PARIS — Trinity Rodman blasted the U.S. women’s national soccer team into an Olympic semifinal here on Saturday after 105-plus minutes of drudgery.
A sleepy, dreary quarterfinal between the USWNT and Japan droned on and on, into extra time, into stoppage time of the first extra period. And that’s when Rodman cut inside on her non-dominant left foot, and unleashed a rocket into the top corner.
For 105-plus minutes, the Americans had been neutralized, halted by a resolute Japan team. They lacked ideas and off-ball movement. They’d been whistled by the crowd here at Parc des Princes.
But Rodman, a 22-year-old star who has found her major-tournament footing here in France, ignited the game and the crowd with her third goal of these Olympics.
And the U.S., with a 1-0 victory, advanced to play either Canada or Germany in the semis on Tuesday.
The , looking like their old high-flying selves. A youthful team had recaptured its swagger. The rest of the world surely feared that a fallen superpower had been restored by a few bright attackers and .
Japan apparently did. The Japanese women are one of the most technical teams in the sport. But they set up in a mid-low defensive block, in a 5-4-1 formation, and conceded possession to the U.S., apparently afraid of the American press, and of what the U.S. front line could do to them in a more open game.
Over the first 20 minutes, by one measure, the U.S. had over 80% possession.
Japan hardly got close to the U.S. penalty box. Its counterattacks fizzled, snuffed out by American athleticism. It often resorted to just booting the ball to safety, rather than trying to play soccer.
Defensively, though, the Japanese were solid. The U.S. was initially lively but imprecise. Hayes and her top assistant, Denise Reddy, stood at the top of their coaching area on the sideline, pointing and gesticulating, trying to find a way through or around the Japanese block.
The first big chance of the game actually fell to Japan. A measured attack down the left, and a clever pass into forward Mina Tanaka, led to a right-footed shot near the penalty spot. U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher did well to corral it.
And two minutes later, the Japanese flowed forward again. A loose ball bounced to Miyabi Moriya, who rushed her half-volley just a bit, and skied it.
Those two chances seemed to spook the U.S., and the rest of the half settled back into a standstill. As U.S. defenders traded non-threatening passes, some of the thousands of neutral fans here at Parc des Princes booed. One of the defenders, Naomi Girma, completed 105 first-half passes, the most by any player in a full knockout-round match at a major tournament since at least 2011, .
Japan then opened the second half with more impetus. After a neat combination down the right, Crystal Dunn had to scramble to clear a teasing cross. Emily Sonnett took a yellow card to fell a Japan break. The U.S., meanwhile, continued to look lost in possession, out of ideas. In the 66th minute — as in the first half — neutral fans began whistling while the U.S. held possession, their European way of expressing disapproval.
The second half then droned on uneventfully. The crowd spent long spells in a hush. The U.S. looked tired, fatigued by a lack of lineup rotation in previous games. Yet Hayes made no subs, even as weary legs and minds declined to make off-ball runs.
Neither side looked capable of scoring — because Japan, overmatched physically, didn’t have the raw speed to hurt the U.S. on the counter.
And mercifully, after one stoppage-time shout for a penalty from American players, the game went to extra time.
In extra time, Sophia Smith almost created a goal out of nothing. She caught a Japanese defender in possession, and raced toward goal, in the clear but at a bad angle. Japan keeper Ayaka Yamashita, though, charged off her line to make her biggest save of the match.
Smith was the most lively U.S. player. But Japan smothered attack after attack. Lynn Williams replaced Mallory Swanson after 90 minutes, but nothing about the flow of the game changed.
Then, suddenly, a long ball floated toward Rodman. She took it out of the air with an excellent first touch. She jinked past a defender. And she made sure that the nearly two hours of drudgery will be forgotten.
