The USWNT’s premature exit from the 2023 FIFA World Cup has turned many hearts cold. The 4x World Champions failed to add a fifth title after getting defeated at the hands of Sweden in the RO16. The likes of Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, and Vlatko Andonovski continue to receive criticism. In the midst of such chaos, their country’s legend, Carli Lloyd, also rubbed salt in the wound.

The USWNT already had to face a lot of criticism from Lloyd’s mouth. But now, the former player might have picked a nerve after lauding the rival team’s shootout win.

Carli Lloyd applauds rival team’s penalty shootout win

Almost a week after the U.S. soccer team’s dismissal from the tournament, we are in the quarter-final stages. Likewise, Australia and France also locked horns to get into the next stage of the competition. Eventually, the match between the Aussies and French gave USA-Sweden vibes, as they decided the winner on penalties.

In an enthralling penalty shootout, hosts Australia won 7-6 against France. This certainly caught the eye of Lloyd, who was enticed to express her views on the game. She tweeted, “One of the craziest PK shoot outs I have seen !!!! Incredible,” while adding an Australian flag emoji. It seems the U.S. soccer legend was impressed with the penalty shootout, unlike her own country’s.

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Megan Rapinoe’s unfortunate miss wiped the 2019 winners out of the tournament. Nevertheless, the Australians are now in the semifinals. They will be facing England, who won 2-1 against Colombia. On the other hand, Spain got their first ticket to the top four after defeating the Netherlands again with a 2-1 score. They will face Sweden, who also coincidentally won by the same score against Japan.

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Indeed, the stage is set for the semi-finals. The USWNT could have been in Sweden’s place had they won the game. But they continue to face criticism. Interestingly, after their last match, Megan Rapinoe backed a rival player to win the tournament.

Megan Rapinoe backs rival star to win the tournament

Following the USA-Sweden match, Rapinoe had an encounter with Sweden’s defender, Magdalena Eriksson. The 37-year-old paused and turned towards Eriksson to congratulate her and acknowledge her advancement to the next round. After the long hug, she said, “Go and win it” to Eriksson. Despite losing, the OL Reign star maintained her composure and exhibited exemplary sportsmanship.

Undoubtedly, the USWNT’s journey in the World Cup was marred by unfortunate events, especially for Rapinoe, considering it was her final World Cup participation. Furthermore, she also carries the baggage of missing the penalty that cost her teammates and her nation.

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