USWNT faces familiar foe in Sweden: Why U.S. must learn from previous mistakes
“We always play Sweden in every major tournament,” Alex Morgan said in the immediate aftermath of Tuesday’s 0-0 draw between the U.S. women’s national team and Portugal. But it wouldn’t become the official World Cup round of 16 matchup until Wednesday, following Sweden’s 2-0 win over Argentina to complete their perfect group-stage run.
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“It wouldn’t be a major tournament if we weren’t facing Sweden,” U.S. captain Lindsey Horan said at a media availability on Thursday, before the team departed for Melbourne. “We know that they’re a very good team. Every time that we play them, it’s a massive battle and they’re similar to us in that case. We know what they can bring, and we know what we can bring, and I think that’s the main focus right now.”
Yes, there might be more flashy USWNT rivalries throughout the years, but Sweden is that one team that just keeps popping up — and since 2016, they’ve managed key results against the U.S. in big moments, especially the Olympics.
As formative as that 2016 exit was in the successful World Cup run in 2019, ahead of this World Cup matchup it makes the most sense to focus solely on the three matches played under current U.S. head coach Vlatko Andonovski: a 3-2 win for the U.S. in November 2019 (one of his first friendlies as head coach), a 1-1 draw in April 2021 on the road in Stockholm, and the ugly 0-3 loss in the U.S.’s Olympic opener in July 2021.
Those three results are also a perfect reflection of the arc of the USWNT over the past cycle: the handing-off of the team to Andonovski and the immediate boost of a new head coach, the warning signs that his system was struggling against top teams, and then the punch in the face at the Olympics.
Carli Lloyd has expressed her doubts
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