MELBOURNE, Australia — As the players of the U.S. women’s national team walked one-by-one through the mixed zone outside Melbourne Rectangular Stadium to speak with reporters, it was obvious they’d rather not.
Sophia Smith and Julie Ertz were crying. Kelley O’Hara stared at the ground, crestfallen. Everyone was reeling from a dramatic penalty kick shootout that saw Sweden prevail 5-4 after a goalless 120 minutes. Sunday’s loss sent the Americans home in the round of 16, their earliest exit in a major tournament ever.
A reporter asked Alex Morgan whether the players had been set up to succeed by the coaching staff, including manager Vlatko Andonovski. “I mean, I can’t even process that question, sorry,” she said before walking away.
The time for pointing…
