In their worst showing in years, the U.S. women’s soccer team was eliminated from the World Cup by Sweden on penalties Sunday.
Neither team scored during 120 minutes of regular play and extra time, but when the game went to a shoot-out, drama ensued. Players from both teams missed shots on the goal, including U.S. soccer legend Megan Rapinoe, whose ball sailed over the net, and Kelley O’Hara, whose shot bounced off the goal post. By the time Swedish player Lina Hurtig stepped up for her chance, the penalties were tied 4-4.
Hurtig’s swift shot bounced off U.S. goalie Alyssa Naeher’s fingertips, and crossed the goal line by mere centimeters before Naeher swatted it out again. The call was so close that refs had to go to replay to confirm that Sweden had, in fact, scored.
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When the call came in that Sweden had won, U.S. players wept while Naeher stood frozen in disbelief.
Despite dominating the women’s World Cup for decades—the U.S. team had never finished below third place and took home the winner’s trophy in four of the eight tournaments—the team struggled from the start in 2023. It won only one game in group play and barely squeaked into the knockout Round of 16 after a lackluster 0-0 draw with Portugal.
Ahead of the match against Sweden, former U.S. team players like Tobin Heath, Christian Press and Carli Lloyd slammed the ’23 team’s performance—Lloyd bemoaned what she saw as the team’s “arrogance” for celebrating after the match against Portugal—setting off a nasty war of words between current and past players and other critics.
Rapinoe, who became a viral star during U.S. World Cup wins in 2015 and 2019, was sidelined for much of the tournament. At 38 years old, she’s said this is her last World Cup, and her anguish after the team’s loss was evident.
“Unfortunately, soccer can be cruel sometimes,” United States Coach Vlatko Andonovski said after the round of 16.
Read it at The New York Times
