WASHINGTON — The U.S. women's soccer team's final friendly before the Paris Olympics was a heated affair, filled with sweltering heat and plenty of scoring chances.
No goals were scored in a 0-0 draw with Costa Rica on Tuesday night, marking just the second time the U.S. has failed to win its final game before a major tournament and the first time since 2015. But the game showed the Americans can handle the high temperatures that may await them later this month.
“The last two games have been awesome,” defender Casey Kruger said of the team's back-to-back exhibition games before their transatlantic flight. “I feel like we're going to get even hotter, so if we can play in this one, it definitely gives us some confidence heading into France.”
The temperature at kickoff was 98 degrees Fahrenheit as Washington matched the hottest day ever recorded in the nation's capital 104 hours earlier. The temperature remained at 94 degrees Fahrenheit at the end of the game.
Manager Emma Hayes believes the match will be a good test for her players, with similar temperatures expected in the match against Marseille later this month.
“It's an added bonus,” Hayes said Monday. “It's the perfect preparation. It's pretty hot out there, so it's a great opportunity to get some experience with what we're going to be facing.”
This also contributed to Rose Lavelle's last-minute withdrawal as a precaution after suffering leg cramps while warming up.
“I wasn't taking any risks,” Hayes said after the match, “She was a little tight in the groin, so I wasn't taking any risks. … I want to get all together and go to the Olympics.”
Played on a field that had been desolate from recent football, soccer and rugby matches, Colvin-Albert started in place of Lavelle and 18,972 fans watched the match, with players either criticising the field or refraining from commenting.
“It's no secret that in the corners it felt like we were kicking the dirt,” forward Mallory Swanson said. “It was OK. Sometimes that happens and I think this team has always overcome adversity.”
The U.S. created plenty of chances throughout the game, taking 26 total shots with 12 on goal, and was repeatedly denied by Costa Rican goalkeeper Noelia Bermudez, arguably one of the best players on the field.
Costa Rica, which failed to qualify for the Olympics, often backed away while the U.S. consistently attacked, taking just two shots on goal.
Following a ceremony featuring friends and family following the U.S. team's “send-off game,” they will fly to Paris on Wednesday to play their first Olympic game against Zambia in Nice on July 25. Group matches against Germany in Marseille on July 28 and Australia on July 31 conclude the team's group stage, with the U.S. looking to improve on its bronze-medal result in Tokyo three years ago.
Hayes, who has been in charge of the U.S. since late May, was proud of the team's possession in Sunday's 1-0 win over Mexico in New Jersey but said Monday that he wanted to “take advantage of that more.” Tuesday's win over Costa Rica featured more of the same, with a couple of scoring chances called off for offside and missed chances on corners and rushes.
“This is our chance, bigger than the Olympics,” captain Lindsey Horan said. “We're going to keep working hard and we know these opportunities will come and we're going to take advantage of them in the next game.”
With a mostly young and inexperienced squad, Hayes wanted to keep as many players in the game as possible, and she backed that up by making four substitutions in the 67th minute and one more late in the game.
