The US had strong performances from some of the Bubble players on Sunday, but they also got a shock when their playmaker went out in the first half

The US women’s national team continued preparations for the Olympics on Sunday evening with a comfortable 4-0 win over an overwhelmed Jamaica squad.

It couldn’t have been a better start as Carli Lloyd scored just 24 seconds and Lindsey Horan’s six minutes later meant Jamaica switched to damage control mode early. US coach Vlatko Andonovski had a lot to think about when some of his bubble players shone in Houston, but he was also shocked when Rose Lavelle had to be replaced in the first half due to an injury.

The USA did not score a goal between the 22nd minute and stoppage time in the second half, but continued to dominate. Here are three observations from the team’s penultimate game in their three June friendlies.

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Lloyd is making history – and its case

Lloyd is something of a mystery to Andonovski. She has made it clear in the past that she’s not happy with a bank role but probably won’t do much when she gets into the Olympic squad.

But Lloyd has the experience and pedigree for big game in her past and still offers many goals in the present. Her opening game after 24 seconds against Jamaica was the second fastest goal in USWNT history and at 38 years and 332 days she is now the oldest USWNT player to score.

“Being old isn’t that bad after all!” Lloyd continued Fox Sports after the game. “For me it’s all about getting better. It’s a cool record to have.”

Lloyd almost scored again minutes after their opener and was active and dangerous throughout the first half before being substituted at half time.

Andonovski has many options in attack if he chooses not to bring Lloyd to Tokyo, which means she is far from suspension despite her strong performance on Sunday. But against Jamaica, Lloyd took her chance.

Lavelle goes down in the first half

Rose Lavelle went down injured in the middle of the first half when she seemed overwhelmed while dribbling the ball.

Lavelle tried to keep playing but could not continue and was replaced by Sam Mewis.

The problem appeared minor and Lavelle left the field on her own. After the game, Andonovski said it was actually Lavelle who made the decision to show up as a precaution.

“Rose rolled her ankle slightly and she wanted to walk a bit more at first and it was her decision to relegate which I am very proud of,” said Andonovski. “Rose used to play 90 minutes, but she thought it best to pull yourself out.”

But any injury concerns for the team’s key playmaker so close to the Olympics are not ideal for the USWNT – especially a player with Lavelle’s injury history.

Strong performance from bubble players

Lloyd wasn’t the only player on the Olympic bubble to put in a strong performance against the Jamaicans on Sunday, Emily Sonnett and Midge Purce also stood out.

Purce, who normally plays outside for the USWNT, played her more natural attacking position and scored a goal in the first half before moving back on defense in the second half.

Sonett also demonstrated its versatility by putting in a solid two-way gearshift on both the right and left rear sides.

But it’s not entirely clear how much Andonovski should put emphasis on his players’ performance against Jamaica. The Caribbean nation is nowhere near the level of the USWNT and the coach is likely to learn a lot more about his players by training them against each other for two weeks than in a friendly like Sunday.