The US women’s soccer team made a triumphant start to their Olympic campaign, defeating Zambia 3-0 in their opening match at the 2024 Paris Games on Thursday. The team, led by first-year head coach Emma Hayes, put on an impressive display, with NBA legend Dennis Rodman’s daughter, Trinity, scoring a stunning goal to get the scoring started.
Mallory Swanson stole the show, netting two goals within 70 seconds in the 24th and 25th minutes, ensuring a comfortable victory for the Americans. Coach Hayes, who took over the team in late May, made some bold changes to her Olympic roster, including leaving star forward Alex Morgan, a veteran of three Olympics, at home.
The highlight of the night belonged to NBA legend Dennis Rodman’s daughter, Trinity
Hayes, who finished out the season with Chelsea in the Women’s Super League, is tasked with leading the Americans to redemption after their disappointing exit from the Women’s World Cup last summer. ‘This team is past that. I think this team is firmly focused on creating a new history together,’ Hayes said earlier in the week. ‘Our motivation isn’t always about righting the wrongs. Far from it. We’re excited. We’re prepared.’
However, the match wasn’t without its challenges. US forward Sophia Smith left the game with an ankle injury late in the first half and was replaced by Lynn Williams. Williams was originally an alternate on Hayes’ Olympic roster but was called up after Catarina Macario was ruled out due to minor knee irritation.
Zambia, led by stars Barbra Banda and Racheal Kundananji, struggled to break through, despite Banda’s impressive form in the National Women’s Soccer League. In the Tokyo Games, Banda had a pair of back-to-back hat tricks in the group stage.
Zambia’s Racheal Kundananji is challenged by US’ midfielder #03 Korbin Albert on Thursday
The controversial Korbin Albert came on in the second half for midfielder Rose Lavelle, managing to get a pair of shots on goal, both of which were saved. Albert had been criticized earlier in the week for sharing an anti-LGBTQ+ social media post, which sparked backlash from US soccer legend Megan Rapinoe.
Rapinoe, who shared a post to her Instagram story, did not specifically name Albert but urged people to ‘wake TF up!’ in response to the rising star’s apology. The incident highlighted the ongoing challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community in sports.