MELBOURNE, Australia — The U.S. girls’s nationwide staff crashed out of the right here on Sunday, shedding to longtime nemesis Sweden within the Spherical of 16 on penalties 5-4 after regulation completed 0-0.
They largely dominated 120 messy, bodily, tense minutes. They examined Swedish goalkeeper Zecira Musovic time and again. They performed effectively sufficient to win in regulation, or a minimum of in further time, however couldn’t discover a breakthrough.
After which, within the shootout, they slid to their worst World Cup end ever.
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Andi Sullivan and Fridolina Rolfö buried their opening spot-kicks. Lindsey Horan and Elin Rubensson each held serve in Spherical 2. Kristie Mewis, contemporary off the bench within the a hundred and twentieth minute, went high nook to offer the U.S. a 3-2 lead, and that’s when Sweden flinched. Nathalie Björn fired over the bar.
However that is when the U.S. folded. Megan Rapinoe additionally skied her penalty excessive and broad. Alyssa Naeher sprung to her left to make a would-be decisive save, however Sophia Smith, with an opportunity to clinch victory, missed the online completely.
Two rounds later, Kelley O’Hara clipped the submit. Naeher received palms to Lina Hurtig’s try, however could not fairly scrape it off the objective line. A — and that Sweden can be advancing.
After overview, the penalty is sweet and Sweden wins 🇸🇪
🇺🇸:✅✅✅❌❌✅❌🇸🇪:✅✅❌❌✅✅✅
And the merciless, devastating irony of the defeat was that it got here on the finish of the American’s finest efficiency of the match.
Public confidence had pale throughout a . Solely a agency goalpost had saved the USWNT from a stunning group-stage exit. Gamers wore spooked expressions on the last whistle. Within the rapid aftermath, with , none of them may fairly pinpoint what went fallacious.
However over the approaching days, they settled. By Saturday, they’d “damaged down what went fallacious, and the way we will repair that,” Alex Morgan stated. Internally, they really did really feel “assured,” maybe blindly assured, assured that they may rise to do-or-die events as a result of, as Julie Ertz had stated, “it is what we do.”
And on Sunday, for 120 minutes, they did.
Head coach Vlatko Andonovski tweaked the techniques, inserting Emily Sonnett for the suspended Rose Lavelle. Sonnett had by no means began in midfield for the USWNT earlier than. She’d largely been a utility defender since her teenage years, till this season. However she got here into the U.S. lineup as a second defensive midfielder, and helped the Individuals management a uneven sport.
With Sonnett and Sullivan in a double-pivot, Horan had freedom to roam in an attacking midfield place. She discovered pockets of house, particularly to the fitting of middle. On the left, Smith typically tucked inside, with Crystal Dunn getting excessive from her fullback place, and Sullivan or middle again Naomi Girma overlaying.
And halfway by means of the primary half, at nearly the precise second once they’d pale towards the Netherlands and Portugal, the USWNT took full management. Trinity Rodman was lively and harmful. Horan stung a header off the highest of the crossbar. On the different finish, Naeher dealt effectively with two difficult Sweden corners — .
It was the USWNT’s finest half of the match. Sadly, it ended scoreless.
The Individuals picked up the place they left off after halftime. Horan compelled a world-class save from Musovic. Dunn and Girma snuffed out the uncommon Swedish assault. Lynn Williams changed Rodman — who’d been sick earlier this week — after 60 minutes, and started terrorizing the left facet of the Swedish protection along with her tempo.
However nonetheless, they couldn’t discover a breakthrough. Musovic palmed away a Morgan header within the 89th minute.
The sport went to further time, and nonetheless, they pushed. However Musovic pushed away a low Williams shot, and Sweden scrambled the ball clear.
It stayed 0-0 into the second half of additional time, and so they pushed some extra. However Musovic caught out a left hand to disclaim Smith.
After which the U.S. got here up quick, inches quick, within the shootout.
The Individuals went down preventing. However ultimately, no U.S. staff had ever completed worse than third on the Ladies’s World Cup; this one will end one thing like thirteenth.
No U.S. staff had ever scored fewer than 12 targets at a Ladies’s World Cup; this one bagged solely 4.
No U.S. staff had ever failed to achieve the ultimate of consecutive main tournaments; this one, in 2023, by no means got here shut.
The USWNT’s flop will . It can additionally power U.S. Soccer to reckon with underlying causes. It’s proof that the world has caught up, sure, but it surely may’ve uncovered deep-seated issues, with chief amongst them.
And for the gamers, those who’d dreamed of three-peat glory, who’d borne unbelievable strain and stretched for undue expectations, it will likely be devastating.
“I believe for me, it’s simply emotional as a result of it’s in all probability my final sport ever with the ability to have the honour to put on this crest, so I believe it’s simply … it’s simply powerful,” Ertz stated after the match. “I really feel prefer it’s an emotional time. It completely sucks.”