USWNT out of World Cup despite improved performance vs. Sweden
It was always going to be close. No teams have met more often in the Women's World Cup than the USWNT and Sweden and the two teams have long been considered peers on the international stage.
After 90 minutes of play, 30 minutes of extra time and an excruciating penalty shootout that came down to the final kick, the Round of 16 matchup could not have been closer.
But it's Sweden who are heading to the quarterfinals after a stellar performance from goalkeeper Zecira Musovic.
While the USWNT will be crushed to exit the Cup — it's the team's earliest exit in history — it will take some solace in a much-improved performance that saw Sweden pushed to the absolute brink.
After sticking to a brittle, underwhelming 4-3-3 formation in the group stages, coach Vlatko Andonovski used this Sweden game as an opportunity for tactical change.
He brought in Emily Sonnett to replace the suspended Rose Lavelle in midfield — a big call, given that Sonnett usually plays as a defender. But Sonnett looked natural in the center of the park and partnered beautifully with Andi Sullivan.
Spread out in front of Sonnett and Sullivan were Trinity Rodman, Lindsey Horan and Sophia Smith, who operated as attacking midfielders and created opportunities for lone striker Alex Morgan. The final shape resembled a fluid 4-2-3-1, and it immediately looked more natural and more dangerous for the USWNT.
The USWNT knew that Sweden's greatest threat would be from set pieces. Its solution? Limit them as much as possible — and focus on goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher's positioning when they occurred.
The USWNT held Sweden to just two corner kicks throughout the evening, and, when called upon, Naeher was unimpeachable. She didn't just make saves and punches; she snatched the ball to end play, knowing that leaving it loose in the box could become a crucial mistake.
Naeher's reliability, coupled with Sonnett and Sullivan's midfield partnership, changed everything for the USWNT. It gave the team confidence and allowed it to set the tempo for the first time in the World Cup.
Where the USWNT struggled to dictate much of anything against the Netherlands and Portugal, it was firmly on the front foot for the entire evening against Sweden.
The struggle came in the final third. The USWNT simply couldn't hit the target — partially because of Musovic's epic performance in goal for Sweden, but partially because it simply lacked precision and fluency in the box.
Many will latch onto the missed penalties of veterans Megan Rapinoe and Kelley O'Hara as the reason for the USWNT's defeat. But it's the missed opportunities earlier in the game from Morgan, Rodman, Smith and Horan that wound up undoing the Americans.
For Sweden, this result is validation and fuel. It'll move on to face Japan, the most in-form team of the tournament, in the quarterfinals. And despite being pinned back for much of this game against the USWNT, it firmly deserves its spot. Sweden was cool under pressure and took its chances when it counted.
For the USWNT, this is the start of a massive rebuild. Many believe that rebuild should start with coach Andonovski, whose tactical innovations came far too late in this tournament. But fans should also prepare themselves for a changing of the guard; this was likely the last time we'll see Rapinoe, Morgan and O'Hara in a World Cup.
It's wonderful that they got to play Sunday in the loose, positive style we've come to associate with them, but it's a shame it came so late in the tournament.
It was always going to be close. But Sweden is the deserved victor — and Andonovski and the USWNT have a lot of thinking to do on their flight back home to the States.
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