CHICAGO — Last week provided the players on the U.S. women’s national team an opportunity to cleanse their psyches.
They played two friendlies against South Africa in which the USWNT won by a combined score of 5-0. Some new players like Chelsea forward Mia Fishel and Angel City defender M.A. Vignola made their international debuts. It was also a chance to celebrate the stellar careers of two retiring players in Julie Ertz and Megan Rapinoe.
Yet the disappointing performances at the 2023 Women’s World Cup are ones that don’t easily wash away. The USWNT’s round-of-16 exit at the World Cup was the earliest in the program’s history. The overall level of play was below the team’s usual standard, leading to the conclusion that teams around the world haven’t just caught up to the U.S., but in some ways — especially on the technical side — have surpassed it.
So over the past seven weeks, the U.S. players took their first collective steps in terms of moving beyond the World Cup. In exclusive interviews with ESPN, players say it hasn’t been easy.
“Very up and down. I think it was really hard for me,” Lindsey Horan, the USWNT’s new captain since the World…
