After a surprising 1-0 defeat to Canada ended the USWNT’s quest for gold in Tokyo on Monday, where does this squad go from here? Vlatko Andonovski assembled the oldest, most experienced U.S. side ever for this tournament, but the veterans all largely disappointed throughout.
There’s a moment in “Ted Lasso” where the eponymous coach yells at an assistant referee: “How is that offside!? No, I’m asking you, seriously: Explain offside to me, it makes no sense!”
Part of me wonders if that scene was based on the true story of Vlatko Andonovski at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Andonovski’s USWNT has had nine goals called back for players being in offside positions in four matches at the 2020 Olympics. The U.S. has scored eight goals that actually counted.
It’s a major problem, but so far it’s yet to really cost Team USA.
The USWNT has been far from impressive at the Tokyo Olympics. The defense has been shaky, the midfield often overrun and the forwards unable to stay onside. But Team USA is through to the medal rounds thanks to the heroics of goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, the one constant this tournament.
In 1999, the USWNT was on top of the world. Americans fell in love with the 99ers who won the Women’s World Cup on home soil, with Brandi Chastain’s shirtless celebration becoming one of the first soccer moments to transcend into mainstream culture in the U.S.
Twenty years later, the USWNT was back on top of the world. Megan Rapinoe led the USWNT to a fourth Women’s World Cup, but the love didn’t necessarily follow. Half of the country hated the team for reasons having little to do with soccer.
Athletic apparel company Title Nine gifted the USWNTPA $1 million on Wednesday — the largest sum the players association has ever received — saying it’s to help solve the pay gap between the men’s and women’s national soccer teams. It’s an awesome gesture similar to when LUNA Bar made a large donation in 2019. What does it really mean for how much the USWNT is paid for the Olympics? Let’s dig in.
Se acabó la fase de grupos del fútbol femenil en los Juegos Olímpicos de Tokio y entre las conclusiones no hay dudas de que Estados Unidos fue una verdadera y sonora decepción. Las actuales campeonas del mundo avanzaron a los cuartos de final, pero detrás dejaron una imagen bastante vulnerable: derrota ante Suecia (0-3), triunfo ante Nueva Zelandia (6-1) y un extremadamente aburrido 0-0 ante Australia.
Estados Unidos tuvo un debut horrendo en los Juegos Olímpicos. La caída 0-3 ante Suecia fue tan categórica que Megan Rapinoe lo resumió mejor que nadie: "nos patearon el trasero". Hoy, sin embargo, el USWNT se recobró del mal paso con una contundente victoria de 6-1 ante la selección de Nueva Zelandia. La historia es que pudieron ser diez, pero cuatro conquistas fueron anuladas por fuera de juego.
The USWNT bounced back, as basically everyone expected it to do, taking care of New Zealand 6-1 on Saturday in Saitama, Japan. After they were crushed by Sweden in the Olympic opener, the Americans needed a response, and this was a pretty good one. It was a fairly straightforward victory, though not necessarily the sort of performance that will scare the other medal favorites in Japan.
One thing Team USA did accomplish was providing one of the few audience members a profound understanding of the intricacies of the offside rule.
It’s the moment athletes wait their entire lives for: To walk into a stadium of roaring fans alongside compatriots during the Olympic Games opening ceremonies. Things were a bit different this year as Olympic Stadium in Tokyo was mostly empty, fans unable to attend because of the Covid-19 pandemic still raging around the world.
But that didn’t stop the USWNT from having fun, even from a hotel room about 20 miles away.
Megan Rapinoe was quite blunt on the USWNT’s 3-0 loss to Sweden; they got their asses kicked. The forward also added a term I don’t think I’ve ever heard from an athlete before, the team “got bopped.” What does it mean to get bopped? Let’s consult the internet.