July 21, 2021

"The Swedes had knocked the Americans out of the previous Olympics, and over the last five years their rivalry had only deepened."

"Rather than getting revenge against Sweden, the United States saw its unbeaten streak fall as it suffered a 3-0 loss, stunning not for the result but for the thoroughness. In U.S. Coach Vlatko Andonovski’s major tournament debut, Sweden left no doubt about which team deserved to win.... 'We got our asses kicked,' Megan Rapinoe said. 'Didn’t we?'... 'It’s not just the result,' Andonovski said. 'It’s a tough situation to be in. I don’t think this team has ever been in a situation like this. In recent history, I don’t remember this team losing 3-0. So it’s a little bit of a shock.'"

WaPo reports.

2 comments:

Ann Althouse said...

Joe writes:

“ The US women's team had such a huge head start on the rest of the world as far as player and team development went, that for the first ten years of 'competitive' international competition, it was pretty much women playing against girls. We could have sent girl's high school teams in the early days and they would have won gold. Now let's see how the gals respond when they have actual competition.”

Ann Althouse said...

nobodyknose writes:

"Pro sports in general and athletes in particular get too much focus in American culture. Anything that reduces their role in the national conversation and psyche is for the best. #GoSweden & the rest of the world! #DontBeAXenophobe"