The United States women's national soccer team's FIFA Women's World Cup campaign may be over, but the four-time world champions are still a huge talking point surrounding the tournament. The USWNT's quest for a third consecutive World Cup title ended in heartbreak with a penalty shootout loss to Sweden. The American exit was well received by some teams remaining in the tournament.
Netherlands women's national team forward Lineth Beerensteyn said she was glad to know the USWNT was out of the World Cup.
“From the first moment I heard they were out I was just like ‘Yes! Bye!” Beerensteyn said. “From the start of the tournament, they had really big mouths and were already talking about the final.”
In a way, it's hard not to blame the USWNT for thinking they would reach a fourth consecutive final in its quest for a third consecutive title. Yet it will likely be widely interpreted that the defending champions were too cocky for their own good.
The USWNT and the Netherlands have had their fair share of run-ins recently, especially in the World Cup. The two sides met in the final in 2019 and played to a 1-1 draw in their Group E match two weeks ago. Though the Netherlands has just one victory over the USWNT, the squad will hold its head high this summer as the Dutch make it further in a World Cup than the U.S. for the first time.
Though some of the stars of the last decade for the USWNT have likely played their final World Cup games with the team, new faces will bring in a new era of women's soccer in the United States. Perhaps hearing its rivals bask in its defeat will motivate the USWNT for the next four years.
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