Unsurprsingly, the reigning FIFA World Cup champions dominated from the beginning, pushing the ball high up the pitch and setting up a camp inside Vietnam’s half.
The Asian side had nothing to do but their approach didn’t even last 15 minutes as Sophia Smith broke the deadlock with a composed finish following a beautiful assist from Alex Morgan.
The USWNT could’ve doubled their lead before the half-hour mark, but attempts from Morgan, Savannah DeMelo and Trinity Rodman went either wide or were saved by the goalkeeper.
Vietnam had absolutely nothing to offer going forward, and it seemed their best bet was just to try and protect their goal at all costs, which resulted in prolonged spells where they barely moved past the halfway line.
The USA had a penalty in the dying stages of the first half, but Morgan failed to convert. Smith then added some gloss to the first half performance by adding a second goal in stoppage time.
Things didn’t change drastically in the second half, with Team USA pushing forward and creating tons of goal scoring chances, but their lack of accuracy in front of goal was evidently frustrating.
Rodman was among the most active players for the USWNT, and while the team tried to kick it up another gear with the entrance of Megan Rapinoe, the success just wasn’t there for the Stars & Stripes.
The veteran forward, who already announced her retirement at the end of the 2023 season, had a massive chance shortly after coming on, but her effort went dramatically wide.
Lindsey Horan would finally convert one of the many chances she had, and the attacking midfielder buried one home late in the second half to establish a three-goal differential.
With a three-goal lead, the USWNT began to wind down in the final 15 minutes, but still managed to create opportunities, but as was the story of the whole game, a lack of cutting edge in front of goal was their problem.
USA will aim to clinch a spot in the Round of 16 when they take on the Netherlands on July 26 in a rematch of the 2019 FIFA World Cup final, while Vietnam will battle Portugal that same day.
