After their quarterfinal elimination by Canada, United States women’s national team coach Vlatko Andonovski says playing to win the Bronze medal at the expense of Australia Thursday, is a deed that must be done
The USWNT was knocked out of the competition for the gold medal by Canada, ending its bid to become the first team to win a World Cup and Olympics back-to-back.
Despite being favorites heading into the Games, the side struggled throughout the tournament, winning just two games. It suffered a big 3-0 defeat to Sweden on the opening day and then beat New Zealand 6-1.
A 0-0 draw with Australia was enough to get them to the knockout stages where they beat Netherlands on penalties before falling 1-0 to Canada.
“We were aiming for gold and we will always aim for gold, and that will never change,” Andonovski said Wednesday.
“Just because it didn’t happen doesn’t mean it stops there. We go into every game to win it. At the end of the day, it’s a medal at the Olympics. We’re going to do anything possible.
“We don’t have anything to lose — we actually have a lot to win — and we’re going to do anything possible to win the medal.”
Goalkeeper Adrianna Franch, who made her first appearance during the semifinal after Alyssa Naeher had to go off injured, said that it had been a learning experience and that the team would fight for the bronze medal.
“There’s going to be roller-coaster emotions especially in a big tournament, and different types of pressure, different types of expectations. When you play with joy, all of that goes away,” she said.
“Win, lose, tie, this is a beautiful game, and I’m definitely thankful to be able to play and to be able to be a part of this team, because every day we get to go out and be on the field and perform together.
“The bronze is just as important, because it’s what we have to fight for. And I said, up and downs with a roller coaster, we find ways to come out and it’s a learning experience. We will continue to do that and get better every single day.”
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