Giulia Gwinn of Germany in action with Crystal Dunn of United States. (Photo Credit: Luisa Gonzalez | Reuters via USA TODAY Sports)
It was a decisive victory by the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) over Germany on Sunday in the second match of the group stages of the 2024 Olympics — and surprisingly so. Both teams are powerhouses of the sport that sit near the top of FIFA’s world rankings (Germany at No. 4 and the USA at No. 5), so a 4-1 victory by the USWNT over Germany certainly came as a surprise to close followers of the game.
The USWNT, who have existed in somewhat of a rebuilding phase over the past few years and struggled to perform to expectations in both the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and the 2023 FIFA World Cup, seem to have found their groove. The team’s forward line is connecting and they have developed solid young defenders to replace the veterans on their defensive line. By contrast, the German team, one of the most successful in the history of women’s soccer, looked surprisingly slow and flat-footed against the USWNT.
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