The USWNT were the clear pre-tournament favourites to win the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, with the side winning the last two World Cups and appearing in every final since 2011.
Despite being placed in a group with fellow 2019 finalists the Netherlands, the team was expected to have few troubles finishing top of Group E as they have done for most World Cups.
However, they struggled to meet those expectations, with the side only winning one match — a 3-0 opening victory against Vietnam — and drawing twice to the Netherlands and Portugal, meaning the USWNT still qualified, but only in second place behind the Netherlands.
Not only does that mean they will face a tougher run to a potential fourth straight World Cup final, but it also has a dramatic impact on the kickoff times for their matches, with their Round of 16 match against Sweden set to begin at 5:00 a.m. ET.
MORE: USWNT will not win World Cup without major lineup changes
Why is the USWNT playing so late?
Whilst it is great to see the World Cup being hosted by new countries in Australia and New Zealand, the different time zones of the host nations compared to the USA means many matches in the tournament have been played in the middle of the night American time, with prime time games held in…
