On July 20, the FIFA 2023 Women’s World Cup took off, kickstarting a long-awaited tournament for many soccer fans. Particularly fans of the US Women’s National Team (USWNT), who were hoping to see their team lift the trophy for the third time in a row. To their disappointment, the USWNT saw their earliest-ever exit from the tournament, crashing out in the knockout stages after a nail-biter against Sweden. So, how did the four-time World Cup Champions face such a terrible fate?
Being an avid USWNT fan, I was excited, yet apprehensive, for this tournament. For decades now, the USWNT has been a dominating force in women’s soccer, even more so recently, as they won the 2015 and 2019 World Cups. The question coming into this World Cup tournament was: could they do it again? In my heart, I so badly wished that they would be successful, trying to conjure up images of the infallible USWNT of the last World Cup, but, looking at the team objectively, it was clear that certain aspects were amiss.
First of all, since winning the 2019 World Cup, the team had undergone a change in management, with Vlatko Andonovski replacing the legendary Jill Ellis as head coach. Andonovski’s first test came at the 2021 Olympics, where the USWNT were underwhelming, securing a bronze medal, but not meeting expectations of gold. These poor results led many to question Andonovski’s place as head coach, with those doubts still present as
the USWNT entered the 2023 World Cup. In addition, the USWNT entered this tournament in a place of transition, with the stars of the past clinging to their glory days, despite being four years older than they were at the last World Cup, and young rookies desperate to create a place for themselves. This tension made starting lineups a mishmash of veterans and newbies, with no one having much experience playing together. Ultimately, these issues got the worst of the USWNT.
In their group-stage matches, only flashes of the team’s past dominance could be seen. Their opening 3-0 win against Vietnam was solid, with the young star Sophia Smith scoring two goals, but the match left viewers with the underlying feeling that they could have, and should have, scored far more. Ultimately, this struggle to convert opportunities to goals in the final third would prove detrimental. Their 1-1 draw against the Netherlands felt expected, if a little disappointing, as the Netherlands were a strong team, but, on the other hand, the USWNT had beaten them decisively in the 2019 World Cup Final. The large cracks began to appear when the USWNT took on Portugal in their final group-stage match. In order to move forward, they needed a draw or a win, which, against a team ranked 21st overall, did not seem like too much to ask. In the end, it was far from easy to get the needed result. The USWNT struggled to play together and get the ball in the back of the net. The result went their way, as the game finished in a 0-0 draw, but not without a Portugal chance in the game’s dying minutes that looked as if it was going in, only for the ball to hit the post and miss the goal by inches. At the end of the group stage, the general feeling was just that: the United States was through, but had been literally inches away from failure.
In the knockout round, the United States faced Sweden, a formidable, yet beatable opponent. While the USWNT did outplay Sweden, they once again could not get the ball in the back of the net, and, by the end of the 90 minutes, the game was tied at 0-0. In the knockout round, games can’t end in a tie, so the match moved into 30 minutes of extra time where neither team managed to score. This meant the winner would have to be decided by penalty kicks, in which both teams alternate shooting at the other team’s goalie from a fixed spot 12 yards away from the goal. The tension of the circumstances could be seen on the faces of all the players, and my heart was beating out of my chest as team members stepped up to take their penalties. After multiple misses that would have sealed the deal for the USWNT, including a miss from the legendary Megan Rapinoe, Sweden found themselves with the advantage; if they made their next shot, they would win the game. My breathing stopped as I watched Lina Hurtig step up to take her shot against the USWNT’s Alyssa Naeher. As her foot hit the ball, I thought all was lost, until Naeher dove the right way and managed to hit the ball, which popped up funnily and fell behind Neaher until she grabbed it and began to celebrate the save. I released my breath, thinking the USWNT was still in it until the referee blew her whistle and made an announcement. According to goal-line technology, when the ball had gone behind Naeher it had crossed past the goal line, meaning that Sweden had scored. An image of the ball shows that it had just barely fully entered the goal, millimeters away from the goal line. Sweden ran to each other in jubilation, and the USWNT was left in stunned tears. This time, it was millimeters, not inches, that had decided the match, yet the USWNT’s luck had fallen the other way. Despite their bad luck, the whole match still felt like too little too late, as the USWNT should not have waited for the knock-out stages to kick things into high gear.
After a few days of mourning my vision of the USWNT lifting the trophy for the third time in a row, the fifth time in total, I realized that there are some merits to this development. Firstly, champions must be tested, and, while the USWNT did not pass that test, I think their bitter elimination will push them to reexamine their weaknesses and reinforce their strengths. Secondly, many veterans, such as Megan Rapinoe and Julie Ertz, have announced their retirements, a sign that the old guard will be making way for the next generation, meaning there will be more room for new talent. Andonovski will likely be replaced, and the USWNT will hopefully find a more clinical, critical, and next-level head coach. Lastly, while the USWNT has provided other countries with a team to chase and look to as a challenge, they have also taken up a lot of space. In many countries, women’s soccer is still in its earlier stages or is only now being seen by men’s soccer fans as valid. The early exit of the USWNT gives a different country the opportunity to become World Cup Champions, shedding light on the hard work and talent that said country possesses. As more and more women’s teams find success, their fan bases and financial support will grow, furthering the women’s game. The tournament will go on and a new champion will be crowned, and the USWNT will have to wait another four years for redemption.
