USWNT problems run bone deep as they hope to find next level in World Cup
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Since the tournament’s inception in 1991, the USWNT has never finished lower than third place in a World Cup, despite previous dips in the program. The goal in Australia and New Zealand was to achieve an unprecedented three-peat after winning the competition in 2015 and 2019. But right now, the U.S. looks utterly toothless in front of goal and lost in the woods tactically.
Even though the U.S. barely avoided the unthinkable — exiting the World Cup at the conclusion of the group stage — it would have been deserved, honestly. Instead, the team survived and advanced into the round of 16 via a 0-0 draw with Portugal, finishing second in Group E behind the Netherlands with a win and two draws. For those who stayed up late to watch back home, it will do little to inspire hopes of another deep World Cup run.
Just about everything that could have gone wrong did.
As the Netherlands cruised to a 7-0 victory over Vietnam in Dunedin, scoring beautiful goal after beautiful goal, every touch for the U.S. was a struggle. They looked hesitant and uninspired. Avert your eyes from their passing network.
Captain Lindsey Horan’s every move was designed to avoid a second yellow card that would result in a suspension for the round of 16, but despite the painful caution, it was Rose Lavelle who picked up her second yellow of the tournament in the 39th minute.
Lavelle still looked dismayed in the mixed zone after the match.
“’I’m just disappointed in myself that I picked up that yellow,” she said. “Disappointed I can’t help the team out on the field next game. I think there’s still a lot of ways that I can help the team off the field, so I guess that’s where my energy will be.”
By that point in the game, every single writer up in the media tribune at the stadium was already hedging their bets as they sent out their updates: it would be a problem for the USWNT if they reached the knockout stages. If. Over the past decade, that word hasn’t seen a lot of use in the group stage. The “if” at least turned to “when,” but only by the grace of the post that prevented a late winner from Portugal’s Ana Capeta in the second minute of extra time.
It’s not to say that there haven’t been moments like this in the USWNT’s history, but every single time before, the team managed to pull off some last-gasp heroics. Still, you’d have to go back to 2011, and how they were forced into a playoff home-and-away series against Italy to qualify for that World Cup. The U.S. won each of those matches 1-0, though. It wasn’t pretty, but they advanced.
That same World Cup, they also finished second in their group, behind Sweden. There are still a handful of current players who remember that. Alex Morgan is one of them.
“We’re not happy with the performance we put out there,” she said in the postgame press…
Read More: USWNT problems run bone deep as they hope to find next level in World Cup 2023-08-01 20:47:34