FootyPop: Brazil, Canada, Germany, and USA Eliminated Early From World Cup

The World Cup Group Stage wrapped up, and the Round of 16 play will finish by tomorrow, concluding a wildly chaotic week. A handful of top-ranked teams were sent home in shocking fashion, including the USWNT, whose loss was decided by a millimeter. We’ll look back on the madness this past week in the Women’s World Cup, so without further ado, here’s your must-read recap:

 

High of the Weekend 

Sam Kerr and Kristie Mewis after Australia's Round of 16 win ❤️💛 pic.twitter.com/nQlu2RgjlR

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) August 7, 2023

Australia, the tournament hosts, are still in and finding success even without Sam Kerr, their star player. Australia beat Denmark 2-0 to advance to the quarterfinals. 

Kerr has been on the bench since the very first game after suffering a calf injury. Even when she’s not playing, her girlfriend Kristie Mewis went to her game to show her support. Kristie and Sam may be our favorite soccer power couple. We’ll continue to root for the hosts, the Matildas, as they play on Saturday. 

 

Low of the Weekend

Lauren James has been shown a straight red card for violent conduct.

It results in a one-match ban, with a possible extension of that reviewed by FIFA 😬 pic.twitter.com/0sUzS5E2EF

— Women’s Transfer News (@womenstransfer) August 7, 2023

Lauren James, England’s rising star, was shown a straight red card in their match against Nigeria. She’s incurred a one-match ban, but it could possibly be extended pending a review from FIFA. 

James stepped on Michelle Alozie, an attacker for Nigeria and the Houston Dash in the NWSL. Ultimately, the Lionesses won on PKs 4-2. 

 

News of the Weekend 

 

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A post shared by U.S. Soccer WNT (@uswnt)

Some of the biggest news out of the World Cup this week was the USWNT’s devastating loss. Sweden sent the USA home in the longest-ever penalty shootout at a Women’s World Cup, winning 5-4. 

Thoughts on the USWNT’s exit from GSN’s Editor-in-Chief, Jen Gruskoff: 

So, they lost. And a lot of people, including me, are bummed out about it. From the get-go, it’s been a weird World Cup from a mood perspective. Everyone seemed disappointed that the USWNT didn’t trounce Vietnam as they did Thailand at the start of the 2019 WWC. After the Vietnam game, instead of enthusiasm that we won, there was a collective sense of stress over the team before they even really got going. I found it a bit unsettling. The last couple of weeks has seen endless speculation about whether this team could go all the way, win the fifth star, be the only team EVER to win back to back to back World Cups.

We know the answer now. There’s a reason no team, men’s or women’s has ever won three World Cups in a row.  It’s ludicrous to expect a team to do so. Every team loses big tournaments. We can speculate all we want to about the lineup, formation and time management but the truth is, since the last World Cup, women’s soccer has exploded. Not just here in the U.S., but in the UK, Europe, Africa, Latin America and…hello Jamaica! I’m no economist but, while things are sadly not equitable for the majority of women’s professional leagues, most are seeing more money and support and as a result, better players are being developed all over the globe. This is a great thing for women’s soccer as a whole, but it is going to be a more difficult challenge for the USWNT when they play international competitions from now on. Pretending we have a secret lock on soccer dominance is not going to get us anywhere.

This does not mean we don’t need to be accountable. There was a reason for the thunderous noise. One point I haven’t heard talked about much is our youth system. Our under 20’s just lost to Mexico. And if we’re going to beat the teams that are training their kids in systems of play that are technical and intricate, we need to raise our standards. The play to pay model, which costs some parents upwards of $20,000 a year, breeds an expectation to win at all costs, not improve.  We need to start there, in my opinion.

Yesterday, against Sweden, the UWSNT played their heart’s out and lost in a particularly cruel way. From what I saw, they left it all on the field. This was not a lackluster performance.  I felt deeply for Alyssa Naeher who came so close to keeping that ball from crossing the line. I felt terrible  Megan Rapinoe and Kelley O’Hara, two absolute legends ending their World Cup moments in less than spectacular fashion. But, I am okay with the USWNT losing every once in a while as long as the team continues to fight the good fight, both on the field and off. I want to see a better system in place for our youth and believe this World Cup performance signals the beginning of a new era for U.S. women’s soccer.

Win of the Weekend 

The cellys so far 💃 pic.twitter.com/U8WcYfWC02

— Chicago Red Stars (@chicagoredstars) August 6, 2023

Taking a break from World Cup action, the Chicago Red Stars had a dominant 3-0 win over the Houston Dash in the Challenge Cup. 

Casey Krueger had assists on all three goals, and rookie Penelope Hocking scored a brace!

 

Save of the Weekend 

Thankful and proud. Still buzzing… thank you for all your kind messages and love. It means the world me! 🫶🏻 pic.twitter.com/SMDrLbEAgj

— Zećira Mušović (@ZeciraMusovic) August 7, 2023

Our save of the weekend will really be “saves” since Zecira Musovic of Sweden put up an incredible performance against the United States, and we need to give her the credit she deserves. She made 11 crucial saves, which doesn’t include all the goalkeeping work she did on corners and in the box.

 

Goal of the Weekend 

ARE YOU SERIOUS LINDA CAICEDO?! 😱

What a goal for Colombia 🇨🇴🔥 pic.twitter.com/rR0absMYmt

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 30, 2023

This goal from 18-year-old Linda Caicedo last week against Germany was superb. They beat Germany 2-1, with a last-minute goal from another young star, Manuela Vanegas. 

 

Player of the Weekend 

Marta 🥹👏🏽 pic.twitter.com/yZZmnqQaIn

— Brasil Football 🇧🇷 (@BrasilEdition) August 3, 2023

A handful of players played in their final World Cup match, but Marta has a special place in history. She’s played in six World Cups and has become a role model for countless young soccer players. 

After Brazil’s shocking exit from the World Cup, Marta had wise words: “When I started playing, I didn’t have an idol. A female idol. You guys didn’t show any female games. How was I supposed to see other players? How was I supposed to understand that I could arrive at a national team and become a role model?”

 

Team of the Weekend 

Joy for Japan after securing their place in the #FIFAWWC quarter-finals! ☺️👏 pic.twitter.com/q8naOqtzYV

— FIFA Women's World Cup (@FIFAWWC) August 5, 2023

Our team of the week has got to be Japan. They look spectacular right now. Hinata Miyazawa is currently leading the golden boot race, and other players like Jun Endo (Angel City) and Fuka Nagano (North Carolina Courage) are also having great performances. 

They secured a 3-1 win over Norway to send them to the quarterfinals, where they’ll take on Sweden. 

 

Upset of the Weekend 

In the last 16: No. 72 Morocco, No. 54 South Africa, No. 43 Jamaica

Eliminated in the group stage: No. 2 Germany, No. 7 Canada, No. 8 Brazil

🍿 pic.twitter.com/B1ABEN4iuD

— B/R Football (@brfootball) August 3, 2023

Both of our big upsets of the week aren’t even from losses, but Germany and Brazil both were sent home from the Group Stage play after tying their last games. 

Germany tied South Korea, and Brazil tied Jamaica. Both results weren’t enough to boost the powerhouse teams into the Knockout Stage. 

 

What to Look Forward To

Women’s World Cup Round of 16

August 8: Colombia vs. Jamaica at 4:00 AM ET/1:00 AM PT

August 8: France vs. Morocco at 7:00 AM ET/4:00 AM PT

 

Fav Social Media Post 

Matildas hugging sobbing Denmark players, Chloe Kelly telling the camera not to film Chiamaka Nnadozie, Kosovare Asllani saying "don't talk shit about the US women" – I think most players fundamentally understand that could be them, and losing comes for us all some day

— Steph Yang | Horrible Soccer Goose (@thrace) August 7, 2023

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