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John Wilkinson/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF
For about 70 minutes, Iceland was causing the United States enough problems to evoke memories of the classic 1990s film D2: The Mighty Ducks, aka the last time a team from Iceland proved to be such a thorn in the side of a group of American athletes.
Indeed, the USWNT trailed Iceland for a huge chunk of Sunday’s friendly after Karólína Lea Vilhjálmsdóttir gave the visitors a 1-0 lead 31 minutes into the match.
But Lynn Williams pulled the United States even in the 72nd minute, Lindsey Horan provided the winner just minutes later and Emma Sears made it three in stoppage time, as the Americans beat Iceland for the second straight friendly by a 3-1 margin.
It was the second straight match between the countries that Iceland kept things interesting. During Thursday’s friendly, the two countries were tied at a goal apiece until Jaedyn Williams (85th minute) and Sophia Smith (88th minute) gave the United States a 3-1 victory.
This time around, Williams and Horan were the heroes, and social media gave both the duo their flowers:
Jason Anderson @JasonDCsoccer
Another thing I’ll note: getting Horan into the match has really shifted the urgency the <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/USWNT?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#USWNT</a> has played with. She’s been tidier and quicker to get her head up, and the US is able to disorganize Iceland since halftime in a way they hadn’t in the first. <a href=”https://t.co/mIwQ7cbVOJ”>https://t.co/mIwQ7cbVOJ</a>
On paper, the stats will suggest the United States dominated this game. The Americans held 64.7 percent of possession, outshot Iceland by a massive 17-4 margin (5-3 on goal) and held six corners to just one for their counterparts.
But at least through the first half, it didn’t feel like a dominant display. Iceland played disciplined and with resolve, and while its lead went against the run of play, it didn’t necessarily feel undeserved.
But the United States showed grit of its own, yet again maintaining its composure for the full 90 minutes and finding a way to yet again break down Iceland late in the contest. It is a promising sign to see the United States put together two strong performances off the back of its Olympic gold medal over the summer, even without a full-strength group and some players starting out of position.
The Hayes era has gotten off to about the best start possible. The future for the USWNT appears to be very bright under its new manager.