Tag: FIFA World Cup

Ashley Sanchez: USWNT World Cup role ‘not what I had planned’

Sanchez called the USWNT’s World Cup trip ‘a tough experience’

It’s safe to say that no one associated with the U.S. women’s national team had the World Cup they had envisioned.

Few players are likely feeling that as keenly as Ashley Sanchez.

The Washington Spirit playmaker did not play a single second for the USWNT at the World Cup, a wholly unexpected turn of events that has resulted in plenty of criticism for the team’s former coach, Vlatko Andonovski.

Speaking to reporters after her NWSL club’s training session on Wednesday, Sanchez declined to go into much depth about how the World Cup went for her, only conceding that she had imagined the experience would be different than it was.

“I probably shouldn’t comment on that,” said Sanchez. “Let’s just say the role was not what I had planned.”

Sanchez had solid reason to plan on some real minutes at this World Cup. For one thing, the USWNT ended the tournament on a 238-minute run without scoring a goal, the last 120 of which came with Rose Lavelle suspended. The realities of the tournament seemed to strongly indicate a need for a creative player whose whole career is predicated on opening up opposing defenses.

Additionally, Sanchez had become a regular under Andonovski. After receiving her first cap in a November 2021 win over Australia, the 24-year-old had appeared in 25 of a possible 28 USWNT matches heading into the World Cup, including a start in the team’s send-off friendly win over Wales.

Instead, Andonovski — who had raised eyebrows already by including three No. 10s, including Sanchez, on his roster — opted to start Savannah DeMelo against Vietnam and the Netherlands. Lavelle’s only start of the tournament came against Portugal, while a formation change saw Lindsey Horan deployed in a more attacking role for the team’s final game, a round of 16 loss on penalties against Sweden.

Sanchez would join center back Alana Cook, another previously established regular for Andonovski, as the only two field players who spent the entire four-game run on the bench.

Speaking more generally about the USWNT’s World Cup, Sanchez called the event “a tough experience” for the team, adding that her full attention has now shifted to Washington’s NWSL stretch run.

“Obviously we needed time to process what happened, but as soon as it was over and we’re back here, our main focus is on the Spirit,” said Sanchez. “We can’t really look back and be thinking in the past anymore, and we have a new goal to be obviously champions again. So I think that’s our sole focus right now.”

Sanchez’s teammates for club and country were quick to note that even though Sanchez was deprived of a role on the field, she still offered the USWNT everything she could throughout the tournament.

“I was so impressed with Sanchez, because obviously that is such a difficult situation,” Andi Sullivan told reporters. “I think we’re all aware that that can happen to any of us at any point. And she was so steady, at least front-facing to the group, which is part of the [USWNT] culture.

“She was contributing a lot as a teammate. Because like we said, there’s so much stress and tension, and she had the loudest laugh, making jokes, especially around the meal room… She was still giving, and giving such an important aspect to the group. So I’m really impressed with her, and proud of her.”

“I think she handled it as well she could have,” added Aubrey Kingsbury, who like Sanchez was confined to the bench as Alyssa Naeher remained first-choice in goal. “We understand that you have to embrace the role you’ve been given, even if you don’t really like it.”

Sanchez: ‘It’s hard to really process’ World Cup

Regardless of how difficult the World Cup experience was, Sanchez has already taken steps to put it behind her. Making her Spirit return off the bench against the Houston Dash in Sunday’s 1-1 draw, Sanchez scored what was clearly a statement goal roughly 40 seconds after entering as a substitute.

“That felt really good,” Sanchez conceded with a smile. “Honestly, yeah, I needed that.”

“I was laughing maniacally,” said Sullivan, who watched the game from home as she recovered from playing every minute at the World Cup.

Trinity Rodman, who like Sullivan was granted a few extra days to rest after the tournament, added that she “jumped off the couch and started screaming” as Sanchez scored.

“I saw it coming from a mile away, as soon as she started dribbling up the field,” said Rodman. “I was like ‘yup, she’s baaaack!'”

In a follow-up interview with Pro Soccer Wire, Sanchez said there were also more practical concerns in putting the World Cup behind her. Namely, she had to do battle with the major jet lag upon returning to the D.C. suburbs.

“The first two days I was waking up just so early, and couldn’t go back to sleep,” said Sanchez. “I hit the third or fourth day and I slept the whole entire day. And then since then, it’s been good.”

On the tournament as a whole, Sanchez admitted that while she knows going to a World Cup is an achievement in and of itself, it might be a while before she feels that way about an experience that didn’t follow the script.

“I feel like for me, it hasn’t really sunk in. I feel like we got back and we just like started getting into it again,” said Sanchez. “It’s hard to really process, but I feel like we didn’t achieve what we wanted to, and I feel like until we do, it’s not going to feel like an accomplishment [for me], if that makes sense. Like it is an accomplishment, but ultimately our goal was to win, so it doesn’t feel the same.”

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USWNT drops to all-time low FIFA ranking after World Cup failure

It’s the first time the USWNT is outside the top two since the rankings were introduced in 2003

For the first time in the history of the FIFA women’s rankings, the U.S. women’s national team has dropped out of the top two.

The USWNT dropped from first to third in the newest edition of the rankings, which were released on Friday. Sweden, which eliminated the USWNT in the World Cup round of 16 and ultimately finished third, moved from third in the rankings to first.

Spain, the World Cup champion, moved from sixth to second.

The USWNT had been atop the FIFA world rankings for six years, having held the top spot since June 2017. Since FIFA introduced the rankings in 2003, the USWNT had always been in the top two.

The fallout from the USWNT’s World Cup failure has been swift. Head coach Vlatko Andonovski stepped down last week after four years at the helm, and was replaced by Twila Kilgore on an interim basis.

This week, USWNT captain Lindsey Horan made some eye-opening comments about the World Cup, stating her belief that the team wasn’t adequately set up to succeed, and hinting that the structural changes made for the Sweden mach were initialed by the players, rather than the coaches.

August 2023 FIFA women’s rankings

  1. Sweden
  2. Spain
  3. USA
  4. England
  5. France
  6. Germany
  7. Netherlands
  8. Japan
  9. Brazil
  10. Canada

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Rubiales goes full ‘Wolf of Wall Street,’ refuses to resign in unhinged speech

The Spanish federation president lashed out at his critics in an explosive rant

Multiple reports said that Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales would resign on Friday, amid a firestorm surrounding his kiss on the lips of Spain star Jenni Hermoso after Sunday’s World Cup final.

But at a RFEF extraordinary general assembly, Rubiales didn’t resign. In fact, he did pretty much the exact opposite.

In an unhinged rant that drew widespread condemnation, the RFEF president essentially reenacted Leonardo DiCaprio’s “I’m not leaving” speech from “The Wolf of Wall Street.”

“Do you think this [incident] is so serious that I should go, after the best management in the history of Spanish football?” Rubiales said. “Let me tell you: I’m not going to resign. I’m not going to resign. I’m not going to resign.

“I’ve come under a lot of pressure. Perhaps somebody will look to remove me on Monday. But we live in a country of laws. Is a consensual kiss enough to remove me? I’m going to fight until the end. I hope the law is followed, and that as there’s no reason to [remove me], it won’t happen.”

Rubiales was initially defiant amid criticism of the kiss, which followed Spain’s World Cup final win over England. But amid a growing firestorm, the RFEF president apologized the following day.

On Friday, it became clear that apology was fully at odds with how Rubiales actually views the incident in question.

“My desire in that moment was exactly the same as if I’d have been kissing one of my daughters,” he said. “No more or less. Everybody understands that. It was a spontaneous kiss, mutual, euphoric and consensual. That’s the key.

“[Hermoso] had missed a penalty. I have a great relationship with all the players. … In the moment that Jenni arrived, she lifted me up off the ground. We almost fell over. We hugged. I said, ‘Forget about the penalty, you’ve been fantastic, we wouldn’t have won the World Cup without you.’ She said: ‘You’re great.’ I said, ‘A kiss?’ and she said: ‘Yes.'”

Rubiales would also call his critics “false feminists.”

“We must know the difference between truth and lies,” he said. “I’m telling the truth. False feminism doesn’t look for justice or truth, it doesn’t care about people. … [Various politicians] have used terms like sexual violence, assault. What will women who have been sexually assaulted think of that?”

The reaction to Rubiales’ speech was swift. The Spanish government’s sports council announced that it would bring a case against Rubiales to the Administrative Court of Sport. That is in addition to the FIFA disciplinary committee inquiry that was opened on Thursday.

Meanwhile, a host of Spanish men’s and women’s national team players from past and present hit out at Rubiales. Here are some of the reactions from players:

FIFA opens disciplinary proceedings against Rubiales

The pressure continues to grow on the Spanish federation president

FIFA has announced that its disciplinary committee has opened proceedings against Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales.

Rubiales is under fire for kissing Spain star Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the medal ceremony following Spain’s win over England in Sunday’s World Cup final.

A statement from FIFA issued on Thursday read:

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee informed Luis Rubiales, President of the Spanish Football Association, today that it is opening disciplinary proceedings against him based on the events that occurred during the final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ on 20 August 2023.

The events may constitute violations of article 13 paragraphs 1 and 2 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee will only provide further information on these disciplinary proceedings once it has issued a final decision on the matter.

Hermoso released a statement on Wednesday saying that FUTPRO, the Spanish players’ union, would be representing her in the matter.

FUTPRO would then declare that it was demanding action on behalf of Hermoso, saying: “From our association we ask the Royal Spanish Football Federation to implement the necessary protocols, ensure the rights of our players are upheld and adopt exemplary measures.”

The pressure on Rubiales has been gradually intensifying since the incident, with Spain’s acting prime minister Pedro Sánchez saying this week that an apology from Rubiales “wasn’t sufficient.”

Enrique Cerezo, the president of Atlético Madrid, said on Thursday that Rubiales should step down, making Atlético the fourth La Liga club to call for the resignation of the federation president.

The Spanish federation has said it will hold an emergency Extraordinary General Assembly on Friday to discuss the issue with Rubiales.

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World Cup TV ratings in the U.S. were unsurprisingly not great

The time difference combined with the USWNT’s underperformance were tough to overcome

With overnight kickoff times and the U.S. women’s national team badly underperforming, it was no surprise that the 2023 Women’s World Cup posted its lowest average English-language TV audience in the United States since 2007.

According to Sports Media Watch, the recently completed World Cup in Australia and New Zealand averaged 669,000 viewers for games across Fox and FS1.

That figure is down 60 percent from the 2019 World Cup in France, which averaged 1.66 million viewers per game. It is also the lowest total since the 2007 World Cup on ESPN and ESPN2 (288,000), which took place in China — a similarly difficult time zone for American viewers.

The USWNT drew strong ratings for its first two games, which both kicked off at 9 p.m. ET: 5,261,000 viewers watched the opener against Vietnam, while 6,429,000 tuned in for the second game against the Netherlands.

Fox then drew 1,354,000 viewers for the USWNT’s group-stage finale against Portugal, which began at 3 a.m. ET. Despite the drop in viewers, it was still the most-watched overnight (3-6 a.m. ET) telecast in Fox history.

But the USWNT’s second-place finish in the group stage was a major blow to American viewership. Rather than two potential prime-time kickoffs in the round of 16 and quarterfinal, the U.S. was staring down a path to the final that would only feature overnight start times.

Of course, the U.S. would only play one knockout stage game: a round of 16 defeat to Sweden. With a 5 a.m. ET kickoff, the game drew 2.5 million viewers.

In a sign that the USWNT is still a major draw, the team’s four games averaged 3,795,000 viewers, which is actually up two percent over 2019 despite having two overnight kickoff times.

“The two [USWNT games] that were played in prime, I think, would have been even surpassed once we got to the knockout stages. The stakes would have been higher,” Michael Mulvihill, Fox’s president of insights and analytics, said in an interview with Deadline.

Perhaps the biggest indication of how the time difference and USWNT underperformance combined to hurt TV ratings can be seen in the final.

With a 6 a.m. ET kickoff on Sunday, the final between England and Spain drew 1.66 million viewers on Fox. That figure was down 88 percent from the 13.98 million who watched the USWNT defeat the Netherlands in the 2019 final, which kicked off at 11 a.m. ET.

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Rapinoe hits out at ‘deep level of misogyny’ in Spanish federation

Luis Rubiales is under fire for kissing Jenni Hermoso on the lips after Sunday’s World Cup final

Megan Rapinoe has slammed the Spanish soccer federation and its president Luis Rubiales, who is under fire for kissing Spain star Jenni Hermoso on the lips after Sunday’s World Cup final.

After Spain beat England in the final, Rubiales embraced Hermoso and kissed her during the post-game medal ceremony.

The incident has drawn widespread criticism, with Spain’s acting prime minister Pedro Sánchez saying on Tuesday that an apology from Rubiales “wasn’t sufficient.”

Rapinoe has joined in on the chorus of critics, connecting the kiss to more widespread issues between the Spanish federation and its women’s national team.

“[The kiss] made me think about how much we are required to endure,” the U.S. national team forward said in an interview with The Atlantic.

“Think how much that Spanish team had to shoulder: Some of the players who stood up way back last year still aren’t on the team. Maybe that was something that galvanized them, but you shouldn’t have to have that.

“There was another picture that signals such a deep level of misogyny and sexism in that federation and in that man (Rubiales) at the final whistle, just grabbing his crotch. What kind of upside-down world are we in? On the biggest stage, where you should be celebrating, Jenni has to be physically assaulted by this guy.”

In September of last year, 15 players on the Spain women’s national team wrote identical letters to the Spanish federation demanding widespread changes within the program, including more investment in staff and travel.

The Spanish federation also said those players demanded the ouster of head coach Jorge Vilda. Not only did the federation refuse to fire Vilda, it demanded that any player who sent the letter apologize before being allowed back into the team.

Of the 15 players who wrote the letter, only three were named to the roster that eventually won the World Cup.

The Spanish federation has said it will hold an emergency Extraordinary General Assembly on Friday to discuss the issue with Rubiales.

“Based on the latest events that took place during the award ceremony of the Women’s World Cup won by the Spanish national team last Sunday in Sydney, the federation wishes to inform that the internal proceedings of the federation regarding integrity issues are open, as well as the rest of the applicable protocols,” a statement read.

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‘I wish we’d done that earlier’: Rapinoe says USWNT changes came too late at World Cup

“Was there a little bit more in the tournament for us? Yes, I think so”

Megan Rapinoe has joined a growing list of people saying the U.S. women’s national team should have made earlier adjustments during this summer’s World Cup.

In an interview with The Atlantic published on Tuesday, Rapinoe — who before the tournament had announced plans to retire at the end of the 2023 NWSL season — acknowledged that the changed approach seen in the team’s round of 16 meeting with Sweden would have helped the team in the group stage.

“It felt a lot more fluid,” said Rapinoe. “I think we set up more to our strengths and what was going to make us hard to beat. I wish we’d done that earlier, because we would’ve had more time with it. But obviously, hindsight is 20/20.”

USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski resigned after the team had its worst-ever showing at a World Cup. He drew intense criticism from pundits for an oddly-implemented 4-3-3 formation that prioritized pushing numbers high up the field over midfield connections on both sides of the ball.

Facing the Swedes without a suspended Rose Lavelle, the U.S. switched things up. Defender Emily Sonnett was deployed as a surprise midfield starter in a 4-2-3-1, while the aggressive early runs from midfield were held until the team had progressed further up the field in possession.

The changes worked to some degree: the USWNT saved their best performance for their toughest opponent, only to go out on penalties after finishing troubles undermined their play.

Rapinoe: USWNT could have gone further

The USWNT’s tactical issues in the group stage contributed to being second-best for a substantial chunk of a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands, as well as a dispiriting scoreless draw against Portugal that nearly saw the team eliminated in stoppage time.

In a different formation, and with more consistent numbers in the midfield, the U.S. looked like a more formidable foe. A win over the Dutch, in particular, would have secured the top spot in Group E, which in turn would have resulted in a less daunting round of 16 clash against South Africa (a team the USWNT has beaten in every previous meeting without so much as conceding a goal).

Lindsey Horan, whose own role within the two approaches was markedly different, hinted on the RE-CAP Show podcast that the players may have tweaked the team’s planned tactics on their own.

While saying that the tactical changes should have come earlier, Rapinoe was a bit more philosophical in evaluating the World Cup as a whole.

“Was there a little bit more in the tournament for us? Yes, I think so,” said the 38-year-old, echoing the thoughts of many outside the team’s bubble. “But in the end, I think we played as good as we could, and we tried as hard as we could, and sometimes you lose… I don’t look at it as this devastating thing and a verdict on who we are as players or as a team.”

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Luis Rubiales might not survive this after all

High-ranking Spanish government officials are piling pressure on Rubiales for his kiss of Jenni Hermoso

Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales was likely hoping that his apology would do enough to quell the growing storm around his kiss of Spain star Jenni Hermoso.

One day later, however, it looks like Rubiales is still facing some rough waters ahead.

After Spain’s World Cup final win over England on Sunday, Rubiales embraced Hermoso and kissed her on the lips during the post-game medal ceremony.

Though his reaction to criticism around the incident was initially defiant, the RFEF president changed his approach on Monday by releasing a video statement apologizing for the kiss, saying “I made a mistake, for sure.”

But on Tuesday, Rubiales was criticized by no less than Spain’s acting prime minister Pedro Sánchez, who said that the apology from Rubiales “wasn’t sufficient.”

“It shows that in our country there’s a long way to go in terms of equality and respect between men and women,” Sánchez told reporters. “What we saw was an unacceptable gesture.

“I think the apology Mr. Rubiales has given wasn’t sufficient, I’d say it wasn’t adequate, and Mr. Rubiales should keep taking further steps.

He added: “The RFEF isn’t a part of the Spanish government. … The president is chosen or removed by [the federation’s] members. Mr. Rubiales must take further steps to clarify a behavior which is clearly unacceptable. His apology must be more clear and more convincing.”

Yolanda Díaz, Spain’s acting second deputy prime minister, was even more forceful, saying that Hermoso was “harassed and assaulted” and calling on Rubiales to resign.

“Our most resounding condemnation for what we saw,” Díaz said on social media. “Nothing more and nothing less, a woman has been harassed and assaulted.

“His excuses are useless. What we ask is for the sports law to be applied and for the sport’s federation protocols to be activated. This person should resign.”

As the pressure grows on Rubiales, a report from Relevo on Tuesday provided some potentially damaging details on the behavior of the RFEF in the immediate aftermath of the incident.

Among the items in the report are allegations that Rubiales and head coach Jorge Vilda asked Hermoso multiple times to appear in the president’s apology video, which the striker refused.

Even more alarming is an allegation that a statement attributed to Hermoso, which said of Rubiales: “His behavior with everyone has been excellent and it was a natural gesture of affection and gratitude,” was reportedly written by the RFEF and not approved by the player herself.

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USWNT captain Horan takes aim at coaching staff over World Cup failure

Horan said the USWNT’s issues were due in part to how they were set up

Lindsey Horan has aimed some thinly veiled criticism at former U.S. women’s national team head coach Vlatko Andonovski and his staff, saying that part of the team’s World Cup failure came down to them not being set up to succeed.

The USWNT crashed out in the round of 16 for its worst World Cup finish ever, winning just one of four games at the tournament.

Andonovski stepped down last week in the aftermath of the World Cup, which followed a disappointing bronze medal finish at the Olympics in 2021 in his first major tournament as USWNT coach.

The coach was heavily criticized at the World Cup over various issues, but one of the common themes was the USWNT’s problems playing out of a 4-3-3 setup that saw them struggle to connect passing sequences.

The USWNT’s best performance of the tournament came in the round of 16 against Sweden, which saw the team switch to a 4-2-3-1 formation that resulted in much more control of the game. Ultimately, the U.S. couldn’t find the net and was eliminated on penalties after a 0-0 draw.

Appearing on The RE-CAP Show with ex-USWNT teammates Tobin Heath and Christen Press, USWNT captain Horan hinted that the changes for the Sweden game came from the players themselves — not the coaching staff.

“The game against Sweden, I don’t think we were necessarily set up to play the way that we played,” Horan said. “That was just us finally coming together and being like, ‘This is what we’re going to do.’ And then it worked and then it’s like, ‘OK, keep doing it.’ Could that have happened earlier? Maybe. It’s a really tough one.”

AP Photo/Abbie Parr

Horan said in her role as captain, she tried to help out some of the younger players the USWNT needed to rely on in the tournament, including Sophia Smith.

After a double to open the tournament against Vietnam, Smith didn’t score in the team’s final three games. According to Horan, the reason Smith and some of the USWNT’s other young stars didn’t perform up to expectations was the way they were set up by the coaching staff.

“I made it a point to help Soph Smith as much as possible in this tournament because I think she has a lot of pressure on her back,” Horan said. “I want to make sure she’s in a good place and some of the younger players are in a really good place, because they’re going to have massive roles. And so it was like, could I have done more to help those players? Because I don’t think we got the absolute best out of some of them because of the way that we were set up, and some of the things that we did in the game.”

Horan added: “I [have been] killing myself for the last two weeks. Like what the heck could I have done to help or to push our playing style or to push this bravery? And at the end of the day, it’s like you’re set up in a structure to do this. And here’s your opportunity individually, like just go play within the structure.”

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Thompson opens up on ‘sad’ and ‘lonely’ World Cup experience

The teenager admitted her first World Cup wasn’t always an enjoyable experience

Alyssa Thompson has opened up on her first World Cup experience, admitting she felt sad and lonely at times during the tournament.

Thompson was the youngest player on the U.S. women’s national team roster, making her first World Cup squad at age 18.

The forward played in two of the USWNT’s four matches at the World Cup, making two appearances off the bench for a total of just over 15 minutes. The U.S. crashed out of the tournament in the last 16, falling to Sweden to seal the team’s worst-ever finish at a World Cup.

In an appearance on The RE-CAP Show with Tobin Heath and Christen Press, Thompson’s teammate with Angel City FC, the teenager admitted she felt low on confidence at times during the World Cup.

“Once we went to Auckland, I feel like I wasn’t performing as well as I could have,” Thompson said. “I feel like I was in my head a little after my first mistake. I was just like, ‘OK I’m so bad.’ I had a lot of negative talk in my head and I felt like I wasn’t doing as well as I should be doing.”

Thompson said that a few of her younger teammates on the USWNT helped her through some of the tough times.

“A lot of my teammates, like the younger girls, they saw that I was upset and they helped me a lot because they’ve been in my position before, being young on the team and coming up and knowing that you can be hard on yourself a lot. So yeah, they helped a lot.”

Even with the support of her teammates, Thompson admitted that she experienced some isolation during the World Cup.

“Throughout the tournament, there were some days when I was just sad,” Thompson said. “I felt really lonely some days, too. I feel like it’s a lot, that tournament. Playing or not, there’s different things too, and I wasn’t playing that much.

“I was happy for game day. I wasn’t as nervous as most people. I was more excited. I felt a lot like a fan watching the games.”

Thompson has now returned to Angel City, making her first post-World Cup appearance for the club by starting Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Racing Louisville.

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