By Chris
Warm beer, visits to the DMV, and soccer ties/draws that start at 3 a.m. — especially with no scoring going on — generate zero, and I mean zero, excitement. United States faced Portugal early Tuesday, Aug. 1, morning, during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and the match was uninspired and poorly played. The Americans tied their foe 0-0 and somehow still are advancing into the tournament to the Round of 16, which begins on Saturday, Aug. 4..
The U.S. finished the group stage with two draws and one win. It’s the ninth straight time the Americans have advanced to the knockout stage, but this time, it was behind less-than-inspiring play. Portugal played the U.S. really tough and nearly pulled off the upset. Frustration was evident on the U.S. team, which generated very few legitimate scoring opportunities.
In the 91st minute, Ana Capeta of Portugal had a real opportunity to win the match — she got past Alyssa Naeher, although her shot hit the right post, saving the Americans from elimination. You could almost hear a collective sigh of relief from the U.S. team.
Reading the tea-leaves on the field, Coach Vlatko Andonovski went defensive with his replacements after a late Portugal free kick that Naeher lost control of and almost resulted in a goal. Playing for a draw by substituting Emily Sonnett for Lindsey Horan was the right move, but the U.S. has a lot of issues to sort out before the next matchup.
As a result, the U.S. finished second in Group E, with the Netherlands finishing ahead, thanks to a 7-0 beatdown on Vietnam. Up next information is still TBD but the U.S. is likely to face Sweden, which beat the Americans in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 2021 in the Round of 16 in Melbourne.
So rest up. Sleep in tomorrow if you want. Get your rest — the Women’s World Cup title is up for grabs and we’re not even halfway through the tournament yet. Stay tuned for more updates.
Photo credit: USWNT‘s Instagram
