USWNT crash out of Olympics: How did this happen?

The USA fell to Sweden in their quarterfinal matchup at the Rio Olympics. They were favorites to win the gold medal. How did this happen?

The US Women’s National Team (USWNT) made a shock early exit from the Rio Olympics today after losing to Sweden in penalty kicks in the quarterfinals. Each team scored in regulation, but neither could break the deadlock in extra time. Big shootout misses from Alex Morgan and Christen Press proved to be the final undoing of the heavily favored Americans.

But penalty kicks are more akin to roulette than to the sport of soccer: losing in PKs was not the reason the USWNT crashed out of the Olympics.

Let’s take a look at an actual reason for their poor performance:

Finishing

The USA could not finish.

It was the most obvious problem, and the most frustrating. USWNT fans cheer for the best soccer team in the world; they are used to seeing a lot of goals and pretty play. Both were sorely lacking at these Olympics for this squad.

The lackluster play in the attacking third really came to a head today against Sweden. The USWNT had Sweden completely pinned back in their own half for the first 30 minutes. Tobin Heath returned to the lineup after a game off and looked lively and dangerous on the right flank. Morgan Brian joined in on the attack, pushing up further than normal to link up with the forwards and wide players.

But no one could finish.

There were a handful of times where Heath served balls into the box that the other USWNT attackers simply couldn’t latch onto. It was a case of a bit too much pace on a pass here or too slow to make a run there. It is hard to recall a game in which so many USA passes dribbled harmlessly over the end-line.

The actual shooting was just as dismal. There were three or four times when a USWNT attacker was in position for a decent shot and just scuffed it, or struck it directly at a defender or the keeper (full marks to Sweden for sticking to their game plan throughout and swarming the US on shot attempts).

Usually, calm finishers such as Morgan and Carli Lloyd failed to make good contact with the ball; they were also continually beaten to the ball by hustling Swedes.

Particularly infuriating was the penchant for the USWNT to settle for long range shots, especially when they had numbers. It is understandable that, as they game progressed, a certain amount of panic set in and players were launching shots just to try to make something happen. But that is hardly an excuse for what fans witnessed today. Press, Megan Rapinoe, and Mallory Pugh’s attempts from distance when better options were available are some examples that immediately come to mind.

Even the Morgan equalizer paradoxically stood as evidence of the USWNT scoring troubles. A Swedish defender took a flicked-on header directly off the face, which happened to bounce right into the path of the onrushing Morgan, who – to her credit – slotted it home nicely.

must read: 15 Greatest Upsets in Summer Olympic History

But that is not the type of goal the USWNT count on – some fluke ricochet at the right moment. The USA score goals with build up from their passing and movement, or on set pieces where they use their size and strength, or by a player doing something individually brilliant (Carli, why didn’t you save us??).

That wasn’t the case for this squad in Rio. Jill Ellis and her team have a lot of questions to answer, and a lot of adjustments to make with 2019 World Cup Qualifiers on the horizon.

Maybe the USWNT manager should start with shooting drills.