Photo copyright Noe Llamas / SPP.
Reporting from Melbourne, Australia
Faced with the daunting task of replacing a suspended Rose Lavelle and injecting life into a team that stumbled through the group stage, Vlatko Andonovski came up with an unlikely answer: Emily Sonnett. It nearly saved the 2023 World Cup for the United States.
The margins were that of a ball that crossed the line by a nearly indistinguishable amount. “It’s tough to have your World Cup end by a millimeter,” said U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, who thought she saved Lina Hurtig’s decisive penalty, only to be told she had not after a delay that felt like an eternity.
The U.S. looked terrible during the group stage and got saved from an even earlier exit by the post in a moment of fine margins that went in their favor against Portugal on Tuesday. Against Sweden, the U.S. put in its best and most complete performance at the World Cup in a game that mattered under Andonovski, but a goliath effort from Sweden goalkeeper Zećira Mušović denied the U.S….
