The new U.S. coach immediately makes an impact, which suddenly puts this team in the conversation for gold

If you had any doubts about Emma Hayes, go ahead and admit right now that you were wrong. If you were worried about the wait, the fit or the style, then you haven't been paying attention.

We're just 180 minutes into these Olympic games, but it's already abundantly clear that Hayes has put this USWNT back on the precipice of the world's elite.

What a difference a coach can make, huh?

The Hayes Era is still very, very new, but it already feels entirely different from those sad final months of Vlatko Andonovski's tenure. The confidence and swagger have returned. So too have the goals. And perhaps those go hand-in-hand. Hayes' tactics have the USWNT running over and through opponents, and right now, they look as if they will be tough to stop.

Germany are the latest team to be pinned down to the tracks, unable to get out of the way of the U.S. freight train. Zambia felt it, too, in their 3-1 defeat, but Germany got it even worse as the USWNT ran away with a 4-1 win in Sunday's group stage.

With the win, the U.S. joined Spain as the first teams to secure a spot in the quarterfinals. The USWNT has now made it out of the group in all eight trips to the Olympics and has medaled in six of its seven previous Olympic appearances.

Much of the credit should go to the players, of course. Sophia Smith, coming off an opening-match injury, balled out this time around. Mal Swanson got another goal, too. And what else is there to say about Trinity Rodman, who looks like a new player this summer compared to last?

But give Hayes her flowers, too. It's her tactics and her belief that has the U.S. in this position. Her tweaks have made all the difference. Her willingness to unleash this attack has led to goals in bunches. In just a few games, she's found the balance that the U.S. so often lacked at the 2023 World Cup.

Hayes was complimentary of the attack, saying "I think we were absolutely devastating when we needed to be." But she added that this team still a work in progress, noting that "there's still things that irritate me about us, but that's for me to fix. … There's things I'm learning about the team tonight from a character perspective that I want to see, from a resilience perspective I wanted to see. When you play a top-level opponent, you get to see all sides and I saw all sides of us tonight, which was pleasing."

Don't underestimate Hayes and, given what we've seen, don't underestimate the USWNT. This team still has a lot of work to do but, with Hayes at the helm, the hope has returned.

GOAL takes a look at the winners and losers of the USWNT's win over Germany.

WINNER: Sophia Smith

Last summer at the World Cup, Sophia Smith scored twice in the opener and that was that. She never found the back of the net again. It was a disappointing run during what should have been a breakout tournament.

Smith won't be denied this summer, though. Two teams have tried and, so far, two teams have failed. The confidence is there and, when Smith is feeling that, the goals will flow.

She scored twice on Sunday. One was a great backpost finish while the other, to be fair, required a little bit of luck. You make your own luck, though, and Smith continues to make things happen whenever she gets on the ball.

The Portland Thorns star just looks so comfortable and confident. She interchanges with Mallory Swanson and Trinity Rodman in ways that make her impossible to track. And, the more goals go in, the harder it will be to stop her.

This could be her tournament, which will only propel the USWNT.

AdvertisementGettyLOSER: Tierna Davidson

Injuries are never ideal, but in the case of Davidson, it could prove to be truly problematic for the U.S.

The USWNT centerback left the game just before halftime, hobbling off the field just as Smith scored her second goal. Emily Sonnett was thrown into the match in her place and the U.S. survived, but this could be a long-term issue.

Sonnett is the only other central defender in the squad and, even so, she's meant to be a swiss-army-knife sub at several other positions. If Davidson can't go, that leaves the U.S. extremely thin at centerback while also taking away a key supersub for Hayes.

Davidson was playing well before her injury and her partnership with Naomi Girma has truly improved. Now, though, the U.S. will be left sweating on her fitness as they approach the group stage finale against Australia on Wednesday and, more important, the knockout stage.

GettyWINNER: Emma Hayes

U.S. Soccer was content to wait for Hayes. It was a tough choice but, in their eyes, it was a necessary one. The federation was willing to give up valuable Olympic preparation to make sure that this team had the right coach, as Hayes wrapped up her season at Chelsea. Those are the choices you have to make.

As it turns out, perhaps US Soccer didn't compromise as much as we thought they did.

Just a few months into her tenure, Hayes' fingerprints are all over this team. From tactics to personality, you can see her influence. This team plays a certain way, and that way is Hayes' way.

We saw it during her tenure at Chelsea, where she established herself as an elite tactician. She's brought those ideas to the U.S., too. In just a few games, Hayes has rebalanced the midfield and rebuilt the attack, fixing the two biggest problems the U.S. had last summer. It hasn't been static, either. Hayes has different ideas for different moments and, right now, they're all working.

In the first half against Germany, the U.S. looked to run. The team looked to unleash the attack and put Germany on the back foot. The game was a bit of a track meet as a result, and that was just fine.

The second half was totally different. As they did against Zambia, the U.S. cruised. They possessed, moved and made Germany chase. It's the luxury of a lead. In that scenario, you can dictate how the game is played.

Hayes is dictating just about everything right now. She's the puppet-master ensuring this show plays out to her liking. Right now, it's a hell of a show, too, with Hayes proving her worth every single game.

GettyLOSER: The goalkeepers

It was a rough day for goalkeepers overall and, while this wasn't as bad as the chaos that happened in the 6-5 Olympic instant classic between Australia and Zambia, this wasn't very good form from either shot-stopper.

Alyssa Naeher was directly responsible for Germany's goal. She gave the ball initially, putting Sam Coffey in danger with a bad pass. She then couldn't quite get the lift to stop Giulia Gwinn's long-range shot, despite it looking very saveable.

It was a tough day for Naeher, who has had her ups and downs over the last year. But It wasn't nearly as bad as Ann-Katrin Berger's outing, as Germany's No. 1 struggled herself.

Berger is familiar with Hayes, having played for her at Chelsea. Eventually, Hayes opted to move on. Sunday's performance at least partly showed why as Berger had several rough moments while conceding four. Her parry back into the path of Swanson was her worst moment, but it wasn't the only one.

Neither goalkeeper covered themselves in glory. In Naeher's case, her team played well enough to overcome it. For Berger? Not nearly enough.