If you want to understand how the United States women’s soccer team went from pursuing an unprecedented third consecutive World Cup to losing in the Round of 16 on penalties, don’t look first at the coach Vlatko Andonovski and his bewildering substitutions. Don’t look at the players, who actually had their best overall match of the tournament. Don’t look at lazily blaming “woke” athletes, obviously, as former president Donald Trump and other MAGA types have. Look where credit is due: The U.S. did not beat itself; the world is catching up.
It’s understandable, and defensible, to conclude that the U.S. played down to its competition. After all, the United States ended the World Cup on a 238-minute scoring drought, by far its longest in history. And the U.S. did fall to the level of their opponents in earlier matches, most notably against Portugal.
It’s time to be very critical of the USWNT in a way we have not had to be in the past.
But against Sweden, which had looked clearly the better team during the group stage, the U.S. was largely superior. The Americans lost Sunday because they ran up against a goalie, Zećira Mušović, who simply would not give an inch. Mušović was doing her best impression of Neo (or, more aptly, Trinity) in the Matrix, saving 11 shots and facing down a barrage of ceaseless pressure. It would be deeply unfair and even ignorant to say solely that the USWNT lost the match against Sweden, as if they misplaced a victory, instead of the truth: Mušović took it from them. As Andonovski said after the match, “I am proud of the women on the field. I know we were criticized for the way we played, and for different moments in the group stage. I think we came out today and showed the grit, the resilience, the fight. The bravery showed we did everything we could to win the game. And unfortunately, soccer can be cruel sometimes.”
Indeed. The U.S. gave their all and, against a goalie playing out of her mind, it simply was not enough. “I’m at a loss for words. I don’t know what to say except that I am extremely proud that we persevered against an extremely strong U.S. that pressed for 120 minutes,” Mušović told reporters afterward. “We’re not going home yet.”
This team of aging stars and callow youth could not make it work and, after earlier struggles, it’s time to be very critical of the USWNT in a way we have not had to be in the past. The landmark 1972 legislation known as Title IX gave the U.S. a several decadelong head start over much of the rest of the world in the development of their national team. For decades, the U.S. could win games on talent alone, with little concern for tactics or development.
But that head start is gone. Its absence is ultimately why the United States struggled throughout the tournament and eventually lost. (Of the five teams that have won either a World Cup or an Olympic tournament, just one — Japan — even made it to this year’s quarterfinals.) If U.S. Soccer accepts this as the new reality, then they also need to take more seriously finding talent that doesn’t come through the elite pipelines, but spend the money to expand development and teams into underserved communities — what some of the rest of the world is finally starting to do in the women’s game — in order to find and develop the best.
And speaking of changing eras, this World Cup is also an occasion to say goodbye to perhaps the most impactful — on and off the pitch — player of her generation, Megan Rapinoe. In a cruel twist, the raucous, charismatic wizard, now 38 years old, missed a vital penalty kick that could have won it. But her limited play in this tournament pales in comparison to all she has brought to the sport. The orange candidate and his minions don’t care how hypocritical it is for them to root for their own country’s defeat. On the field, her accolades include FIFA’s female player of the year in 2019, Most Valuable Player and top goal scorer of that year’s World Cup, and more than 200 appearances and 60 goals for the national team. Rapinoe also has never been shy about using her platform to speak out about issues ranging from racist police violence to the rights of transgender kids to not be marginalized from playing sports. As she once said, “I’m a walking protest.” Because of this, the right wing — a right wing that likes to wear the mantle of being America’s only true patriots — is gleefully celebrating Rapinoe’s and the USWNT’s loss. Sure enough, Trump took to social media to say it was symbolic of the Biden presidency somehow, throw in the word “woke,” as every GOP candidate seems contractually obligated to do, and taunt Rapinoe for missing a penalty kick. The orange candidate and his minions don’t care how hypocritical it is for them to root for their own country’s defeat. The team’s successful fight for equal pay and the actions of some players like Rapinoe drove conservatives to treat the national team as political punching bags instead of a brilliant, dynastic team whom we have been fortunate to watch. A lot of soul-searching, a goodbye to the older generation and almost certainly a new coach, will be the plan for the USWNT’s future. And despite Sunday’s disappointment, it is a bright one. Steel sharpens steel and the better the rest of the world gets, the greater potential for the USWNT to raise their own game as well. And the new generation, with tremendous talents like Sophia Smith and Naomi Girma, isn’t going anywhere. Mark it down: Their revenge tour at the next World Cup will be something to behold.
Dave Zirin
Dave Zirin is sports editor of The Nation. He is the author of 11 books on the politics of sports, including "The Kaepernick Effect." He is also the host of the "Edge of Sports" podcast. 
