The final friendly between the USWNT and the Netherlands delivered on its promise of intensity and drama. While Emma Hayes’ side secured the win, the Dutch dominated the game, especially in the first half which left the Americans scrambling to keep the ball out of their net. Around the 32-minute mark, Alyssa Naeher went down with what appeared to be a tactical injury so that her side could regroup but USWNT star, Becky Sauerbrunn wasn’t a huge fan of their tactics. 

Managers often resort to such tactics to buy a few minutes and relay instructions, as if screaming on the touchline wasn’t enough. In this case, the USWNT badly needed words from their manager for her side looked far from the team that won Olympic Gold in Paris 2024. Sauerbrunn, however, called for the players to problem-solve on the pitch and disapproved of such antics, which only waste time, for their opponents, at least. 

“The defensive team, or the team that are on the backfoot will have a quote on quote, injury, and mostly it’s the goalkeeper because the goalkeeper doesn’t have to leave the field,” said the Portland Thorns player, who then highlighted that because the keeper is injured, the referee has to stop the play. She also called out Hayes’ side for making the ‘tactical injury’ a bit too obvious during the ‘The Women’s Game Podcast‘. 

“It’s within the rules of the game, but it’s not within the spirit of the game,” said Sauerbrunn who then went on to talk about how these tactical injuries add to so much extra stoppage time. “It’s a little ridiculous, I totally understand that they work, but it’s like, is there a better way of doing this, (so) this doesn’t prolong the game, with no soccer being played.” 

This tactic especially affects the momentum of the attacking team. Imagine your players are on the break, and the counter-attack gets stopped because a player deliberately draws a foul or goes down because of an earlier challenge. For the first time, Hayes’ side looked vulnerable but the former Chelsea boss’ half-time decisions paid off. 

Substitutions save the Stars and Stripes 

The front three of Jaedyn Shaw, Rose Lavelle, and Yazmeen Ryan managed to get only a single attempt at goal, compared to the Netherlands’s 14 in the first half. Hayes decided to bring on the likes of Lynn Williams and Lily Yohannes, with the duo combining for the side’s winner in the 71st minute. 

The occasion was even more special for the 17-year-old Yohannes as she played in front of a Dutch crowd, after choosing to represent the USWNT over the Oranje. Going forward, the young Ajax midfielder will be instrumental for Hayes’ side, who drew some criticism for not starting her this match. 

With the 2-1 win Emma Hayes maintains her perfect record ever since taking over the USWNT. For now, we are likely to see more of such tactical fouls until FIFA implements some sort of rule regarding them. For fans, however, they can enjoy more than just 90 minutes of football, thanks to these antics.