WASHINGTON — In their final tune-up before the Paris Olympics, the U.S. women’s national team played Costa Rica to a scoreless draw before a crowd of 18,972 at Audi Field who braved 96-degree temperatures at kickoff.
Trinity Rodman came close to finding the back of the net with her left foot in the final minute of added time, but like all of the U.S. chances on Tuesday, the effort fell flat.
Rose Lavelle, the third most experienced member of the Olympic team, withdrew from the competition after experiencing leg tightness while warming up.
The United States will face Zambia on July 25 in their first Olympic group match.
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USA TODAY Sports provided updates and highlights from the U.S. Women’s National Team’s pre-Olympic warm-up matches.
Highlights of the USA Women’s National Team vs. Costa Rica
This was not the send-off the U.S. Women’s National Team was hoping for in their final game before the Paris Olympics, despite being in complete control of the match.
Extra time
According to the fourth official, there will be at least five minutes of added time.
Croix Bethune receives thunderous applause
Cloix Bethune came on for Mallory Swanson in the 88th minute and received the loudest ovation of the night, as the NWSL rookie has clearly become a fan favorite in her 11 games with the Washington Spirit.
The U.S. Women’s National Team is on the verge of finishing without a goal.
Despite several chances before the final 30 minutes, the U.S. failed to score. Trinity Rodman’s header was headed straight at the goalkeeper. Mallory Swanson’s shot was wide of the left post. Costa Rica’s defense had few balls to break through. Several Costa Rican players were brought down in the final minutes, affecting the flow of the game.
Emma Hayes is on the bench and four new players are brought on.
In the 67th minute, USWNT coach Emma Hayes made a move to try to get as many players as possible to gain match experience, which had been her goal at the start of the match, as Emily Fox, Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman and Corbin Albert were all substituted.
Casey Kruger, Lynn Williams, Emily Sonnett and Jaydyn Shaw participated in the game.
Very close, but offside
The U.S. Women’s National Team finally looked to have a breakthrough about 10 minutes into the second half, but the referee again called it offside. The U.S. had at least two goals ruled offside, plus several other clear-cut chances.
The U.S. capitalized on its numerical advantage early in the first half. Their attacks looked organized. Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith both missed shots on what would have arguably been the first goal of the game.
Halftime: USA 0, Costa Rica 0
Tierna Davidson played a beautiful through ball to Sophia Smith who instead of shooting chose to pass and Noelia Bermudez easily won the ball, but further link-up play inside the penalty area also failed to result in a shot on goal.
The U.S. dominated possession and mostly kept the play in Costa Rica’s half, but, like Saturday’s win over Mexico, they barely converted their chances, something coach Emma Hayes hoped could be improved in this exhibition.
Neither team is playing hard in their final pre-Olympic training sessions, but a match of this calibre will require a high level of physicality, and both teams will likely be more cautious about injuries and more conservative in the second half.
The game slows down
At the 29:30 mark, the ecstatic capacity crowd broke out into the customary “USA!” chants. A few minutes later, Rodman sprinted to win a corner kick. The pace slowed a bit around the water break, but then the Americans had a couple more chances, thanks to a Lindsey Horan header and a Sophia Smith shot that deflected high to the right.
Trinity Rodman and Costa Rica goalie collapse
Trinity Rodman and Costa Rican goalkeeper Noelia Bermudez went down after Rodman was hit in the forearm by Bermudez. Both players were on the ground for approximately three minutes. Both Rodman and Bermudez continued in the match.
Opportunities come slowly
A run by Crystal Dunn gave the U.S. their first chance in the ninth minute on a corner kick. It was a solid play that threw off the timing of the Costa Rican defense, but the U.S. players’ feet and heads were not enough to capitalize.
In the 12th minute, some clever work from Trinity Rodman created an opportunity down the right wing. The U.S. had another chance with a long pass, but the flag was raised for offside. Sophia Smith was unmarked as she charged in again, and Costa Rica goalkeeper Noelia Bermudez had to make a save.
Field in poor condition
The Audi Field surface is not exactly the best in professional soccer in the United States. It was in particularly poor condition during Friday’s rugby event there and Saturday’s match against DC United, with the ball bouncing erratically and showing signs of wear and tear. That’s another reason why team decision-makers were in favor of giving Lavelle a rest.
Colvin Albert will start in place of Rose Lavelle.
In a last-minute change, Corbin Albert was brought into the U.S. women’s national team lineup in place of midfielder Rose Lavelle, who the team said was left out due to leg tightness.
Doe Emhoff in attendance
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff was in attendance at Audi Field, where fireworks were set off and the starters received a thunderous ovation as they took the field.
The spirit of homecoming
Casey Kruger and Trinity Rodman, along with reserve players Cloix Bethune and Hal Hirschfeld, are members of the local Washington Spirit and will surely receive thunderous applause during introductions and throughout the game.
Defender Emily Fox is from near Ashburn, Virginia.
What time does tonight’s USWNT vs. Costa Rica match start?
Kickoff is scheduled for tonight at 7:30 PM ET.
How to watch the US Women’s National Team take on Costa Rica: TV channels, streaming info
TNT and truTV will broadcast the game in English, while Universo will broadcast it in Spanish. The game can be streamed live in English on Max and in Spanish on Peacock.
stream: USWNT vs. Costa Rica on FuboTV
USA Women’s National Team starting XI for Costa Rica
Team captain Lindsey Horan will earn her 150th cap in Tuesday night’s Olympic send-off game against Costa Rica. Horan is the 25th player in U.S. Women’s National Team history to win 150 or more caps with the senior team.
Meanwhile, Trinity Rodman has played in every national team match since the start of 2023 and will be making her 30th consecutive appearance for the U.S. Women’s National Team.
USWNT Olympic Schedule
The U.S. Women’s National Team’s road to the Olympics will begin in Group B, where they will face Zambia, Germany, and Australia. The women’s soccer tournament will essentially span the entire Olympics, with matches beginning on July 25, the day before the Opening Ceremony. If the U.S. Women’s National Team survives the tough competition and advances to the Gold Medal Game, their final game at the Olympics will be played on August 10, the day before the Closing Ceremony.
Here’s the full schedule (all times Eastern):
Thursday, July 25: USA vs. Zambia, 3 p.m.
Sunday, July 28: USA vs. Germany, 3 p.m.
Wednesday, July 31: USA vs. Australia, 1 p.m.
Saturday, August 3 Quarter finals
Tuesday, August 6: Semi-finals
Friday, August 9: Bronze Medal Match, 9 a.m.
Saturday, August 10 Gold Medal Match, 11 a.m.
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