US Women's National Team Barely Qualify for Round of 16

News

Timothy A. Price

August 07, 2023

United States Women's National Team forward, Alex Morgan, expressed disappointment at their performance after a 0-0 draw against Portugal in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Despite the lackluster result, the team managed to secure a place in the Round of 16 knockout round.

In the final moments of the game, Portugal's Ana Capeta came dangerously close to scoring, a goal that would have essentially eliminated the U.S. However, her shot hit the left post and rolled out of the box.

U.S. midfielder Megan Rapinoe, who plans on retiring after this Women's World Cup, expressed the stress she felt during that critical moment. "I was like, 'fuck.' Right at the end, I mean, yeah, that's stressful. Because you're out. If that goes in, your whole international career is over. It's terrible."

Rapinoe, who came on as a substitute in the 61st minute, hasn't been able to meet her own high standards in this tournament so far. As the 2019 Women's World Cup's Golden Boot winner, she has yet to score a goal or make an assist.

"Obviously we want to play great and score a lot of goals," Rapinoe admitted. "We know we can do better moving forward. It has to be better for us in the next round."

USWNT Players Celebrate with Fans After the Game

After the game, tournament broadcaster Fox Sports briefly showed video clips of USWNT players including Morgan, Crystal Dunn, Trinity Rodman, and Lindsey Horan enjoying the moment with fans. They were seen dancing and posing for photographs.

A Critical Remark

Carli Lloyd, a former USWNT player and Fox pundit, had a critical opinion about these moments. She said, “I have never witnessed something like that.” Lloyd, being a two-time Women’s World Cup winner and one of the best American footballers of her generation, felt that there was a fine line between being respectful to the fans and going overboard with celebrations.