After winning the World Cup in 2015, and 2019, the U.S. looked to become the first team to win the tournament 3 times in a row, to solidify their dominance over the event. Nonetheless, the Women’s National Soccer Team was knocked out in the round of 16 after 4 disappointing games.
The match against Vietnam concluded with a 3-0 win for the U.S. although it was clear that the team was worse than expected. Passes weren’t sharp and quick enough and shots were sloppy. If it weren’t for Forward Sophia Smith along with Midfielder, Team Captain Lindsey Horan the game would have resulted poorly. Smith’s first goal of the game was brilliant, coming from a long ball from Horan to Morgan with a clean flick to Smith who drove it into the back of the net from 9 yards out. Following up to her second, as the ball was punched out by Vietnam’s Goal Keeper, Smith hit the ball from 14 yards out as it rolled into the goal. For Horan, a beautiful goal was scored 13 yards out into the top right corner off an amazing ball from Smith. Unlike the rest of the players, the entire game Horan and Smith both showed their fiery efforts to win by finding keen passes and, of course, bringing the score up. Meanwhile players such as Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe showed opposite efforts. Morgan was seen as inconsistent the entire game, not living up to her duties as a Team Captain. While she did make one clever assist, shen also missed major opportunities in front of goal. She was given the chance at a penalty kick which ended up being a weak shot, unacceptable for her legacy. As well, Rapinoe was a completely different player in this game. Seen flat footed in the box, Rapinoe got two outstanding chances which she completely missed. The first was a deflection from a cross. Having plenty of space in front of the goal, Rapinoe could have taken a touch and shot or taken a touch and played a smart ball for someone in the middle. Instead she crossed a rushed ball, not giving any of her players time to get in the box. On top of that, Rapinoe was passed an incredible ball from Lavelle on the wing which she skyed one touch over the goal. Performances like this should not be happening from professional players, especially Megan Rapinoe who has proven she is better than that.
Arriving to the second game of their 2023 World cup, the USWNT faced the Netherlands in another hard match. Once again, the team disappointed fans with a weak, sloppy game. The Netherlands controlled the game for the entire first half, creating that bond through their team which resulted in a goal at the 17th minute. Jill Roord went through almost the entire USWNT who were all over the place due to lack of communication. The first half ended with very few shots and effort on the U.S. side. Second half, U.S. head coach Vlatko Andonovski decided to finally put Rose Lavelle in who was desperately needed the entire game. This was the only substitution Andonovski made throughout the match which was a poor decision considering players like Morgan and Andi Sullivan were doing nothing but slowing the team down. However, as soon as Lavelle was put in, the energy and quality of the U.S. instantly sparked. Horan battled the entire game but really came to play after a brutal hit from DaniëlleVan De Donk that was completely ignored by the referee. Shortly after, Lavelle sent a beautiful corner into the box, as Horan hit a beautiful header, soaring it into the back of the net. She bailed out the U.S. as she has been doing all tournament. Along with Horan’s efforts, Sophia Smith was seen once again making an impact. Controlling what she could, Smith set up amazing opportunities and was given some of her own but was unlucky capitalizing. The USWNT would have been lost without these players.
Keeping the recap of their game against Portugal short and quick, the game resulted in a disappointing 0-0 tie which the USWNT were surprisingly ecstatic about. The amount of pride they took from that discouraging match was borderline embarrassing. With their reputation, qualifying or not, the USWNT should not be seen playing 3 below average games in a row and act like they played well. The entire game both teams battled to try and get the ball in each other’s goals but neither were successful. The U.S. had what seemed like a hundred opportunities but failed to execute all of them. However, their defense did come to play, preventing any chances the Portuguese took at goal.
The USWNT’s 2023 World Cup concluded with a demoralizing loss against Sweden in penalty kicks. The U.S. battled the entire game but once again, could not reach that final product. There was definitely improvement seen in the game compared to the 3 others, however their shots didn’t stand a chance against Sweden’s keeper Zećira Mušović and her outstanding defense, shutting down every chance the U.S. had at glory. The match went on as both teams put in their best effort to change the score but neither team succeeded as the match went to penalties. For the U.S, Sullivan, Horan, and Kristie Mewis took the lead at the beginning, scoring their PKs while Sweden only made 2. Rapinoe and Smith were the next to step up but disappointingly they both skied it over the goal. Luckily Rebecka Blomqvist’s shot was saved by Alyssa Naeher but it wasn’t enough as Hanna Bennison found the back of the net. It’s now 3-3 as U.S. keeper Naeher and Swedish player Magdalena Eriksson step up and both make their shots keeping the score tied 4-4. Finally the last U.S. player, Kelley O Hara, walked up to the penalty spot but the ball drove straight into the right post, putting the team in jeopardy. As Swedish player Lina Hurtig takes her shot, it is saved; however, on its way down, the ball falls back into the goal, concluding the game and putting an end to the USWNT’s chance at winning another World Cup.
As a result of the lackluster performance, the United States coach, Vlatko Andonvsk resigned immediately after.