US Women’s National Soccer Team Suffers History-making Defeat In World Cup

The US Women's National Soccer Team is out of the Women's World Cup.

For the first time ever, the USWNT was eliminated in the Round of 16 after coming up short 5-4 against Sweeden. The loss ended an uneven display by Team USA in the Tournament this year.

The women opened the tournament with a 3-0 win over Vietnam but wound up with 1-1 and 0-0 ties with Netherlands and Portugal to qualify for the Round of 16. This year's squad never came close to the domination it displayed four years ago.

With the contest heading into penalty kicks, the US nailed three in a row before misses by Megan Rapinoe, Sophia Smith, and Kelley O'Hara sunk Team USA's chances.

Lina Hurtig would hit the game-winner, albeit not by much, as the ball made it past the line by only a millimeter.

Ironically the miss penalty kick by Rapinoe comes weeks after she announced he retirement from the sport of professional soccer.

"A sick joke," Rapinoe was quoted as saying. "That's why I had that smile on my face. Like, I'm going to miss the penalty?' I honestly can't remember the last [time] I missed a penalty."

Added Alex Morgan, "It feels like a bad dream. We put everything out there tonight."

Many analysts have tried to explain why the USWNT lost in the World Cup. Many look at the injuries; others point to a lack of chemistry; overconfidence after dominating the sport four year ago; or the outside competition has just gotten better.

Around the World Cup: 

Japan, Netherlands and Spain all won in fairly dominant fashion in the Round of 16, setting up a fascinating Elite Eight round. Austraila snuck by Denmark 2-0; and England survived against Nigeria 4-2 in penalty kicks.

The Women's FIFA World Cup is just hours away from kickoff. In anticipation of the 2023 games, we will highlight five things you need to know about the USA Women's FIFA World Cup team.

Although we'll get underway in New Zealand, this is the first time two countries will serve as the host nations. Australia is the other. Four cities and stadiums will be the site of the games in New Zealand. Furthermore, five cities and six stadiums will be used in Australia.

The opening ceremonies are planned to take place at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand prior to the first game between New Zealand vs. Norway. This is a 50,000 capacity stadium. "The ceremony will feature mind-blowing, electrifying performances showcasing the cultural diversity and heritage of New Zealand and Australia," Goal.com states.

This year's World Cup will feature 32 different nations. This is eight more than previous tournaments. In addition, eight nations will be making their FIFA World Cup debut.

The USA Women's FIFA World Cup team has been placed in Group E. This includes Vietnam, Portugal, and the Netherlands. In total, there are eight different groupings. USA's group is aligned to New Zealand for the first round of play.

To date, the USA Women have won four World Cup titles. They are the defending champions, beating the Netherlands during the 2019 tournament in France. Before that the USA Women's team also won the World Cup in 2015, 1999 (the Brandi Chastain winning penalty kick year) and 1991.

Although the USA is ranked #1, they are considered a young team. NPR explained that "Nine players on this year's U.S. roster were part of the 2019 champion team. This includes Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and Julie Ertz." Five players remain from the 2015 team.

Excitement is surely mounting. Team USA has now been in New Zealand for a week. In anticipation of their defending title run, here are five additional things you need to know about the USA Women's FIFA World Cup team.

Back in April, new uniforms were debuted by Nike. USA will wear white when they are the home team, and blue when they are the away team. Nike crafted this uniform using innovative techniques emphasizing player comfort and staying cool.

#22 Kristie Mewis was born in Weymouth, and grew up in Hanson. She graduated from Whitman-Hanson Regional High School where she was a three-time All-American midfielder. Unfortunately, Samantha Mewis (Kristie's sister) is not on this year’s World Cup team due to a knee injury she is currently recovering from.

Rapinoe recently announced her retirement. Therefore, this will be her last World Cup experience. #15, this legendary midfielder/winger is the oldest member of the team at 38 years old. The youngest player is Alyssa Thompson, an 18-year-old forward. She is sporting an iced-blue hair color look for 2023 Cup.

The United States women's soccer team has had a  long battle to be paid as much as the men's team. "The Equal Pay for Team USA Act, passed late Wednesday, will require all athletes representing the United States in global competition to receive equal pay and benefits in their sport, regardless of gender," ESPN reported back in December.

There are 23 members of the team. This also includes Dennis Rodman's daughter, #20 Trinity Rodman. The USA Women's Team will play their first game on July 21 (9PM EDT). It will be vs. Vietnam and played in Auckland, New Zealand.