Close followers of the USWNT were generally pessimistic about their chances at this Women’s World Cup, but the scale of their underperformance in the group stage was quite striking. The 3-0 win over Vietnam wasn’t as easy as anticipated, while the games against the Netherlands and Portugal have brought two draws, 1-1 and 0-0.
Slip-ups happen, even for the serious contenders to win this competition. Germany lost to Colombia, France couldn’t beat Jamaica. Australia and England needed a penalty to defeat Ireland and Haiti respectively. But the U.S. performances have been more troubling than the results. It’s partly about individuals. But it’s also about identity.
The first issue is the U.S. no longer have a dominant collection of individuals, unlike when they won the previous two tournaments. Coming into this World Cup, it felt probable that western Europe had caught up in that respect, but on the strength of the group stage, it seems nations from across the globe have too.
The U.S. are (probably) between two generations of great players. This can happen. The 2015/2019 generation was genuinely special. Of that group, some dependable players have retired. Some are injured. Some weren’t selected. Some are still around, but are evidently past their best.
There is no…
