The USWNT was back in action to take on Uzbekistan for the first of two friendly competitions. Originally, the USWNT were meant to take on a top team from Asia, however the team had to pull out due to the ongoing pandemic. The player roster is similar to the one in January of 2022, with head coach Vlatko Andonovski calling in a squad of younger players to build their chemistry ahead of World Cup Qualifiers this summer. Andonovski has continued to insist that he will call up the all star veterans as their performance dictates, ahead of the summer months.
First Half
For the young home team, it took them some time to build cohesiveness in the first half. In fact, the opening 25 minutes for the US saw some attacking chances but also some unorganized movement around the ball. However in the 26th minute, the scoring opened when Catarina Macario took a corner kick that bounced off a few heads before finding Andi Sullivan to put it away. The second goal came within 60 seconds when the visitors gave the ball away and Mallory Pugh beat the goalkeeper on the near post.
In the 33rd minute, Pugh swung a ball that was an easy tap in for Sophia Smith. Smith scored her second goal of the night shortly after that to make it 4-0.
Second Half
The USWNT did not let up in the second half. Instead, Macario scored her first goal of the night as the keeper came out and attempted to block her shot. In the 56th minute, Sophia Smith completed her hat trick off a play that involved Kristie Mewis and Pugh. Jaelin Howell scored her first goal for the national team off a jumping volley in the 64th, to make it 7-0.
In what looked to be a defense mistake for the home team and a great play for the visitors, Aziza Norboeva scored off a corner kick. It was the first goal the US squad had given up at home in nearly two years. After the match, Andonovski said that he was happy that the goal happened so they could review it as a team and see what they need to work on.
The US team were able to tally two more goals, one by Ashley Sanchez and one by Ashley Hatch to make the final score 9-1.
What’s Next
The team will take on Uzbekistan in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, April 12, 2022.