The US women's soccer team looked dejected after Sweden was eliminated from the World Cup. Credit: AP/Hamish Blair
The changing of the guard in women's football has finally come after the sport's most dominant force, the United States, was knocked out of the World Cup by Sweden in a dramatic penalty shootout, securing the record holders four interim champions dropped out of the competition for the first time.
Megan Rapino, Sophia Smith and Kelly O'Hara missed penalties for Team USA before Lena Hertig saw her penalty cross the goal line by just a millimeter as Sweden won one of the greatest shootouts of the World Cup. the time is 5-4, but despite the US setback in Melbourne, their elimination from the round of 16 will mark a seismic moment for the women's game after the disastrous Down Under campaign.
I have never seen a penalty like Hurtig's. Which way for the US to get out. #SWEUSA pic.twitter.com/s1llBXsvex
— Ste McGovern (@TheNoveltyAct) August 6, 2023
A slight irony is that their elimination came despite their best record in this dismal campaign this summer. Against Olympic silver medalists from Sweden, Vlatko Andonovski's team dominated but simply couldn't get past Zekira Musović as the 120 minutes ended without goals. For the US, however, the key damage was done earlier in the tournament when their lackluster performance saw them fail to win their group and consequently faced a determined Swede. And the statistics show how rare this moment in the history of the game.
Never before has the US managed to reach the semi-finals and reached the final in five of the eight previous stages of the tournament. tournament. In this connection, the question arises: what did go wrong?
First, it doesn't look like a fully cohesive team: Six of the starting XI held a silent protest on Sunday and refused to sing their national anthem while the other five sang. Throughout the tournament, as you can see in the video below before the midweek match against Portugal, most of the US players remained silent during the anthems. They faced criticism from former players, including Carly Lloyd, the heroine of the 2015 World Cup final, who criticized the mentality of the team.
This American team, previously famous for its relentless winning mentality and psychological advantages, clearly lacked icy composure. Historically, medal-winning U.S. teams have been considered «fitter, faster, and stronger» and their superior athleticism has given them an edge due to their work ethic at the training ground, as well as their advanced facilities and funding. What is important, however, is that now that more teams around the world are training full-time, they no longer have an advantage in this area and must now rely on the quality of football in an era when their rivals are technically and tactically stronger than ever. or.
As for the form, there were signs here too. The United States suffered three defeats in a row last autumn, losing 2-1 to England at Wembley, 2-0 away to Spain and then 2-1 at home to Germany. Despite the friendly matches, the team that ranked first in the world was no longer the feared team it once was. However, they did arrive in New Zealand to kick off their World Cup campaign, thanks to an impressive nine-win streak that included victories over Brazil, Canada, Japan and the Germans.
After a flattering deception in their In the first victory over Vietnam, Andonovsky's team failed to beat the Netherlands and Portugal, almost losing to the Portuguese in stoppage time, and then found themselves without midfielder Rose Lavelle against Sweden, who was suspended.
However, in the long run, this is a team that has not developed properly. It may have taken the US too long to create the next generation, and therefore 14 people from this team took part in their first World Cup.
Respecting football legends and allowing them to end their careers on their own terms is understandable, but Rapino, 38, a former Ballon d'Or winner who will retire at the end of the year when the NWSL season ends, has been unable to make a difference. Down under. It was emblematic when a low-bar penalty flew over the bar when Rapino had the chance to put his team ahead 4–2 in the shootout. 34-year-old Alex Morgan also did not repeat his former magic at this tournament. The USA will fly home with regret.
Meghan Rapino didn't want her last hit in #FIFAWWC to be like this! #USA #SWE pic.twitter.com/ghpwtehLR6
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport), August 6, 2023 The difference this time around is fewer star players in their prime, with a mix of old guard in their 30s years and young talents such as Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman, who are 22 and 21 years old respectively.
Chelsea manager Emma Hayes, writing for Telegraph Sport in her World Cup column, pointed out the «terrible US results in recent youth tournaments that have been dominated by Japan and Spain and seen all too often by the US. out in the early stages. Whether this shocking early exit will be enough to fundamentally reform the US Soccer system for youth development will be the question on the lips of many.
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