Emma Hayes aims to answer an eternal USWNT question: Slow down more or shoot first?

WASHINGTON — The U.S. women’s soccer team has long been defined by its athleticism, and a combination of ability and desire to hit the gas pedal and race past opponents.

Emma Hayes is not the first manager who has wanted to rein that in, and it will take time to know if she succeeds. There have been early signs she’s been successful, including in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Mexico in the first of two Olympics tune-ups.

“It’s teaching them the right moments when to progress, when not to progress, and then in and around the penalty box, how to access the right spaces in the right moments at the right time,” Hayes said afterward. “It’s just the small details, like checking to see where the goalkeeper is, or checking to see where you are in relation to the goal, and maybe just taking an extra second.”

» READ MORE: Sophia Smith’s goal gives U.S. women’s soccer a win over Mexico in Olympic tuneup

But the downside of that patience is that on a few too many occasions Saturday, the U.S. had looks to shoot that they didn’t take. Scoring chances are the scarcest commodity in international soccer, so it raised some eyebrows that the Americans weren’t more clinical.

“Maybe one touch too many, one pass too many,” said striker Sophia Smith, who scored Saturday’s lone goal and had a few other looks she didn’t finish. “I should have finished a few more chances to put it away to begin with. But that’s stuff that’s fine-tuning.”

When those words were relayed to Hayes, the manager had a quip ready: “That’s what I love about her, [that] she’s thinking like that.”

» READ MORE: Briana Scurry knows the kids she inspired as a player are now U.S. team stars

The point of focus with Hayes isn’t when the U.S. is in its classic breakaways, but when it’s in soccer’s equivalent of a basketball half-court set: the defense is already there, bunkered in, daring the U.S. to get past it.

“We have to work the box a little better, and also, always maintain width,” she said. “Sometimes I think we’re a little impatient — I want to be intricate, quick touch, shot. I don’t think we do enough to break the opponent down and get into the key areas.”

It’s a lot of terminology, and for an outsider, a fair amount of you-know-it-when-you-see it, and at the end, a desire for balance.

“When we attack it can be done really quickly, but it can’t be just that,” Hayes said. “There’s going to be moments when we can’t, and we have to be a little more indirect, switch the pitch a little more, and recognize the moments when we get locked into one side. There’s no denying when the game opens up, I think we thrive. My goal is to thrive in all moments.”

» READ MORE: U.S. women’s soccer young star Catarina Macario will miss Olympics with ‘minor knee irritation’

But even she admitted in a news conference Monday, after watching Saturday’s film: “Knowing the amount of possession the team had in the last game, the amount of control the team had, it’s doing more with it. That’s what I want to see, particularly in the final third.”

If Hayes and her players can get the balance right, they’ll be primed for a long run at the upcoming Olympics.

It’s not just Philadelphia that’s in the midst of a broiling heat wave these days. D.C. is too, with an extra dash of the humidity that the city’s summers are known for.

Temperatures hit 101 degrees on Monday, and are expected to push the century mark again Tuesday. Though kickoff of the Olympics send-off game vs. Costa Rica isn’t until 7:30 p.m. (TNT, truTV, Universo, Max, Peacock), it will still be plenty hot at that hour.

As of now, the game is expected to kick off on schedule. Expect to see one hydration break during each half, as was the case Saturday and is regularly the case for soccer games played in hot weather.

» READ MORE: USWNT goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher remains a quiet leader, even with all her big-game heroics

Times listed are Philadelphia time. All of NBC’s video streaming of the Olympics is available free with pay-TV provider authentication at NBCOlympics.com, or via subscription on Peacock.

Tuesday, July 16: Warmup game vs. Costa Rica at Washington (7:30 p.m., TNT, truTV, Universo, Max, Peacock)

Thursday, July 25: Group stage vs. Zambia at Nice, France (3 p.m., USA Network, Universo, Peacock)

Sunday, July 28: Group stage vs. Germany at Marseille, France (3 p.m., USA Network, Telemundo 62, Peacock)

Wednesday, July 31: Group stage vs. Australia at Marseille (1 p.m., E!, Universo, Peacock)

Saturday, Aug. 3: Quarterfinal at Paris if group winner (9 a.m., E!, Telemundo 62, Peacock); Marseille if runner-up (1 p.m., Telemundo 62, Peacock); or Lyon (11 a.m., E!, Universo, Peacock) or Nantes (3 p.m., English TBD, Universo, Peacock) if a third-place qualifier

Tuesday, Aug. 6: Semifinal at Lyon if group winner or runner-up (E!, Universo, Peacock); or Marseille if a third-place qualifier (3 p.m., English TBD, Universo, Peacock)

Friday, Aug. 9: Bronze medal game at Lyon (9 a.m., USA Network, Telemundo 62, Peacock)

Saturday, Aug. 10: Gold medal game at Paris (11 a.m., USA Network, Telemundo 62, Peacock)