Women's World Football

Ja Morant, Trinity Rodman and Carlos Alcaraz Among Athletes on 2022 Time100 Next List

Sep 28, 2022
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - JULY 05: Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis looks on during a NBA Summer League game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Vivint Arena on July 05, 2022 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - JULY 05: Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis looks on during a NBA Summer League game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Vivint Arena on July 05, 2022 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, international soccer players Trinity Rodman and Sam Kerr, tennis player Carlos Alcaraz and U.S. sprinter Erriyon Knighton were named to the Time100 Next list for 2022.

Time's Next list identifies rising stars in the cultural landscape before they become crossover mainstream names.

Already a human highlight reel in his first two NBA seasons, Morant emerged as a bonafide superstar last season. He averaged 27.4 points, 6.7 assists and 5.7 rebounds while leading the Grizzlies to the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, earning an All-Star berth and All-NBA selection along the way.

"We’ve got a unicorn in Memphis, my hometown," pop star and Grizzlies part-owner Justin Timberlake wrote in Time. "Every once in a while, certain players come along and really change the culture of the game. Ja is emerging as a face of the NBA for good reason. The only thing missing for him is championship hardware."

Rodman, the daughter of Basketball Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman, has already built her own impressive resumè and appears to be emerging as the next face of American women's soccer. The 20-year-old became the youngest player ever drafted into the National Women's Soccer League last year, and just a year later she was nominated for the Ballon d'or Féminine.

"She could literally shred the fences internationally worldwide in time," women's soccer legend Brianna Scurry wrote of Rodman. "That’s going to be really exciting to see, because I think as she grows, she will become unstoppable. Literally. It’s all there. The wealth of potential is off the charts."

Knighton has an equal chance to etch his name in the record books as the next great American sprinter. The 18-year-old set the under-20 world record in the 200-meter dash in April and won bronze at this year's World Championships.

Alcaraz, the 2022 U.S. Open champion, became the youngest player to ever reach the No. 1 spot in men's tennis history at 19 years and 130 days old. In a period of tennis where Roger Federer is stepping away, Novak Djokovic is playing a part-time schedule due to his vaccination status and Rafael Nadal is approaching his late-30s, Alcaraz is potentially in the process of filling the sport's desperate need for a new superstar.

Kerr is the oldest athlete on the list at 29 and is already cemented as a legend. She's the only woman to win the Golden Boot in three different leagues and has been one of the most prolific soccer players on the planet for a half-decade.

FIFA 23 Women's Soccer Player Ratings for Alexia Putellas, Sam Kerr and Top Players

Sep 23, 2022
BARCELONA, SPAIN - AUGUST 28: Alexia Putellas of FC Barcelona is awarded the UEFA Women's Player of the Year award prior to the LaLiga Santander match between FC Barcelona and Real Valladolid CF at Camp Nou on August 28, 2022 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
BARCELONA, SPAIN - AUGUST 28: Alexia Putellas of FC Barcelona is awarded the UEFA Women's Player of the Year award prior to the LaLiga Santander match between FC Barcelona and Real Valladolid CF at Camp Nou on August 28, 2022 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

The highest-rated player in FIFA 23 is Alexia Putellas.

The FC Barcelona star received a rating of 92 overall in the first edition of EA Sports' flagship soccer title to feature women's club teams.

No man received a higher rating than 91 on official rosters previously released.

Putellas is the reigning Ballon d'Or Féminin and Best FIFA Women's Player, emerging on both the international and club levels as the best women's soccer player in the world. The Spaniard narrowly eclipsed Sam Kerr, Wendie Renard and Ada Hegerberg, who each come in rated at 91.

FIFA 23 marks the first time women's club soccer has been included in the game, although Putellas' Barcelona team won't feature as only England and France's top divisions are available so far. Putellas will be available for the Spanish national team, however.

Women's soccer was first available in FIFA 16 but was limited to international teams.

EA Sports' latest iteration of the renowned game releases Sept. 30. It will mark the final release under the FIFA banner before the game is renamed EA Sports FC.

15 Players from Spain's Women's National Team Resign in Protest Against Jorge Vilda

Sep 22, 2022
MADRID, SPAIN - SEPTEMBER 06: Jorge Vilda, Head Coach of Spain looks on during the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 Qualifier group B match between Spain and Ukraine at Ciudad del Futbol de Las Rozas on September 06, 2022 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
MADRID, SPAIN - SEPTEMBER 06: Jorge Vilda, Head Coach of Spain looks on during the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 Qualifier group B match between Spain and Ukraine at Ciudad del Futbol de Las Rozas on September 06, 2022 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

The Spain women's national football team saw 15 players resign in protest of head coach Jorge Vilda remaining in his position, via Sean Walsh of 90Min.

The Real Federación Española de Fútbol confirmed it received 15 emails from players, all with the same wording, noting the situation has "significantly" affected their "emotional state." The federation also indicated it will not make a change despite the resignations:

The RFEF is not going to allow the players to question the continuity of the national coach and his coaching staff , since making those decisions does not fall within their powers. The Federation will not admit any type of pressure from any player when adopting sports measures. These types of manoeuvres are far from exemplary and outside the values ​​of football and sport and are harmful.

Vilda has been Spain's head coach since 2015, and his contract was extended through 2024 in June.

The 41-year-old has failed to live up to expectations during this time, however, even with the team currently No. 8 in the world rankings.

Spain lost in the quarterfinals at the last two European championships, including this past summer at Euro 2022 when many considered the squad to be a favorite in the tournament. The team also lost in the round of 16 at the 2019 World Cup and failed to qualify for the last two Olympic tournaments.

Heading into the 2023 World Cup, there are clear questions about the team's leadership.

A report from El Confidencial (h/t GiveMeSport's Nancy Gillen) initially said the team's leaders called for Vilda's removal in August, although Irene Paredes clarified that they simply voiced complaints from the players.

"We are an ambitious team and people want to improve and win," Paredes said. "We believe that there are several internal aspects that need to be improved. We all would have liked the conversation to have stayed inside, but it has been leaked. What it is about is being brave and saying things, even if they are not pleasant and they change. And that’s what we’ve done."

The mass resignation indicates the level of upheaval Spain is currently dealing with.

The team is scheduled to face Sweden and the United States in a pair of friendlies in October.

FIFA 23: Breaking Down Standard, Ultimate Covers and Newest Features

Sep 16, 2022
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 06:  Sam Kerr of the Matildas interacts with fans after the International Friendly Match between the Australia Matildas and Canada at Allianz Stadium on September 06, 2022 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 06: Sam Kerr of the Matildas interacts with fans after the International Friendly Match between the Australia Matildas and Canada at Allianz Stadium on September 06, 2022 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

Capping off 30 years of FIFA, EA Sports is delivering a number of franchise firsts before switching to the EA Sports FC moniker. And the last rendition of the iconic series title is wearing those new features proudly, from cover to gameplay.

From the outset, fans who purchase the Ultimate Edition of FIFA 23 will notice two faces front and center: French forward Kylian Mbappé and Australian forward Sam Kerr. Kerr's addition marks the first time in FIFA history that a woman graces the game's global cover, and that inclusion is extended in-game.

In another FIFA first, the 2022-23 title will feature women's club teams—allowing players to compete with England's Women's Super League and France's Division 1 Féminine.

The pool of international women's teams is also expected to expand, as FIFA 23 reflects the growing real-world hype of this time period in the lead-up to the men's and women's 2023 World Cups. With the game releasing on September 27, 2022, fans will be able to get a headstart on the international football frenzy by playing through both the men's World Cup in Qatar and the women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

That emphasis on international competition makes Mbappé's spotlight an obvious one. The 2018 tournament was essentially his breakout party, as the then-19-year-old scored four goals to help Les Bleus win their second-ever World Cup.

Now, the Paris Saint-Germain forward shares FIFA 23's Ultimate Edition cover and holds down the Standard cover single-handedly, just a year after his 28 goals for Paris Saint-Germain led Ligue 1 in scoring.

Speaking of sharing, the game is also making franchise history by delivering the potential for shared competition and Ultimate Team trading. FIFA 23 will feature cross-play across all systems, from last- and current-gen consoles to PC.

Mechanical advancements like the game's HyperMotion2 animation technology and new playing options like Ultimate Team "Moments" mode should be intriguing new additions for fans as well. The former is said to double the in-game animations and allow for the potential of new mechanics—ranging from outside-of-the-foot passes to backheel tackles. The latter will bring a new option for FUT solo grinders, with short-and-sweet scenario gameplay for players, packs and other rewards.

Still, the biggest additions in FIFA 23 are the women's clubs and cross-play. Before leaving 30 years of FIFA behind and moving toward the future of EA Sports FC, the series seems intent on having the deepest talent pool in simulated soccer and the most expansive player community possible.

Soccer Legend Christine Sinclair Getting Moment in the Spotlight She Deserves

Aug 5, 2021
Christine Sinclair captained Canada to a win over the United States in the semifinal in Tokyo.
Christine Sinclair captained Canada to a win over the United States in the semifinal in Tokyo.

Nine years ago, the London Olympics played host to one of the legendary matches in USWNT history. The U.S. defeated Canada 4-3 in extra time, scoring the winner in the 123rd minute.

I mean "legendary" in the everyday sense; it was a thriller, an instant classic, a nail-biter. I also mean in the sense that it spoke to and reconstructed the central legend of the USWNT: that they never quit and can do anything through hard work and force of will. The legend is not always true; if it were, they'd never lose. At the moment—on the heels of a semifinal loss to the same team the U.S. beat in 2012—it's looking a little ragged. But like any legend, it has been true enough times that it lives on.

The result that day overshadowed another legend: that of Canada captain Christine Sinclair, who scored a hat trick against the Americans, something only two other players have done. More on that later.

The U.S.' winning goal that day was a beautiful header by a baby-faced Alex Morgan, placed just between the bar and Erin McLeod's fingertips. Superstar stuff. No questions, no comments. 

The U.S.' third goal was a different story.

The box score indicates that Abby Wambach put away a penalty awarded for handling in the area by defender Marie-Eve Nault. Beyond that, accounts vary on exactly what happened.

Sinclair and teammate Sophie Schmidt after Canada's loss to the U.S. at the 2012 Olympics.
Sinclair and teammate Sophie Schmidt after Canada's loss to the U.S. at the 2012 Olympics.

Ask a Canadian who was on the field that day, and they might point out that the handball happened when Megan Rapinoe sent an inside-the-18 free kick directly at chest height into Nault, who twisted reflexively with an elbow raised toward her face. They might remind you that the U.S. had been awarded the free kick because McLeod held the ball for more than six seconds. They might also recall that Wambach had spent the half counting out loud near the ref every time McLeod had the ball in her hands. They might call the whole thing a little pedantic on the ref's part.

Not unlike Tierna Davidson's foul against Deanne Rose on Monday, you might argue. By the letter of the law, it was definitely a penalty. But also, come on, man.

The U.S. won gold in 2012. Canada went on to win bronze, the first of two third-place finishes in the Olympics, which together represent the team's biggest accomplishment. Until this week, they had not beaten the U.S. for more than 20 years.

Canada has never been good, broadly speaking. It's had a handful of good players over the years who have been able to get a handful of results. The main thing it has is Christine Sinclair.

Sinclair is the best international scorer of all time, with 187 goals for Canada. She has represented her country since she was 16. She is now 38. She's a two-time NCAA champion, two-time MAC Hermann winner, a three-time champion at the club level, a Gold Cup winner, a member of the Order of Canada. She is also very nice.

The only blank space on her resume is a trophy from a major international tournament. The only reason it's there is that she was born 30 miles too far north.

Sinclair being challenged by the United States' Julie Ertz during the semifinal.
Sinclair being challenged by the United States' Julie Ertz during the semifinal.

When we talk about legends, Sinclair is the real deal. She has carried Canada for 22 years, not just on the field, but emotionally and spiritually. In the 2012 semifinal, she scored all three goals, and when Canada lost anyway, she gathered her teammates in the locker room and told them they were going to win bronze. As she's slowed down with age, rather than clinging to the same on-field role—like a number of Americans I could name—she's dropped into the midfield and found a less glamorous way to impact games.

On Monday, Sinclair, long the designated penalty taker for both club and country, did something remarkable: She handed the ball to 23-year-old Jessie Fleming and let her take the spot kick. She likely made that decision because A.D. Franch, the Portland Thorns teammate she practices penalties with every week, was in goal. Regardless, it was weighted with symbolism. It was a passing of the torch in what is almost certainly Sinclair's last big tournament, and of her whole attitude, which has never been to seek individual glory.

This Olympic semifinal was the opposite of glorious. It was sloppy and ugly for both teams. The game-winner was a soft penalty that wouldn't have been called five years ago. But here, finally, after 22 years of playing against a stacked deck—nine years after the U.S. advanced thanks to a soft penalty of their own—Sinclair has been dealt a lucky hand.

Win or lose the final, this Canada team has already accomplished more than any other. It's not likely to come away with a dramatic win. If the rest of this tournament is any indication, the game will be unspectacular, and Sinclair may or may not get on the scoresheet. But over the course of a two-decade career, nobody else has been as pivotal to their national team as she has.

Her legend was already secure, but ending her last Olympics in a final doesn't hurt.

USWNT Never Found Its Form Under Grueling Circumstances in Tokyo

Aug 2, 2021
United States' Kelley O'Hara, left, talks to teammate Lindsey Horan after being defeated 1-0 by Canada during a women's semifinal soccer match at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 2, 2021, in Kashima, Japan.(AP Photo/Andre Penner)
United States' Kelley O'Hara, left, talks to teammate Lindsey Horan after being defeated 1-0 by Canada during a women's semifinal soccer match at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 2, 2021, in Kashima, Japan.(AP Photo/Andre Penner)

There was a moment in the 15th minute of the USWNT's 1–0 loss to Canada on Monday that summed up the whole game and also was reflective of the United States' run throughout the tournament.

Sitting wide-open in a comfortable space between Canada's midfield and defense, Tobin Heath received the ball from an also-wide-open Kelley O'Hara. She turned to dribble toward the back line, with midfielders Quinn and Desiree Scott chasing her, and left back Allysha Chapman dropping ahead of her. Rose Lavelle was making an overlapping run toward the space left behind Chapman, and Lynn Williams and Alex Morgan were both hovering near the Canadian defense, ready to get on the end of a ball over the top.

Instead of taking any of those three options—over the top to either Morgan or Williams, or behind Chapman for Lavelle to run onto—she passed weakly straight across to Lavelle, forcing her to hold her run. Lavelle pinged the ball right back toward Heath, who immediately turned it over. The punchline: Scott then dribbled directly out of bounds. 

That pretty much said it all about how both teams played. Neither side was good. One side got really lucky at the right moment and won.

When looking at the U.S.' tournament as a whole, it's clear how this moment is a microcosm of it. O'Hara was right to pass to Heath. Heath was right to dribble into space. Williams and Morgan were right to be holding their runs on the back line. But somehow, when it counted, Heath couldn't figure out what to do. Plenty of things went right, until they didn't.

Much ink will probably be spilled on what this loss means to the U.S. Is this an indictment of coach Vlatko Andonovski tactically? Has the handover from one generation to the next happened too slowly? Where do they go from here?

I'm not convinced any of it means anything. There's truth to a lot of different criticisms: Andonovski probably overthought and overplanned some of the tournament, seeming to have lineup rotations scripted out from the beginning. He probably wasn't bold enough in putting some trust into the hands of his less experienced players. It's not hard to imagine Catarina Macario or even Kristie Mewis injecting some life into this game and finding a way to take it to extra time. 

But you can also see the reasoning behind those decisions. The pace of the Olympic tournament is unlike anything else in the sport, so of course players' minutes have to be micromanaged.

It's easy to criticize Andonovski's decision to trust his veterans after the fact, but how many times have Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd conjured a bit of last-minute magic to get their team through? Macario might have scored an equalizer, or she might have choked.

As much as we can criticize individual coaching decisions or individual performances, there's no one concrete factor to hang this loss on. Rather, it seems clear that these players have been a bit off, for reasons we don't know but can guess at, since the tournament started.

The USWNT is not alone in this. Simone Biles, the best gymnast of all time, got to Tokyo and found that her body, under the weight of enormous expectations and a year older than she'd planned for it to be in these Olympics, suddenly refused to cooperate. Nyjah Huston, who has won more prize money than any other skateboarder in history, got to the finals and choked.

These are athletes who do not miss in big moments. Things aren't quite right for anybody.

But that's obvious, right? We all just lived through what was the hardest year of many of our lives. Some of these players took that whole year off from soccer, and those who didn't only got sporadic training and playing time.

These games are happening with no spectators. All athletes are used to that now, but these players all had a window where they got to play for crowds again, only to be yanked back into the cavernous empty stadiums of the pandemic. Even family members couldn't attend; Alex Morgan left her 14-month-old daughter at home. 

They're living in a bubble in a foreign country—and as that goes, you have to wonder if the whole experience isn't a little too reminiscent of how life was a year ago, whether players were stuck at home, hunkered down in England or living in the strict NWSL Challenge Cup bubble.

Of course those conditions were more or less the same for every team, but none of them carry the same expectations as the best in the world. Being anointed a favorite before the tournament has even started—see also Biles and Huston—is a colossal pressure.

For some on this team, this is almost certainly their last international tournament, but nobody's going to remember Lloyd or Rapinoe or Becky Sauerbrunn for these Olympics.

My bet is that this won't be how we remember Andonovski's tenure, either. How can you judge anybody by what they did or didn't do in the second year of a deadly pandemic?

With all of that said, the tournament isn't over. The U.S. still has a shot at bronze, in what will hopefully be a more entertaining match against Australia than the last one. This team always expects to win, and we always expect it to win.

But in the grand scheme of things, a bronze medal at the Olympics wouldn't so bad, would it?   

Olympic Soccer 2021: USWNT Loses in Semifinal; Canada vs. Sweden Final Set

Aug 2, 2021
United States' Carli Lloyd reacts after being defeated 1-0 by Canada during a women's semifinal soccer match at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 2, 2021, in Kashima, Japan. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
United States' Carli Lloyd reacts after being defeated 1-0 by Canada during a women's semifinal soccer match at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 2, 2021, in Kashima, Japan. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

The United States women's national soccer team suffered its first loss to Canada in 20 years on Monday morning. 

The loss took the Americans out of gold-medal contention at the Tokyo Olympics. They will play Australia for the bronze medal. 

Canada, who won back-to-back bronze medals, will take on Sweden for first place in the tournament. Both squads will be after their first-ever gold medal in women's soccer. 

Sweden made the gold-medal match five years ago in Rio de Janeiro, but it came up short against Germany.

The Swedes produced their fifth victory in five games in the second semifinal against Australia thanks to an early goal in the second half. 

       

Canada 1, United States 0

Canada finally got the best of its biggest rival after a 20-year wait. 

The Canadians used a 75th-minute penalty from Jessie Fleming to earn the advantage over the USWNT that would put them into the gold-medal match. 

Canada was awarded the penalty after a VAR review revealed that USWNT defender Tierna Davidson made contact with Deanne Rose's leg while going for a ball on the right side of the box. 

Fleming stepped up to the spot after the review and sent her penalty into the upper corner of the net past Adrianna Franch.

Franch was in net for the USWNT because starter Alyssa Naeher suffered a leg injury in the first half. Naeher went up in the air for a ball, collided with Julie Ertz and landed awkwardly on her leg. Naeher was seen on crutches at the end of the match. 

The USWNT looked disjointed in attack for a majority of the contest. It created few significant chances that tested Stephanie Labbe. The Canadian goalkeeper's biggest save came on a headed attempt from Carli Lloyd in the 86th minute. 

Vlatko Andonovski's USWNT attempted 13 shots, but only four of them went on frame. That low total came in a match in which it took 12 corner kicks. 

Megan Rapinoe said after the match that the USWNT just did not have enough to earn a result on Monday, per ESPN.com.

"That's football. They got, I think, one shot on goal, a PK, and from what it sounds like it was a PK. So yeah, it's a bitter one to swallow. Obviously, we never want to lose to Canada. I don't think I've ever lost to Canada," Rapinoe said. 

"So it's a bitter one. Obviously there's still a lot to compete for. That's what I told the girls and what we talked about in the huddle. It's not the color we want, but there's still a medal on the line. That's a huge thing and we want to win that game, but yeah, this is ... this sucks. It sucks."

The United States will go for its sixth-ever medal in seven Olympic women's soccer tournaments in the bronze-medal match versus Australia.

         

Sweden 1, Australia 0

Sweden continued its perfect run through the Olympic tournament with a one-goal victory over Australia. 

Fridolina Rolfo provided the lone goal of the contest in the 46th minute at the end of a frenetic sequence near the left post. 

The initial ball played in from outside the box bounced off the top of the bar and landed with Stina Blackstenius. 

Blackstenius dropped the ball back to Rolfo, who had a better angle to shoot on the net. Rolfo struck the back of the net for what turned out to be the lone goal of the match.

Sweden's 1-0 win was the opposite result of the first match played between the two nations in the group stage. Sweden won that matchup by a 4-2 scoreline. 

Sweden has been the best overall team in the Olympic tournament. It swept through its group-stage games with nine points, beat Japan convincingly in the quarterfinal and knocked out Australia in the semifinal round. 

The Swedes have one medal at the Olympics since the women's soccer tournament started in 1996. They took silver in 2016. They finished fourth after a loss in the bronze-medal match to Germany in 2004.   

USWNT Showed Their Confidence When It Counted in Gritty QF Win over Netherlands

Jul 30, 2021
United States' Megan Rapinoe scores the winning goal against Netherlands in a penalty shootout during a women's quarterfinal soccer match at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 30, 2021, in Yokohama, Japan. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)
United States' Megan Rapinoe scores the winning goal against Netherlands in a penalty shootout during a women's quarterfinal soccer match at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 30, 2021, in Yokohama, Japan. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

If you were having flashbacks to 2016 while watching the United States' shootout against the Netherlands, the players weren't. In a tidy parallel with their quarterfinal exit against Sweden five years ago in Rio, the Americans couldn't avoid penalties Friday with a 2–2 draw—only this time they had ice in their veins.

Whatever happened in the game itself, they looked every inch a championship team as they handily won with just four kicks.

During the run of play, this game was more of a head-scratcher than the U.S.' previous outings. Offensively, the first half was the best it's played all tournament. Players who started their Olympics looking uncharacteristically scared and clumsy—Lindsey Horan, Crystal Dunn and Samantha Mewis—found their feet and looked like world-class soccer players again when playing out of pressure.

Horan consistently did well in beating the multiple defenders who often mobbed her on the wings or outside the Netherlands' 18-yard box, dribbling and passing out of that pressure at different times. Dunn kept up with Dutch winger Shanice van de Sanden and joined the attack with overlapping wide runs, setting in motion the sequence that led to the Americans' first goal. Mewis, in the No. 10 role, used every bit of the considerable space the Oranje midfield often ceded as it shifted toward one side or the other.

The real highlight of the first half, though, was Lynn Williams, who made her first start of the tournament. From the whistle, Williams was effective in harassing the Dutch defense and combining with Mewis and Carli Lloyd to counter-press high up the field.

The Netherlands seemed unprepared for her to be as dangerous as she was, with its back line often squeezed narrow, leaving her lots of space to operate out wide. She punished it for that decision, setting up the U.S.' equalizer with a lovely cross that found Mewis' head.

In the second half, though—and especially after Vivianne Miedema scored her second goal nine minutes in—the U.S. started slipping. Everything got steadily sloppier. Defensively, much of the team looked switched off, and in possession, the ball wasn't finding its target.

Numerically, the first half had looked one-sided, with the U.S. maintaining considerable advantages in possession, duels won, passes and passing accuracy. By the end of extra time, it led only in duels won, and that was with a relatively narrow advantage of 53 percent to 47.

Extra time is almost always ugly; in this game, that ugliness started around the 60th minute for the Americans. The Netherlands was unlucky not to score a third goal, especially when Kelley O'Hara gave away a cheap penalty with a foul she should know not to make. Alyssa Naeher came up big with a save, foreshadowing what was to come.

This wasn't the first time Naeher saved her teammates from themselves—she also came up with a penalty save to keep the U.S. in the World Cup in 2019—but the penalties spoke to more than just her clutchness.

Despite having fallen apart in the hour or so before the final whistle, the Americans took those kicks like they knew they were through to the next round. Rose Lavelle, who's been one of the bright spots for the U.S. throughout the tournament, set the tone with a powerful chest-high strike well out of Sari Van Veenendaal's reach.

Christen Press, who famously shanked her 2016 attempt over the bar, took a big windup and then placed the ball cleverly in the lower left-hand corner. Finally, Megan Rapinoe's winner to the top right was downright cocky.

Or maybe it was Miedema, who led off the shootout, who set the tone. The Dutch striker had been excellent, scoring both goals for her team. She'd been excellent all tournament. Her kick, which Naeher saved, wasn't even particularly bad. But her expression as she trudged back toward her team—frustrated, defeated, queasy—said it all. She knew her team was done in that moment.

Sometimes it all comes down to vibes.

The Americans will face Canada in the semifinals, which is as favorable a matchup as they could have hoped for. Despite talk of a rivalry, it's been years since Canada has seriously competed with the U.S.

There's plenty of room for improvement: Abby Dahlkemper was bad enough again that she could have cost her team the game, and, of course, the whole squad needs to figure out how to stay alert for 90 minutes. But all things considered, the Americans should look forward to the semifinals with confidence.

They won ugly against the Netherlands, but they got the job done.

Olympic Soccer 2021 Results: USWNT Beats Netherlands in PKs; Semis Schedule Set

Jul 30, 2021
YOKOHAMA, JAPAN - JULY 30: Megan Rapinoe #15 and Alyssa Naeher #1 of Team United States celebrate following their team's victory in the penalty shoot out after the Women's Quarter Final match between Netherlands and United States on day seven of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at International Stadium Yokohama on July 30, 2021 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
YOKOHAMA, JAPAN - JULY 30: Megan Rapinoe #15 and Alyssa Naeher #1 of Team United States celebrate following their team's victory in the penalty shoot out after the Women's Quarter Final match between Netherlands and United States on day seven of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at International Stadium Yokohama on July 30, 2021 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

Alyssa Naeher has a knack for saving penalty kicks in major moments. 

The United States women's national team goalkeeper saved three total penalties Friday to help the Americans advance to the semifinals of the Olympics women's soccer tournament.

Naeher denied Lieke Martens in the second half and turned away two more spot kicks in the penalty shootout, one of which came from Golden Boot leader Vivianne Miedema.

The Americans did not play their sharpest soccer in the quarterfinal round, but a pair of first-half goals three minutes apart and Naeher's heroics set up a continental showdown with Canada in the semifinals.

Canada needed a penalty shootout win of its own to reach the final four. Stephanie Labbe was the PK hero against Brazil, as she turned away the final two spot kicks from the South Americans. 

Australia and Sweden will play in the other semifinal match. Australia needed extra time to get past Great Britain, while Sweden knocked out Japan in 90 minutes.

         

Quarterfinal Results

Australia 4-3 Great Britain (AET)

Sweden 3-1 Japan 

Canada 0-0 Brazil (Canada wins 4-3 on penalties) 

United States 2-2 Netherlands (United States wins 4-2 on penalties) 

    

Semifinal Schedule

Monday, August 2

United States vs. Canada (4 a.m. ET, USA Network)

Australia vs. Sweden (7 a.m. ET, USA Network)

           

Naeher Leads USWNT Past Netherlands

Naeher saved three of the five penalties she faced Friday. 

The American goalkeeper opened the penalty shootout by turning away Miedema with a save at the left post. 

Miedema scored the Netherlands' two goals in the match in the 18th and 54th minutes. She finished her tournament with 10 goals, and she is likely to be awarded the Golden Boot. 

Naeher's second shootout save came in the fourth round on Aniek Nouwen. 

That allowed Megan Rapinoe to step up to the spot and finish a confident penalty into the top right corner of the net. 

Rose Lavelle, Alex Morgan and Christen Press converted the first three penalties for the USWNT to keep the advantage given to them by Naeher in the first round. 

Naeher's first penalty denial of the contest came in the 81st minute when she dove to her left to deny Martens. 

The Dutch earned the second-half spot kick when Lineth Beerensteyn was fouled in the middle of the box. The decision to let Martens take the penalty over Miedema might have cost the Dutch their spot in the final four. 

Samantha Mewis and Lynn Williams scored the two regulation goals for the Americans in the 28th and 31st minutes, respectively, to answer an early strike from Miedema that came on her first shot on target in the 18th minute. 

The Americans allowed Miedema to have enough space on both of her goals to place the ball outside the reach of Naeher. There were a handful of nervy moments throughout the match for the American defenders that will have to be worked on ahead of the clash with Canada. 

The last time the United States and Canada faced off in the Olympics was the semifinal of the 2012 Games in which Morgan won the contest in the 123rd minute. 

        

Canada Eliminates Brazil on Penalties

Before Naeher vaulted into the spotlight, Labbe had the best goalkeeping performance of the round. 

The Canadian goalkeeper saved penalties from Andressa and Rafaelle in the fourth and fifth rounds of the shootout to confirm Canada's place in the semifinals. 

The shootout did not get off to a great start for Canada, as Christine Sinclair had her opening spot kick denied by Barbara. 

Jessie Fleming, Ashley Lawrence, Adriana Leon and Vanessa Gilles made penalty kicks in that order to earn the 4-3 shootout victory. 

In the 120 minutes prior, Canada produced a single shot on target, while the Brazilians placed four of their nine attempts on frame. 

Canada will be playing in its third straight Olympic semifinal Monday. It won the third-place game at each of the last two Olympics. 

The Canadians have not gotten past the quarterfinals at the Women's World Cup. Tokyo likely is the last opportunity for Sinclair, the all-time international scoring leader, to hoist a trophy with the Canadians.