“UNSCRIPTED” USA Women Eliminated From World Cup!
Unscripted (Commentary)
By Keith Edmonds
FWIS Contributing Writer
The photo to the right shows the USWNT embracing each other after being defeated in an event was one that many of us didn’t expect to see during this recent World Cup soccer tournament. I mean, the USA team was ranked #1 in the world and have hardly been challenged in the past World Cup events as teams have attempted to shore up their rosters to be able to have an opportunity to compete against our superior USWNT in world-wide competition.
This team came into the event as the prohibited favorites even though they had some aging stars on their roster. The 2023 FIFA World Cup was viewed by many as a mere scrimmage for the USA team as they looked forward to the 2024 Olympics and would just walk through their opponents in customary fashion, but someone forgot to tell the team from Sweden as they battled and fought our team until the unthinkable occurred!
The USWNT fell to long-time (and #3 ranked in the world) rival Sweden 5-4 on penalty kicks in one of the most dramatic endings you will see! On the final penalty shot it appeared that USA goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher saved the final Sweeden shot on goal only to have it trickle over the cross line just before she was able to knock it away sending the US women home this early for the first time ever!
There have been several reasons /explanations that the “experts'' have suggested as to what happened during this event with the usual suggestions being coaching, lack of continuity, and many of the players showing a “sense of entitlement” as they paraded around the venues taking “selfies” and displaying an attitude that many thought showed them ripe for an upset of this magnitude! One remarkably interesting (in my opinion) reason for our performance (or lack thereof) was blamed on high profile star Megan Rapinoe who has been a stalwart on our national teams for years. Rapinoe in recent years has become a very outspoken woman with unapologetic political views that included her staunch support for LGBTQ+ and trans rights, as well as the Black Lives Matter movement. She was the first white athlete to kneel during the national anthem in solidarity with former NFL star Colin Kaepernick, and she was one of the leading spokespersons in the USWNT’s push for equal pay as their male counterparts. In short, she represented a set of ideals that contradicted what many thought to be ideal thinking for our societal norms. What am I saying? Rapinoe stood on grounds and principles that many viewed as controversial at best, on which she is proud and unapologetically firm. One person highly offended by her stance was someone that many view as the leading Republican candidate for President in 2024 who has been a thorn for her since she spoke out on these issues in 2019 and deciding (along with her team) to NOT attend the traditional White House coronation for teams that win collegiate, professional, or national championships, saying “Many of our players were openly hostile to America — no other country behaved in such a manner, or even close, “WOKE EQUALS FAILURE. Nice shot, Megan, the U.S. is going to Hell!!! In reference to her missed PK (penalty kick) during the match against Sweeden! With all this aside, and with the recent retirement announcements of Rapinoe and Julie Ertz the big question is: Where does the USWNT go from here?
Many fans have openly criticized and even showed some pleasure in seeing our team lose in the Cup suggesting that “it teaches them a lesson for being Un-American and reflecting poor values for our young people who admire and idolize them.” Now I would not go that far in supporting this statement simply because they were the same team when they were winning their numerous World Cup and Olympic titles so why change now? Once again, we see how sports is used to ignite passion, or disdain for those participating in the public’s eye. In my opinion, there needs to be a “term limit” in regard to how many years that a player can participate in international competition simply because father time waits for NO ONE, and our aging stars need to step aside with grace and dignity to allow the mantle to be passed down to our younger upcoming stars. The USWNT (United States Women’s National Team) will be fine moving forward.
Next year is the 2024 Summer Olympics, where they have a chance to redeem themselves from this World Cup heartbreak, and our younger players will now have a chance to cement themselves as regulars in the squad. Keep your head up ladies, there is more in store for you, we still believe in what you do for our country and our young people that you influence!