The last time the United States women’s soccer team was on the world stage, it had a rough go of it.
The USWNT was eliminated in the round of 16 in last year’s World Cup after winning the previous two tournaments.
The U.S. is seeking revenge.
And it answered the call in its first game on the Olympic pitch, earning a 3-0 win over Zambia.
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Trinity Rodman, in her Olympic debut, got the Stars and Stripes on the board first, finding the back of the net in the 17th minute.
It didn’t take long for the United States to increase its lead. Mallory Swanson scored in the 24th minute and then again just 70 seconds later.
Already down three goals, Zambia lost Pauline Zulu to a red card in the 33rd minute, and the team was limited to 10 players the rest of the way. Zulu sobbed as she left the field.
“I think there’s little things within that game, within the play, that we need to fine-tune, that we can just keep on growing with,” Swanson said. “So, I think there’s definitely those little things, and we’ll address them and fix them and keep moving forward.”
Head coach Emma Hayes admitted that, before the game, she probably wouldn’t have been all that thrilled with a 3-0 victory. But it’s a step in the right direction.
Sweden knocked out the United States in the Women’s World Cup round of 16 on penalty kicks, stunning the soccer world. Shortly after the loss, the team’s manager, Vlatko Andonovski, resigned.
The loss marked the earliest the U.S. team has ever been eliminated from the Women’s World Cup.
The United States next faces Germany Sunday in Marseille, and a win would put them in great position to move into the knockout stage.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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