US Women's Soccer Team Rolls to Easy Win vs. Russia in Friendly

The United States women's national team got back on track at Toyota Stadium with a 4-0 win Thursday in the first of two friendlies against Russia.

Crystal Dunn and Allie Long scored two goals apiece in a match where the team held possession for 71 percent of the time.

USA finished with 33 shots compared to just five from Russia.

Although she ended up with just a single assist, Rose Lavelle was also a major star, showcasing her all-around ability in the midfield. 

Fox Soccer captured one impressive stretch that didn't even result in a goal:

Caitlin Murray of Fox Soccer also liked what she saw from the 21-year-old:

This effort helped Team USA move to 8-0-1 all-time against Russia.

Thursday's match was the United States' first appearance since the SheBelieves Cup, which was a clear disappointment for arguably the top squad in the world. The hosts finished in last out of four teams with just one win and two losses.

While the opponent is weaker than what the USWNT saw last month, the team certainly looked much more comfortable this time around.

After a lack of offense the last few times out, the Americans especially looked much better in the final third against Russia. 

The first score of the game came just 10 minutes into the match off a beautiful through ball by Carli Lloyd, via Fox Soccer:

Dunn also had a strong finish for her first goal of the day.

The United States then doubled its lead on header by Long. Lavelle sent the ball in on a corner kick to earn her first international assist, via USWNT:

Before the end of the first half, the home team expanded the lead to 3-0 on Dunn's second goal. This time it was virtually all by herself as she won a ball in the opposing end then beat the goalkeeper for the score.

The United States continued to dominate possession in the second half and secure most of the quality opportunities near the net.

Long failed to capitalize on a penalty drawn by Mallory Pugh when her shot went over the bar in the 67th minute. Fortunately, she made up for it three minutes later by doing what she does best. The midfielder headed in a cross from Pugh in the 70th minute to extend the lead to 4-0 for the Americans.

Between Lavelle and Pugh creating goals, there should be a lot of excitement about the team's future.

Veterans Megan Rapinoe and Amy Rodriguez were added late in the match and helped complete the shutout. Russia simply couldn't get anything going offensively and had few interesting moments on the attacking half of the field. 

These teams will battle once again in just three days. The game will move to BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, with the kickoff scheduled for Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. 

Although the starting lineups might be a bit different, the United States will hope for a similar result next time.    

Post-Match Reaction

Long joked after the match about Pugh's effort:

The 18-year-old Pugh showed plenty of ability in the match and clearly has tons of potential going forward.

Meanwhile, one of the most important things about the game was the team's ability to bounce back after a poor showing last month.

"The team hit a reset button going into this camp," Dunn said, per Thomas Floyd of Goal.com. "We said what's in the past is in the past. We can't focus too much on the results in the SheBelieves tournament, but we've got to get better. We've got to regroup, we've got to refocus, and tonight I feel like the team really came together."

This was just one match, but manager Jill Ellis likely feels better about the team after this match than earlier in the week.