Twenty-five minutes into Emma Hayes’ debut as head coach of the U.S. women’s national team, the London native was begging her side to pick up the pace.
The USWNT players heeded her instructions and at the end of the 90 minutes Saturday found themselves on the right side of a comprehensive 4-0 victory over South Korea in Colorado behind braces from Mallory Swanson and Tierna Davidson.
It was an afternoon of key players getting back to their old selves for the United States, a positive sign ahead of the coming 2024 Olympics. Swanson’s pair of goals were her first since February 2023, before her serious knee injury, while Davidson found the back of the net for the first time since her debut international goal way back in August 2018.
Adding to the mix was Catarina Macario, who picked up her first assist since before her injury in 2022, and Rose Lavelle’s first goal contribution in 11 months.
MORE: All about new USWNT coach Emma Hayes who wins international debut vs. South Korea
Hayes is known as an attack-minded head coach, and after the first official 90 minutes of her time in charge, that was more evident than ever. After a slow start to the match, the U.S. completely overwhelmed and overmatched South Korea, who had no answer for the attacking onslaught. Swanson’s two goals came on wonderful combinations with Sophia Smith and later Lavelle, while Davidson picked up both her goals on corner kicks.
With three more friendlies to go before the Olympics begin in Paris in late July, there will be much more building under Hayes to come, but this is as promising a first 90 minutes as the new USWNT coach could have dreamed of.
The Sporting News followed the USWNT vs. South Korea match live, providing score updates, commentary and highlights as they happened.
Kickoff: 3:07 p.m. local (5:07 p.m. ET / 2:07 p.m. PT)
Location: Dicks Sporting Goods Park (Commerce, CO)
Attendance: 19,010
Starting lineups:
USA (4-2-3-1, right to left): 21. Campbell (GK) — 23. Fox (Krueger, 46′), 4. Girma, 12. Davidson (Staab, 61′), 3. Nighswonger — 17. Coffey, 10. Horan (Albert, 71′) — 22. Rodman (Dunn, 61′), 7. Macario (Lavelle, 61′), 9. Swanson — 11. S. Smith (Shaw, 61′).
S. Korea (3-4-3, right to left): 18. Kim JM (GK) — 2. Lee EY, 5. Go (Jeoun, 72′), 3. Hong (Kim HR, 46′) — 23. Kang, 17. Lee YJ, 8. Cho (Garam, 83′), 22. Choo — 10. Ji, 13. Phair (Lee GM, 58′), 11. Choe.
It’s an elementary final 10 minutes bereft of stoppage time as the referee blows her whistle to conclude an overwhelming USWNT victory on the debut of head coach Emma Hayes.
This is far from a complete product, with Hayes having been in the job for nigh on a week, but it’s an incredibly bright start to the Olympics run-up. Mallory Swanson’s brace is the start of what could be a world class summer, while a clean sheet is also a major positive.
4 – The 4-0 win in Emma Hayes’ debut equals the second-largest margin of victory in a permanent #USWNT coach’s first match in charge with only Tony DiCicco (5-0 vs Austraila in 1995) recording a bigger win. Emphatic. pic.twitter.com/x7CxpsmqFV
80th min: Korbin Albert looks to pick out a stunner from distance, but it flies just inches over the crossbar. In truth, the South Korean goalkeeper probably had it covered had it been on target, but she watched as it flew just high.
The announced attendance indicates a shutout at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Colorado, with 19,010 on hand to watch this overwhelming victory.
74th min: GOAL! USA! Mallory Swanson has a brace in her home state, as she slots home a fourth goal for the United States after being played clean through by Rose Lavelle!
A long ball up the right for Crystal Dunn is cleared initially, but only to the feet of a charging Lavelle who comes flying onto the ball at full speed, seeing the run of Swanson and feeding it for the finish. It’s Lavelle’s first international goal contribution in 11 months!
Rosie 🤝 Mal#USWNT x @VW pic.twitter.com/dn9RuwvP8q
71st min: Another change for Emma Hayes, this time in midfield, as Lindsey Horan is rested after a wonderful performance, replaced by Korbin Albert. She hands the captain’s armband to Naomi Girma.
67th min: Chance, USA! The United States were a few unlucky bounces from grabbing a fourth goal! A glorious cross from the left finds Rose Lavelle making a run from deep into the penalty area, but the delivery is just a tiny bit behind her, preventing her from putting a shot on frame. She keeps possession somehow, but now with her back to goal, she can only lay it off to the top of the penalty area for Sam Coffey to crash a shot on frame, which is deflected out for a corner.
Then on the ensuing corner, Jaedyn Shaw comes flying in and sends a header just inches over the crossbar! Everyone’s wanting to get involved up front!
63rd min: It looks like Crystal Dunn has taken over on the left wing, Jaedyn Shaw has been deployed on the right, and Mal Swanson plods along at the No. 10 position. It’s a straight swap in defense between Tierna Davidson and Sam Staab.
First USWNT cap for Sam Staab 🥹🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/aSmrCxVrRI
60th min: The U.S. are put under the first real spell of South Korean pressure as Jane Campbell can’t quite keep hold of a ball at the back and fumbles it over the end line for a corner. The U.S. handle it defensively without too much issue.
As predicted, there’s a slew of U.S. players readying on the touchline, as it appears Rose Lavelle, Jaedyn Shaw, Crystal Dunn, and Sam Staab look set to enter the match. It will be a debut cap for 27-year-old San Diego native Staab. Cat Macario, Tierna Davidson, Sophia Smith, and Trinity Rodman all make way.
For South Korea, 16-year-old Casey Phair is replaced up front by Lee Geum-Min. A tough performance for Phair starved for service.
57th min: There’s an interesting update from TNT sideline reporter Melissa Ortiz who says Emma Hayes gave a touchline instruction to Mal Swanson to look for outside pockets of space more than inside openings. Let’s see if today’s first goal scorer will find another opportunity, this time maybe coming from out wide.
48th min: GOAL! USA! Tierna Davidson has her second of the match after not scoring since 2018! It comes again off a corner, delivered by Mal Swanson and met yet again by Davidson, who this time is completely unmarked, driving the ball into the ground with her head and then over the line! Exceedingly poor defending from South Korea this time as they completely forgot about Davidson at the far post, and the goalkeeper came off her line but got caught in no-man’s land.
TIERNA ON A TEAR!!!! #USWNT x @VW pic.twitter.com/UoKjsKmURw
Kickoff: They’re back under way in Commerce City for the second half! Emma Hayes has made the first substitution of her USWNT tenure, as Casey Krueger comes on at right-back for Emily Fox. Expect more changes on the hour mark as Hayes will want to get a look at a number of other players throughout the rest of this match and the upcoming 90 minutes on Tuesday as well.
South Korea also made one change at the back, bringing off Hong Hye-Ji and bringing Kim Hye-Ri into the match. Kim is a grizzled veteran of the South Korean side, with 124 caps to the 33-year-old’s name.
The U.S. began this pre-Olympics international friendly too slow for new head coach Emma Hayes, but after much protesting from the new USWNT head coach, they asserted their dominance in a big way scoring two goals in four minutes to take an emphatic lead at the break.
In the process, Mal Swanson scored her first USWNT goal since before her serious knee injury, Tierna Davidson bagged her first international goal since August of 2018, and Cat Macario picked up an assist on her first international start in over 700 days. A promising half with the Olympics just around six weeks away!
Mal Swanson: first #USWNT goal since Feb, 2023
Tierna Davidson: first USWNT goal since Aug, 2018
Cat Macario: first USWNT assist since April, 2022
Emma Hayes getting her best players back to their best in her USWNT debut.
43rd min: The first yellow card of the match is shown to Choo Hyo-Joo after she is beaten by Mal Swanson in midfield and decides to grab the American star by her hip and hip drop her to the ground. A deserved caution for the 23-year-old international veteran.
38th min: GOAL! USA! AN UNBELIEVABLE HEADER FROM TIERNA DAVIDSON DOUBLES THE LEAD! What a stunning effort from Davidson as she meets a Cat Macario corner in the air and delivers a header which loops up over everyone and picks out the far top corner!
Two in four minutes for the United States before halftime!
The USWNT take a 2-0 lead ✌️
Watch USA vs. Korea Republic on TNT, TruTV and Max 📺 pic.twitter.com/G9jnVezoXX
37th min: Chance, USA! The pressure is starting to mount now as Lindsey Horan sees a second for the United States only kept out by a sensational save! It’s Sophia Smith once again who creates the chance, but it’s palmed away with a stunning one-handed stop from Jung-Mi Kim!
34th min: GOAL! USA! Mallory Swanson puts the USWNT a goal up in her home state of Colorado! The goal comes off a wonderful assist from fellow Colorado native Sophia Smith which springs a stellar off-ball run by Swanson!
With her back to goal, Smith gets the feed from Girma, turns to her right and sees Swanson cutting perpendicular across her face, feeding her before the finish.
Mallory Swanson scores the first goal of the Emma Hayes era 🇺🇸
Watch USA vs. Korea Republic on TNT, TruTV and Max 📺 pic.twitter.com/zkVYgBeWkK
27th min: Chance, USA! Sam Coffey fizzes a venomous effort just wide from outside the penalty area! Trinity Rodman starts the move with some razzle-dazzle on the right endline, and while her cross is redirected clear by a sliding South Korean defender, it falls to Coffey who rips a strong effort that curls agonizingly wide left, so close to the top-right corner!
22nd min: Lindsey Horan has the ball in the back of the net but the offside flag had gone up well before that. She was definitely leaning across as she was flicked on by Mal Swanson, so it was the right call from the assistant.
So-Hyun Cho is down receiving treatment in midfield, and she looks to be dealing with cramps. During the stoppage, the TNT broadcast has a great shot of Emma Hayes who is still pushing her squad to build faster up the pitch, telling her players to get the ball and “go.”
21st min: Emma Hayes is pushing her team to play faster from the touchline, unhappy with the slow pace of the buildup. She wants them to go much quicker. Slow progression was a hallmark of the struggles at times under Vlatko Andonovski.
13th min: Chance, USA! A pair of efforts by the hosts go begging! First Lindsey Horan bursts down the right touchline and fizzes a delicious cross along the face of goal but nobody’s there to meet it, which is disappointing for the United States attacking unit!
Then on the recycle Catarina Macario shoots from distance, but her right-footed effort from just outside the penalty area is saved by Jung-Mi Kim who probably could have held the ball without too much trouble but instead decided to slide awkwardly to deny the effort.
12th min: Mallory Swanson is fed clean through on goal by Sophia Smith but she’s miles offside, so far that the flag goes up immediately, as the assistant referee doesn’t even bother to wait. Smith’s ball was delivered way too late, as Swanson’s run needed her to pull the trigger much earlier.
Soph in motion 📸 pic.twitter.com/rnRbDrCjRx
10th min: South Korea have held their own so far, managing to keep the U.S. buildup largely out wide while evading the furious counter-press when they win the ball. No real big chances on goal for either side so far.
The TNT broadcast points out that Emma Hayes has been riding Jenna Nighswonger early for not staying wide enough, glued to the left touchline.
4th min: The U.S. women are deploying an increasingly popular tactical setup in the modern game, officially playing a 4-2-3-1 but seeing Jenna Nighswonger push extremely high down the left wing in what essentially becomes a 3-2-4-1 when in possession.
It means a lot of running for Nighswonger up and down the pitch as possession trades hands, and it also means the U.S. will counter-press their opponents very hard looking to win the ball back immediately after losing it in high areas.
Kickoff: They’re under way in Colorado as the U.S. women take on South Korea! The Emma Hayes era has been in motion for quite some time, but it’s now officially under way!
GO TIME. ⌚️
📺 TNT, TruTV / Universo, Max, Peacock pic.twitter.com/5ECup1eOzx
15 mins to kickoff: USWNT coach Emma Hayes sounds like she’s been looking forward to her debut with the national team for quite some time now!
“I’ve visualized this moment so many times over the last few months, and now it’s finally here…”
Emma joins the TNT crew ahead of kickoff in Colorado 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/12T04VzPzu
30 mins to kickoff: Speaking of inexperience, South Korea know something about that as they have a 16-year-old in the starting lineup. Casey Phair became the youngest-ever Women’s World Cup player last summer, and she’s been given a chance to start today up in the South Korea attack. She has yet to make her debut for NWSL club Angel City after signing in January, but she’ll be in the shop window today looking to make an impact!
⏰ FT | 🇨🇳 China PR 1️⃣-2️⃣ Korea Republic 🇰🇷
Casey Phair’s heroic brace earns Korea Republic the🥉 and a spot at the #U17WWC! #U17WAC | #CHNvKOR pic.twitter.com/WadlOF83pd
45 mins to kickoff: It’s not just Alex Morgan who’s been left out amongst the USWNT veterans. Usually recently hired coaches like leaning on experienced players to usher them into a new tenure, but not Emma Hayes, who’s left the likes of Morgan, Rose Lavelle, Emily Sonnett, Crystal Dunn, and other veterans on the bench.
45.5 – With an average of 45.5 caps, Emma Hayes’ first starting XI is the least experienced team a permanent #USWNT coach has selected in their first match in charge since Anson Dorrance (1.6 caps) in 1986 in the team’s fifth match. Renewal. pic.twitter.com/zb5ek7KyMd
1 hour to kickoff: Alex Morgan’s spot in the Olympic squad is suddenly very, very up in the air. She is mired in the longest goal drought of her international career, without a goal for nine USWNT appearances totaling 635 minutes. She has struggled to adapt at almost 35 years old, becoming more of a hold-up outlet and chance creator than a true finisher.
In such a stacked USWNT attacking squad, will Catarina Macario or Sophia Smith be the options up front at the Olympics, with Morgan left off? It would be a bold call by Emma Hayes, but not one that’s without merit.
Catarina Macario starting for the USA in Emma Hayes’ first game. No Alex Morgan 👀
1 hour 15 mins to kick: The U.S. has released its starting lineup 15 minutes early, and there are some surprises. Jane Campbell starts in goal, while Sophia Smith and Cat Macario enter into the starting lineup with Alex Morgan and Jaedyn Shaw left on the bench. Rose Lavelle and Emily Sonnett are also left out, with Sam Coffey and Lindsey Horan in midfield.
It’s likely that Macario will play the No. 10, with Mal Swanson and Trinity Rodman alongside and Sophia Smith up front.
Some fast facts…
– Jane Campbell is in net 🥅
– Catarina Macario makes her first start in 781 days 😼
– Lindsey Horan captains us in her home state ©️
Full Lineup Notes » https://t.co/s1Qwj3nYHW pic.twitter.com/SxNw6vW1dy
1 hour 30 mins to kick: Emma Hayes has had her fingerprints on the USWNT rebuild from the Women’s World Cup disappointment since being tabbed as head coach back in November, but now she has firm control over the side. Will we learn anything from today’s starting lineup?
Retired USWNT veteran Kelley O’Hara believes that whoever is named in today’s XI will be a “lock” to make the Olympic roster in a month’s time.
How telling will Emma Hayes’ #USWNT starting lineup be when it comes to who is making it to the Paris Olympics? 🇺🇸@kelleymohara believes it’s something we should pay attention to… 👀 pic.twitter.com/kt4oEb7KaT
1 hour 45 mins to kick: With this match taking place outside Denver, new USWNT head coach Emma Hayes got a surprise visit from University of Colorado football coach Deion Sanders, who showed up to show his support for the national team.
Wherever the cameras are, Coach Prime is certain to follow, and he made sure to get his face time with the ladies in town. Maybe Hayes gave him some pointers about coaching a title-winning team while he’s on there!
There’s no time like PRIME TIME! @DeionSanders 🤝 Emma pic.twitter.com/6rF7VCvAMl
2 hours to kickoff: Early in her first press conference as USWNT head coach, Emma Hayes made it clear that it will take some time getting to know the players and her new team. “I don’t do fast friends,” she declared, while stating that her first few days have left herself and the squad with some “tired brains”.
But man, is she excited. “This is something I’ve loved from the very first minute I came out of my mom’s tummy,” Hayes declared of coaching.
“This is my passion!” 💬
Emma Hayes is excited to be back in America, having recently started work as head coach of the United States women’s national team 📝 pic.twitter.com/s3JVaxGMYL
It was a fascinating run-up until the first starting lineup for USWNT head coach Emma Hayes. Her fingerprints have been all over this team since her appointment, as interim boss Twila Kilgore communicated regularly with Hayes about matters such as these, but there are some real surprises here.
While Kilgore used the 4-3-3 system similar to that of former coach Vlatko Andonovski in the beginning of her time in charge, that has morphed into a 4-2-3-1 to allow in-form youngster Jaedyn Shaw to see the field amongst a crowded forward unit. Mallory Swanson is also in great form and should be in the lineup, while Catarina Macario may be more fit for a role off the bench as she has not quite recaptured her old brilliance since returning from a long ACL absence.
Interestingly, Crystal Dunn was listed on the roster as a forward despite playing most of her national-team career at full-back, so her potential deployment could be one to watch.
USA starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Campbell (GK) — Fox, Girma, Davidson, Nighswonger — Coffey, Horan — Rodman, Macario, Swanson — S. Smith.
USA subs (12): Murphy (GK), Kingsbury (GK), Staab, Krueger, Dunn, Albert, Yohannes, Sonnett, Hershfelt, Lavelle, Shaw, Morgan.
This South Korea roster is quite inexperienced given a few injuries to certain veteran players at key positions. Most notably, an injury to right-back Jang Sel-gi leaves the side thin at that wing-back position, as Jang usually takes the field out wide having collected 102 international caps before the age of 30.
They are also absent central defender Lim Seon-joo who tore her ACL back in February, leaving them without another player with over 100 international caps.
A name in the South Korea lineup some American fans may recognize is Casey Phair, who became the youngest player to ever appear in a Women’s World Cup match last summer at just 16 years, 26 days old. Phair signed with NWSL side Angel City this past offseason but hast yet to make her club debut, still a month away from her 17th birthday. She’s given a huge chance in the lineup today, starting along the South Korea attack.
S. Korea starting lineup (3-4-3): Kim JM (GK) — Lee EY, Go, Hong — Kang, Lee YJ, Cho, Choo — Ji, Phair, Choe.
S. Korea subs (12): Choi (GK), Kim KH (GK), Hong SY, Lee JE, Lee GM, Jeon, Kwon, Lee SH, Kim HR, Won, Chun, Moon.
WATCH USWNT LIVE ON SLING TV
The U.S. women’s friendly against South Korea will be televised in the United States on TNT, which can be streamed on Sling, who are offering $25 off the first month of service for new users. The match can also be streamed on Turner’s dedicated platform Max, formerly known as HBO Max.
There is also a televised Spanish-language broadcast on Universo, which can be streamed on Fubo, who are offering a free trial for new users.
Kyle Bonn is a soccer content producer for The Sporting News.
