U.S. women's soccer team falls to Sweden in Olympic quarterfinals
The U.S. women's soccer team was eliminated in the Olympic quarterfinals, falling to Sweden in penalty shootouts on Friday. The U.S. women won the gold medal in London in 2012, and the 2016 team had been led by returning superstars, such as Hope Solo and Carli Lloyd. The U.S. women have historically struggled to beat the Swedes, winning every game in the 2015 women's World Cup except a 0-0 tie against Sweden.
Sweden's Coach Pia Sundhage has some insight into the U.S. women's teams dynamics; she spent five years as their coach.
The final score was 1-1 with a penalty-kick shootout of 4-3. It was the first time in their history that the U.S. women have failed to reach a semifinal in a major tournament; in five of their last Olympic appearances, three ended in gold medals.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.