Now we have gotten to the point where the draw is just a formality, and if the draw doesn’t come, the knockout board gods will obviously take care of the rest.
If it is a major tournament (Women’s World Cup or Olympics), the US women’s national team and Sweden are likely to play against each other. What began with the United States’ first match in a Women’s World Cup has become a recurring theme in the history of the national team, especially in the last decade, and will continue with the opening of the Olympic group on Wednesday in Japan. This is the sixth major tournament on the women’s football calendar which dates back to 2011. It will be the fifth in which the two teams will meet, and the fourth in a row. With their ninth all-time match in a tournament, Sweden will become the most frequent team the US faces with the highest stakes, surpassing Brazil, Japan and Norway.
Even though the United States have a dominant advantage in the all-time series on the main stage (6-1-1), Sweden have the last laugh on the Olympic podium. That draw in those eight games was the quarter-finals of the 2016 Olympics, in which Sweden faced the United States in their first ever elimination, followed by the aftermath and aftermath of Hope Solo’s “cowards”. The US bounced back to win the 2019 Women’s World Cup, which included a win over Sweden, of course, but there’s still a sense of unfinished business as the focus shifts back to the Olympics. For a number of US veterans, this could be the ultimate race to glory. Prior to the expansion of the Olympic rosters from 18 to 22 players, with the inclusion of alternates across the entire squad, the median age for the USWNT was 30.8 years. We are now at 29.7, but the point remains: while there are some young players on the rise and others firmly at their best, this is not a young team.
With all that experience, however, comes a number of players who know what they are hunting against the Swedes. They are a robust opponent, and while anything can happen in a group stage, you would expect the winner of Wednesday’s match to finish leading a quartet that also includes New Zealand and Australia.
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“Sweden have put us in trouble every single game we have played, so we don’t take them lightly,” said Alex Morgan before an April friendly against the Swedes in Stockholm, which came just over a week earlier. della the draw confirmed that they would meet again. “And we are lucky to have been able to play for Sweden so many times over the years. Even though we came out first most of the time, they took away from us victories in big tournaments. “
The United States come in with a 44-game unbeaten streak, but it’s a run that nearly ended at 37. Sweden beat the United States in that friendly, settling for a 1-1 draw after a shaky call. A penalty in the final gave Megan Rapinoe a chance to equalize.
“I think this is, I wouldn’t say one of the best things that has happened to us, but something that is very positive for us,” said Vlatko Andonovski at the time, whose first match as a USWNT manager was also against Sweden. . “Actually, that’s why we came here. We came here to play good teams. We came [to] Europe to play against opponents, to some extent expose yourself to different tactics, high-level tactics, organized teams and try to overcome all of that.
“If we play as we played today [at the Olympics], it’s not good enough, and I know it. Nobody has to tell me. But again, it’s just a good learning opportunity to improve. “
Michael Chow / USA TODAY Sport
Did the United States learn from this? Wednesday will tell. Revenge for five years ago is not really on the table, with the underdog not being eliminated and both sides expected to reach the knockout stage. They have also played multiple times since their meeting in Brazil. But a positive result for the US would go a long way to close the door on that latest Olympic chapter and lay the groundwork for a tournament run, while, conversely, a defeat could sow some doubt in the face of true high-stakes even taking place. the games.
“There will always be that bitterness behind us for the finish in 2016 and this is the worst finish we’ve ever had in an Olympics. There’s really no way to say otherwise,” Morgan continued in those April remarks. “Of course when you think of it that way, we want to come back and be really dominant in the way we play and this is like the first stepping stone for that. I remember obviously they beat us then, but also in 2011 in the World Cup, so it’s a team difficult to play and to take down.
“A lot of the players, especially the players who were here during the 2016 Olympics, is in our mind, and the players who weren’t here, we’ll make sure to remind them.”
Before their next meeting, which will be the 42nd of all time (the US has a 23-6-12 lead), here’s a look back at the legendary history between the two nations and what they will add to Tokyo:
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1991 Women’s World Cup: The United States, in their first game in a world championship stage, took a 3-0 lead with goals from Carin Jennings (2) and Mia Hamm before holding on to a 3-2 win. Coincidentally, that’s exactly how Andonovski’s first match as a US manager went. In November 2019, Carli Lloyd’s two goals inserted one from Christen Press to send the United States 3-0 after 31 minutes, but Anna Anvegard scored twice in four minutes in the second half to make things interesting. Anvegard missed the rematch in April 2021 but is in the Swedish Olympic team.
Meanwhile, the United States won the 12-team World Cup for the first of its four titles, while Sweden finished third.
1995 Women’s World Cup: DNP
1996 Olympics: In the first women’s football tournament at the Olympics, the USWNT and Sweden were both in the same group of the eight-team competition. In the second group match, Tisha Venturini and Shannon MacMillan gave the United States a 2-0 lead before an own goal by Carla Overbeck represented the final tally in a 2-1 US win. Sweden failed to reach the four-team knockout stage, while the United States finished second in their group and won the first of their four gold medals.
1999 Women’s World Cup: DNP
2000 Olympics: DNP
Women’s World Cup 2003: After the SARS outbreak forced FIFA to move the tournament from China to the US four months before the opening match, the new hosts started the group game with a 3-1 win in Washington, DC Kristine Lilly and Cindy Parlow (now president of United States Soccer Cindy Parlow Cone) scored in the first 36 minutes before Victoria Svensson took the lead in 58th. Shannon Boxx sealed the three points for the United States, but it was Sweden that enjoyed a more successful tournament, with the United States falling to Germany in the semifinals and Sweden losing to Germany with a golden goal in the final.
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2004 Olympics: DNP
2007 Women’s World Cup: Abby Wambach’s brace gave the United States a 2-0 win in the second group match in China. Sweden failed to reach the knockout stage, while the United States settled for third place after being hammered by Marta’s Brazil 4-0 in the semi-finals.
2008 Olympics: DNP
Women’s World Cup 2011: Sweden’s only rule win came in the group final in Germany, where Lisa Dahlkvist’s penalty and an own goal by Amy LePeilbet gave the Swedes a 2-0 lead after 35 minutes. Wambach pulled one back in the second half, but the 2-1 result meant the United States settled for second place in the group. An epic final against Japan led to a second place for the United States overall, while Sweden took third place by beating France.
2012 Olympics: DNP
Women’s World Cup 2015: Facing former manager Pia Sundhage, the United States drew 0-0 in the group stage. Both reached the knockout stage, with Sweden retiring in the round of 16 and the United States winning everything in Canada.
Steve Bardens / FIFA / Getty Images
2016 Olympics: The game looming over Wednesday’s showdown. Morgan canceled Stina Blackstenius’ opening to breathe new life into the United States in a match that overtook the Swedes 27-6. It went on penalties, with Sweden scoring a 4-3 triumph after Press fired his shot over the crossbar and Dahlkvist clinched it. Solo continued his post-match rant about how Sweden played “cowards” and never played for the United States again.
Women’s World Cup 2019: The USWNT retaliated with a 2-0 win thanks to Lindsey Horan’s third-minute goal and Jonna Andersson’s own goal in the 50th minute. Sweden curiously put a number of starters to rest, with manager Peter Gerhardsson making seven line-up changes and apparently prioritizing fresh legs for the round of 16 (and a potentially less daunting knockout path) over first place. in the group. The United States ran the gauntlet in the toughest half of the group to win the title, while all that prevented a rematch in the final was Sweden’s defeat to the Netherlands in extra time in the semi-finals.
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