For all the recent USWNT success, this was a night defined by world-class goals from two potentially world-class players
The turnover has already begun. Just a few months out from the U.S. women's national team's Olympic gold medal, the next cycle is taking shape. It'll be a gradual process, which Emma Hayes will love after the sprint that was this summer's run to the Paris Games, but even in these early days, the process has begun.
It started on Thursday night in Austin on a night defined by world-class goals from two potentially world-class players. Alyssa Thompson and Jaedyn Shaw aren't there yet, but they might be sooner than most people imagined.
Thompson and Shaw were each on the scoresheet in a 3-1 win over Iceland, and they were joined by the ancient-by-comparison 24-year-old Sophia Smith. Seriously. The USWNT's present and future led the charge, and for all the glory of Paris, the Olympic gold already seems left in the past.
There will be more opportunities for players such as Shaw and Thompson to continue their evolution, with one coming as soon as Sunday against the same opponent, as the U.S. plays another friendly with Iceland in Nashville. And even as Hayes remained unbeaten in 11 matches on the job, this, too, remains a process. But the USWNT's teenage starlets look as if they're already ready to kick the door down.
GOAL takes a look at the winners and losers from the USWNT's victory, which came with two second-half goals.
ImagnWINNER: Alyssa Thompson
Over the last two years, Thompson became a bit overshadowed. It's worth remembering, though, that this is a player who – as a teenager – was named to the USWNT's World Cup roster. Why was that? Oh, it's because she has limitless potential.
Belatedly, the world got a glimpse at that again on Thursday night.
Thompson couldn't have dreamed up a better first international goal. The quality, the finish, the celebration, the moment… it all felt perfect. With that goal, Thompson arrived. There might not be any looking back now.
The forward pool for the USWNT is crowded, for sure, and Thompson will face a fight to break up the "Triple Espresso" stars of Smith, Mallory Swanson and Trinity Rodman. She certainly seems up for it, though and, at just 19, there are bigger days and goals ahead.
She'll may continue be overlooked a bit and, for now, that's just fine. But it's clear Thompson is growing as she inches closer to being the player many expected when she first broke through with this USWNT group pre-World Cup.
AdvertisementImagnLOSER: Iceland
One of the biggest takeaways from this friendly is the fact that Iceland is actually a good opponent. Ranked 13th in the world by FIFA, Iceland didn't back down against the Olympic gold medalists, going toe-to-toe with the best team in the world.
The second big takeaway? There's a difference between good and great. Iceland may be good, but it takes perfection to beat the USWNT. Relative to the three USWNT goals, all three were moments of magic. They were created by pure individual brilliance and quality. It's something that 99 percent of the teams in the world lack. Not the USWNT.
That'll be a good lesson for Iceland, who will look to make waves in the Euros in 2025. Based on Thursday's performance, they'll definitely frustrate a few teams and, given their own quality up front, they may surprise a few heavyweights, too.
Not the USWNT, not on this night. They'll get another crack on Sunday.
ImagnWINNER: Jaedyn Shaw
Shaw's second-half goal, with the matched tied 1-1, makes you wonder, doesn't it? The USWNT won gold even without a healthy Shaw this summer. Imagine what they could have done with her?
Shaw didn't play a minute in France, but she rocked an incredible goal, one that perhaps a handful of players in the world can even score. That's how talented Shaw is when fit and ready.
Shaw scored four goals at the Gold Cup this summer and one more at the SheBelieves Cup. Despite her lack of game time at the Olympics, this very much was her year. At 19, she's already a superstar in a team filled with them. After missing the gold medal run because of injury, she summarized the moment.
“It was a really tough month for me, but it was also the best month of my life," she said, looking back the Paris Games, "and I really learned a lot from it. It made me hungrier to come back and produce the same, if not more.”
It'll be fun to watch Hayes navigate that dynamic and, as for Shaw, it'll be fun watching her continue to blossom as she stares down a revenge tour ahead of the World Cup in 2027.
ImagnWINNER: Sophia Smith
The third goalscorer of the night, coming off the bench, Smith deserves her mention, too. That's largely because of the goal she scored: an absolute missile from outside of the box. Somehow, it may have been the best finish of the night, which feels wild to say given the quality of the two that preceded it.
It's what Smith brings, though, and, right now, she's bringing it every time she's on the field. The 24-year-old striker was – unbelievably – the elder stateswoman on the scoresheet against Iceland, at least compared to the other two. And that wasn't lost on her.
"I never thought I’d see the day when I wasn’t the youngest, but it’s so special," she told TNT. "We have so much young talent coming in and for Jaedyn and Alyssa to score, for them to have the confidence to play their game and put the ball in the back of the net, it shows a lot about who they are as players. I think we have a very bright future."
Smith is very much part of that future, just as she's part of the present. Despite the heroics of Thompson and Shaw, Triple Espresso will be hard to break up. Right now, Smith might just be the USWNT's best forward and, if Thursday night proved anything, that truly is saying something.
