The noise across the USWNT has reached a fever pitch this week, however captain Lindsey Horan is not letting it get to her head.
“People are always going to have opinions, and they’re entitled to them,” she informed FIFA after her crew’s 0-0 draw with Portugal earlier this week. “We have the highest of expectations. We want to keep it that way… I’ve said it a lot to the team and to the press: pressure is a privilege.”
The strain on the USWNT is stronger than it has been in years. After a joyous however comparatively unbothered journey to World Cup victory in 2019, the crew is struggling — in opposition to its personal demons within the type of an injury-rattled lineup, but additionally in opposition to a stronger girls’s soccer area. Traditional “big” groups like England, Japan and Australia have improved considerably to problem the USWNT’s dominance. Meanwhile, conventional “small” groups resembling Jamaica, Colombia and South Africa are proper behind them.
In a World Cup filled with challenges, the largest one lies forward: a vital, do-or-die Round of 16 matchup with Sweden on Sunday. As the third-best crew on the earth, Sweden is probably the most troublesome opponent the USWNT might have drawn within the knockout rounds. It’s totally able to an upset.
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