Sophia Smith receives the Man of the Match award from her father, Kenny. Credit: Fiona Goodall/Getty Images The United States comfortably thrashed Vietnam 3-0 in the opening game.
The 22-year-old scored a clinical double in the first half of a dominant performance by the defending champions at Eden Park in Auckland and was named Man of the Match, with her father presenting her with the trophy.
Kenny Smith told his daughter he was 'so proud' when he presented the award, after which the couple started.
Sophia Smith scored two goals in the first half as the United States beat Vietnam in Group E. Photo: AP
In addition to two goals in the first half, Smith later added an assist when Lindsey Horan scored the third goal for Team USA, who didn't have to pay for a bad end to a restricted team from Vietnam making their World Cup debut.
“I love playing with Lindsey, she is such a great player. She has such a good eye for things that many players don't see,” Smith said afterwards. “She understands my game. She understands my runs even before I do them.”
Horan was also quick to praise her younger teammates, saying, “They're confident, they've been in difficult situations. Sophie Smith, look what she did. She does this every single day in training, so it doesn't shock me. But it's always nice to play the first game to really calm everyone's nerves and score three points.”
Few gave Vietnam much hope of beating the four-time champions in Group E's first leg, and the Asian team could have fallen even further behind at half-time if US legend Alex Morgan hadn't converted a penalty.
Vietnamese goalkeeper Tran Kim Thanh saved Morgan's penalty kick to cheers new jubilation from his teammates.
p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>An important moment for Vietnam goalkeeper Tran Thi Kim Tan! ⛔️🧤 #BBCWorldCup #FIFAWWC #USAVIE pic.twitter.com/BsdO0KDkYN
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport), 22 July 2023
The Vietnamese received raucous support from the neutrals at Eden Park as they made occasional forays into the American half, though they were unable to convert their vigorous efforts to even a single shot.
The World Champions started brightly with four shots in the first ten minutes, and Vietnam looked like it had been blown away by the wind.
When Smith calmly landed Tran's first shot in the 14th minute to give the US the lead, it looked like the fight would be nothing more than a march reminiscent of a 13-0 thrashing of Thailand at the last World Cup.
But despite a smart turnaround by debutante Savannah Demelo, whom Tran saved, the US created few clear chances until they earned a penalty shortly before half-time.
Trinity Rodman was knocked down in the 44th minute by Thi Thu Chan's clumsy tackle, and after a lengthy VAR check, referee Bushra Karboubi pointed to the spot for the sixth penalty in six matches this World Cup.
After parrying a shot, the experienced US striker attempted to pounce on the rebound, but was taken down, though VAR ruled she had not been fouled.
The United States did it. you won't have to wait long to make amends.
Moments later, Morgan contested a deep cross from Emily Fox and the loose ball fell on Smith, who turned it past the stuck goaltender. The assistant referee flagged Morgan offside during the ramp-up, but another icy VAR check eventually ruled the 34-year-old was in.
The U.S. missed numerous second-half chances, including a bad miss from Megan Rapinoe, who blew eight yards minutes after coming off the bench in her 200th international game to a standing ovation.
About her milestone, Rapino joked, “It seems old to reach this. My feet say, “You deserve it.” Of course, it's nice that this happens in such a significant game as the World Cup.
Lindsey Horan and Megan Rapino celebrate the third goal. Photo: GETTY IMAGES
Against Thailand in 2019, the United States scored six goals in the last 15 minutes, and after Horan's goal in the 77th minute, it looked like the floodgates were about to open.
By this point, the energy of Vietnam had dried up, and Rose Lavelle almost scored the fourth goal, but the crossbar failed him five minutes before the end.
No team has ever won three championships.
and the world in a row, and the US will have to add more if they want to set this record – starting with a repeat of the 2019 final when they face the Netherlands on Thursday.
US team coach Vlatko Andonovski expects better results after the less experienced members of his team played their first match at the World Cup.
“I really believe that by the second game they will be a little more excited, less nervous, no stress,” he said.
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