- The team was not adequately prepared for the tournament.
- The players were not enjoying their football.
- The team needs to capitalize on the limited training opportunities.
Lindsey Horan, co-captain of the United States women’s football team, recently expressed that her team was not adequately prepared for the recently concluded FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.
The tournament, co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia, was won by Spain, who secured a 1-0 victory over England in the final.
Despite being four-time World Cup champions, the US team had their poorest showing in the tournament, being eliminated in the round of 16 with a surprising 5-4 shootout loss to Sweden.
A few days later, their coach Vlatko Andonovski, who had been leading the team since 2019, also resigned from his position.
During a conversation on RE-INC’s YouTube channel with former teammates Tobin Heath and Christen Press, Lindsey Horan emphasized the importance of capitalizing on the limited training opportunities when a new coach takes charge.
“When a coach comes in, it’s like, hey, how do we get the best out of every single individual player putting the most simplicity into a 10-day camp every few months and getting the best out of your team, and without overcomplicating everything?,” Horan said.
“Because yes, I could talk about the last four-year cycle, and we don’t need to get into every single thing, but that’s not what we did. We did not get the best out of every single individual.
“I don’t think everyone was fully prepared, and that’s on us as well.”
The United States came in second place in their group, with the Netherlands taking the top spot.
“Looking at those three group stage games, and you felt it in the team,” she added.
“You felt this tense feeling, and people were just not enjoying their football or they weren’t enjoying individually playing.”
Back-to-back friendly matches between the US and South Africa are scheduled to take place on September 21 in Cincinnati and September 24 in Chicago, both hosted by the US.
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