At the beginning of summer, there was great anticipation surrounding the FIFA Women’s World Cup, taking place in Australia and New Zealand. The United States Women’s National Soccer Team (USWNT) was rallying together for their promised three-peat; after dominating the 2015 and 2019 Women’s World Cups, a third title seemed feasible. When the roster was announced on June 21, I was curious about how many youngsters and debutantes were included. With so many new faces it begged the question: is this a World Cup-winning team?
Team USA’s first game was a group stage match against the not so mighty Vietnam. Sitting on the couch, I was relaxed and ready for an easy win.
In past World Cups, the U.S. proved they could bag a record breaking 13 goals against smaller opponents. They had no such luck against Vietnam– the score was 3-0 when the final whistle blew. Long standing fans expected a higher tally. In their first match, the USWNT did not make the statement we were all expecting.
Their next two matches were also cause for concern with a tie against the Netherlands and a tie against Portugal. They squeaked out of the group stage and were set to face their long-standing rivals: Sweden.
I became nervous before the Sweden game. Throughout the group stage there was hardly a glimpse of the dominant Team USA I was accustomed to.
The game went well– the U.S. stepped up and put Sweden on their heels all game long. The only problem: not a single goal was scored for the entirety of regulation time. The game was sent into overtime, and then to Penalty Kicks.
After the first few shots, the U.S. took the lead, but it fell apart just as quickly. Megan Rapinoe: miss. Sophia Smith: miss. They were then sent to sudden death PK’s. Kelly O’Hara stepped up, took her shot, and watched it hit off the post.
The USA had broken a record, just not the intended one. This team had managed the earliest exit ever by Team USA in a Women’s World Cup. Hopes of a three-peat were gone with one ping off the post.
Blame and criticism erupted from the press after the draw versus the Netherlands, and followed the U.S. throughout the tournament. Former Team USA player Carli Lloyd had made past statements about the toxic team culture that arose leading up to her retirement.
“What we had in the last several years was not a good culture,” Lloyd told Fox Sports. “The mentality changed, and it became toxic.”
This statement caught my attention as a possible reason for the lack of performance from Team USA in their last two major tournaments. The team chemistry was unbalanced in all of their group stage matches, and the out-of-sync forward line was unable to convert a substantial amount of goal scoring opportunities during their short lived World Cup appearance.
Lloyd came out during this World Cup and criticized the absence of the team’s focus and passion during the group stage matches.
“They see the arrogance in the U.S.,” Lloyd said, referring to the other teams competing in the tournament.
This was clearly showcased in a USWNT ad about how the world won’t be able to stop them from winning. It was evident to me that the USA thought they could steamroll their opponents like they’ve always done. Yet, while they’ve been busy starring in commercials, being activists and fighting for fair pay, the rest of the world has been preparing.
From the coaching staff to the players on the field, this team is in need of change. Head coach Vlatko Andonovski has let the team down consistently since he came into the position. With a letdown at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, and now this upset, he has been subject to immense criticism. With Andonovski’s recent resignation, the U.S. team is in need of a coach. Preferably someone who has been in the female players’ position— someone who has competed and won on the world stage. Many fans are calling on former U.S. Women’s National Team players to step up and coach.
Aside from the poor coaching, there is also a lack of skill from the players. With around 300 high level players in the National Women’s Soccer League and many more in colleges around the country, it’s hard to believe that the players on our roster are the right pick.
Megan Rapinoe has been a face of team USA for years. To have her on the roster is great for publicity, but judging by her performance in this World Cup, her time on the world stage should have come to an end a while ago.
Team USA has always been a force to be reckoned with, but this World Cup proved that the rest of the world has caught up. With so many political and media distractions since 2020, Team USA has neglected the part of the sport that truly matters: what happens on the field.
I am still clinging to the hope that this will be a blip in the history of the team moving forward. The 2024 Olympic Games will be testament as to whether this team has it in them to be World Champions again.
