Sophia Smith scored a pair of goals to help the United States beat Germany 4-1 and advance to the quarter-finals at the Paris Olympics on Sunday night.
Mallory Swanson and Lynn Williams also scored for the Americans, who defeated Zambia 3-0 in the opener.
The US are playing their first major tournament under new coach Emma Hayes, who took over the US team in late May. Hayes is tasked with leading the US as they seek to distance themselves from the disappointment of last summer’s Women’s World Cup, when they crashed out in the round of 16.
The US are the winningest team in the Olympics, with four gold medals. They won the bronze medal at the Tokyo Games under former coach Vlatko Andonovski, who resigned after a disappointing performance at the the 2023 World Cup.
In six games under Hayes, the US look far from a team in need of a rebuild after their early World Cup exit and more like a side with expectations of winning another gold.
