FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023: Can USWNT start new era after earliest ever World Cup exit?
The USWNT crashed out of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 after a 5-4 penalty shootout loss to Sweden on Sunday (6 August) in Melbourne.
Football
The USWNT was hoping to make history in this FIFA Women’s World Cup by winning their third consecutive title.
The reality, however, is different.
After a tightly fought Round of 16 game against Sweden, the four-time World Champions lost 5-4 on penalties, crashing out of the competition in the process.
Vlatko Andonovski’s side has not lived up to the billing throughout the tournament, winning only once in their opening game against World Cup debutants Vietnam.
Having failed to finish top of their group - which featured two debutants - it became evident that this U.S. Women's National Soccer Team may not be capable of producing the same level of play that fans had come to recognise from the star-studded team.
Olympics.com looks at why this disappointing result for the USWNT could mark the end of an era and the beginning of a new one for the history-making side.
Trinity Rodman, Megan Rapinoe, Lynn Williams, and Lindsey Horan comfort one another after their loss to Sweden in the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 Round of 16
Changing of the guards
The average age of the USWNT named roster for this year’s Women’s World Cup was 28.5, with at least eight of those players over the age of 30.
Whilst veteran squad players often bring a level of experience and composure, there is a definite sense of change that they have to accept as younger members are introduced to the side.
This year has been somewhat of a transitional one for the USWNT.
With players such as Megan Rapinoe announcing their national team retirement, others like Alyssa Thompson are bursting onto the scene and making their way through the ranks.
For some sides, a mix of new talent and experience can gel quite nicely throughout a tournament.
For the USWNT, it hasn’t panned out as expected.
The Americans lacked a true understanding of one another.
For the past ten years, we have grown used to watching a side so effortlessly in tune with each other that they may as well have been working telepathically.
It was a different story this time around. The togetherness seems to have been lost along the way.
Whether it be down to injuries suffered, new talent emerging, wrong tactics or a mixture of all three, Andonovski and his team struggled to ignite the US spark we know and love.
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - AUGUST 01: Sophia Smith (R) of USA is substituted by Megan Rapinoe (L) during the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 Group E match between Portugal and USA at Eden Park on August 01, 2023 in Auckland / TÄmaki Makaurau, New Zealand. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
What comes next?
Ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, Megan Rapinoe announced that this would be the last time she represents her nation at a major tournament.
Following their Round of 16 exit to Sweden, Julie Ertz also hinted at national team retirement.
“It’s probably my last game ever being able to have the honor to wear this crest,” she told the media straight after the game.
It may not just be the end of the road for USWNT players either, as Vlatko Andonovski's job has been under threat throughout the course of their subpar campaign.
But don't count them out just yet.
With the next World Cup not set until 2027, the USWNT could prove doubters wrong at next year's Paris 2024 Olympics.
So it's far from all doom and gloom for the US.
Once they have recovered from the heartbreak caused by their earliest Women’s World Cup exit to date, they can look to the future with hope and promise.
It was 22-year-old Sophia Smith who secured two out of USWNT’s four goals at this summer’s tournament, and when she was able to, showed glimmers of excellence - which will come as no surprise to fans of the NWSL.
Trinity Rodman also made her Women’s World Cup debut this year, who ended up appearing more than she had probably bargained for following injuries to key members of the USWNT squad.
San Diego Wave defender Naomi Girma stepped up to replace the irreplaceable this summer. 38-year-old USWNT captain Becky Sauerbrunn was ruled out of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 due to injury, leaving a huge hole in the American defence.
It was Girma who did well to fill that hole, helping keep two out of three clean sheets throughout Group E. At just 23, her presence at the back will only grow as she looks to continue her USWNT career.
18-year-old Alyssa Thompson was also part of the USWNT squad. The Angel City forward didn’t spend much time on the pitch - her only appearances coming in the latter stages against Vietnam and Portugal - the experience of a tournament spent amongst world champions will prove invaluable.
From dealing with the weight of a nation, witnessing a heartbreaking loss and managing tournaments when they’re not going your way, the end of this current USWNT era will only blossom the very start of one to come.