Carli Lloyd was not good enough. Megan Rapinoe was not good enough. Alex Morgan was not good enough. Crystal Dunn was not good enough. Tobin Heath was not good enough. The USWNT was not good enough.
Carli Lloyd running sprints alone after defeat may be the lasting image of the USWNT’s 2020 Olympic run, but her questionable inclusion on the team will be a talking point for years to come.
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.
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.
Las cosas suelen ser confusas cuando uno está despierto a las cuatro de la mañana. Es una nebulosa en la que uno, a veces, no sabe distinguir si lo que se experimenta es la realidad o es solo un sueño. Y el sentimiento, seguramente, lo vivieron muchos de los aficionados de la súper poderosa selección de Estados Unidos que vieron la aplastante derrota que sufrían ante Suecia, en su debut en los Juegos Olímpicos de Tokio.
¡3-0! ¿Un mal sueño? ¿Una pesadilla? No, una dolorosa verdad.
A menos que haya una suspensión de última hora, debido a los problemas derivados de la Covid-19, los Juegos Olímpicos de Tokio comienzan a vivirse este martes 20 de julio con la fase de grupos del softball, deporte que debuta en la cita de los anillos.
Luego viene el fútbol. ¡Siuuuu!
Como las Olimpíadas son en Japón, el gran debate en tu cabeza será ver los partidos en vivo o respetar los ciclos de tus sueño y ponerte al día más tarde con una repetición o un video con highlights.
With just over two weeks to go before the USWNT opens the group stage of the Summer Olympics against Sweden in Tokyo, manager Vlatko Andonovski — treating the send off series like a college senior — wanted to experiment with some things.
Namely, the scenario of “what if we put seven players in attack and got buck wild?” One feature of this particular setup was the presence of deep-lying midfielder Lindsey Horan taking her place alongside Carli Lloyd for the game’s opening period.
After months of speculation, the USWNT Olympic roster is here. Vlatko Andonovski went about as conservative as possible, picking an old, experienced, veteran squad to represent the Stars and Stripes in Japan this summer.