© Jenna Watson-USA TODAY Sports
The U.S. women’s national team caught their breath after the finale whistle against Portugal and breathed a sigh of relief. They advanced in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, but certainly without the dominance that fans and viewers are used to in recent years.
After the match, players and coach Vlatko Andonovski had the same message when speaking to the media. It wasn’t a U.S. level result, Portugal gave them a fight but, at the end of the day, they’re moving on to the knockout round.
“We got through to the next round, but I wish we would have won,” Lynn Williams, who started up front, said. “At the end of the day, that doesn’t really matter. It’s getting through to the knockout stages. There’s more in us. Happy we have a clean sheet., but we need to be more clinical at the back of the net.”
Crystal Dunn, U.S. defender, said that it takes a “collective group” to figure out the on-the-field issues, specifically the lack of scoring.
“That’s not just a front…
