USWNT underachieving at World Cup ahead of Sweden match

From a competitive standpoint, though, it wasn’t even that low: The loss had occurred in the semifinals. The Americans would go on to finish third, which, for most programs, would elicit gratification.

USWNT, looking lost at the World Cup, advances with an uninspired draw

Now fast forward to Tuesday’s 0-0 draw with Portugal in a group-stage game. No one player wrecked the U.S. team. It wrecked itself.

The Americans did advance to the knockout stage by finishing second in Group E, but they don’t seem long for this tournament. Despite their No. 1 ranking and record number of championship trophies, they will enter Sunday’s round of 16 against Sweden as underdogs.

In eight prior appearances, the U.S. team never departed the World Cup before the third-place game. At this point, a semifinal appearance seems far-fetched.

But here they are, well behind England, Japan, Colombia and others in terms of quality of play. The chemistry is all off. Everything they try to do is laborious. There is none of the joy and ruthlessness that has defined U.S. women’s soccer for decades.

The performance against Portugal, a World Cup newcomer, continued a trend of disenchanting acts in major tournaments under Coach Vlatko Andonovski. Friendlies and four-team events that fill the calendar between the global spectacles are necessary, but the World Cup and the Olympics are all that matter. No one remembers who won the SheBelieves Cup.

Two summers ago, the Americans sputtered through the Tokyo Games and finished second in the group before getting bounced in the semifinals by Canada. They finished with a 2-2-2 record, including a hollow victory in the bronze medal match.

Here, they underperformed against overmatched Vietnam during a 3-0 victory before clawing their way back from an early deficit to draw with 2019 runner-up Netherlands, 1-1. The latter outcome was concerning but not alarming. The Portugal game figured to be their breakout moment; it was far from it.

Portugal knew how to disrupt the U.S. rhythm and counterattack. By late in the first half, the Portuguese body language suggested they, not the United States, would win this game.

Analysis: Can the USWNT fix its World Cup problems?

The Americans’ failure to run up the score against…