USWNT Falls to Sweden in Shootout: 5-4

USWNT Falls to Sweden in Shootout: 5-4

In a heartbreaking turn of events, the US Women’s National Team (USWNT) suffered a defeat in a shootout against Sweden, with a final score of 5-4. The highly anticipated match witnessed an intense battle between the two powerhouse teams, showcasing the extraordinary talent and skills of the players. Despite the USWNT’s commendable efforts and the relentless determination to secure a victory, it was ultimately Sweden who emerged victorious. The game showcased the unpredictable nature of shootouts, where even the slightest lapse in concentration can lead to a devastating outcome. Undoubtedly, this loss will serve as motivation for the USWNT to regroup, analyze their performance, and come back stronger in their future endeavors.

Our time Down Under comes to an end. 💔#USWNT x @Visa pic.twitter.com/X2g0NHqg38

— U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (@USWNT) August 6, 2023

Updates:

But just as it has all tournament, the final product still eluded the United States. Finishing chances was — and still is — the biggest Achilles’ heel for a country that is transitioning from one generation of stars to another. The U.S. out-shot Sweden 22-9 overall and finished with an 11-1 edge in shots on target but was unable to beat goalkeeper Zecira Musovic, who was the best player on the field for either team. Time and again Musovic, who plays for the English side Chelsea, thwarted the Americans with incredible saves and unflinching command of her penalty area.

All of which set the stage for a rollicking penalty shootout, a seesawing spectacle in which both nations held the upper hand at one point or another. A miss by the late substitute Kelley O’Hara afforded Sweden a chance to win it in the second round of sudden death penalties, and that’s when Hurtig’s shot deflected across the line to send the Americans home.

However, like in previous tournaments, the United States once again fell short of clinching the final victory. The team’s inability to finish their chances remains their biggest weakness, especially as they transition from one generation of star players to the next. Despite outshooting Sweden 22-9 and having 11 shots on target compared to Sweden’s one, the Americans were unable to overcome goalkeeper Zecira Musovic, who put on an exceptional performance. Musovic, who plays for Chelsea in England, consistently made incredible saves and confidently controlled her penalty area, frustrating the American team. As a result, the match headed into a thrilling penalty shootout, with both teams at times gaining the upper hand. In the end, a missed penalty by substitute Kelley O’Hara gave Sweden the opportunity to secure victory in sudden death penalties, and Hurtig’s shot deflected into the net, ultimately eliminating the American team from the tournament.

Sweden 0, United States 0 (Sweden wins on penalty kicks)

PENALTY KICKS

Round 1: Both score

Andi Sullivan goes for power and pace and blasts a shot into the lower-left hand corner. Zecira Musovic guessed correctly but still had no chance to get there.

Fridolina Rolfo goes first for Sweden and curls a left-footed shot into the side netting. Beautiful placement.

Round 2: Both score

Lindsey Horan with a stutter-step run up and a calm, driven shot into the left side netting for the U.S.

Elin Rubenssen answers with a rifled shot into the left side netting.

Round 3: U.S. scores, Sweden misses

Kristie Mewis, the last-minute substitute, sends the goalkeeper the wrong way and scores. Big moment for a player who was hardly on the pitch.

Sweden blinks first. Nathalie Bjorn skies her penalty over the crossbar. Huge moment for the U.S.

Round 4: Both miss

Megan Rapinoe responds in kind and misses her penalty over the crossbar. She opened her hips and leaned back a bit too far. Sweden has life.

Rebecka Blomqvist has her right-footed shot blocked by a diving Alyssa Naeher. The shot wasn’t far enough in the corner, and Naeher guessed correctly.

Round 5: U.S. misses, Sweden scores

Sophia Smith slashes her effort wide right. Wasn’t terribly close. A big moment for the youngster goes awry.

Hanna Bennison calmly powers one into the roof the net, gambling that Alyssa Naeher would dive one way or the other.

Round 6: Both score

GK Alyssa Naeher steps forward for the U.S. and scores high up the middle, just like Bennison before her.

Magdalena Eriksson answers with a beautiful shot into the top corner. Gutsy finish.

Round 7: U.S. misses, Sweden scores

Kelley O’Hara, another late substitute, hits the right post. Another miss. Zecira Musovic guessed the other way.

Sweden has a chance to win it with Lina Hurtig. Alyssa Naeher saves the initial shot but the ball caromed up in the air and may have crossed the line. The referee makes a decision and rules the goal is good. The United States loses. Incredible.

120′ — Kristie Mewis, Kelley O’Hara in near the end of extra time

Last-minute subs from Vlatko Andonovski to get two of his preferred penalty-takers on the field. Kristie Mewis and Kelley O’Hara coming on to replace Emily Sonnett and Emily Fox.

116′ — Alyssa Naeher’s turn for another pivotal stop to keep things scoreless

114′ — Going conservative late?

With a few minutes left in the second half of extra time, we’ve reached a point where teams really start calculating risk-reward in terms of how aggressive they want to be offensively. Pushing players forward in the attack also exposes a team to counters the other way, and some teams would prefer to go to penalties rather than allow a winning goal with just a couple minutes remaining. Secure the fort instead of making a potentially critical mistake.

108′ — Two more saves for Zecira Musovic

HALFTIME OF EXTRA TIME: Still nothing from either side despite USWNT, Sweden set piece chances

The possession numbers have flipped in what could be a sign of fatigue for the United States. The Swedes kept 61% possession in that first extra session and out-passed the U.S., 68-43. Sweden also had better passing accuracy (78% to 67%) and won more duels (12-7).

Also, what a performance from Sweden GK Zecira Musovic. She entered today’s game somewhat untested with just 0.5 goals prevented in the group stage, a number that ranked outside the top 10 for goalkeepers in this tournament. But she’s been unreal against the United States with eight saves, two high claims and one punch. Six of her saves came on shots inside the box.

101′ — USWNT STILL can’t score with two more big chances

101′ — Shifting formation

Sophia Smith has moved into a central attacking role after Alex Morgan was removed. Megan Rapinoe now playing left wing/left midfield. We’ve seen this a time or two already in the World Cup. Smith has a little more burst than Morgan does through the middle, but she lacks the physical size and strength for hold-up play.

99′: One USWNT legend on for another

Megan Rapinoe on, Alex Morgan off. Sophia Smith moves to striker.

96′ — Another Alex Morgan shot on goal, another MASSIVE Sweden save

95′ — Could fatigue set in?

Good point by Aly Wagner regarding potential fatigue for the United States, which didn’t have the benefit of resting key players in the final group stage game. Nine players entered today’s game having played at least 240 minutes. Sweden has just two players who have logged at least 240 minutes.

FULL TIME — United States 0, Sweden 0

We move on to 30 guaranteed minutes of extra time. Penalty kicks after that, if necessary. Sweden has to feel pretty good about making it to extra time despite being so thoroughly outplayed. And for the U.S., will the breakthrough ever come? The Americans have a 14-7 edge in total shots, 6-1 edge in shots on goal. They kept 59% of possession in regulation.

All three previous extra-time matches the USWNT has played at the Women’s World Cup have gone to penalties.

The big move by Vlatko Andonovski was to introduce CDM Emily Sonnett to the starting lineup. Here’s how she fared over 90 minutes: 48/52 passes completed, 5/9 duels won, 2/2 successful dribbles, two interceptions, two tackles, two clearances.

89′ — Alex Morgan header SAVED by Sweden

Williams with another impressive cross, and Zecira Musovic goes full extension to save a header from Morgan to keep the game scoreless.

Updated look at average player positions to include substitute Lynn Williams (6) at right wing, courtesy of Sofascore. Williams is playing even higher than Trinity Rodman did. Where Rodman was eager to get on the ball and run at defenders, Williams has been more eager to use her speed to chase longer passes into space. Same concept of attacking down the right being accomplished in different ways.

86′ — Fox in control

Pretty wild to see RB Emily Fox with more touches (91) than anyone else on the pitch. The United States had been so left-side dominant in the first three games with LB Crystal Dunn and LW Sophia Smith. Pretty significant shift to now be building down the right side so heavily. Trinity Rodman’s strong game was a big part of that.

82′ — Sweden makes two subs

75′ — Pressing the attack

Updated average player positions for the USWNT with 15 minutes remaining, courtesy of Sofascore. Lindsey Horan (10) is pushing so high up the field that it’s starting to resemble a strike partnership with Alex Morgan (13) at times. That’s how comfortable the U.S. has been in possession.

73′ — USWNT knocking on door

71′ — Sudden impact?

It will be interesting to see if Lynn Williams can provide a spark in the final third after replacing Trinity Rodman at right wing. Williams, who started against Portugal, ranks fourth on the team in xG (0.90) despite playing just 83 minutes in the tournament.

67′: HUGE save off Sweden free kick by Alyssa Naeher

66′ — Lynn Williams on for Trinity Rodman as U.S. makes first substitution

Final stats for Trinity Rodman vs. Sweden: 19/25 passes completed, 7/11 duels won, three total shots, two shots on target. Her best performance of the World Cup.

66′ — Three players who have stepped up

Five successful dribbles in seven attempts for Trinity Rodman. Three successful dribbles in six attempts for Sophia Smith. Three successful dribbles in three attempts for Andi Sullivan. The United States hasn’t seen numbers like that in quite some time. Three players who were all questioned entering this game, and they’ve certainly risen to the occasion. But still no goals for the U.S.

57′ — It’s truly a 4-2-3-1 for the United States at this point

Sophia Smith, Lindsey Horan and Trinity Rodman are playing in a clear line of three underneath FWD Alex Morgan. The defensive shape is much more compact, the pressing looks much more comfortable. Suddenly, the U.S. has bodies in midfield and passing angles galore. When Smith tucks into the midfield, LB Crystal Dunn pushes forward on the left wing to keep the width. Same on the other side with Rodman and RB Emily Fox.

Here’s a look at the heatmaps of RB Emily Fox (top) and LB Crystal Dunn (bottom) as the U.S. attacks from right to left in this graphic. It shows just how advanced their positioning has been in this game, a product of the USWNT’s ability to sustain possession for the first time since the opener against Vietnam.

53′ — Lindsey Horan’s shot BARELY saved

Sweden goalkeeper Zecira Musovic just gets her hand on a screamer from the USWNT co-captain, keeping this game scoreless.

52′ — Staying the course

No tactical changes from the United States in the first few minutes of the second half, which is to be expected given how well they played in the opening 45 minutes. Sweden appears to be pressing a bit higher than it did in the first half, forcing the United States to truly build from the top of the 18-yard box and then seeing if the Americans can move the ball between the lines.

49′ — Kosovare Asllani booked for hard tackle on Julie Ertz

Halftime thoughts

— Drastic improvement for the United States in passing accuracy and general possession play. Emily Fox, Julie Ertz, Emily Sonnett, Andi Sullivan, Crystal Dunn, Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman all completed at least 79% of their passes in the first half. Sullivan (20/22, 91%) has been particularly impressive given how little she was involved in buildup sequences during the group stage. The insertion of Sonnett as a second holding midfielder has really opened things up for Sullivan.

— As a result, this is the first time since the opening match that the United States has held the edge in possession at the break … and it’s a sizable one. The USWNT maintained 61.9% possession in the first half to establish a rhythm and operate on the front foot. They’ve completed 259 passes compared to just 154 for Sweden and held their own in duels (25-23 edge for the Swedes) despite having significantly less height on the pitch.

— So much of Sweden’s success in this tournament has come from crosses, corner kicks and other dead-ball opportunities. Thus far, the U.S. has done an excellent job shutting down Sweden’s supply (only seven crosses allowed) and stopping the Swedes from cashing in on those opportunities (only one successful cross allowed). Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher has commanded the box on corners and punched away two dangerous opportunities, one of which might have been a direct “Olimpico” goal.

— Quite the statement for manager Vlatko Andonovski thus far. Smart enough to know his job likely hinged on today’s result, Andonovski resisted the urge to make drastic formational or personnel changes and stuck to what the U.S. has done since he took over. The 4-3-3 formation was tweaked slightly to add a second holding midfielder, but aside from that he hasn’t given his players a ton of new instructions. His trust in youthful wingers Smith and Rodman is paying off, as both players have created excellent chances thus far. Now the Americans just need a goal to show for it.

47′ — Spreading the ball around

In a reflection of how well the U.S. is moving the ball, FWD Alex Morgan is the only outfield player with fewer than 22 touches thus far. Morgan, LW Sophia Smith and LB Crystal Dunn are the only outfield players with fewer than 31 touches. Very balanced, very fluid for the USWNT.

40′ — Girma has been fantastic

Some general praise for Naomi Girma here. So much has been made of youthful USWNT players like Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman and Rose Lavelle before — and during — this tournament. But Girma, who just turned 23 in June, has been the best of the bunch by a wide margin. She’s tied for the most completed passes (28) in today’s match and is becoming more and more involved in the buildup play. The U.S. holding a 60-40 edge in possession right now.

Here’s a look at Naomi Girma’s passing chart, courtesy of Opta Analyst. She’s been critical to the left-sided buildup for the United States and is trying the occasional long ball toward Sophia Smith.

34′ — CHANCE!

For the second time in this World Cup, Lindsey Horan finds the ball on a corner kick for a free header. She scored that way against the Netherlands and hammered one off the crossbar just now against Sweden. That’s a good sign for the U.S. if Horan can still find opportunities in the air against a Sweden side with much more height.

29′ — Smith, Rodman proving dangerous on wings

Impressive directness from wingers Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman thus far. Plenty of questions have been asked about those two in this tournament, especially given their struggles to defend/press, but they’ve flown out of the gates with confidence. Rodman in particular has shown a willingness to take players on down the right side and already has three shots, two on goal. The U.S. is also doing a nice job of isolating Smith 1v1 on the left side by using Crystal Dunn to occupy a second defender.

First look at average playing positions for the USWNT, courtesy of Sofascore. Much different look than what we’ve seen in the first three matches. Emily Sonnett (14) is playing as the deepest of the three midfielders. Sophia Smith (11) pushing really high on the left-hand side.

26′ — ANOTHER Trinity Rodman shot on goal saved

21′ — Naeher steady in net

Another set piece opportunity for Sweden. This corner kick from the left side was strongly bent toward goal, where GK Alyssa Naeher batted it away off the line. Impressive start for Naeher after she was shaky at times in the group stage.

20′ — Changes have had an impact on possession

As for what the USWNT is doing to address its struggles in possession, there are a couple of noteworthy changes thus far. The first is the double pivot of Emily Sonnett and Andi Sullivan, which immediately gives the U.S. defenders another option when building out of the back. The second is what seems like an instruction for the strong-side fullback to push high up the field and join the midfield/attack. In other words, when the ball is worked down the left-hand side, LB Crystal Dunn is offering a more advanced passing option. And when the ball is worked down the right, we’ve already seen Emily Fox make a couple of forward runs. Expect Dunn, who has done this at times throughout the tournament, to be the more offensive presence than Fox as the game continues.

18′ — Trinity Rodman shot on goal saved

14′ — A different look to the formation

A tweak to manager Vlatko Andonovski’s defensive shape to help combat his team’s problems in midfield: He’s asking them to defend in a 4-2-3-1 formation by dropping Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith into a line with Lindsey Horan. This effectively gives the USWNT five bodies in midfield (along with Andi Sullivan and Emily Sonnett) to match Sweden’s identical 4-2-3-1 formation. The U.S. is still attacking in a 4-3-3 look.

9′ — Dangerous in the air

Here we go, the first corner kick/set piece opportunity for Sweden, which has been lethal in the air all tournament. GK Alyssa Naeher comes off her line for a bold punch that did just enough to clear the ball from danger. A nice job by Naeher to free herself from the swarm of bodies in the 6-yard box, a staple of Sweden’s set pieces in the group stage.

7′ — USWNT’s first shot goes wide
A nice run from Trinity Rodman created a chance for her midfield teammate, but Sullivan sent the ball wide left from the top of the box.

6′ — Sweden is big and physical

One thing to watch in today’s match: This is the first time the USWNT will be the smaller side physically. Sweden’s roster has eight outfield players measuring 5-foot-9 or taller. The Swedes have built their playing style of set pieces, plentiful crosses and aerial prowess around their height advantages. Before the game, coach Vlatko Andonovski talked about Sweden’s physicality, and how his team would deal with it.

2′ — USA sticks with same formation

It’s a 4-3-3 for the USWNT, as expected. Julie Ertz remains at center back, and newcomer Emily Sonnett slides into midfield. Sonnett is playing alongside Andi Sullivan in what appears to be a double pivot. That leaves Lindsey Horan as the lone attacking midfielder.

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