The Inevitable Happened: USWNT & Head Coach Vlatko Andonovski "Mutally Agreed To Part Ways"

 

    I had been meaning to write a quick post about this for the last few days after reports surfaced on Wednesday night that USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski had resigned. The most predictable coaching change in soccer history was confirmed yesterday by the US Soccer Federation as they named his assistant Twila Kilgore (who?) as the interim head coach. The timing of this probably does not matter one bit in the long run but the minute after the USWNT was eliminated by Sweden in penalty kicks at the 2023 Women's World Cup was almost two weeks ago now. Are we supposed to be stupid enough to believe that Vlatko actually had a chance to keep his job after the earliest World Cup exit (Round of 16) in USWNT history? Please, oh and his other major tournament was also terrible as the U.S. settled for a bronze medal in the 2021 Covid Olympics. He got fired, why is that so hard to say in public?

    The USWNT was coming off of back-to-back World Cup titles so anything less than a spot in the final would have been unacceptable. We could see signs of turbulence ahead when the Americans lost a couple friendlies leading up to the World Cup (something which never occurs) and generally showed many more signs of vulnerability than usual. Yes, the gap between the USWNT and the rest of the world is rapidly closing but it would be silly to pin all of this on poor Vlatko who was woefully overmatched from the start. Last time that I checked, we still have tons of great women's players who should have been good enough to work past poor coaching and the litany of injuries to quality players that they suffered in the lead up to the World Cup. 

    Given that I had never heard of Kilgore (who is thankfully an American) until yesterday and the fact that she worked under Vlatko is not a promising sign for her long-term future with the USWNT. Nope, they need to clean house ASAP and start over. I always say this when it comes to the USMNT and USWNT head coaches but let me once again repeat my core belief: the USMNT should always be led by a foreigner since we have never come close to a World Cup title and the USWNT should be coached by an American since we are the best country in women's soccer history. I will not pretend to have a list of hot coaching candidates in women's soccer ready to go in my head but with our storied history, there has to be a few worthy replacements that are currently working their way up the ranks. 

    I would also say that I prefer an American woman (like Jill Ellis) in charge of the USWNT. We were on top for so long that former American players figure to be uniquely qualified to handle the pressure not to mention they would be familiar with our youth program, the NWSL, the USWNT system etc. Following any World Cup (men's or women's), there are always players that will retire or not be good enough to make the next competition so you always need young players knocking at the door. It has understandably been all doom and gloom since the USWNT's rough World Cup in Australia/New Zealand but the cupboard is not empty by any means. With forwards like Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman, a midfielder and captain Lindsey Horan plus defenders such as Naomi Girma and Emily Fox to name a few, we will be fine moving forward. However, make no mistake, the US Soccer Federation still has a big decision on its hands: I would have thought that the job of USWNT was almost idiot proof but not so much as Vlatko showed us all. Hire the right person and let's please move on to another great chapter for the U.S. soccer women's national team.

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USMNT No. 1 Goalkeeper Matt Turner Leaves Arsenal (After 1 Season) For Nottingham Forest

 

    If you saw the headline that USMNT starting goalkeeper Matt Turner was bolting from Arsenal after one forgettable season and going to Nottingham Forest, let me do my best to quickly talk you off the proverbial ledge. It is simple really, while the Gunners finished second in the English Premier League last season-46 points ahead of Forest who were just two places above the relegation zone in 16th place-Turner only appeared in seven total matches, none of which were in the Premier League. At the age of 29, he is in the prime of his soccer career and as a pro athlete, he does not have the luxury to wait a few years in North London, hoping to grab the No. 1 spot for Arsenal at some point. The move that had been rumored for weeks was made official today, as he signed a four-year deal worth a reported $12.75 million with Nottingham Forest.

    With the USMNT, Turner is in a good position in terms of job security. He really does not have anyone that is coming for his place anytime soon. Still, to reach his pinnacle as well as the USMNT's, they need him playing as much as possible. The fact that Nottingham Forest will be underdogs in most of their Premier League matches is a good thing in this case since it means that Turner will get plenty of action in every game as they try to avoid relegation in 2023-24. While it is far sexier to say "wow, our goalie is at Arsenal (or one of the other powerhouse clubs in Europe)!" rather than at lowly Nottingham Forest, this temporary move should benefit him and the U.S. men's national team both in the short and long term. In an amazing twist of scheduling fate, Turner and his new club open their regular season on Saturday morning (7:30 am, USA Network) as they visit Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. Haha what are the odds of that? Hopefully he is ready for suit up in that one because that would be a pretty cool footnote to his stint in the Premier League.

    Keep in mind that if he plays well with Forest, he is unlikely to be there for the entirety of his contract. God bless European soccer since as soon as a guy blows up at a smaller club, he is usually snatched up by a bigger and more powerful team with the quickness. So who knows, Turner could end up back at Arsenal or one of the other title contenders in no time. No matter what sport you play in, you can only get so much out of practices and non-game situations. It would be one thing if Turner was a teenager and while goalkeepers typically have longer professional careers than field players, there is no guarantee of anything when you compete in the top soccer league in the world. 

    If you know anything about Turner and his Disney movie like backstory, you will never doubt his ability to exceed expectations in short order. This is the same guy who thought he would be a baseball player when he was growing up and never played competitive soccer until high school. He played at a very low level Division 1 college-Fairfield University in Connecticut-and then nobody knew him before he burst onto the MLS and USMNT scene with the New England Revolution. The USMNT has always been known for quality goalies and Turner is the latest in a long line of quality shot-stoppers. The difference now is that there is way more talent around him than ever before so ideally, he won't always have to stand on his head when the U.S. plays top competition from around the globe. 

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USWNT Crashes Out Of World Cup With Their Earliest Exit Ever, Losing 5-4 To Sweden In PKs

 

    The brutal nature of soccer was on full display in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup today in Melbourne, Australia as the U.S. women lost 5-4 in penalty kicks-the longest shootout in Women's World Cup history-to Sweden in the Round of 16. There will be no threepeat, not even close as the Americans got eliminated earlier than ever before (they had only lost in semifinals or finals at previous World Cups). Ironically, it was by far the best performance of the USWNT in this tournament but their continued lack of goal-scoring ultimately got them all a plane ticket home far sooner than any of them could have expected going into this. Sweden will meet Japan on Friday in the quarterfinals (3 am, FOX). 

    In four matches at the 2023 World Cup, the USWNT only scored four total goals and even that is misleading since three of them came in their opener vs. overmatched Vietnam. Since then, they got one vs. Netherlands in a 1-1 draw, none vs. Portugal in a 0-0 tie and now this rough exit to a quality team that truthfully played far from their best game today but improved to 2-4-1 all-time vs. their rivals from America in the World Cup. Without their suspended midfielder (two yellow cards) Rose Lavelle, the U.S. was much more confident from the start and held 58% possession of the ball for the entire match. They also peppered Sweden with far more shots (22-9) including 10 more on net (11-1). The Americans had three times as many corner kicks as the Swedes (9-3) which furthers the point that they should have scored at least one goal if not two or three. 

    Sweden's goalkeeper Zecira Musovic had the game of her life. She was brilliant, making some incredible stops on U.S. midfielder Lindsey Horan (who also saw her header hit the crossbar) along with forwards Alex Morgan and Lynn Williams. The more time that went by with no goals coming for the USWNT, you had the feeling that something like this would happen to them. A game of this magnitude getting decided by penalty kicks is always a cruel way to end things but they also had 120+ minutes to score a single goal and they could not do it. 

    Even in penalty kicks, the U.S. had multiple chances to end it as they led 3-2 (after goals by midfielders Andi Sullivan, Horan and BC's Kristie Mewis in her World Cup debut!) but missed their last two attempts (by forward Megan Rapinoe in her final USWNT match and forward Sophia Smith). Sweden closed strong by converting on their last three penalty kicks while Naeher made the sixth kick for the U.S. but defender Kelley O'Hara (who came in the final minute of extra time) hit the post in her likely World Cup finale. The winning Swedish kick was a bizarre one by Lina Hurtig as Naeher initially saved it but the ball went over the line by mere millimeters before Alyssa knocked away the rebound. Nobody knew what happened until the ref said that the game was over. 

    This is a terrible result, no doubt about that but all we can hope as USWNT fans as that the federation not to mention the players and (new) coaches can learn and grow from it. True, the rest of the universe is catching up to the mighty Americans while our team has gotten static under Vlatko Andonovski who somehow was in charge for another awful finish (fourth at the last Olympics). He should be gone tomorrow along with all of his useless assistant coaches but the USWNT has more than enough talent to overcome him or any other bad coaching. Our youth programs need to be built up again and hopefully, this is a great motivator to the best young players that will form the foundation of future USWNT rosters. It is a rough day for the USWNT but if you have been paying attention the last few years and especially during this World Cup, it is not a complete shock. Their margin for error was so much smaller than in years past and they did not deserve to win another World Cup title, that is the harsh reality. 

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The USWNT Was Inches Away From Disaster, Survive 0-0 Vs. Portugal To Advance To Rd. Of 16

 

    The USWNT (1-2-0) is incredibly lucky to still be alive in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup and not taking that long flight home as they staggered to a 0-0 tie with Portugal (1-1-1) this evening in their Group E finale at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand. Thanks to the Netherlands' 7-0 demolition of Vietnam, the Dutch deservedly find themselves in first place in Group E while the U.S. finished second. It was the first time that the Americans were shut out in a World Cup group match since 2015 (a 0-0 tie with Sweden). Ironically, it is not official yet but they will likely face their Swedish rivals in the round of 16 on Sunday morning (4 am, Fox).

    Where to begin with this latest performance that simply was not good enough for a team that is trying to make history by winning a third straight World Cup? USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski made two changes to his starting 11 with Lynn Williams in for Trinity Rodman at right forward and Rose Lavelle in for Savannah DeMelo at right midfield. After a decent start to the game, the U.S. had another mostly lifeless first half-just like in their previous outing vs. Netherlands (a 1-1 draw). Lavelle also picked up a yellow card in the 39th minute which was on a questionable call but even more troublesome was the fact that she will now miss the next match since she earned a yellow card against Netherlands as well. 

    For a team playing in its first ever Women's World Cup, Portugal truthfully deserved a better fate since they had easily the best scoring chance of the match. Substitute forward Ana Capeta came on in the 90th minute and in the next minute, she was sprung loose with enough space to rocket a low shot off the post. U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher did not register a save vs. the Portuguese and earlier she had fumbled a cross but ultimately smothered it. In the dying moments, she completely whiffed on a punch attempt but the Americans were able to withstand that nervy sequence too. 

    The USWNT finished with a pedestrian (by their lofty standards) four goals scored and one goal allowed in the three Group E matches. Scoring is a real issue since they have only found the back of the net once following the routine 3-0 opening victory vs. first timers from Vietnam. Forward Alex Morgan has yet to score a goal in Australia/New Zealand and after the match, the first voice that we saw talking to the entire team on the field was not Andonovski, another coach or the captains-Lindsey Horan and Morgan-but rather veteran defender Kelley O'Hara. Vlatko seriously looked on the verge of tears at the final whistle which should not be surprising at all because he was that close to losing the best job that he will ever get in his entire career. 

    The U.S. obviously lacks the explosive offense that we have been used to in the past. Forward Sophia Smith-who scored two goals and added an assist in her World Cup debut vs. Vietnam-has been MIA in the last two matches. She was subbed out for Megan Rapinoe early in the second half and the other promising young American forward-Trinity Rodman-who started the first two matches, came on very late on this one. It will be a tough call as to who starts at forward with Morgan the next time out. Williams played well enough to make another start so the question for Andonovski is does he trust Smith or Rodman more? Regardless of who he picks, the other one should play more than a few minutes. There is no obvious replacement for Lavelle in the starting lineup at midfield and needless to say, nobody on the U.S. bench has her abundance of skill and proven track record. You want to believe that the USWNT has a much better showing in their back pocket but with the way that they have stumbled through most of their three matches at this World Cup, it is hard to believe in them with our usual unquestioned trust

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After A Sleepy First Half, Horan Scored & The USWNT Salvaged A 1-1 Draw With Netherlands

 

    The much-anticipated rematch of the 2019 Women's World Cup Final between the United States (1-1-0) and the Netherlands (1-1-0) did not exactly live up to the hype as it ended in a 1-1 tie tonight in Wellington, New Zealand during the 2023 Women's World Cup group stage. Both teams had to settle for a point as the Dutch dominated in the first half and led for much of the match on midfielder Jill Roord's goal. The Americans lacked urgency and seemed tentative in the first half but responded with a solid second half that included the tying strike by co-captain and midfielder Lindsey Horan. Their head coach Vlatko Andonovski did them no favors though as he only used one substitution for the entire match-putting in midfielder Rose Lavelle for the overmatched Savannah DeMelo to start the second half. It felt like another move or two for the U.S. could have resulted in a win but I guess we will never know about that for sure.

    It was clear that the Netherlands' gameplan was to control possession which they successfully did 56%-44%. The United States took a bunch more shots (18-5) but only had three more of them on goal (4-1). The craziest part was that the Americans earned 10 more corner kicks (11-1) than the Dutch which seems like a misprint but it is true. Roord's goal in the 17th minute came after a series of defensive miscues by the USWNT that ended with her taking a quick touch at the top of the box then depositing a low and hard shot into the corner of the net past a diving Alyssa Naeher. Even though there was surprisingly only one card all game (a yellow for Lavelle five minutes after she came on in the second half), it was a very physical battle from start to finish. 

    Horan got taken out by her club teammate at Lyon (France) midfielder Danielle van de Donk in the 59th minute. She was understandably upset about it since between getting hit on the knee not to mention a hard fall on her head, she could have suffered a couple of serious injuries. Thankfully, she let that temporary anger fuel her as she was first to a subsequent corner by Lavelle and knocked in a powerful header to tie it up 1-1 in the 62nd minute. If you had any question as to why the normally quiet Horan was named a co-captain before this tournament, here was living proof. She stepped up when her team needed her the most. 

    From there, the U.S. had all the momentum and poured on the pressure hunting for another goal. Forward Alex Morgan scored in the 67th minute after a pretty touch on a through ball by forward Trinity Rodman but it was rightfully called offside. By the end, it felt like the Dutch were hanging on for dear life but it seemed fitting that it ended 1-1. Neither side really deserved to lose but conversely, you could say that neither was owed a victory more than the other. 

    In terms of excitement, this could not set up much better for the third and final group match as the U.S. meets Portugal (1-0-1) on Tuesday (3 am, Fox) while the Netherlands takes on Vietnam (0-0-2) at the same ungodly time stateside. Playing in their first ever World Cup, the Portuguese beat fellow debutant Vietnam 2-0 this morning. The U.S. will be favored but Portugal is not a layup so they have to come out faster from the opening whistle and not wait so long for the game to come to them. Without giving you too much of an ice cream headache, I will just say that the USWNT is up two goals in goal-differential on the Netherlands so if they win and as long as the Dutch do not blow out Vietnam (a possibility), the U.S. should finish on top of Group E. Lavelle should start against Portugal and I would also like to see Megan Rapinoe (who did not appear vs. Netherlands) get some playing time. Teenage midfielder Alyssa Thompson should see the field as well in my opinion since Andi Sullivan is nothing special by any means. 

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USWNT Began Their '23 World Cup With 3-0 Win Vs. Vietnam, Thanks To Sophia Smith (2G, 1A)

 

    You might have heard: the USWNT is trying to become the first team ever (men's or women's) to win three straight World Cups, no pressure or anything. Tonight, they opened their 2023 World Cup journey with a routine 3-0 victory over Vietnam in Auckland, New Zealand. American forward Sophia Smith had an incredible World Cup debut as she scored the first two goals for the USWNT then assisted on the final strike by midfielder and co-captain Lindsey Horan. The U.S. was far from perfect as they missed a penalty kick not to mention that they owned 66% possession for the game but only had three goals to show from it. Still, nobody got hurt and eight players made their World Cup debuts for the USWNT so the bottom line is that they will move on to bigger and better things soon enough.   

    In reality, this was a mismatch of epic proportions as evidenced by the final stats: the US outshot Vietnam 28-0 but only seven of those were on goal so you can see specifically where they will have to improve starting on Wednesday (9, Fox) when they face the Netherlands in a rematch of the 2019 Women's World Cup final. American goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher gets credit for one of the most fraudulent shutouts in sports history. The winner of that is basically guaranteed to win Group E since the other team in it is Portugal who is playing in their first World Cup therefore you cannot expect them to upset the U.S. or the Netherlands (most likely). Vietnam and Portugal figure to be at the bottom of the group barring some crazy results.

    Smith did not wait too long to open her World Cup account as she made it 1-0 in the 14th minute. It was a beautiful goal as Horan looped a pass to forward and fellow co-captain Alex Morgan who flicked it into the box where Smith outran her defender and unleashed a well struck low shot with her left foot. Vietnam did their best to waste time (not a bad tactic in soccer when you are that overwhelmed) in the first half and it seemed to pay off until forward Trinity Rodman (yes, she is Dennis' daughter) earned a penalty kick in the 44th minute. Morgan stepped up to take it (I think that whomever earns a penalty kick should almost always take it) but her shot was stopped by Vietnamese goalkeeper Tran Thi Kim Thanh. Luckily for the USWNT-like we saw in the 2022 men's World Cup-there was ample stoppage time. Smith scored her second goal seven minutes (!!) into stoppage time before the halftime whistle. Thanh punched the ball but it fell to Smith and while her shot was not a great one by any means, there were enough bodies to screen Thanh who had the ball go through her legs once again. 

    Teams have five substitutes to use in this World Cup and USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski made ample use of them in the second half. This morning, we were told that star midfielder Rose Lavelle and star forward Megan Rapinoe would both be on minute restrictions at least for this evening and that is exactly what happened as they both entered in the 63rd minute. Also notably, 18-year-old Alyssa Thompson-the No. 1 pick in the last NWSL Draft-made her first World Cup appearance in the 75th minute. Fittingly since they were the two best players in the match, Smith and Horan combined for the last goal. Smith took the ball away from a Vietnam defender along the end line and then she played it back to Horan who slammed it home from the top of the box. It was another awesome highlight provided by the two Colorado natives. Lavelle had a great chance to make it 4-0 a few moments later but her right-footed shot hit the crossbar and did not cross the goal line. 

    It will be interesting to see how the Netherlands fares against Portugal tomorrow morning (3:30 am ET, FS1) but as I said, expect a relatively easy Dutch victory. The U.S. will obviously get an extra day of rest ahead of their next showdown which should help them as well not that the Vietnam match was too taxing. It is doubtful that Smith will have this type of output against the Netherlands but I also believe that Morgan and Rodman should both play better as that super talented trio gets more used to each other on the field in a competitive environment. Outside of Horan, the American midfield looks like a possible weak spot (if they even have one) while the defense led by veterans Crystal Dunn and Julie Ertz should be solid. This is the biggest field ever (32 teams) for a Women's World Cup-eight more than in 2019-and there is more parity than ever but make no mistake, the USWNT is still the team to beat until that is proven otherwise.

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Moving On: USMNT Midfielder Christian Pulisic Signs A Four-Year Deal With AC Milan (Italy)

 

    I have long said that Christian Pulisic is the greatest American male soccer player that we have ever produced. The USMNT captain and midfielder is still only 24 years old even though it feels like he has been around for much longer than that. Today, his long rumored transfer from Chelsea (England) to AC Milan (Italy) was finally confirmed as he signed a four-year contract with the Serie A giants. If you think that going from one of the top clubs in the Premier League to AC Milan is a lateral move, then you have not been paying attention to Chelsea lately. They finished in 12th place (out of 20 clubs) last season and after a revolving door of managers, Pulisic was barely getting any playing time so it was time to find a new home and a fresh start. 

    Christian, his parents and whoever smartly advised them were way ahead of the curve when he was growing up in Hershey, PA as they made the fantastic decision to move him (along with his father) to Germany when he was a teenager and where he could train full-time with the Borussia Dortmund academy team rather than dominate stateside and eventually what, go to college and star in MLS? After four seasons in the Bundesliga where he scored 13 goals, he earned a four-year deal with Chelsea where he ended up scoring 20 goals. It would be silly to label him a bust there as he was part of a Champions League title club in 2021 but based on injuries and signings of other talented guys that play similar positions to him, he found himself mostly on the bench last season when it all fell apart for the Blues. 

        The other teams that showed the most interest in Pulisic this time around were reportedly Juventus (Italy), Lyon (France) and Galatasaray (Turkey). He rightly rejected a move to Lyon which would have been a backwards move for his career and needless to say, Turkey is not where its at either at this point. You won't find many more powerhouse historical soccer clubs than AC Milan who have won the Champions League seven times (the 2nd most behind Real Madrid) and an amazing 19 Serie A titles with the most recent coming in 2022. Furthermore, they lost to their chief rival Inter Milan in the Champions League semifinals this past spring so they are not far very away from gaining additional sacred hardware. Not for nothing, I would also say that getting away from the rough and tumble style in England should also sneaky help the more technically sound Pulisic who is listed at 5-foot-10 but only 150 pounds. 

    Adapting to a new country, city, language, club, teammates and league no doubt will pose some serious challenges for Christian at least in the beginning but thankfully he has some friendly faces on his new team so he should not feel alone by any means. English midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek-his former Chelsea teammate-also recently signed with The Rossoneri. Additionally, USMNT defender Sergino Dest (on loan from Barcelona) is still there along with another former Chelsea teammate and French striker Olivier Giroud who played a key role in his recruitment. USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter notwithstanding, the team is unquestionably making incredible strides globally like never before. There are American players in all the top soccer leagues around the world. Still, we are not and we will never be known as a true soccer factory like Brazil, England, Spain, etc. That means that our homegrown prodigies like Pulisic are so precious and therefore we want to see him succeed at the highest level, especially as he enters what should be his prime. If he gets his club career back on track, it would be hard to quantify how much that will influence future American kids from getting into soccer and sticking with it rather than choosing other sports over it.

The USMNT Blanked Canada 2-0 To Capture Its Second Straight CONCACAF Nations League Title

 

    After all of the on-the-field and off-the-field drama for the US men's national team on Thursday, tonight was back to a more routine kind of match and result as they did what they always do on home soil: they beat Canada 2-0 to win the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Final at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Despite the sorry state of the Mexican national team at the moment (they squeaked by Panama 1-0 in the third-place game earlier today), their matches vs. the United States will always be more highly-charged than when the USMNT plays Canada (this ain't hockey). Of course, a title is always nice particularly to start what should be a fun summer for the USMNT and the USWNT-the Women's World Cup starts in a month in Australia and New Zealand as the Americans vie for their third straight crown. 

    Displaying a scoring punch that was severely lacking at the 2022 World Cup, the US struck for a pair of goals in the first half this evening that left Canada stunned and they ultimately never recovered from it. The first was from defender Chris Richards who headed in a corner kick by midfielder Gio Reyna in the 12th minute. Richards plays at Crystal Palace in the Premier League but I have to admit that after he scored, I wondered aloud for a few moments "who is that?" For good reason since it was his first career goal for the USMNT and truth be told, it was one that Canada's goalkeeper the immortal Milan Borjan should have stopped. The header was not that powerful and it did not go into a top corner of the net, instead it somehow went comically under a diving Borjan. 

    Haters will knock that first US goal (and rightfully so) but the second was all class as our new striker/savior 21-year-old Folarin Balogun took a nifty pass from Reyna, shielded his defender and buried a one-time shot with power and accuracy in the 34th minute. He made his debut on Thursday for the US and this goal should only fuel the hype for what I'm predicting could be the best goal-scorer that we have ever produced. Needless to say that the USMNT rarely ever scored goals that looked like that but if Thursday and today were any indication, we should expect many more highlight reel strikes before long. Canada trailed 2-0 at halftime and despite a misleading 64%-36% advantage in possession, the impotent Canadian attack could only muster four shots on goal and goalkeeper Matt Turner stopped all of them for his second shutout in a row. 

    After some well-deserved partying in Vegas (what a place to win the CONCACAF Nations League!), the team will mostly go home to rest for their upcoming club seasons or take a vacation to get away from soccer for a bit. There is only a handful of guys that will be competing for the US in the Gold Cup which starts for them next Saturday night (9:30, FS1) in Chicago against Jamaica. The Gold Cup is usually a welcome diversion in the dog days of summer sports but keep in mind if you tune in that you will not be seeing most of the top American players other than Turner who needs all the playing time that he can get after being the backup for almost every Arsenal match in 2022-23. This is a squad that is MLS-heavy since that league is currently in season while all the European leagues are on summer break. Also, the US will look to defend their Gold Cup championship as they won the last competition in 2021. 

What Should Have Been A Great Night For The USMNT Is Overshadowed By More Silly Drama

 

    On the surface, tonight was a fabulous result for the U.S. men's soccer team as they thrashed their biggest rival Mexico 3-0 in the CONCACAF Nations League Semifinals on Thursday night at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The Americans extended their unbeaten streak vs. the Mexicans to six games (4-0-2). United States captain and midfielder Christian Pulisic scored twice, striker Ricardo Pepi added the other goal as a substitute and goalkeeper Matt Turner only had to make one save as the U.S. dominated Mexico to reach the Final on Sunday night (9, Paramount Plus & Univision) against Canada who earlier had blanked Panama 2-0. Unfortunately, the match will be remembered as much for its ugliness on the field (13 combined cards including two guys that received reds on each side) as well as off (anti-gay chants from idiot Mexican fans who also pelted the field with trash) which forced the referees to end it early in stoppage time when everything became too much to handle. Oh and a bombshell came out during the proceedings that after six-plus months of searching for a head coach, the U.S. men's soccer team is going to reappoint Gregg Berhalter in charge. You have got to be kidding me!

    The whole bizarre situation left U.S. legend Clint Dempsey stunned at halftime, wondering why they had wasted so much time simply to go back to where they started with Berhalter. Indeed, since they were badly outclassed 3-1 vs. Netherlands in the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup on December 3, the U.S. men's national team has been beset by drama involving Berhalter and the Reynas. It felt like a no-brainer to get someone from the outside to bring some fresh ideas and a new perspective to a group that on paper is far more talented than any team that they have ever had in their history. As recently as earlier this week, we heard that former Arsenal and French star Patrick Vieira (who coached at Crystal Palace in the Premier League and NYCFC in MLS) was interested in the job. I cannot say that he is an outstanding coach from what we've seen early in that side of his career but at least he is a big name in soccer and a non-American who has played and coached at the highest level. Nope, instead we are going back to a guy that is best suited to be a coach in MLS or Mexico (there was a rumor earlier this week that Berhalter turned down a coaching opportunity with Club America). Ugh. I guess we should have seen this coming though since the breadcrumbs were there for a Berhalter return with some of the USMNT's best players like Pulisic and midfielder Timothy Weah publicly pledging their support to him lately which seemed odd at the time. 

    Back to the game which was all about Pulisic. In the first half, he had a wonderful chance as he dribbled around Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa only to put the not that difficult shot over the net. Christian was stunned as he lay on the ground for an extended period of time in disbelief. Thankfully, he shook that off as he pounced on a loose ball in the Mexican box and finished a pretty left footed shot in the 37th minute for a 1-0 U.S. lead. Less than two minutes into the second half it was 2-0 U.S. (Dos A Cero!) as Pulisic buried a perfect cross from Weah. Striker Folarin Balogun's much-anticipated debut for the USMNT could have ended on an ugly note as Mexico's goon defender Cesar Montes chopped him down in the 69th minute with a brutal trip that rightfully resulted in a red card. Sadly, American midfielder Weston McKennie got drawn into the scrum and ended up with a red card of his own a few moments later. Balogun survived and the U.S. extended the beating as Pepi entered in the 75th minute and scored the final goal three minutes later after a pinpoint feed from defender Sergino Dest (who received a red card of his own in the 85th minute).

    It has a long way to go to match the intensity or history of U.S. vs. Mexico but I will submit my prediction that over the next few years, the U.S. vs. Canada should become much more of a rivalry since the Canadians are better than they have ever been with legitimate stars like striker Jonathan David (Lyon with Weah) and midfielder Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich)-who scored both of their goals vs. Panama-who compete at top European clubs. Conversely, Mexico is in shambles (which I almost feel badly about, well not really) with few stars left on its roster these days. It sounds like Berhalter will be re-introduced (oh joy) on Friday but at least Sunday night should be fun as the U.S. men go for another CONCACAF Nations League title. It is a bummer than McKennie and Dest will miss the match because of those stupid red cards but that will give other guys like Balogun and midfielder Gio Reyna (sporting his fresh new Eminem-esque blonde hair)-who didn't do much against Mexico-a chance to really shine on Father's Day evening in Vegas along with Pulisic.

Survive & Advance: USMNT Hangs On To Beat Iran 1-0, Reach Knockout Round Vs. Netherlands

 

    It was nervy and a bit sketchy at the end but all that matters is that the U.S. men's national team got the job done this afternoon in its Group B finale vs. Iran. The stakes were simple enough: win and they proceeded to the knockout round; lose and they catch the next flight out of Qatar. Thanks to a superb goal by star Christian Pulisic and the second straight shutout by goalkeeper Matt Turner, the Americans finished in second place in Group B with a 1-0 victory against Iran. They now will face the Netherlands on Saturday morning (10 am, FOX) in the Round of 16. England beat Wales 3-0 to finish in first place in Group B and they will meet Senegal on Sunday (2 pm, Fox). 

    With only two goals in its three games in Qatar, goal-scoring has clearly been a major issue facing the U.S. They played really well in the first half today though and were rewarded when midfielder Weston McKennie sent a long pass to defender Sergino Dest which he headed towards the goal line. Pulisic bravely went right at Iran's goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand and volleyed the ball into the net just before he received a swift kick to a very sensitive area. After understandably staying down on the ground and being tended to by the USMNT medical staff, Pulisic briefly came off the field before going back on to end the half. He was replaced to start the second half and after a trip to the hospital, he said that he would be ready to go against the Dutch which is a huge relief given how serious it initally looked.

     Iran stepped up its play in the second half, particularly in the latter portion of the final stanza. US head coach Gregg Berhalter used all five of his substitutes and other than the mostly useless striker Haji Wright and midfielder Brenden Aaronson (who was a fine replacement for Pulisic), he focused on defenders with Shaq Moore (who shouldn't be on this team) coming on for Dest, Kellyn Acosta taking out McKennie and Walker Zimmerman subbing in for Timothy Weah (who had a stoppage time goal in the first half wiped away despite no VAR review of what looked like an incredibly close offside call). No Gio Reyna appearance for the second time in three matches, no Joe Scally (yet to see the field in Qatar) or no DeAndre Yedlin who I would have preferred vs. Moore.

    The Netherlands will represent a true step up in class for the U.S. but their 0-0 tie with England proves that they can hang with the better teams that are here. The Dutch won Group A after finishing 2-0-1 via a 2-0 win vs. Senegal, a 1-1 draw with Ecuador and a 2-0 shutout of Qatar to close it out earlier this morning. Their breakout star has been forward Cody Gakpo who has scored a goal in each game so far in the 2022 World Cup. It should be a good matchup since like the Americans, the Dutch have only allowed one goal in Qatar. Expect another low-scoring affair like today was and hopefully the U.S. attack can wake up a little bit more. For context, the last two times that the U.S. reached the knockout stage of a World Cup, they lost in the Round of 16: 1-0 to Belgium in 2014 and 2-1 to Ghana in 2010. Their last win at this point was that memorable 2-0 upset of Mexico way back in 2002.

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Eight Years Later, The U.S. Men's National Team Return To The World Cup With A 1-1 Tie Vs. Wales

 

    So much has changed since the last time that the U.S. men's national team was in its last World Cup (2014 in Brazil). This afternoon, an almost completely new squad (defender DeAndre Yedlin is the only holdover from that team) took the field in Qatar for their Group B opener vs. Wales. While this team is brimming with far more individual talent than the Americans have ever possessed, they still came away with a disappointing result: a 1-1 draw. Earlier in the day, England opened with a 6-2 thrashing of Iran which is what a heavyweight team like the English are expected to do. Of course, up next the Americans meet England on Black Friday (2, Fox) in a huge showdown that now takes on even more meaning since the U.S. settled for a point rather than earning the full three against the Welsh. Ugh.

    The U.S. played a nearly flawless first half and took a 1-0 lead in the 36th minute on a brilliant build-up play (more on that later) and a top-class finish by 22-year-old forward Timothy Weah. Rather than push for the all-important second goal in the second half, head coach Gregg Berhalter decided to sit on that perilous lead and ended up getting burned by Welsh legend Gareth Bale who drew a dumb foul in the box from defender Walker Zimmerman. The LA Galaxy star (that still sounds so weird to say) predictably converted the penalty kick in the 82nd minute and the Welsh grabbed a point in a match where the U.S. owned 59% possesion and had two more corner kicks (5-3) than Wales. 

    Did I mention that the U.S. finished with just one shot on goal? Yeah, that will not get it done at a major tournament. I think any objective American fan came into this cursed event in an awful and backwards country most scared of Berhalter screwing this whole thing up since he is their most glaring weakness besides inexperience of the players on this stage. Today was not a fireable offense but budding star midfielder Giovanni Reyna never seeing the field while forward Jordan Morris was a late substitute for Weah was a ridiculous decision. Turner did his part with a spectaular save to punch a dangerous Welsh header over the crossbar in the second half. He even got a hand on Bale's penalty kick but it was stuck way too hard to make a difference. 

   Starting with striker Josh Sargent's holdup then Pulisic's rush forward followed by a perfectly weighted pass to Weah who one-timed a finish before Wales' goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey could rush out to stop it, that U.S. goal was utterly gorgeous. Needless to say, past American teams never pulled off sequences like that against legitimate competition. Berhalter's starting 11 was about as good as it gets given the current roster: Turner in goal; Antonee Robinson, Tim Ream, Zimmerman and Sergino Dest in the back; Yunus Musah, newly-elected captain Tyler Adams (who was deservedly voted Man of the Match) and Weston McKennie in the midfield; Pulisic, Sargent and Weah up front. Other than the puzzling Morris move, Yedlin came on for Dest, Kellyn Acosta replaced Musah and Brenden Aaronson subbed in for McKennie. Besides Reyna, there really were not any other guys that never played against Wales that you could make much of a fuss about. 

    Berhalter should not panic and if I were him, I would roll with basically the same lineup vs. England. The U.S. has to be careful then since four guys (Ream, Dest, Acosta and McKennie) will carry yellow cards into that match with risk of missing the Iran Group B finale (should they pick up another yellow) which is likely to be very important for all four countries in the Group. England will be favored but the United States has shown in the past that they can play with the English. Goal differential is always something to pay attention to in this format so if they lose, it cannot be by more a goal or two. The U.S. led 1-0 at halftime against Wales and were up for 46 minutes late into the second half so hopefully this group takes some lessons from their first taste of the World Cup and puts it to good use when they meet one of the best teams on the planet.

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After Eight Long Years, The U.S. Men's National Team Is Headed Back To The (2022) World Cup!

 

    In the most anti-climatic way possible (all they needed to do was not lose by 6+ goals), the U.S. men's national team secured their place in the 2022 World Cup with a 2-0 defeat tonight at Costa Rica. The Americans finished third in CONCACAF behind Canada (no really) and Mexico to earn the last automatic bid from the region; the Costa Ricans will have to face New Zealand in a playoff for another ticket to Qatar this fall. The World Cup draw is on Friday afternoon (11:30 am, FS1) with the event starting on November 21 and the Final is on December 17. Haha nothing like having one of the biggest events in the world smack dab in the middle of the holidays and a million other things going on in sports. 

    After infamously missing out on the 2018 World Cup, what should be a basically automatic thing for the USMNT became that much more important in this cycle. Sure they had their ups and downs (in case you forgot, qualifying takes forever) but all that matters for head coach Gregg Berhalter is that they got the job done. For casual fans who only tune into the World Cup, this promises to be the most talented squad that the United State has ever fielded. Almost all of the older players from previous World Cup teams have been phased out, replaced by precocious studs all over the pitch that are employed by some of the top clubs in soccer: forward Christian Pulisic (Chelsea) is the headliner that everybody knows but midfielders Giovanni Reyna (Dortmund), Weston McKennie (Juventus) and Tyler Adams (Red Bull Leipzig) along with defender Sergino Dest (Barcelona) are just a few of the names that you will be constantly hearing from now until November (Wyclef Jean voice). 

    It sounds like a cop out but so much of the USMNT's fate in Qatar will be determined by who are the other three countries in their group. With a favorable draw, they could potentially go very far in the tournament. Conversely, if they must play a couple powerhouse teams in the group stage then yikes. Regardless, this is a fun and likable collection of players that are only going to get better with this most valuable experience at the World Cup that most of them lack. Keep in mind that the 2026 World Cup will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico so given the young ages of most of our top players, you can start to understand why people have sky high expectations for that time since many of these guys hopefully will be in their primes by then.

    Finally, I would argue that there is no more important global sporting event than the World Cup and you simply cannot underestimate how much buzz soccer will generate if the USMNT can make a run in Qatar. Something similar to this has been said at every previous World Cup but thanks to video games and social media, the game has never been more popular in the States-just ask your kids or younger relatives. With so many of these players competing outside of MLS, you start to understand that this isn't your father's all-heart and little talent American teams of the past. There are plenty of questions about Berhalter and some time left to figure out who will make the final roster but at this moment, this is a time to celebrate and be proud once again of the USMNT because they are winners after the darkest time in their modern era.

UPDATE 4/1/22: The World Cup draw was this afternoon and I have to say that it went really well for the United States at least on paper. They are in Group B with England, Iran and the European playoff winner of Wales vs. Scotland/Ukraine. They'll meet the European playoff winner on the opening day of the tournament November 21. After that, they'll face England on Black Friday (November 25) and they will close out the group stage on November 29 vs. Iran. They should win the opener, a positive result against England is possible and they have to beat Iran.

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Dos A Cero Forever and Ever: The USMNT Beats Mexico For The Third Time In A Row Since June

 

    Remember when the USMNT (4-2-1) was on the brink of utter disaster just a few short months ago? That hardly seems to matter now as they beat their archrival Mexico (4-2-1) 2-0 tonight at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, OH. Canada (3-4-0) held off Costa Rica (1-3-3) this evening in Edmonton leaving the Canadians one point behind both the United States and Mexico. Panama (3-2-2) is the only other country that is in the same neighborhood as those top three teams. Any victory against Mexico is a huge one but this carried extra meaning since it vaulted the U.S. to the top of their eight country CONCACAF group. It was also the first loss of this round (the 3rd) of qualifying for the Mexicans and it meant that the Americans have now beaten them in three staright matches dating back to this past June-something that neither country has done in this epic series since 1937. 

    It was scoreless at halftime and it remained 0-0 for much of the second half before the U.S. got a jolt of energy from its best player (who was a substitute) followed by an insurance goal by another one of their main stars. Of course, this was all made possible by goalkeeper Zack Steffen (4 saves) who earned the shutout with some solid play including a diving stop on a partial breakaway by Hirving Lozano-Mexico's best goal scorer-in the 18th minute. Forward Christian Pulisic did not start because he's only played two games for his club team-Chelsea-since returning from a serious ankle injury. In five minutes of action though, he made an immediate impact as he connected on a diving header with fellow forward Timothy Weah providing a picture perfect cross from the right side into the box. 

    Much like Pulisic, midfielder Weston McKennie is already proving to be a big-game performer for the USMNT not to mention his powerhouse club (Juventus). Unfortuately, in the 68th minute he picked up a yellow card for the second match in a row so he will miss the next U.S. World Cup qualifier-on Tuesday (5, Paramount+) at Jamaica (1-3-3). He made up for that by corraling a loose ball and dribbling through or around multiple Mexican defenders before finishing a low shot into the corner of the net. That made it 2-0 in favor of the U.S. in the 85th minute and stunned Mexico never had any time to recover. The only other negative for the Americans was that defender Miles Robinson picked up a red card in the 89th minute on a shaky at best call. He will sit out as well on Tuesday meaning that head coach Gregg Berhalter needs to make at least two changes to his starting lineup from tonight. 

    Finally, Tuesday night represents a golden opportunity for the U.S. to try and separate itself a bit at the top of the table. Sure from the outside it appears to have all the makings of the usual CONCACAF trap game that affects every country in this wacky region from time to time: they are facing an underdog opponent on a shoddy field and in a terrible stadium that has next to nothing to lose at this point. You'll remember that the previous time that the USMNT and Jamaica met on October 7, the Americans walked away with a 2-0 victory in Austin, TX. It will take another strong team effort to get the desired result of three more points. It is also their final World Cup 2022 qualifier in 2021 and the next one after that won't be for over two months (vs. El Salvador on January 27) so what better way to go into the holidays than with a win?

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After A Rough Week, U.S. Men's National Team Woke Up & Earned A Huge 4-1 Win At Honduras

 

    Let's be real, it had not been a fun time to be a fan of the U.S. men's national team. Qualifying for the 2022 World Cup had hit a major bump in the road as they had a scoreless draw last Thursday at El Salvador, followed by a 1-1 tie with Canada in Nashville on Sunday. Couple that with injuries to some of their best players (Gio Reyna and Sergino Dest) not to mention a shameful temporary exit from the team after violating Covid-19 protocols (Weston McKennie) and you can understand why angst was growing by the hour. Tonight in the first half at Honduras, they looked like a mess as striker Brayan Moya used a diving header (when he was left completely unmarked in the middle of the box) to give the home team a 1-0 lead in the 27th minute. Thankfully, the second half was a revelation as the United States looked like a different team as they scored four times to come away with a much-needed 4-1 victory. 

    Nobody is probably more thankful for the win than U.S. head coach Gregg Berhalter since it is not hyperbole to say that his job was on the line if they had lost and come away with two out of a possible nine points this week. If you think that is being a little too dramatic, Jurgen Klinsmann was fired in a similar spot (after two matches in their ill-fated 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign). Also, former USMNT forward Taylor Twellman said as much on ESPN this evening after the U.S. vs. Honduras match. So where has this team been? Good question since three of the four goals for the Americans came from substitutes which shows how poorly Berhalter's strange makeshift lineup performed in the first half. 

    Fulham defender Antonee Robinson scored the biggest goal of his life in the 48th minute after he came on to start the second half. With a loose ball bouncing around in the box, he was there to calmly finish with a measured volley into the side netting. Making his first ever start for the U.S., 18-year-old striker Ricardo Pepi of FC Dallas made Berhalter look brilliant as he scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal in the 75th minute. Midfielder DeAndre Yedlin served a perfect cross to Pepi who headed the ball strongly into the corner. After playing great in the first half, Honduras crumbled late in the second half with another sub-forward Brenden Aaronson of Red Bull Salzburg-finishing a give-and-go with Pepi in the 86th minute. Finally, defender Sebastian Lletget of the LA Galaxy was able to clean up a rebound of a shot by Pepi for the final tally in the 93rd minute. 

    Besides the nightmare first half, the only real negative for the U.S. was that their best player Christian Pulisic of Chelsea fame went off in the 62nd minute with what looked like a pretty serious ankle injury. The good news in that regard is that he has nearly a month to heal up since the next window of World Cup qualifying games is in October starting on the 7th in Austin, TX vs. Jamaica. Three days later, the Americans go to Panama followed by an October 13 date with Costa Rica in Columbus, Ohio. After matchday three, the U.S. is tied with Canada for second-place (out of 8 countries) while Panama also has five points. Not surprisingly, Mexico is on top with seven points while Costa Rica, Honduras and El Salvador are all struggling with two points then Jamaica is last with only one point. Besides that performance, the best thing for this group is some time away from each other for a bit. They can focus on their club seasons for a few weeks before reconvening hopefully with a different mindset next month. The upcoming portion of their schedule does not sound too daunting at least on paper but the last week should prove that they cannot afford to take any opponent for granted right now and every point is precious to them because they simply have to qualify for the 2022 World Cup by any means necessary.

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USWNT Icon Carli Lloyd Will Get The Farewell Tour This Fall That She So Richly Deserves

 

    As the saying goes, "Father Time is undefeated." While that may be true especially in the career of a professional athlete, at least USWNT legend Carli Lloyd fought the good fight so much longer than nearly anyone else in women's soccer history. Today, the 39-year-old midfielder/forward announced that she will play in four soon-to-be announced USWNT exhibitions this fall and she will return to play for her local club Gotham FC in the NWSL for the rest of their season and then that's it, she's done for good. When you stack her accolades up with any other USWNT legend, her resume is as good as anybody else's. The crazy part too is that she was considered past her prime and out of the picture for the national team in her early-30s only to burst back onto the scene and play the best soccer of her life for years after that. 

    The Delran Township, New Jersey native was never a big-time prospect in her earlier years, instead she played four years (2001-04) at Rutgers University in her home state before making her debut with the senior national team the next year. From there, she went on to make an astounding 312 appearances (2nd most in USWNT & world soccer history), she won two World Cups (2015 & 2019) and two Olympic Gold Medals (2008 & 2012), she scored 128 goals (4th most in USWNT history) and she won a pair of FIFA Women's Player of the Year Awards in back-to-back years (2015 & 2016). Her signature moment for most people is probably the hat trick that she scored in the first 16 minutes of the 2015 World Cup final vs. Japan including an absurd shot from midfield over the hapless Japanese goalkeeper. 

    Of all the great American women's soccer players, Lloyd has never been the one with the flashiest moves on the field nor the biggest personality off the field but that's not the point. For me, one of the true signs of greatness is the consistency from game to game and year to year and that is Carli. Even though the USWNT couldn't become the first team (men's or women's) to follow a World Cup title with a Gold Medal in the following Olympics, settling for the bronze in Japan earlier this month, she is still one of the top players on the team. It's one thing for a goalie to play at a high level late into their 30s or even early 40s but for a field player it's nearly unheard of. It was such a bizarre Olympics with no fans in the stands (due to Covid-19) but one of the enduring images of the entire proceedings had to be Lloyd running sprints on the empty field after they had been upset by Canada in the semifinals. On the surface to a regular person, that likely seems insane but I think it sums up Lloyd so well. She never accepted mediocrity from herself and her internal will to succeed is what ultimately resulted in her being one of the best women's soccer players of all-time.

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The U.S. Men Finished The Job By Beating Mexico 1-0 In Extra Time To Capture The 2021 Gold Cup

 

    For the second time in less than two months (and the first time in team history), the U.S. men's soccer team beat Mexico in back-to-back finals. This time, defender Miles Robinson (game-winning goal) was the unlikely offensive hero while the goalkeeper Matt Turner (5 saves, 5th shutout of the tournament) continued to play out of his mind as the USMNT survived 1-0 in extra time at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas-the enormous indoor home of the Raiders. This was the seventh Gold Cup title all-time for the U.S. and their first since 2017 (keep in mind that it happens every other year). They hunkered down and made the most of their limited chances as Mexico possessed the ball by a wide margin (64%-36%) compared to the Americans. This was also the fifth time in six Gold Cup matches this summer where the U.S. has won by a slim 1-0 final score. 

    Other than Turner-who was rightfully named the Man of the Match after one last superb performance-Robinson was the only other U.S. player to play in every minute of every game in this edition of the Gold Cup. The Arlington, MA native & Syracuse product scored what undoubtedly was the biggest goal of his life very deep (117th minute!) into the second half of extra time. In fact, it was the latest goal that the USMNT had ever scored against Mexico. The winning sequence all started on a set piece as midfielder Kellyn Acosta swung a cross right into the box where Robinson rose the highest to head it in for his third career goal for the Americans-all scored this year.

    As he showed time and again in this tournament, Turner doesn't get rattled by much and when he is on his game like he has been for the past few weeks, look out world! By going 6-0 in this tournament, he probably ensured that he is about to get much richer whether that is with the New England Revolution or somewhere else. He has also placed himself firmly in the discussion for who should be the No. 1 USMNT goalkeeper moving forward: either Manchester City's Zach Steffen (who is clearly the odds on favorite) or him seem like the only legitimate options at this point. For what it's worth, nobody's stock on this team improved more than him at the 2021 Gold Cup. 

    The other aspect of this Gold Cup that I found most fascinating was seeing so many of the less heralded but still promising young U.S. players that will most likely be their future depth in support of their A-team pals from the Nations League title squad. We are exactly a month away from World Cup qualifying getting started up again meaning that birthday boy and U.S. head coach Gregg Berhalter will have some tough decisions to make to create that final roster. They meet El Salvador on September 2, followed by September 5 vs. Canada in Nashville and September 8 against Honduras. Before then, these players and coaches deserve to have a well-earned short break before things truly start to get serious in September.

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The U.S. Women Survived Penalty Kicks Against The Netherlands To Reach The Olympic Semis

 

    With the huge time difference meaning that most games are happening live in the middle of the night back in America, it's been hard to get into the Tokyo Olympics however leave it to the USWNT to make it way more interesting and exciting. This morning (our time), they outlasted the Netherlands 4-2 in penalty kicks to reach the Olympic semifinals for the sixth time in their last seven chances. It sounds odd saying it since she allowed two goals in regulation but the USWNT goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher was the player of the match as she stopped what would have been a go-ahead penalty kick late in regulation then she topped that with two more saves in the shootout. Midfielder Samantha Mewis-my Massachusetts Olympic hero-and forward Lynn Williams each had a goal and an assist for the U.S. who advance to face Canada on Monday (4 am, USA Network) in the semifinals. 

    It's been a little over two years since these same countries faced off in the 2019 World Cup Final which you'll remember was captured 2-0 by the U.S. in Lyon, France. The Netherlands must be wondering what they have to do to beat the U.S. (who improved to 8-1-1 all-time against the Dutch as this match was recorded as a tie) who have looked vulnerable in this tournament with a shocking 3-0 loss to Sweden in the opener along with a scoreless draw with Australia to close out the group stage. If we know anything about this team though, they typically perform their best when the stakes are the highest. The Netherlands led 1-0 in the 18th minute as their excellent forward Vivianne Miedema-the leading goal-scorer in these Olympic Games-made the Americans pay for a failed clearance out of the box. It didn't take long for the U.S. to respond as Williams served a low cross that Mewis dove to head into the net for his first career Olympic goal in the 28th minute. 

    Things started rolling for the U.S. as they took a 2-1 lead just three minutes later when Mewis won a header in the box following a U.S. corner and Williams was able to volley in her first Olympic goal as well. The USWNT took that 2-1 lead into halftime but the Dutch (specifically Miedema) would not go home quietly as she tied it in 54th minute with a long-range blast from beyond the arc for her 10th goal of the tournament which is an amazing number in only four matches. U.S. defender Kelly O'Hara almost made a fatal mistake as her harsh foul in the box led to a penalty kick for the Netherlands in the 80th minute that would have put them ahead 3-2. Luckily, Naeher was up to the task to rescue her teammate and save the shot by another lethal Dutch forward Lieke Martens.   

    It is hard to explain why but the U.S. has had a crazy amount of goals called back (nine total including four today!) due to being called offside in these Olympics. There is VAR and I'm sure the American coaches have been hammering this point over and over but ultimately it's up to the players to adjust to it and find ways not to have that happen so often. To make them feel better, the Netherlands had a header goal called offside in the first period of extra time while American forwards Christen Press and Alex Morgan (who oddly enough both came off the bench in the second half) each had a goal called back for the same reason in the second period of extra time. Good grief, enough of that!

    Naeher immediately made a statement in the shootout since the Netherlands went first and she dove to her right to save Miedema's shot. All four U.S. shooters (Rose Lavelle, Morgan, Press and Megan Rapinoe) scored and after Naeher made another huge stop on Aniek Nouwen, Rapinoe was fittingly there to blast home the game-winner. The USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski improved to 23-1-3 in his first 27 matches in charge and I'm not saying it would have (or should have) happened but if his team had lost this game, there would have been serious discussions about him getting fired after the USWNT went out in the quarterfinals in the Olympics (which happened to the last head coach Jill Ellis in 2016 vs. Sweden in PKs) for the second time in a row. Instead, they will be favored to beat Canada (remember their epic 4-3 semifinal win vs. the Canadians in the 2012 Olympics?) and get to the Final where they would meet either Sweden or Australia.

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