(John Glennon, The Tennessean, 03.07.16)

NASHVILLE  — Here are five things we learned from the U.S. women’s soccer team’s 1-0 win over France at Nissan Stadium on Sunday:

Pugh is the real deal. Forward Mallory Pugh, 17, looks like a star in the making for the U.S. women. The 5-foot-4 forward, who will attend UCLA in the fall, last month became the youngest player in U.S. women’s team history to play in an Olympic qualifying game.

On Sunday, Pugh showcased her speed and her skills, assisting on the only goal of the game. She started her fifth straight game, meaning her chances of making this summer’s U.S. Olympic squad are looking better and better.

“I’m really pleased with where she’s come in the tournament,” U.S. coach Jill Ellis said. “I think it’s not just the mental piece, but also the physical dimension of these games. It’s brand new to her at this level and she’s handled it masterfully.”

The soccer support was superb. The crowd of 25,363 that watched the U.S. beat France was not only the biggest crowd to watch women’s soccer in Tennessee, but was also the biggest crowd the U.S. women had played in front of in their last eight contests.

In the opening night of this SheBelieves Cup last week in Tampa, Fla., the crowd was 13,027. Remember, too, that the U.S. men’s soccer team drew 44,835 here for a game against Guatemala last year, smashing the record for a men’s game in Tennessee.

“You come in and it’s electric,” Ellis said of the environment. “These fans are phenomenal and this team thrives on that environment.

Solo stands out. In many games, the U.S. women’s team is so dominant that goalie Hope Solo hardly touches the ball. But in Sunday’s closely contested game, Solo offered another good example of why she’s considered the world’s best netminder.

When the Americans were on their heels in the first half, Solo came up with some crucial saves — tipping one shot over the crossbar, stopping another point-blank attempt and then smothering a dangerous corner kick right near the goal line.

“Such is goalkeeping,” Solo said. “You never know what is going to happen in any game.”

It’s a team in transition. The Americans did earn the victory, but didn’t look like their familiar well-oiled machine in the first half. One of the significant reasons for that was the opponent, an excellent French team. But the U.S. team is also doing some adjusting to new personnel and a new style after a handful of departures from last year’s World Cup-winning squad. 

One area of change is in the midfield, where Megan Rapinoe (injury) and Lauren Holiday (retirement) are missinga and players including Morgan Brian and Lindsey Horan are getting more responsibility.

“We just have to ride the wave a little bit,” U.S. midfielder Carli Lloyd said. “We just have to go through those growing pains and be patient, really.”

This tournament is critical. The Americans blew through their regional Olympic qualifying last month, winning five games by a combined score of 23-0. But the U.S. wasn’t facing the kind of quality teams it will see in Brazil at this summer’s Olympics.

That’s one reason why this SheBelieves Cup is so critical, as it gives the Americans some very competitive games against three of the top five teams in the world. The U.S. has won its first two games by 1-0 scores.

“France is a fantastic team and they really push you to the limit,” Ellis said. “But this is exactly why I wanted these games before the Olympics, so we can test ourselves.”