Category: USWNT

USWNT World Cup kickoff times are a nightmare from here on out

The USWNT’s path to the final is filled with inopportune kickoff times

The U.S. women’s national team notched several unwanted achievements during a subpar World Cup group stage.

With five group-stage points, the U.S. tallied its lowest total ever at a World Cup, failing to win at least two group games for the first time ever. For only the second time in nine women’s World Cups, the USWNT failed to finish atop its group.

By finishing second, the USWNT also suffered a blow to its chances of building some buzz back home. Because now, in contrast to a first-place finish, the USWNT’s kickoff times in the United States for the rest of the World Cup are going to be brutal.

Had the USWNT finished in first place in Group E, its round of 16 match would have started at 10 p.m. ET on Saturday, with a possible quarterfinal at 9 p.m. ET on August 10.

But that path will now be traveled by the Netherlands, who topped Group E. By contrast, the USWNT’s last-16 game is now on Sunday at 5 a.m. ET, likely against Sweden. Should they win — and with the way they’ve played, that’s far from certain — their quarterfinal would be August 11 at 3:30 a.m. ET.

Both the USWNT and the Netherlands would have the same kickoff times for the last two games: a semifinal at 4 a.m. ET on August 15 (a game that could see the two teams meet again), and the final at 6 a.m. ET on August 20.

Needless to say, the U.S. finishing second in Group E is a major blow to Fox Sports, which could have banked on big ratings for primetime round of 16 and quarterfinal matches involving the USWNT.

Instead of the huge watch parties we saw across the U.S. for the first two USWNT games of the World Cup, which kicked off at 9 p.m. ET, bars will be filled mostly by bleary-eyed die-hards in the wee hours of the morning.

With a tougher path to another World Cup title and to building momentum back home, the USWNT’s group performance may prove costly.

Netherlands path to final

Round of 16: August 5 — 10 p.m. ET

Quarterfinal: August 10 — 9 p.m. ET

Semifinal: August 15 — 4 a.m. ET

Final: August 20 — 6 a.m. ET

USWNT path to final

Round of 16: August 6 — 5 a.m. ET

Quarterfinal: August 11 — 3:30 a.m. ET

Semifinal: August 15 — 4 a.m. ET

Final: August 20 — 6 a.m. ET

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2023 Women’s World Cup Day 13 Recap: USWNT barely scrapes by

The USWNT barely made it through after a lackluster draw against Portugal

On Day 13 of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, there were four games, all of which were crucial in determining which teams would be making it through to the knockout stage. The Netherlands took on Vietnam, Portugal faced off against the USA, Haiti played Denmark, and China battled it out against England.

But before we discuss the games, here is your daily reminder that you can follow the World Cup right here at Pro Soccer Wire! You can find the full TV/streaming schedule, an updated list of the group stage standings, and the rankings in this year’s race for the Golden Boot.

Let’s check out what happened on Day 13.

Andonovski hits back at ‘insane’ Lloyd criticism of USWNT mentality

The USWNT head coach wasn’t having any of his former player’s criticism

U.S. women’s national team head coach Vlatko Andonovski has hit back at Carli Lloyd, saying his former player questioning his team’s mentality is “insane.”

Andonovski’s side only managed a 0-0 draw with Portugal on Tuesday, advancing to the World Cup knockout stage as the Group E runner-up after a disappointing performance.

In addition to calling out USWNT players for their over-exuberant post-game celebrations, Lloyd also questioned the team’s mentality, saying on Fox after the game: “I’m just not seeing that passion. I’m just seeing a very lackluster, uninspiring, taking it for granted, where winning and training and doing all that you can to be the best possible individual player is not happening.”

In his post-game press conference, a reporter relayed Lloyd’s criticism to Andonovski. The USWNT coach admitted his side was far from its best against Portugal, but bristled at the notion that it was lacking desire.

“The one thing I want to say is that this team wanted to win this game more than anything else,” Andonovski said. “They’ve put everything they could in preparation for this tournament and every game that they go into, so to question the mentality of this team, to question the willingness to win, to compete, I think it’s insane.

“I’ve never seen this team step on the field and not try hard or not compete. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, they can say whatever they want, but I just know how this team feels.

“It’s not like we played well by any means. We owned it. We know it’s not good enough. We’re not happy with our performance, but we qualified for the next round. We’re moving on.”

Andonovski was named USWNT head coach in 2019, coaching Lloyd for two years before her retirement in 2021.

Upon Lloyd’s retirement announcement, Andonovski said: “Carli Lloyd is a true legend. Her career was unique, and her success on the field is something all current and future national team players should aspire to achieve. The way she approached her everyday training and career as a professional is truly impressive and I’ve been honored to coach her.”

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Carli Lloyd wasn’t having the USWNT’s celebrations after Portugal draw

Seeing her ex-teammates dancing and singing after a dismal performance was too much for Lloyd to take

Carli Lloyd was not pleased to see some U.S. women’s national team players celebrating after scraping a 0-0 draw with Portugal to secure World Cup advancement.

The U.S. reached the round of 16 as Group E runner-up after barely managing to draw in a game it was expected to win handily.

In a subpar performance, the USWNT was very nearly eliminated when Portugal’s Ana Capeta hit the post in second-half stoppage time.

After the game, Fox showed some U.S. players looking jubilant on the pitch, with Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and Crystal Dunn among the players briefly shown dancing.

For Lloyd, who now works as a Fox analyst, seeing her ex-teammates dancing and singing after a disappointing performance was too much to take.

“I’m just seeing these images for the first time right now on the desk,” Lloyd said. “I’ve never witnessed something like that. There’s a difference between being respectful of the fans and saying hello to your family, but to be dancing, to be smiling. I mean, the player of the match was that post. You’re lucky to not be going home right now.”

Watch Lloyd’s USWNT comments

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USWNT player ratings: Lack of ideas as U.S. barely survives Portugal

Lots of not-great, and some quite bad!

The U.S. women’s national team, by a margin of about three inches, survived a feisty Portugal side to get through to the knockout round of the World Cup.

That’s about all the good news there is to discuss. The USWNT were totally unable to solve the Portuguese midfield diamond throughout a troubling 0-0 draw, struggling for possession and also lacking chances to break out in transition.

The stats may show the USWNT holding a 17-6 shot advantage, and this is another game in which a U.S. opponent were held without a shot on goal. However, anyone that watched the match would be able to tell you that the Portuguese troubled the U.S. from start to finish, seeing the game’s best chance end with Ana Capeta hitting the post deep in stoppage time.

It was a dispiriting and disappointing showing in which no player really looked like they’d been given a platform to be their best. If the USWNT is to go on and make history as the first team to win three consecutive World Cups, this has to be by far their worst performance of the tournament.

Here’s a breakdown from a game in which no one looked particularly good.

As a reminder, here’s the Pro Soccer Wire player rating scale:

Our scale:

  • 1: Abysmal. Literally any member of our staff would have been been able to play at this level.
  • 6: Adequate. This is our base score.
  • 10: Transcendent, era-defining performance. This is Carli Lloyd vs. Japan in the 2015 final.

‘Vlatko out of his depth’ – USWNT slated for dismal display in Portugal draw

There were plenty of reactions — none of them good! — to the USWNT’s scoreless draw

The U.S. women’s national team has reached the World Cup last 16, but the manner in which they did so should set off major alarm bells.

In one of the worst performances in recent World Cup history, the USWNT had to hold on for a 0-0 draw against underdogs Portugal in their Group E finale.

The result was only good enough for second place in the group, and the performance was even more worrisome. The U.S. was slow, lacking ideas and disconnected, looking like a shadow of the team that entered as World Cup favorites.

Portugal’s Ana Capeta hit the post in second-half stoppage time, narrowly avoiding the biggest shock in recent World Cup history.

There were plenty of reactions — none of them good! — to the USWNT’s scoreless draw against Portugal.

The USWNT is through — but this team looks lost

The USNWT drew Portugal 0-0 in a horrible display that barely saw them advance

The U.S. women’s national team may have achieved the bare minimum in the World Cup group stage — advancement — but it doesn’t appear this team is capable of doing much more.

The USWNT went into Tuesday’s group stage finale against Portugal with a decent chance of finishing atop Group E. They ended the game thanking their lucky stars that Portugal’s Ana Capeta could only hit the post in stoppage time to avoid the biggest shock in women’s soccer history.

In one of the worst World Cup performances in recent U.S. history, Vlatko Andonovski’s team only managed a 0-0 draw that saw it reach the last 16 with a second-place finish in Group E.

While the U.S. was struggling against the Portuguese, the Netherlands hammered Vietnam 7-0 to lock down first place in the group.

For the USWNT, it was a limp, disconnected, uninspired display, which will likely now be rewarded with a matchup against old nemesis Sweden in the round of 16 on Sunday.

As the U.S. started slowly against Portugal at Eden Park, news of Netherlands goals against Vietnam kept coming. And coming. And coming. Each goal made it less likely the USWNT would top the group, and each drove home the USWNT’s failure to run up the score on Vietnam.

But as the match wore on it became clear that whatever was going on in the group’s other game was the least of the USWNT’s concerns.

Portugal, like the Netherlands, dropped an extra attacker into midfield when the U.S. had possession, which completely stifled the team’s build-up. Even when they did bypass midfield, the U.S. seemed to have few options other than hoofing crosses into the box or praying for a moment of individual brilliance.

The USWNT had six shots on target but shockingly few real dangerous opportunities. Alex Morgan being played in by Lindsey Horan and rounding the goalkeeper early in the second half, only to see her shot blocked, may somehow qualify as the best scoring chance of the night.

There were very few positive individual performances but the USWNT fell stunningly short as a collective. That will result in some difficult questions for Andonovski.

In one of the more telling moments of a dismal evening, Andonovski subbed in defender Emily Sonnett for Horan in the 84th minute. In a game his team was expected to win handily, the coach opted to park the bus to scrape out a draw and progression to the last 16.

That move almost backfired spectacularly. Capeta was headed in behind the U.S. defense and her shot rang off the post, narrowly avoiding a true doomsday scenario for the USWNT.

Portugal nearly eliminated the U.S. on Tuesday but unless something changes drastically soon, this team will be exiting the World Cup sooner rather than later.

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USWNT lineup vs. Portugal: Rose Lavelle, Lynn Williams in for high-pressure Group E clash

Not many changes, but both likely popular ones for the USWNT

The U.S. women’s national team has made two changes for a decisive World Cup group stage match against Portugal.

Rose Lavelle and Lynn Williams represent all of the changes Vlatko Andonovski has made to the USWNT starting 11 that drew 1-1 with the Netherlands last week (a selection that was unchanged from the team’s opening 3-0 win over Vietnam). Lavelle will replace Savannah DeMelo in the U.S. midfield, while Williams replaces Trinity Rodman on the front line.

Lavelle has performed well in two substitute appearances, but has not started a game for club or country since doing so for OL Reign on April 1 in NWSL regular season play. It is unclear how long she can play after getting 27 minutes off the bench against Vietnam, and then entering at halftime against the Dutch.

Sophia Smith has, after spending most of the last two years on the right wing, been playing on the left with Rodman more comfortable on the opposite side. It wasn’t clear until kickoff, but Andonovski has simply replaced Rodman with Williams, keeping Smith on the left for a third straight game.

For the USWNT, this match against Portugal has huge importance. A win may or may not be enough to secure the top spot in Group E: the Netherlands could overtake them if they can beat Vietnam by three more goals than the U.S. margin of victory at Eden Park.

A shock loss would — barring an even more monumental upset win for Vietnam in the other game — end the USWNT’s World Cup far earlier than expected.

All 23 players in the U.S. squad are, per U.S. Soccer’s game notes, listed as available and in uniform.

USWNT lineup vs. Portugal

(4-3-3): Naeher; Fox, Ertz, Girma, Dunn; Lavelle, Sullivan, Horan; Williams, Morgan, Smith

Portugal lineup (4-3-1-2): Inês Pereira; Ana Borges, Carole Costa, Diana Gomes, Catarina Amado; Andreia Norton, Tatiana Pinto, Dolores Silva; Kika Nazareth; Jéssica Silva, Diana Silva

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USWNT vs Portugal: How to watch World Cup group finale

There will be some very sleep deprived USWNT fans come Tuesday morning.

There are going to be some very sleep deprived U.S. women’s national team fans come Tuesday morning.

After relatively reasonable kickoff times of 9 p.m. ET for the team’s first two World Cup matches, the USWNT will face Portugal in a vital Group E finale on Tuesday at 3 a.m. ET.

For fans brave enough to watch live, they’ll witness a match that sees the USWNT with their backs to the wall.

After beating Vietnam 3-0 to open the tournament, the U.S. only managed a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands in their second match. That leaves the U.S. in first place in Group E, level with the Dutch on four points and with a two-goal advantage on goal differential.

There is now a huge degree of importance on the match with Portugal, which enters on three points after losing to the Netherlands and beating Vietnam.

A loss would almost certainly see the USWNT shockingly eliminated at the group stage, while a draw would likely only be good enough for second place and a more difficult path in the knockout round.

Even a narrow win over Portugal may not be enough for first place if the Dutch beat Vietnam by enough goals.

With so much on the line, there may be even more fans who reject sleep to watch the USWNT live in the wee hours of Tuesday morning.

USWNT vs. Portugal

  • When: Tuesday, August 1
  • Where: Eden Park, Auckland, NZ
  • Time: 3 a.m. ET
  • Channel/streaming: Fox, Telemundo, Peacock

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Andonovski ignoring critics ahead of massive Portugal match

“I’m pretty sure that if I knew everything outside of our bubble, I wouldn’t be smiling right now”

U.S. women’s national team head coach Vlatko Andonovski knows there is probably a lot of criticism of his coaching at this World Cup — he’s just trying to ignore all of it.

The USWNT is off to a stuttering start at the tournament, beating Vietnam 3-0 in a game it was expected to win by more and then only managing a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands.

Most concerning for Andonovski’s critics was his decision to use only one of his five available subs in the Netherlands match.

The two results have left the USWNT facing a vital Group E finale against Portugal on Tuesday. A loss would almost certainly see the two-time defending champions eliminated at the group stage, while a draw would likely only be good enough for second place and a more difficult path in the knockout round.

With the U.S. level on points with the Netherlands and carrying a two-goal advantage on goal difference, even a narrow win over Portugal may not be enough for first place if the Dutch beat Vietnam by enough goals.

With more pressure on the group-stage finale than he was likely hoping for, Andonovski told a pre-match press conference he’s taking everything in stride.

“I don’t know how it is with the other coaches and the other national teams, but the moment I sat in this chair in 2019 is when the pressure started,” Andonovski said. “It’s not like this is something new. I knew this was how it was going to be and I know what the expectations are.

“The only thing that changed from 2019 to now is I just learned how to turn the pressure into excitement. I came into this World Cup not thinking, ‘Oh my gosh’ — it’s actually, ‘We’re having a chance to compete for a title.'”

Andonovski said that he’s managed to form a bubble during the World Cup, trying to cordon himself off from any outside noise.

“One thing that I do is I don’t have any social media, I don’t read anything,” Andonovski said.

“Our press officer is my main source of information. … He has been very good to me in selecting the things that I need to know and selecting things that I don’t need to know. Because I’m pretty sure that if I knew everything outside of our bubble, I wouldn’t be smiling right now.”

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