USA vs Japan 4 - 2 All Goals & Extended Highlights | 2018 Tournament of Nations

We are the new America. Not as physical, not as athletic. The cap has looked incredibly settled after assuming that role. In the center of the park, Lindsey Heran has had an incredibly bright season for the NWSL. Right now, she's just playing in her 11th cap, and in front of them, with Sakaguchi and Miura, both those players are just earning their second cap. Those aren't the preferred center mids, neither are the preferred center backs. On that whistle, we're officially underway. The sprint there. Morgan brings it down against Sabashima. Nice cutting ball in. The turn. Bryant cuts. Nobody there. Dunn. Puts one up for grabs, and Heran heads it wide. Wide for Dunn. The cross inside. Going after it. 22 and blue for Japan. Well-timed run there. Nakajima again, but cut off. It's good movement in tight spaces. Tanaka, the shot. Was that handled? I thought it was handled. The whistle is blown. Hyatt was up. Let's see. Going forward. Press. Rapinoe in for Alex, and the U.S. leads. Delales talked about transition moments, and how the U.S. wanted to take advantage of them today. Well, they come storming down. Rapinoe's patient with her spacing, and allows that passive channel just to remain enough for the ball to slip in stride. And then she sees Alex Morgan. That's the only spot Rapinoe can put it. Because of the pressure. It's so tight. Alex Morgan has to make that near post run. Beats her player there, and then just slots it. Tanaka with a step. Tanaka again with a chip. Tanaka. 1-1. Great individual effort. That didn't take long. And like the U.S., it's an incredibly efficient attack, where they just go streaking down the center of the park. And her run is incredibly well-timed and spaced there. She just sneaks inside the outside back. Davidson was caught up. Dahlkemper's trying to come over. Here's the little combination that sets everything free. And then to Sagawa, who comes in from that outside spot. Tanaka then beats Dahlkemper with that cut. And that deflection helps it on its way. Morgan leaves it off for Horan. This cross. Ertz getting forward. Ertz fires it. It's blocked. Cross. Settled. Chipped. Not a down. There's the one. 2-1. Alex Morgan has two. Play all starts, and Julie Ertz picking up a second ball. We think of Japan as a team that's so organized to pick up that second ball underneath. It's Ertz that wins it. It's on this next attack. Horan gets it outside to Dunn. She lays that all the way across. It's a brilliant ball, in fact, because there's few players floating into that space. And then the putback ball. Alex Morgan just pulls off that center back. And it's this one by Emily Sonik. Good awareness to take that touch to bring it down. I think she wanted to have a go initially first time, but Kristen Press was in front of her. And then she just lays that back across. And Alex Morgan with the awareness to just redirect that in. To let it go to her. Here's Shimizu on the move. Outside the box. It's going to be blocked out for a corner. For the U.S. in white. Long. Left to right foot. Lately, everything she's striking seems to find the back of the net. And again, this is the U.S. playing a long ball, trying to get their players in. Samashima defends. Press waits for some help. Cuts to the inside. Back outside. And then lost it in the end. Pino's pass. Morgan, but the flag. Headed forward. Ertz on the move. No one picks her up. That's a look right there that's been successful in the U.S. with Alex Morgan between the center backs. And this is the one that she nods on into the path of Ertz. Making that run out of midfield. And she has so much time and space. Horan bodies off that run. By Samashima who's trying to come across. This is the ball just clipped in by Davidson. She has really good awareness. That's played to her head on purpose so she can redirect it. And then Ertz just lays that right at Yamashita. She has both corners to pick out because I don't think this will open up. You'll have the domino effect where you pull Japan out of shape. Final whistle is blown. First half has come to a close. Thanks to Alex Morgan and her two goals. The U.S. has a 2-1 lead over Japan in this Tournament of Nations game. Come back with us. Alex Curry and Leslie Osborne after the break. Thank you, Alex. Second half begins. Alex Morgan. Two goals. She had three shots. The attack. Ball played through to Rapinoe. And it goes right to Yamashita. What do you want to see better, Alex, from the U.S.? That's a nice ball. Hasegawa. Played it across. Press. In line. Cut. Saved by Yamashita. That's too big a save she's had to make. It came off of a poor turnover in the center of the park. Rapinoe puts one up. Yamashita. Missed it. Rebound. Cut off the line. The U.S. nearly had their third goal. Headed forward. And that's Wyatt of Yamashita who was bailed out by a teammate clearing it off the line. Decent opportunity for the U.S. Look at that. Heath playing it in. I think that's your answer, JP. You just saw what Tobin Heath brings to a game. First she did opt to go down the flank. Take two players on with the long touch. You don't think about that with Tobin Heath. Using pace to get him behind. But then here, when she sizes two players up, she knows the cover's inside so she's going to take her around the outside. Gets her to bite. Draws her in. And then walks that tightrope. Slides it across. And then Alex Morgan does the rest. Here's that little touch just to maintain that ball. That angle. The deflection lands fortuitously at Alex Morgan's feet. And then she roofs that one with her left. Morgan. Pick it up there. Rapinoe. Full speed ahead. Trying to get it back. She's in from Lavelle. USA. The U.S. has looked a ton more dynamic going for it. It's Megan Rapinoe that just glides by that midfield line. And then the quick little combination. She gets on the end of that pass from Lavelle. It's meant to be a one-two. The defender squanders it right into the path of Rapinoe. She continues her run. And it lands right in stride for her. And then she's going to do the rest as she's now in behind. Sizes up Yamashita. It's actually the same level height, but she's in. Kiyaka leaves it. Quick shot. Big save there. Off Sugisawa. Freshest legs of the game. Brought to Sugisawa. Leads it right. Ball's played across. Yokoyama! Over there. It was there for her. That was such a good build-up by Japan. Sugisawa. On the spin move. Played inside. The turn. Yokoyama. She goes down. Sakaguchi. Still has it. Sakaguchi. The shot. Nair couldn't get to it. That's a goal for Japan. And you could see that ball getting away and away. Wasn't sure if Nair was going to be able to get to it. You just mentioned it, JP. This spell of attacks from Japan with their substitutions. They have the height of Sugisawa. This is an instance where they get it wide. You beat that first defender. Sakaguchi does. She cuts inside. It's Tobin Heath that she sends to the ground. And then Emily Sonnen's biting on the pass wide because they've got that player there. And then she just lines this one up. She drifts it into that far post. Right side. Yokoyama. Crystal goes before. Starting as a little away. Lifted long. And the offside flag up again on Japan. On that kick. Final whistle. US wins it 4-2. How do you summarize this one? You see how explosive the US can be. That seems to be the storyline for the US. We know they're good going forward, but it's going to be about putting together more controlled performances. I think if they want to break teams down they've got the versatility, the personnel to slide people in. You saw the second half look incredibly different from the first for the US. And that's a good thing because they're going to need wrinkles and options when they play different types of opponents.