Time for the U.S. women’s soccer team to get younger
Analysis: 1-0 loss to Canada shows a team that’s past its prime
The U.S. women’s soccer team came to Tokyo as reigning world champions on a 44game unbeaten streak. They had won four gold medals in the six Olympics that included women’s soccer.
Their 2019 World Cup victory in France elevated their celebrity.
But unmatched success and the confidence it bred may have contributed to the team’s downfall in Japan, which became complete Monday with a 1-0 loss to Canada in the semifinal. A veteran U.S. team seemed past its prime in these Olympics and is heading to the bronze-medal game against Australia on Thursday.
Canada — which had not beaten the U.S. in 20 years — will face Sweden for the gold medal, a championship game that once seemed like a birthright for U.S. players.
The United States was held scoreless in three of its five games.
“Clearly the team underperformed,” said Jerry Smith, coach of reigning NCAA women’s soccer champion Santa Clara University. “They didn’t play one game well at the tournament.”
Some already are calling for an overhaul of the roster and the firing of coach Vlatko Andonovski, who has failed in his first major tournament.
U.S. Soccer officials don’t have much time to ponder their next move. The Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand is two years away. The Paris Olympics are scheduled for 2024.
“Eventually, it comes to an end. So just try to savor every moment.”
— Carli Lloyd, Olympic soccer player for the U.S.
The national team program switched coaches when Jill Ellis retired after the victory in France in 2019. But Andonovski kept a core group of Ellis’ players for the Olympic tournament, including 11 players over the age of 30. It may have been understandable, given all the trophies they had won.
But had the United States failed in 2019 to win its third World Cup, major roster changes might have occurred ahead of the Tokyo Games — and that, in turn, might have created a stronger team.
It’s a sad but natural cycle of sports. Gifted athletes lose an edge through the gauntlet of time.
“Eventually, it comes to an end,” said Carli Lloyd, at 39 the Olympic team’s oldest player. “So just try to savor every moment.”
Lloyd did not say the Tokyo Olympics would be her final major tournament wearing the U.S. colors. But she hinted at it when telling reporters, “I’m not going to lie, I miss having a normal life.”
The team’s biggest celebrity, Megan Rapinoe, sidestepped the retirement question.
Rapinoe, 36, parried questioners Monday, saying, “You guys are trying to put me out to pasture already.”
But big names Lloyd and Rapinoe are not the only older players. Defender Becky Sauerbrunn is 36. Forwards Tobin Heath, 33, Christen Press, 32, and Alex Morgan, 32, were neutralized Monday by faster Canadian defenders.
Press’ former Stanford teammate, Kelley O’Hara, 33, struggled to break through on the flank after initial success in the game’s opening minutes.
Collectively, these women have enjoyed celebrated careers that fans hoped would continue into this Olympics.
The heat and humidity of Japan injected a dose of reality into those longings.
The Americans played sluggishly in Japan. Their only breakout was a 6-1 triumph over New Zealand, a throwaway game given the Kiwis’ meager talent level. The United States opened the tournament with a 3-0 drubbing from Sweden and had a scoreless tie against Australia in group play. It escaped the quarterfinals with a penalty shootout victory over the Netherlands.
Andonovski, a successful coach in the National Women’s Soccer League, said in June that he doesn’t worry about players’ ages. He judges them by how they perform.
“You can look at the statistical data, you’ll see that Megan Rapinoe has scored the most goals in 2021, and Carli Lloyd has the most assists,” he said at the time.
Andonovski rotated his players in an effort to keep them fresh over five games in 13 days. But the plan left the team in a leadership bind as Lloyd, the captain, was on the field only for a limited time.
The Americans never developed the tight chemistry that is needed during times of adversity in a major tournament such as the Olympics.
Even with a bronze medal game still to be played this week, it’s not too early to look ahead.
Andonovski — or whoever is hired to lead the team through the next cycle — has plenty of promising talent to consider.
None is bigger than Stanford’s Catarina Macario, 21, a two-time college player of the year who turned professional in the spring.
Macario made the Olympic roster but has not played yet. Some say she has the potential to blossom into one of the greatest players in history.
Another former Stanford player on the horizon is Sophia Smith, 20, who signed as the NWSL’s top draft pick after one season with the Cardinal.
Beyond those intriguing local players, national team coaches have a lot more options in the Bay Area and across the country.
As much as fans have fallen in love with the current group, they’re going to have to get used to some new faces.
It happened before when greats such as Mia Hamm, Abby Wambach and Jerry Smith’s wife, Brandi Chastain, exited the center stage.
The success of the U.S. women’s team depends on it.