2023 Women’s World Cup Updates

Updated on 8/6/23: This is an ongoing update the update on the 2023 Women’s World Cup. On August 6th, the USWNT lost to Sweden and was eliminated from the World Cup.

The 2023 Women’s World Cup is underway and we’ll provide a recap of each game the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) plays.

The USWNT is one of the stronger teams in the tournament and is anticipated to do well. For our nation, anything less than a World Cup trophy would be a disappointment.

This year’s World Cup is co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. The tournament started on July 20, 2023, and will feature 32 teams, the largest cohort to date, including athletes from eight countries making their Women’s World Cup debut. The tournament will be held in nine cities across both countries.

Group Stage

USA is in ‘Group E’ with Netherlands, Portugal, and Vietnam. Here is the recap of the games…

USWNT vs. Vietnam

In the opening match of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, the US Women’s National Team (USWNT) defeated Vietnam 3-0. The match was played on July 21, 2023, in Auckland, New Zealand.

Sophia Smith, a rising star, scored two goals in the first half, and the USWNT’s third goal was scored by Lindsey Horan.

The game was dominated by the U.S. Vietnam had no answer for the speed of the front line, the pace of the middle, and the discipline of the backs.

Goals

⚽️⚽️ Sophia Smith (14′, 45+7′) – USA
⚽️ Lindsey Horan (77′) – USA

USWNT vs. Netherlands

In their second match of group play, the US Women’s National Team drew 1-1 against the Netherlands. Lindsey Horan, the US team captain at the #10 position, scored her second goal of the tournament off a corner kick. Her goal was a thunderous header after a heated collision with Lyon teammate Danielle van de Donk.

The game was a tale of two halves. In the first half, the USWNT came out flat and wasn’t able to connect many passes. On the other hand, the Dutch women came out in full force with Jill Roord scoring in the 17th minute. A shot that skipped by a couple of defenders and into the back of the goal.

I thought the second half was more in line with what our expectations are of the U.S. women’s team. They were aggressive in getting 50/50 balls, they made long runs for scoring opportunities and created 2v1 scenarios with overlaps. They just weren’t able to finish their fine second half play which resulted in a draw.

I thought that Rodman, Dunn, Horan, and Lavelle really set the tone in that second half. Let’s hope they can put two halves together in their upcoming games.

The U.S. will look to bounce back against Portugal on Tuesday, Aug. 1st.

Goals

⚽️ Jill Roord (17′) – Netherlands
⚽️ Lindsey Horan (62′) – USA

USWNT vs. Portugal

Relief. If you got up at 3 am to watch the U.S. face Portugal then you are probably relieved that they were able to squeak by the better play of Portugal. With a 0-0 draw, the USA women’s national team was able to advance to the knockout round.

Going into today’s game, the USWNT was supposed to win by multiple goals. This was clearly not the result. Instead, it was a very poor performance with many miscues along the way. I thought the players held the ball too long, got ancy on their attacks, and hurried their shots.

It felt like a game we just wanted to hang onto. It almost cost them as the Portugal sub, Ana Capeta, hit the post late in the second half. Kudos to Portugal who was the better team today.

The women will look to bounce back in the round of 16. It appears they will face a strong Sweden team.

Round of 16 – Knockout Round

USWNT vs. Sweden

Well, it’s over. The U.S. Women’s National Team lost a heartbreaker in a penalty shootout today.

It’s such a shame that Sweden pulled off the victory. The USWNT dominated the possession and had many more opportunities than the Swedish. Our best opportunity came off a cross into Lindsey Horan but the goalie, Zećira Mušović, made an incredible diving save. That was just one of her many breathtaking saves on the day.

All the U.S. players came out aggressive from the first whistle and continued it until the end.

Unfortunately, the play of Megan Rapinoe really didn’t do the U.S. women any service. Her corner kicks were darts and unplayable, she was slow to the ball at times, and she missed a shot in the PKs. I hate to say it but she’ll be retiring and I think there will be more than enough to fill her cleats.

So, the 2023 World Cup has come to a disappointing end for the USWNT. I hope that Managers find a way to take advantage of the young stars and only fill in spots with vets if they earn in and not because they’ve been there before.

I do think the future is very bright and I’m hopeful we will see them make a run for the gold in the 2027 World Cup.

Upcoming Games

• None…it’s over 🤷‍♀️