Lavelle & Co. are responding well to Hayes' USWNT challenges

WASHINGTON -- United States caput manager Emma Hayes said successful the buildup to Wednesday's clash with Canada astatine Audi Field that she wanted to spot her squad to amusement the advancement it has collectively made against a apical opponent.

Her players provided a resounding answer. The USWNT defeated Canada 3-0 successful a crippled that was ne'er successful uncertainty from the aboriginal stages. Two aboriginal goals enactment the Americans ahead, and they controlled ample stretches of the crippled arsenic Canada wilted successful the summertime heat.

Moments aft Canada caput manager Casey Stoney lamented an "inexcusable" performance that strayed from the gameplan she gave the players, Hayes lauded her elder players for ensuring that the Americans imposed their benignant of play.

Wednesday was different USWNT triumph implicit a Top 10 satellite opponent, but it was the team's attraction to details that marked progress. Hayes saw the nuance she had craved from her team.

"There were, I felt, things that I've been looking for successful presumption of dictating tempo, controlling the crippled from commencement to finish, finishing strongly," Hayes said. "All the messaging, each the learnings -- particularly from Brazil, from Japan -- I felt we dictated, and we played the mode we wanted to. It's not astir the opponent; it's astir what we do, and I felt that was highly dominant."

Wednesday's ascendant triumph implicit Canada was different people of advancement for the corporate USWNT arsenic Hayes continues her unprecedented agelong of investigating caller and uncapped players, but the lucifer besides showed the benignant of idiosyncratic consistency required to beryllium a subordinate she relies on.

Midfielder Rose Lavelle, successful her archetypal planetary model since December, was exceptional again some successful unfastened play and connected acceptable pieces. She created the USWNT's archetypal 2 goals from dormant balls, and she was electrical successful modulation moments, similar the palmy nutmeg she pulled disconnected successful the 35th infinitesimal to pb to the country footwear and the team's 2nd goal.

Hayes spoke up of the lucifer astir however hard it is for caller players to interruption into the USWNT, and however the team's No. 10 -- a spot that Lavelle has made hers for years erstwhile steadfast -- means making the close walk and determination each clip for 90 minutes, not conscionable occasionally.

"I accidental this to our players: There mightiness beryllium a batch of our players that tin get into a batch of nationalist teams, but it doesn't mean you get into ours," Hayes said anterior to Wednesday's match. "You person to beryllium a chopped supra to get into ours."

On Wednesday, Hayes said the veterans up the spine of her team, including Lavelle "ran the show," but she besides saw advancement from a radical of young players who she has thrown into the heavy extremity implicit the past fewer months. The squad volition not assemble again for 4 months, and by then, Hayes has said she volition constrictive down the playing excavation and halt experimenting astatine specified a large volume. Her lineup connected Wednesday was an denotation of who she felt made up her strongest disposable 11 -- and they mostly impressed.

Defender Avery Patterson was exceptional erstwhile again against Canada and looks similar she could beryllium a semipermanent enactment astatine full-back. She defends good successful unfastened spaces and often gets precocious into the onslaught to make chances for the USWNT.

"I deliberation I'm decidedly getting utilized to what is expected, and the anticipation and modular astir here," Patterson said.

Claire Hutton, 19, started alongside seasoned Sam Coffey successful the treble pivot successful connected Wednesday. Both players scored -- a archetypal planetary extremity for Hutton -- and the midfield concern betwixt them, and Lavelle, looks susceptible of lasting up to apical opponents some present and successful the future.

Hutton and Patterson are among the radical of players who volition astir surely beryllium portion of Hayes' plans going forward. Their performances connected Wednesday, and successful different caller games, reaffirmed Hayes' suspicion that they tin lend astatine the 2027 World Cup.

"Being capable to travel retired with a 3-0, ascendant triumph against a truly large broadside similar Canada is simply a immense measurement successful our development," Coffey said. "We privation to proceed to beryllium a accordant squad that wins large games."

The USWNT enactment successful a convincing show connected Wednesday. It was a trial the Americans passed with flying colors, different denotation that Hayes' semipermanent program is connected the close way (if past year's Olympic golden medal weren't impervious enough).

As Hayes cautioned aft the victory, the Americans haven't won thing yet. The World Cup is 2 years away, and determination volition beryllium setbacks. The triumph implicit Canada astatine Audi Field, however, was an emphatic confirmation that the Americans are connected the close track.