Rica sent them off to France, but Emma Hayes isn't worrying, and neither should you. The group ripped off 26 shots in that match, 12 of them on target.
"If you play a game of percentages or law of averages," Hayes explained after the friendly, "we’re creating more and more high-quality chances and we’re getting numbers into key areas, we’re getting touches in the key areas. The last part’s the hardest part."
What Hayes is trying to say is, sometimes you just can't score. That's football. With that kind of offensive volume, they'll be in great shape most games.
45 mins to kickoff: Zambia play an up-tempo, attacking style behind star striker Barbra Banda, for better or for worse. Emma Hayes called Banda "the most in-form striker in the world" as she sports 12 goals in 12 appearances for NWSL side Orlando Pride this season.
Barbra Banda makes it look so easy doesn't she? pic.twitter.com/4nAay3PryW
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) July 7, 2024
1 hour to kickoff: Lineups are in, and the only real surprise for the U.S. women is the absence of Jenna Nighswonger at left-back, replaced by the veteran Crystal Dunn. It's likely that Emma Hayes is accounting for the all-out attacking mindset of Zambia, who are committed to playing an up-tempo style even if they end up punished in the end.
It appears Zambia will go with a three-defender system, and the U.S. will have to watch out for the pace of the opposition attackers. Racheal Kundananji and Barbra Banda are well-known as quick forwards, but Kabange Mupopo, a former 400m sprinting champion, is also in the lineup.
1 hour 15 mins to kick: An announcement just 90 minutes prior to kickoff sees the U.S. dealt another injury blow in the attack, as Jaedyn Shaw picks up a leg injury and will not participate in today's match, U.S. Soccer confirms. It's unclear how Shaw was injured or what the severity of the issue is, but she will not be available today, replaced instead by alternate Croix Bethune.
It stands to reason that Shaw's injury isn't overtly serious, or else she would have been replaced more permanently on the roster, which countries can do up to 24 hours before their opening match. Still, it's a significant setback, especially after the injury picked up by Cat Macario ahead of the team's trip to France.
Bethune is a good addition, in fairness, as her USWNT debut against Mexico two weeks ago resulted in a goal off the bench.
Hayes was very cagey when asked about Shaw not playing much in the run-up to the Games. A secret knock doesn’t surprise me. Probably a temporary move, but Bethune becomes medal-eligible after today. https://t.co/PRJtKOQ0tD
— Claire Watkins (@ScoutRipley) July 25, 2024
1 hour 30 mins to kick: Despite the significant doubts stemming from last summer's disappointment and the growth of the global game, the U.S. women only have one goal — to win the gold medal.
Winning is the only option for the USWNT. #ParisOlympics 😤 pic.twitter.com/0iFqvpVGxb
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) July 24, 2024
1 hour 45 mins to kick: The U.S. women are expected to come away with a medal-winning performance at the Olympics, but Spain have their own lofty expectations after winning the 2023 Women's World Cup. They began their tournament with a hard-fought, comeback victory against Japan by a 2-1 score.
If those two gold medal favorites end up meeting in the knockout stage, it would be a top-drawer affair, and a reminder for the U.S. that the women's football talent level across the globe is growing rapidly. They may even be the less talented side in that matchup.
"I think Spain is the more talented team."@the_bonnfire joined us this morning to say yes, the USA may medal, even take home gold, but if you want more value, Spain at +200 is the best team in the field.
— SportsGrid (@SportsGrid) July 25, 2024
They play today at 11a ET#Olympics #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/t8ZdsYnvw5
2 hours to kickoff: Emma Hayes has been emphatic about how the United States can no longer take anything for granted, with so many formidable opponents in the women's soccer landscape. "I think the game has moved to a point where that isn't the case, it isn't a shoo-in to get somewhere. It has to be earned and there's no given right when women's football has developed the way it has across the world."
She's right. In fact, the United States may not even be the best team in the world anymore from a pure talent perspective. That may fall to Spain, who looks to be a truly dominance force in the sport.
From Emma Hayes herself on this Olympics and the new world order. #USWNT pic.twitter.com/VyYLDg9oIB
— Jeff Kassouf (@JeffKassouf) July 23, 2024
USWNT vs. Zambia kickoff time
This Olympic group stage match kicks off from the Allianz Riviera on Thursday, July 25 at 9 p.m. local time in Nice, France. Here's how that time translates across some of the major territories around the globe:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| USA/Canada | Thu, Jul. 25 | 3 p.m. ET |
| USA/Canada | Thu, Jul. 25 | 12 p.m. PT |
| UK | Thu, Jul. 25 | 8 p.m. BST |
| Australia | Fri, Jul. 26 | 5 a.m. AEST |
| India | Fri, Jul. 26 | 12:30 a.m. IST |
2024 Olympics Group B standings
| Pos. | Team | GP | Points | W-D-L | Goals For | Goals Against |
| 1. | USA | 1 | 3 | 1-0-0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2. | Germany | 1 | 3 | 1-0-0 | 3 | 0 |
| 3. | Australia | 1 | 0 | 0-0-1 | 0 | 3 |
| 4. | Zambia | 1 | 0 | 0-0-1 | 0 | 3 |
USWNT vs. Zambia lineups, team news, starting 11
There were concerns over the fitness of Rose Lavelle after her withdrawal from the starting lineup for the pre-tournament friendly against Costa Rica, but the U.S. midfielder is in the starting lineup.
Catarina Macario is not on the roster after being forced to withdraw from the Olympics due to knee soreness, replaced by Lynn Williams. It was thought Jaedyn Shaw would be an important presence off the bench, but she was ruled out just 90 minutes prior to kickoff of today's match with a leg injury, replaced temporarily on the roster by alternate Croix Bethune.
The only surprise to today's XI is the absence of Jenna Nighswonger at left-back, with veteran Crystal Dunn starting instead.
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, Bethune, L. Williams.
Zambia's regular goalkeeper Hazel Nali was forced to withdraw from the World Cup roster due to an ACL tear last summer, and has not been brought back into the fold quite yet.
The Copper Queens have two players who play for NWSL clubs, as forwards Barbra Banda and Racheal Kundananji ply their trade in the United States. Banda is known for her 102nd minute equalizer against Germany to seal a 3-2 upset in a friendly prior to last summer's World Cup, also scoring against Costa Rica in the tournament itself to mark the 1,000th goal in Women's World Cup history.
Zambia starting lineup (4-4-2): Musole (GK) — Siamfuko, Zulu, Mweemba, Tembo — G. Chanda, Chilufya, H. Chanda, Kundananji — B. Banda, Mupopo
Zambia subs (7): Musonda (GK), D. Banda, Chileshe, Chitundu, Lubandji, Chitundu, Muchinga.
USWNT vs. Zambia live stream, TV channel
| Date | Time | TV Channel | Streaming | |
| USA | Thu, Jul. 25 | 3 p.m. ET | USA Network, Universo | Fubo USA, Peacock, NBC Sports website/app, Universo NOW |
| UK | Thu, Jul. 25 | 8 p.m. BST | — | — |
| Australia | Fri, Jul. 26 | 5 a.m. AEST | — | 9Now, Stan Sport |
| Canada | Thu, Jul. 25 | 3 p.m. ET | — | CBC app/website |
| India | Fri, Jul. 26 | 12:30 a.m. IST | — | — |
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