USA eliminated on penalties by Sweden, in worst Women's World Cup exit ever, see score, result and highlights.

opbnews August 06, 2023

With their 2023 Women's World Cup on life support, the United States engineered their best performance of the tournament to date, putting third-ranked Sweden on the ropes the entirety of their Round of 16 matchup.

"Yet they came up empty in front of goal time and time again, thwarted at every turn by Sweden goalkeeper Zecira Musovic who was brilliant."

Yet in the ensuing penalty shootout, it was not Musovic who sent the USWNT home with their worst Women's World Cup exit of all-time. "No, they only have themselves to blame as Sophia Smith, Megan Rapinoe, and Kelley O'Hara all missed from the spot, including the first two with the chance to win it."

The United States had reached the semifinals in every single Women's World Cup tournament until this edition.

"Here, the final result came literally by a millimeter, as Alyssa Naeher saved Lina Hurtig's penalty in the seventh round of the shootout, but the ball squeaked over the line by the thinnest of margins, a cruel ending to an underwhelming overall performance."