Emma Hayes is the real deal: Winners and losers from USWNT's win over Germany as coach proves she was worth the wait

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.

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.

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.

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.

There are benefits to winning your first two games. Chief among them? The freedom.

The USWNT will head into their group stage finale with Australia on six points. With their goal difference, they're almost certainly finishing atop the group. Knowing that, Hayes can change things up, either to give some players rest or, equally likely, to experiment.

Rose Lavelle, who entered this tournament nursing a knock, could be rested or managed. Lynn Williams scored a great goal on Sunday and can now be used to give one of the attacking trio a break. Korbin Albert, Casey Krueger or Jenna Nighswonger could get the start after beginning these two games on the bench.

Or Hayes can roll with what we've already seen. It's her choice. And that's the nice thing that you earn by winning your first two games: the freedom to choose how you build towards the bigger games still ahead.

Australia will still be reeling from their clash with Zambia. It was an 11-goal thriller, after all. It takes time to recover from that.

When they do, they'll sit down and watch the USWNT tape, and what they see should scare the daylights out of them.

This U.S. team is intimidating to play against, and Sunday proved it. The trio of Smith, Rodman and Swanson is almost impossible to defend right now. Talent, movement, confidence, athleticism - they have it all and, right now, it feels like they know it, too.

There aren't many opponents that can match up with those three. The best defenders will struggle to deal with the combination of mental and physical challenges. And, with Hayes in the dugout, there will always be new wrinkles to keep you on your toes.

It isn't going to be fun for defenses going forward as every team the U.S. faces from here on out will know they'll need to go goal-for-goal with a team that is scoring in bunches this summer.