USWNT defeat Vietnam 3-0 in opening World Cup match on Sophia Smith’s brace

The United States women’s national team begins the quest for a three-peat at the 2023 women’s World Cup with a match against Vietnam in the group stage Friday. The Americans are entering this competition as the most decorated women’s side in history, while Vietnam is a debutant at the women’s World Cup.

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, USA is listed at -20000 on the moneyline in this game. A draw comes in at +5000 and Vietnam is listed at +5500. The Americans are substantial favorites, and the best way to get value on them might be to bet against the spread or back players to score multiple goals.

Here are the latest updates from Friday’s match.

USA vs. Vietnam live updates

Full time – USA 3, Vietnam 0. It wasn’t the best performance from USWNT, but it was a dominant one all things considered. The Americans had a lot of choppy play early but settled down nicely and ultimately did put the ball in the back of the net enough to get the win. Vietnam’s unique defensive approach and remaining in a shell didn’t help USA’s cause much when it came to racking up goals, but Sophia Smith and Lindsey Horan got the job done. The Americans also avoided a major injury and go into the Netherlands match with a better understanding of what they’ll need to do to improve on this performance.

84th minute – More substitutions for USA. Kelley O’Hara and Sofia Huerta come in for Crystal Dunn and Emily Fox.

77th minute – GOAL FOR USA! It’s Lindsey Horan who finds the back of the net this time to make it 3-0. Sophia Smith made the move inside the box to steal the ball and set up Horan well, forcing Vietnam’s goalkeeper out first to give her captain a wide open net. That’ll help the goal differential a bit.

75th minute – Rodman is also going to be subbed off, and Alyssa Thompson will come on her place. It’s still 2-0 USA, and now it looks like the main focus will be to ensure the key players are healthy ahead of Wednesday’s clash. The Americans would still like to add a few goals late but the win looks to be in hand.

62nd minute – Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle are going to come on for the Americans. Alex Morgan will be subbed off in an effort to conserve her workload. Savannah DeMelo will also come off for USA.

56th minute – Set piece runs will be something the Americans have to work on ahead of Wednesday’s match. There have been three good chances in the second half but no USA player has been able to get a touch on the ball.

53rd minute – Vietnam are pressing a bit more now, but USA are still maintaining possession and haven’t allowed their opponents to get anything going. Megan Rapinoe is warming up on the sidelines for the Americans.

Halftime – USA 2, Vietnam 0. It could easily be 3-0 if Morgan had converted the penalty. The Americans had some tough moments navigating Vietnam’s “park the bus” defense but eventually did get some goals courtesy of Smith. We’ll see if USA can make adjustments in the second half and really start running up the score. The over/under is now 5.5 and the spread is USA -4.5, so there’s still an expectation the Americans turn this into a blowout.

The stats are telling. USA have 17 shots and five on target to Vietnam’s zero. USA had 66% of the possession and completed a whopping 219 passes on 82% accuracy. Vietnam completed 119 passes on 53% accuracy. Overall, the gameplan has been executed well for USA. Now it’ll be about putting some more goals in the back of the net.

45+9 minute – Well, it turns out Smith does actually have a second goal. She was -110 to score two or more goals, and VAR has deemed Morgan was onside. Therefore, Smith’s touch into the back of the net stands. She was considered one of the youngsters primed to break out in this tournament and she’s done just that to start group stage play for the Americans.

45+7 minute – Sophia Smith thought she had another goal after a long ball into the box got deflected on a header attempt. The forward had touched the ball past everyone in the scrum and VAR is going to take a look on the offside goal, but it does look like Morgan was in an offside position on the initial pass in.

44th minute – DENIED! We’ve seen poor execution from the penalty spot across the World Cup and this time it’s Alex Morgan who is stopped by Trần Thị Kim Thanh. It’s still 1-0 USA but this was a golden chance for the Americans to go up 2-0 and really start asserting their will on this game.

43rd minute – After the review, VAR has determined there is a penalty and the Americans have a chance to go up 2-0 here.

40th minute – VAR is checking for a possible penalty on Vietnam. Rodman made a strong move on the right side of the box and appeared to be challenged without the defender getting any piece of the ball. We’ll see if this becomes a penalty kick.

36th minute – Ertz is getting looked at after taking a fall in the box going for a header. It looked like the defender didn’t connect where she wanted to, leading to the ball going straight down and appearing to hit her on the way back up. She also landed on her hip in this entire sequence. She’s getting some type of assessment but seems fine and is moving on her own power.

30th minute – Julie Ertz is showcasing her versatility in this game. She’s acting as the anchor in that backline, allowing Crystal Dunn and Emily Fox to make runs up the side. It’ll be something to monitor going forward, especially against tougher competition. The Americans are still a bit sloppy in the box but they are pushing for more goals which is encouraging to see.

21st minute – USA is starting to settle into the game more, creating more opportunities in the final third and forcing saves. There are still some bad misses in the midfield, and that can be expected with so many players making their World Cup debuts. The important thing is Vietnam has not been even remotely threatening in this first half so far.

14th minute – GOAL FOR USA! It’s Sophia Smith who gets in behind the Vietnam defense and puts one in the back of the net. The Americans are up 1-0, and those who had Smith as the first goalscorer (+250) are cheering as well.

10th minute – USA look a bit disjointed when making moves into the final third, occasionally playing wrong passes and overhitting some balls over the top. However, the Americans are defending in prime form as expected and not letting Vietnam have any time on the ball. Eventually, something should break for USA in the final third.

4th minute – Rodman is back on the field, which is great news for USA.

1st minute – Well, it’s a rough start for the Americans from a roster standpoint. Trinity Rodman takes a hard fall on a challenge and immediately grabs her lower back. She’s not going to need the stretcher and she’s able to walk off on her own power. USA are down to 10 while Vlatko Andonovski assesses Rodman’s condition.

Pregame – One last check on the odds before we get set for kickoff. The line has not shifted at all on DraftKings Sportsbook. It’s still USA -20000, draw +5000 and Vietnam +5500.

Pregame – Here’s a look at our game pick for this match, along with USA’s starting lineup and the officiating crew for the contest. As mentioned above, the Americans are heavy favorites in this contest and are expected to run up the score. The total is coming in at 6.5 (over +100, under -130), and the over might be the move. Goal differential is the first tiebreaker among group teams, and winning the group is important to get a better path to the final. We’ll see if the Americans are able to dominate on the scoreboard or if they slow down a bit over the course of the match.