COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – Forward Mallory Swanson scored for the United States women's national soccer team for the first time in 15 months to lead her team to a 4-0 victory over South Korea on Saturday in Emma's first match Hayes as US director. coach.
Afterward, Hayes spoke glowingly of Swanson, whom he first interacted with briefly in 2017, when Swanson was a teenager weighing whether to turn pro.
“I couldn't ask for more,” Hayes said of Swanson's performance. “She is a player that I have always admired, so having the opportunity to train and see first-hand the quality that she possesses, is a connector. She is really magnetic, also as a human being, in the way she operates in the team.
“She can multitask: she can do what she does on the field and she can listen on the sidelines. I noticed that in her today. Our goal is to keep her in shape, keep her healthy, because she's an important part of this team.” “.
Swanson, who tore his left patellar tendon in 2023 and missed last summer's World Cup, broke the deadlock in the 34th minute with a swift diagonal run behind South Korea's five defenders. USWNT forward Sophia Smith quickly turned and placed the ball into the path of Swanson, who slotted her shot inside the near post.
“It's super special,” Swanson said of scoring again for the team. “You're never the same person you were the last day, so I take advantage of every learning opportunity I can, growing and trying to make an impact on whoever I can.”
Center back Tierna Davidson scored twice, each time with a header off a corner kick, to complete the scoring for the Americans at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.
Catarina Macario, like Swanson, also returned to the US team earlier this year after a long-term injury. Macario started at No. 10 on Saturday, marking her first time in the starting lineup in 781 days.
“It was the first time I played 10 in a long time, I think since the Carli Lloyd era,” Macario said, noting that the mile-high altitude in Colorado took a toll on her lungs. “So it's definitely a little bit of getting used to, but I feel like we have such good players that it's easier to adapt.”
Before accepting the USWNT job last year, Hayes recruited Macario to Chelsea. On Friday, Hayes referenced that familiarity and praised Macario for how he operates in tight spaces and withstands pressure.
“Cat is a special player, without a doubt,” Hayes said. “I'm sure she will continue to grow with the jersey. She has been tremendous all week in training.”
Macario played the corner kick that Davidson found for the defender's first goal just before the break. Three minutes after the break, Swanson took a corner kick to a wide open Davidson for another headed goal to make it 3-0.
Davidson had only scored once in 57 previous appearances for the United States. She was replaced in the 61st minute by Sam Staab, who made her debut for the national team.
Swanson then completed the scoring in the 74th minute when she took advantage of a through ball from second-half substitute Rose Lavelle.
Midfielder Lindsey Horan captained the Americans on Saturday, as she has for the past year, and Hayes praised her captain for controlling the center of the park.
“Lindsey, she's the captain for a reason,” Hayes said. “She is a leader. She sets an example in many ways. Her performance was measured.”
Hayes' victorious USWNT coaching debut came 200 days after she was announced as the team's next coach in negotiations with US Soccer to finish the European season with Chelsea, with whom she won a fifth consecutive Women's Super League title. .
“This is a game we were looking forward to playing and it feels good to leave it; it feels like we're in a really good place,” Smith said. “There were a lot of emotions. I know I was nervous because it's the first game with a new coach, playing in my hometown.”
However, Hayes rejected the notion that she was relieved to put the moment behind her, saying that's not how she thinks.
“I'm very happy with the first performance and it's just a step in the right direction,” Hayes said.
Saturday's game was part of a first-ever doubleheader with the US Deaf Women's National Team, which improved to 38-0-1 in program history following an 11-0 win over the team Australian Deaf Women's National Team.
Emily Spreeman, the USWDNT's all-time goal scorer, scored six goals to set a record for a US Senior National 11 team, men's or women's.
The USWNT will play South Korea again on Tuesday, as Hayes prepares to choose her 18-player squad for the Paris Olympics this summer. He could select the team before a pair of pre-Olympics friendlies, one against Mexico at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, on July 13 and another against Costa Rica at Audi Field in Washington, D.C., on July 16th.
