The United States officially moved forward to the knockout round of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup on Tuesday, squeaking through with draw against Portugal in its Group E finale.
It was a relatively disappointing result for the usually-dominant USWNT, but that didn’t stop stars Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and Crystal Dunn from dancing following the verdict — which resulted in a ninth-consecutive trip to the World Cup knockout round.
The post-match display prompted a fiery response from US soccer legend Carli Lloyd, who said “the player of the match was that post,” in reference to a stoppage-time shot that rang off the post after beating goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher.
While acknowledging his team hadn’t been playing up to its standard, USWNT manager Vlatko Andonovski dismissed Lloyd’s criticism.
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“One thing that I want to say is that this team wanted to win this game more than anything else, and they did everything they could in preparation for this tournament and in every game,” Andonovski said, per The Athletic. “To question the mentality of this team, to question the willingness, the willingness to win, I think it’s insane.
“But I’ve never seen this team step on the field and not try harder and not compete. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and they can say whatever they want, but I just know how this team feels.”
The USWNT will have an opportunity to respond on the field when they take on the winner of Group G on Sunday. Sweden is the likely opponent, with the U.S. matchup set to become official Wednesday.
Featured image via Jenna Watson/USA TODAY Sports Images
