<p>The US Women’s National Team (USWNT) defeated Germany on Tuesday to qualify for the Women’s Olympic Soccer gold medal game. Although we could talk endlessly about the USA’s front three and how they saved the day with their dynamism and their fluidity in transition, USWNT Head Coach Emma Hayes had the biggest impact on the match. It came with her tactical decisions.</p>



<p>Throughout the quarterfinal game against Japan and in this semi-final versus Germany, Hayes has been met with a volley of criticism from both fans and media about her decision-making in not fielding substitutions promptly. This has especially been the case in the second halves of games where USWNT players run out of energy in a grueling competition.</p>



<p>So on Tuesday, with the match headed to extra time and still stuck at 0-0, critics took to social media again to criticize her reluctance to substitute players. After all, <a href="https://www.ussoccer.com/players/s/sophia-smith" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sophia Smith</a>, Mallory Swanson, and Trinity Rodman can only run for so long. </p>



<p>The midfield looked the opposite of creative, uncompromising at times as they grappled with fatigue. More worryingly, the Germans had a leeway into the match, breaking off counters and forcing Naeher into some acrobatic saves.</p>



<h2>The decision by Emma Hayes that changed the game</h2>



<p>Her next move was to bring on Korbin Albert for Lindsey Horan, which seemed like an unwise decision at the time. She also took off the gassed Crystal Dunn for Jenna Nighswonger, who hadn’t started a match at the Olympics yet. Although risky, the reward was immense.</p>



<p>Just minutes after making the substitutions, Sophia Smith poked the ball into the back of the net to win the game for the United States.</p>



<p>In Albert, they finally found stability. Horan has had an up-and-down Olympics — she boasts two assists in five starts. But, she’s looked spotty beating the press and distributing the ball. It was more of the same in Lyon, as she struggled to break through Germany’s compact lines. Albert brought a new-found physicality to the USWNT midfield, doing the dirty work to help the States’ playmakers like Samantha Coffey and Rose Lavelle succeed.</p>



<p>And, most importantly in Nighswonger, they found good distribution and explosiveness down the left-hand side. When Swanson seemed gassed and unwilling to make the marauding runs she excelled at, Nighswonger stepped in to add offensive firepower. She helped create big chances in the 30 minutes she came on. She even stepped into the left-wing role after Swanson went out.</p>



<p>They look prepared to take on a Brazil side that looked inconsistent throughout the Olympics in the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/olympics-soccer-schedule-and-tv-guide/">gold medal match</a>. You can count on Smith, whose birthday falls on the gold medal match on Saturday, scoring again.</p>



<p><em>PHOTOS: IMAGO</em>.</p>

Who needs subs? Emma Hayes outsmarts critics with USA win

Who needs subs? Emma Hayes has come under a lot of criticism for not using substitutes, but is the blowback deserved?

Who needs subs? Emma Hayes outsmarts critics with USA win - World Soccer Talk

destacadas


<p>FIFA has reportedly blocked a trial for temporary substitutions for players that have suffered a head injury. The world’s governing body of the sport was previously approached by multiple soccer leagues on the issue. However, <em><a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/premier-league-concussion-substitutes-head-injury-assessment-bxfbbrzkk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Times</a></em> is claiming that FIFA has now rejected the concept.</p>



<p>According to the British news outlet, officials from the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/premier-league-tv-schedule/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Premier League</a>, France’s <a href="https://www.worldsoccertalk.com/ligue-un-tv-schedule" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ligue 1</a>, and <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/mls-tv-schedule/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Major League Soccer</a> asked FIFA for the trial. The idea was to allow teams a temporary substitution while head injuries could be examined. </p>



<h5>Rule would allow 10-minute player exams during games</h5>



<p>Under the proposal, club doctors would receive 10 minutes to fully inspect a possible head injury. Clubs would be able to bring on a temporary substitute during this timeframe. The doctors would then determine whether or not the injury player can continue after the examination. A similar rule is currently in place European rugby leagues.</p>



<p>Professor James Calder,&nbsp;an orthopedic surgeon, told the aforementioned news outlet that FIFA made the wrong call. “The Premier League has suggested that there are two assessments and that you trial both systems and see what happens, and that would seem a perfectly reasonable thing to do,” <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/premier-league-concussion-substitutes-head-injury-assessment-bxfbbrzkk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">claimed</a> Calder.</p>



<p>“I think it would give some answers and information. Being a scientist, I think that the best approach would be to trial both and see which one works better.”</p>



<p>FIFA has instead insisted that permanent substitutions are the safest option for players. The Premier League currently has permanent concussion substitutions in place. This means that players determined to have suffered head injuries can’t reenter matches. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🗣 "It&apos;s a miracle for me, to be here."<br><br>Raul Jimenez speaks about his recovery from a major head injury to be back playing for Wolves in the Premier League <a href="https://t.co/EJ2WIYcdB7">pic.twitter.com/EJ2WIYcdB7</a></p>— Football Daily (@footballdaily) <a href="https://twitter.com/footballdaily/status/1427895088147943436?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 18, 2021</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<h2>Teams may take advantage of head injury substitutions</h2>



<p>Nevertheless, there are concerns around the sport that the current rules may not be as safe as FIFA believes. There are worries that club doctors are less willing to remove key players for remainder of matches without the possibility of them returning to the pitch. This occurred during the World Cup in Qatar. Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand remained in a game despite visual effects from a head injury.</p>



<p>The Premier League claims that significant head injuries are down in the rugby leagues with the temporary substitutions. Further research in France suggests that 53% of players suffering concussions during matches remained on the pitch. There is a suggestion that over 600,000 sports-related concussions occur in the United Kingdom every year.</p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / Action Pictures</em></p>


FIFA has reportedly blocked a rule for temporary head injury substitutions proposed by the Premier League and Major League Soccer.

ALL POSTS TAGGED "substitutions"

Paris 2024 Olympics

Who needs subs? Emma Hayes outsmarts critics with USA win

FIFA

FIFA blocks EPL request for temporary head injury substitutions