THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
There was talk during the last World Cup that the US Women's Soccer team had lost its shine and was in decline. They managed to pull that around and win the tournament, proving once again they are the team to beat, the ones to fear, as well as leading the way for equality.
They are playing under another cloud now, one that needs to be blown away quickly.
The allegations and subsequent investigation found systemic abuse and misconduct within their game, and rightly the players are angry and upset. Becky Sauerbrunn, a USWNT stalwart commented on the situation at a press call before they played new European Champions England last week: "The players are not doing well. We are horrified and heartbroken, frustrated and exhausted. We are angry that it took a third-party investigation." This uncertainty and anger may have played a part in their results in their two-game tour of Europe this past weekend.
On Friday night, in front of an exuberant Wembley Stadium crowd, the Americans tried to match England, and for the most part they matched their upstart rivals. However, in an entertaining game that had many incidents and video assisted decisions, they ultimately came up short, losing 2-1. The defeat snapped a 13-game win streak. It took just 10 minutes for the scoring to start when England's Lauren Hemp latched on to a loose clearance from Alana Cook inside the area to score, but having suffered that early setback the US struck back just before a half hour was played, Sophia Smith striking home from distance after a lapse in midfield from England. The winner came from the penalty spot when Hailie Mace was judged by VAR to have high kicked Lucy Bronze, and the penalty was dispatched by Georgia Stanway.
The game was a test for the American team, and this would've hurt as it was billed as the top two teams in the world clashing and a chance to lay down a marker for next years World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
They had a chance to redeem this loss on Tuesday when they visited Spain, another hotbed of European football, and another tough test. Just over 11,200 were in attendance, a record for the Spanish team in their homeland, further proof of both the pull of the US team and how far the Women's game in general has come. But it was to be another night of disappointment for the World Champions. Both teams sported much changed line ups due to injuries and Spain are also going through their own domestic crisis with allegations amongst their coaching staff. The US started fast but couldn't find that cutting edge in front of goal, and they were punished when Spain's Laia Codina, making her debut, scored after a scramble following a corner kick. The second half was much of the same, with the States taking the game to their hosts without finding the killer touch in front of goal, and on 78 minutes the game was sealed when Esther Gonzalez finished neatly.
This was the first time they have lost two games straight since 2017, manager Vlatko Andonovski said: "The first thing we're going to look at after a performance like this is the things that myself as the coach and the coaching staff could have done better or different to prepare the team better."
Where this puts the USWNT now, ahead of the World Cup next year, will come down to how quickly they can put this double loss behind them. They are a team still full of fight and cannot go underestimated. The worry is that other teams are starting to catch up, rather than their own standards slipping. The game is progressing in so many areas that the US no longer has the monopoly on all the top talent, and unless they find new ways to adapt this new even playing field could be what finally catches up with them.
