PARIS (Aug. 3, 2024) – Forward Trinity Rodman ended an extra-time stalemate with a spectacular goal and the U.S. Women’s National Team’s quest to reach the top of the podium at Paris 2024 will continue as the USA outlasted Japan, 1-0, in a tense and tight quarterfinal.

In the Olympic host city of Paris at last after spending the group stage in southern France, the U.S. was held in check for more than 105 minutes by a determined Japanese side that defended in a low block and with extreme discipline. Halfway through extra time at the Parc des Princes, however, Rodman delivered, sending the fifth-ranked Americans to an Aug. 6 semifinal in Lyon against either Germany or Canada. It will be the USWNT’s seventh trip to the final four in eight Olympic appearances.

Rodman’s game-winner at the end of the first period of overtime the latest goal the USWNT has scored in the Olympics since Alex Morgan’s goal in the 120+3 against Canada in the 2012 Olympic Semifinal.

The USA, under recently appointed head coach Emma Hayes, has now started an Olympic tournament with four wins for just the second time. The last came in 2012, when it wound up defeating Japan for the gold medal. USA-Japan has become a knockout-round fixture in recent years and Friday’s clash was the seventh elimination game between the pair at either a Women’s World Cup or Olympics, the most common knockout-stage fixture in the history of the two global competitions.

The U.S. now holds a 32W-1L-8D advantage over Japan all-time and has prevailed in six of those seven elimination affairs. But the one in which it fell — the memorable 2011 Women’s World Cup Final — and the challenge Japan consistently poses has left the rivalry feeling much closer on the field than it appears on paper. So it was again Friday at the Parc des Princes, where the seventh-ranked Nadeshiko nearly stymied an American attack that had netted nine times in three group-stage games.

Hayes made one change to the team that defeated Australia in the Group B finale, inserting Korbin Albert into midfield in place of the suspended Sam Coffey (yellow card accumulation). Coffey was one of three Americans, along with goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher and center back Naomi Girma, who played every minute of the group stage. Center back Tierna Davidson (leg contusion) missed her second-straight match and Emily Sonnett once again filled in admirably beside Girma.

The rest of the team remained intact as Hayes prioritized momentum and chemistry in the USA’s fourth match in 10 days and her eighth game at the helm. Those qualities would be vital, as Japan, the Group C runner-up, sat back far more than usual and forced the Americans to try and play their way through their 5-2-3 formation on defense. The U.S. held the vast majority of the ball (nearly 80% possession) during a quiet opening half hour, but the Nadeshiko were intent on testing the USA’s patience and limiting any potential attacking forays out wide or in behind.

In the 30th minute, the U.S. finally got a glimpse of the Japanese goal. A midfield flick-on by captain Lindsey Horan set forward Sophia Smith free on the right, but the striker’s shot from an acute angle missed the mark. Japan forced the first save from Naeher five minutes later as recent Utah Royals signing Mina Tanaka was able to turn on Horan and fire a low effort toward the goalkeeper. Miyabi Moriya and Rose Lavelle traded chances toward the end of the first half, but the Japanese shot went high and the American bid was comfortably saved.

The stalemate continued after intermission with Japan gradually taking a few more chances going forward although forward Mallory Swanson barely missed a 63rd-minute curler. Japan’s numerical advantage in midfield carried the potential to create problems for the USA when the ball turned over, but Korbin Albert, Horan and Lavelle rarely did. Manchester City’s Yui Hasegawa was the orchestrator of several threatening Japancounterattacks and blasted a promising look over the crossbar in the 80th. The U.S. then mustered its best attacking spell of the half during stoppage time, but it was unable to break through as the Japanese fell back and clogged shooting lanes.

The USA then entered extra time in a third-consecutive Olympic quarterfinal. The first two, against Sweden in 2016 and Netherlands in 2021, went to penalties. Hayes’ interest in avoiding another tiebreaker prompted her first substitute of the afternoon as forward Lynn Williams relieved Swanson. Smith created the USA’s best chance of the game in the 97th as she dispossessed defender Moeka Minami and raced toward goal. Japan netminder Ayaka Yamashita came out quickly and smothered Smith’s shot.

As the first period of extra time entered stoppage time, Girma tried a pass the U.S. had been lacking to that point, a longer, angled ball over the top. It proved promising. Her delivery into the right corner was won by Rodman, but the ensuing cross didn’t connect. However, the idea to bypass Japan’s bank of defenders was clearly a good one and Dunn tried it seconds later, this time from the center circle. Rodman was open again and this time she brought the ball down, raced into the box and cut the ball back against Japan’s Hikaru Kitagawa before unleashing a perfect left-footed blast over the flying Yamashita and into the upper-left corner of the net.

It was Rodman’s third goal of the Olympics, following scores against Zambia and Australia. She hadn’t scored in any of her pervious 12 USWNT appearances this year but has been flying in her first-ever Olympics. Rodman also had an assist on Smith’s opening goal against Germany, giving her a goal contribution in each of the USA’s four Olympic matches.

Naeher’s shutout was her second of the tournament and her 10th in 20 career Olympic or Women’s World Cup appearances.