Ali Krieger reacts to Sophia Wilson and Tierna Davidson returning to the USWNT squad to face Japan. (1:55)
The United States women's national team defeated Japan 2-1 on Saturday at Paypal Park in San Jose, California, to win a 10th straight match, and head coach Emma Hayes said the team's evolution was evident in how it managed late pressure.
"I think 12 months ago, we might have drawn this game," Hayes said in her postgame news conference. "I think the progress is in staying in the game and not conceding a second goal."
Rose Lavelle and Lindsey Heaps gave the United States a 2-0 lead, but Riko Ueki cut the deficit in the second half and nearly scored an equalizer moments later amid defensive lapses for the Americans. Saturday was the first of three meetings in a week between the United States and Japan.
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Hayes said she wanted an experienced lineup in the first match against Japan, and it was the USWNT's two most-capped players who scored. Lavelle also assisted Heaps' goal.
"I think when you play top teams, you need calm heads, and Rose has that in abundance," Hayes said. "It's why she's one of the best players in the world."
Sophia Wilson added further experience with her much anticipated return to the international stage. She started on Saturday and played for 67 minutes in her first international match in 17 months after giving birth to her daughter in September.
"I'm proud of her to come into that," Hayes said. "And it takes a bit of time to find that rhythm and I think she gave it everything she could. One of the things I said to her is she's gotta build her way back to it, but I'm really pleased with her. It's a great, great start for her and something for her to build on."
Lavelle opened the scoring nine minutes into the match when she glided through the penalty area to volley a ball that Trinity Rodman sent back across the face of the goal after Sam Coffey hit a free kick to the back post. Lavelle was making her 100th start for the team, the 31st player in program history to reach the feat.
The United States knocked on the door for a second goal as the team broke Japan's pressure from deep areas.
An unmarked Alyssa Thompson missed the frame from a tight angle at the back post in the 21st minute. After a quick combination for the Americans down the right side, Heaps found Wilson in behind, who hit a ball toward the back post and Thompson, who flashed her shot wide.
"You have to be really clinical at this level," Hayes said. "We score off a set piece, boom, one-nil. We need to go two-nil up. [Alyssa's] chance at the back post, that's the top level."
The United States jumped on Japan at the start of the second half. Three minutes after halftime, Lavelle played a deft ball to Heaps, who patiently waited to slot her left-footed shot into the net from 12 yards out. The play began with United States full-back Gisele Thompson applying pressure high on the left side to force a turnover in Japan's defensive zone.
The Thompson sisters started together for the fourth time, a program record (they are the third pair of sisters to represent the USWNT). Hayes said Gisele Thompson had a "fantastic performance" on the left side in an attacking full-back role behind her sister, who started up top.
"How nice is that, you've got your sister playing in front of you? They're gonna die for each other on the field," Hayes said.
Heaps, the team's captain, now has 40 international goals. She is the 16th player to reach that mark and the third oldest to reach it behind Megan Rapinoe and Julie Foudy.
Heaps' goal turned out to be the winner after Ueki pulled a goal back in the 61st minute.
Ueki nearly had the equalizer nine minutes later when she found herself free in the middle of the box again, but she placed her shot right at United States goalkeeper Claudia Dickey.
The United States controlled 61% possession in the match, in stark contrast to their 2-1 loss to Japan last year during the SheBelieves Cup.
"Where we've come from that last time that we played them in SheBelieves," Heaps said. "We've come a very long way, and that's credit to this team, credit to the staff, the way that we want to control the game, where we want to control the game and the chances that we want to create."
The U.S. and Japan will play again on Tuesday in Seattle before wrapping the three-game series on Friday outside Denver.
Japan had won eight straight matches coming into Saturday's game, six of which came at the AFC Women's Asian Cup. The Nadeshiko won that tournament last month, but the federation parted ways with head coach Nils Nielsen shortly after the tournament.
