11 shots, 3 on target yet the US Women’s National Team struggled to find the back of the net against England. Although, the numbers are much better compared to the home side—4 shots with only 1 being on target—it’s questioning how at least the American ladies ended up with such a lackluster performance. While many supporters may miss the magic of Triple Espresso, Emma Hayes claims she actually ‘enjoyed’ the efforts of Lynn Williams, Alyssa Thompson, and Emma Sears.

One might have seen this coming as soon as Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith, and Mallory Swanson weren’t called up to the current national camp. Then again, they needed their much-needed rest while others deserved a chance to prove themselves, who sadly couldn’t give the coffee shot like Triple Espresso. “At the end of the day, we didn’t score and for that, I felt we should have done more for the volume of entries we had,” began Hayes in the post-match presser.

However, even though the new trio of the USWNT couldn’t make the impact they were expected to, Emma still praised their efforts. “So the decision-making execution, that comes with a connection—Trin, Soph, and Mal, they’re used to that. It’s a lot of new players—Emma Sears, Alyssa Thompson, Lynn Williams, a trio that’s never played together before. So I think we did well for that.”

Interestingly, the whole trio was replaced by another new trio of Ally Sentnor, Jaedyn Shaw, and Korbin Albert, but she took the midfield spot, making a two-forward lineup for the US with Sentnor and Shaw spearheading the attack. However, the duo also failed in their quest to find a winner and sole goal of the game, again keeping Hayes impressed.

“And then the finishers coming in, I thought Yazmeen Ryan did a good job; second half Korbin came in, allowed us to put Rose into a position to come off the touchline. I actually really enjoyed our performance but we were missing that last part,” concluded Hayes.

Do you know what else was missing for the USWNT? A fair resolution for the Stars and Stripes as they failed to get their VAR justice!

Were Emma Hayes and USWNT denied a potential winner vs. England?

Substitute Yazmeen Ryan charged into the penalty area, coming face-to-face with England’s Alex Greenwood. Attempting to block Ryan’s scoring chance, Greenwood extended her arms, and the ball seemed to strike her arm. The referee spotted the contact and immediately awarded a penalty kick to the Stars and Stripes.

The USWNT and their fans erupted in celebration, but their excitement was short-lived as VAR stepped in. After reviewing the footage, it was revealed that the ball initially hit Greenwood’s abdomen before deflecting onto her shoulder. On closer inspection, it became evident that the ball never touched Greenwood’s hand or arm.

With this clarification, the referee had no choice but to overturn the penalty decision and resume play without any advantage. The reversal left the USWNT disappointed, dampening their earlier enthusiasm.

What do you make of the England vs USWNT match? Let us know in the comments.