Tag: 2023 Women’s World Cup

2023 Women’s World Cup Knockout Stage Day 2 Recap: USWNT eliminated by Sweden

The top two ranked teams in the world are now out before the quarterfinals

The drama has reached a whole new level at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. On the second day of knockout stage games, the USWNT got bounced, meaning the top two ranked countries in the world (the U.S. is first and Germany second in FIFA’s rankings) are no longer in contention — and it all came down to penalty kicks.

But before we dive into the two games from the second knockout stage day, here is your reminder that you can follow the entirety of the World Cup right here at Pro Soccer Wire! Make sure to check out the full TV/streaming schedule, a power ranking of all 16 knockout stage teams, and the rankings in this year’s race for the Golden Boot.

Now, let’s dive into the games.

Rapinoe: ‘It’s dark comedy that I missed a penalty’

The veteran’s World Cup career ironically ended with a missed penalty

Megan Rapinoe said that missing a penalty kick in a shootout is “dark comedy” after the U.S. women’s national team crashed out of the 2023 World Cup.

After a 0-0 draw against Sweden over 120 minutes, the USWNT fell 5-4 in an agonizing penalty shootout as they were eliminated in the last 16.

Three USWNT players missed penalties in the shootout, with Rapinoe joined by Kelley O’Hara and Sophia Smith in missing the goal entirely.

Rapinoe is typically deadly from the penalty spot, having scored three penalties in the knockout stage alone during the 2019 World Cup.

Speaking to Fox Sports after her last World Cup game with the USWNT, Rapinoe noted the irony of missing a spot kick in the shootout.

“I thought we played really well,” Rapinoe said. “I’m so happy for us that we went out like that, playing the way that we did and having a ton of joy on the ball.

“I mean, this is like a sick joke. For me personally, I’m just like, this is dark comedy I missed a penalty. Alyssa [Naeher] came up huge though, kept us in it, obviously scoring one herself.”

She added: “This is the balance to the beautiful side of the game. I think it can be cruel and just [wasn’t] our day. But I still just feel really grateful and joyful. I know it’s the end and that’s sad, but to know that this is really the only time I’ve been in one of these this early (an interview after an early exit from the tournament) says so much about how much success I’ve been able to have, and just how much I’ve loved playing for this team and playing for this country. It’s been an honor.”

In his post-game press conference, USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski paid tribute to Rapinoe while expressing his surprise to see her miss a vital penalty.

“Megan Rapinoe is a legend,” the coach said. “If I had my life on the line right now, and I had to pick who was going to take the penalty, Megan Rapinoe is my choice.”

Watch Rapinoe’s post-game interview

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Julie Ertz says she’s likely finished with the USWNT

The 31-year-old was emotional after her side crashed out of the World Cup

After the U.S. women’s national team crashed out of the World Cup in the last 16 against Sweden, Julie Ertz said she has likely played her last game for the national team.

Ertz played every minute of the World Cup for the USWNT, shifting back to defense and partnering Naomi Girma throughout the tournament after an injury to Becky Sauerbrunn.

The 31-year-old has only recently returned to the game after nearly two years away, taking time off after giving birth last August.

Ertz has earned 122 caps over her USWNT career, winning the World Cup in 2015 as a center back and in 2019 in the defensive midfield role she’s made her own in recent years.

Speaking to Fox Sports after the USWNT’s loss, a tearful Ertz revealed that her national team career was likely over.

“It’s tough. We’re proud of the way that we played, but we didn’t put anything in the back of the net. The penalties were tough as well. I think for me, it’s just emotional because it’s probably my last game ever being able to have the honor to wear this crest,” Ertz said.

“It’s just an emotional time,” she added. “It absolutely sucks and penalties are the worst. But it’s an honor to represent this team. I’m excited for the future of the girls.”

Asked about her USWNT legacy, Ertz responded: “Kelley [O’Hara] always says that we just rent these jerseys, and it’s our job to pass it down to the younger ones to continue that in their DNA.

“It’s been an absolute ride. I’ve learned so much about myself as a player, but even just as a person. So this team obviously competes and plays soccer but it does so much more and I’m just very grateful.”

Speaking to ESPN after the game, Ertz was more definitive: “Unfortunately this is my last time in this crest,” she said.

After making her USWNT return, Ertz signed with Angel City FC in April. It’s not clear if she plans to retire from the game altogether or if she is only calling time on her international career.

Watch Ertz’s post-game interview

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USWNT crashes out of World Cup after agonizing shootout loss to Sweden

The quest for a third straight World Cup ends in the round of 16

The U.S. women’s national team is out.

After a lackluster group stage, the USWNT fell to Sweden in a penalty kick shootout in the round of 16, clinching the team’s worst-ever finish at a World Cup.

The manner of the exit, which followed a 0-0 draw over 120 minutes, was simply agonizing.

Megan Rapinoe, Sophia Smith and Kelley O’Hara all missed penalties in the shootout. Smith had the chance to send the USWNT through to the quarterfinals with her spot kick, but the reigning U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year shot wide.

Incredibly, Sweden’s winning penalty looked like it was saved by Alyssa Naeher but after a VAR review, the ball was shown to have barely crossed the line.

It was this close.

It was a devastating end to what was by far the USWNT’s best display of the World Cup. But after a poor group stage saw them finish second, the USWNT’s quest for a third straight title was always going to be difficult.

The major pre-game shift saw the U.S. move from the 4-3-3 formation it had utilized the whole tournament to a 4-2-3-1, with Emily Sonnett coming in as a holding midfielder in place of the suspended Rose Lavelle.

The move, while perhaps forced to due Lavelle’s suspension, was transformative for the USWNT, who looked like an entirely different side to the one Andonovski himself said was “crap” in its group finale against Portugal.

Suddenly with passing options in the midfield, the U.S. showed an ability to build up it had not displayed in a worrying group stage. Against one of the tournament’s best teams, the USWNT was firmly on the front foot in the first half, only lacking a goal in a much improved display.

The U.S. continued to push in the second half as Sweden appeared mostly content to absorb pressure. But as Peter Gerhardsson’s side was pushed back more and more, it had to rely on its goalkeeper to make two excellent saves to keep the match level.

First, Zećira Mušović somehow dove to her left to keep out Lindsey Horan’s 53rd-minute rocket that appeared destined for the far corner.

Mušović was there again in the dying moments of regulation to claw out an Alex Morgan header to ensure the match went into extra time.

As it did during regulation, the USWNT had the better of the chances in extra time and just like she did during regulation, Mušović was up to the challenge.

Lynn Williams had the best chance of extra time for the U.S. but Mušović dove low to her right to keep out the substitute’s effort.

Mušović’s efforts in getting her side to a penalty shootout were richly rewarded. Sweden will move on to face Japan in a marquee quarterfinal matchup while for the USWNT, the recriminations are only begininng.

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USWNT lineup vs. Sweden: Rodman returns, Sonnett a surprise starter for round of 16 match

Sonnett’s inclusion signals a change in the USWNT’s formation

The U.S. women’s national team will take on Sweden in a round of 16 battle, the most familiar pairing in the history of the women’s World Cup.

However, the USWNT lineup on the night will be distinctly unfamiliar. Vlatko Andonovski made two changes to the team that finished up the group stage looking vulnerable in a 0-0 draw with Portugal. One was straightforward: Trinity Rodman returned to the lineup in place of Lynn Williams.

The other is less conventional. With Rose Lavelle suspended due to yellow card accumulation, it was expected that the USWNT would call on Savannah DeMelo or Ashley Sanchez in her place. Instead, Andonovski has turned to Emily Sonnett, a utility defender/midfielder.

While Andonovski’s unconventional choice left multiple options open due to Sonnett’s versatility, the final choice was the least surprising of the bunch. Sonnett lined up alongside Andi Sullivan in a defensive midfield role, with captain Lindsey Horan pushing further forward in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

A win for the U.S. would guarantee another immense challenge in the form of a quarterfinal against Japan, arguably the most impressive team in this World Cup thus far. That match would take place at Eden Park in Auckland, the site for two prior USWNT matches in the group stage. Kickoff would be set for 3:30 am ET.

A loss? Angst around the program would reach a fever pitch as the pre-tournament favorite would stumble out early, having won once in four games. We’d be in for months of analysis, criticism, “what could have been” scenarios, and almost certainly a new coach coming in. Suffice it to say, this one’s a big one.

Save for Lavelle, the rest of the U.S. squad is available off the bench.

USWNT lineup vs. Sweden

(4-2-3-1): Naeher; Fox, Ertz, Girma, Dunn; Sullivan, Sonnett; Rodman, Horan, Smith; Morgan

Sweden lineup (4-3-3): Zećira Mušović; Nathalie Björn, Amanda Ilestedt, Magdalena Eriksson, Jonna Andersson; Filippa Angeldal, Kosovare Asllani, Elin Rubensson; Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, Stina Blackstenius, Fridolina Rolfö

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USWNT causes international incident by calling Melbourne ‘Melby’

The USWNT learned their lesson the hard way: It’s “Melbs” — not “Melby”

The U.S. women’s national team has a tough path to a third straight World Cup title, and they may have made things even more difficult on themselves by turning the entire nation of Australia against them.

The issue stems from an innocuous-seeming post by the USWNT Twitter account ahead of Sunday’s last-16 match against Sweden.

“Under the lights in Melby,” the tweet read, accompanied by a picture of a nighttime training session in Melbourne.

The USWNT learned quickly that calling Australia’s second largest city “Melby” is extremely not cool. Australian media and even one of the city’s flagship club sides quickly pounced on the faux pas.

Even Sweden couldn’t resist getting involved in the pile-on, replying to the USWNT tweet while using a much more acceptable nickname for the city.

As far as diplomatic incidents caused by a U.S. national team tweet during a World Cup go, this one probably doesn’t rise to the level of the Iran flag kerfuffle during the 2022 men’s World Cup, but Aussies still took every chance to rake the USWNT over the coals for the nickname mishap.

The controversy even grew to the point where USWNT star Alex Morgan was quizzed on it in the team’s pre-match press conference.

“I didn’t know there was a stir caused from shortening a city’s name,” Morgan said with a laugh on Saturday. “I mean, they say brekkie (an abbreviation for breakfast) so I thought Melby, it was just the next continuation of that. But we’ll call them whatever they want. So it’s Melbourne.”

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2023 Women’s World Cup Knockout Stage Day 1 Recap: Spain, Japan advance

The two favorites scored convincing wins on the first day of knockout stage action

After a one-day break, the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup got back underway as the knockout stage of the tournament was kickstarted by two games: Spain took on Switzerland, and Japan squared off against Norway. In the end, neither game was a nail-biter, as both of the higher-ranked squads won fairly decisively.

But before we get into the action, here is your daily reminder that you can follow the entirety of this year’s World Cup right here on Pro Soccer Wire! You can keep up with the full TV/streaming schedule, a power ranking of all 16 knockout stage teams, and the rankings in this year’s race for the Golden Boot.

Now, let’s get into the games.

USWNT vs Sweden: How to watch World Cup round of 16 match

It’s not a World Cup unless the USWNT faces Sweden

The U.S. women’s national team’s path to an unprecedented third straight World Cup championship is down to just four more steps.

The USWNT’s knockout round begins with an extremely familiar foe, as Sweden is the opponent for a round-of-16 clash set for Sunday at 5 a.m. ET.

It has been a rocky road, to be sure. The USWNT was merely fine in a 3-0 win over Vietnam, before struggling for a large portion of a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands. Most troublingly, the U.S. couldn’t solve Portugal, surviving in a scoreless tie that saw their opponent hit the post in stoppage time, a chance that could have eliminated the USWNT at the first hurdle.

Nonetheless, the USWNT survived and advanced, setting up yet another game against Sweden. These sides have met in each of the last six World Cups, as well as the last two Olympic games. It’s almost like a major international tournament cannot happen without the USWNT lining up against the Swedes.

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Unlike the last game of the group stage, there’s no complicated scenarios to remember. If the USWNT can win in 90 minutes, Japan awaits in the quarterfinals. If scores are level at full time, the sides will move on to 30 minutes of extra time; if that doesn’t break the tie, penalty kicks loom.

In other words, now that we’re in the knockout stages, everything’s on the line for the USWNT from here on out.

USWNT vs. Sweden

  • When: Sunday, August 6
  • Where: Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne, AUS
  • Time: 5 a.m. ET
  • Channel/streaming: Fox, Telemundo, Peacock (Watch for free on Fubo)

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Laia Codina just scored the best (own) goal of this World Cup

Don’t worry, she scored at the other end too

Maybe Spain just felt Switzerland needed some help?

Laia Codina, the Barcelona center back whose future points to being one of the world’s best, gifted Switzerland the strangest goal of this World Cup, passing the ball into her own goal from beyond the center circle early in a round of 16 match at Eden Park in Auckland.

The goal was scored from so far out that even with Codina getting some air under an attempted backpass to goalkeeper Cata Coll (who made her international debut on the night), it took over four full seconds to travel the distance and cross the line.

In truth, the overmatched Swiss did need someone to lend them a hand. Spain had opened the game by pulling Switzerland’s shape apart, eventually taking the lead in the fifth minute through Aitana Bonmatí. Codina’s gift came six minutes later, but Spain took the lead back in the 17th minute on a finish from Alba Redondo.

That meant that the first 17 minutes of this game had more goals in total than all three Swiss matches in Group A, where Inka Grings’ side more or less drifted to a 2-0 win over the Philippines and two straight scoreless draws against a disinterested Norway and a toothless New Zealand.

Before the Swiss could sort themselves, the onslaught continued. Bonmatí struck again in the 36th minute, with the rest of Spain’s players apparently disagreeing Codina’s choice to help the Swiss make this match more of a contest.

Having been overruled, Codina got with the program, scoring a goal at the other end by fighting off basically the entire Swiss defense to punch home a corner in the late moments of the first half.

Jennifer Hermoso would add a fifth goal in the second half as Spain cruised to the quarterfinals with a 5-1 win.

Check out Codina’s impossible own goal

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