Current:Home > MyU.S. Women's National Team Eliminated From 2023 World Cup After "Cruel" Penalty Shootout -NextGenWealth
U.S. Women's National Team Eliminated From 2023 World Cup After "Cruel" Penalty Shootout
View
Date:2025-04-12 18:50:18
This isn't the goal the U.S. Women's National Team had in mind.
After a tie game at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in New Zealand, the two-time defending U.S. team lost to Sweden in penalty kicks August 6. Though goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher thought she saved the final penalty—scored by Sweden's Lina Hurtig—the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) showed the ball had indeed inched over the line, officially bringing the team's three-peat dream to an end.
"I'm just devastated," Alex Morgan—who, alongside her teammates, helped score equal pay for the USWNT last year—said after the loss. "It feels like a bad dream."
Indeed, they all hope to wake up to a different outcome. "We entertained, we created chances, we didn't score and this is part of the game," co-captain Lindsey Horan said, per CNN. "Penalties, to be frank, they suck, they're too cruel. I'm proud of every player that stepped up to take a penalty today, score or miss, it's courageous to go take a penalty."
It's an especially hard kick for the players who are soon saying goodbye to the pitch.
"It's just emotional because it's probably my last game ever being able to have the honor to wear this crest," Julie Ertz shared. "I mean it's tough. Obviously, we're proud of the way we played but we didn't put anything in the back of the net."
And she isn't the only one who will soon be watching from the sidelines. Last month, Megan Rapinoe announced her plans to retire from professional soccer at the end of the season.
"I never could have imagined the ways in which soccer would shape and change my life forever," the 38-year-old wrote on Instagram alongside a snapshot of her as a kid, "but by the look on this little girl's face, I think she knew all along."
In turn, Rapinoe and her teammates have shaped and changed soccer for generations to come.
"This year's women's World Cup is a testament to the growth of women's soccer on a global scale and we are excited to see increased investment in these incredible players," the USWNT shared on Instagram after their loss. "Our goal remains the same, to win. We are committed to surpassing the standard we helped to create and we will rise to meet the challenge."
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News AppveryGood! (76625)
Related
- New Mexico governor seeks funding to recycle fracking water, expand preschool, treat mental health
- Is California’s Drought Returning? Snowpack Nears 2015’s Historic Lows
- Why King Charles III Didn’t Sing British National Anthem During His Coronation
- 2015: The Year the Environmental Movement Knocked Out Keystone XL
- Former Danish minister for Greenland discusses Trump's push to acquire island
- We Can Pull CO2 from Air, But It’s No Silver Bullet for Climate Change, Scientists Warn
- What are your chances of catching monkeypox?
- All the Jaw-Dropping Fascinators Worn to King Charles III’s Coronation
- Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
- Recalled Boppy baby lounger now linked to at least 10 infant deaths
Ranking
- Sonya Massey's father decries possible release of former deputy charged with her death
- Georgia's rural Black voters helped propel Democrats before. Will they do it again?
- Flu is expected to flare up in U.S. this winter, raising fears of a 'twindemic'
- Scientists debate how lethal COVID is. Some say it's now less risky than flu
- The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot, watchdog finds
- Wehrum Resigns from EPA, Leaving Climate Rule Rollbacks in His Wake
- MTV Movie & TV Awards 2023 Live Show Canceled After Drew Barrymore Exit
- The economics behind 'quiet quitting' — and what we should call it instead
Recommendation
Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
Today’s Climate: June 16, 2010
All the Jaw-Dropping Fascinators Worn to King Charles III’s Coronation
Priyanka Chopra Shares the One Thing She Never Wants to Miss in Daughter Malti’s Daily Routine
Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
Remember that looming recession? Not happening, some economists say
See the Royal Family Unite on the Buckingham Palace Balcony After King Charles III's Coronation
2017 One of Hottest Years on Record, and Without El Niño