SYDNEY — Five minutes after England had booked their place in the 2023 Women’s World Cup final with a 3-1 win over co-hosts Australia, the players came together for a huddle in the middle of the Stadium Australia pitch. As the home crowd saluted their defeated team, coach Sarina Wiegman stood facing the Lionesses, raised her voice above the surrounding noise and told them how proud she was, how they’d carried out her game plan perfectly, how they took the life out of the home support and controlled the game.
As “Sweet Caroline” played out from the speakers, the second she’d stopped speaking, the team started to celebrate again. But Wiegman’s brain had already switched to the final. “We started jumping up and celebrating,” 31-year-old defender Lucy Bronze recalls. “[Wiegman] grabbed me and said, ‘Stop jumping, you need to get ready for the next game, let the kids do it. You stand still.'”
It’s been a tournament where every sinew of Wiegman’s coaching pedigree has been stretched. But despite the setbacks, her pedigree has shone through. On Sunday,…
