Washington Post · Aug 3, 2023
The drifting USWNT is being battered with criticism. That’s progress.
Kristie Mewis and some of her U.S. teammates take a video at Eden Park before the World Cup began. (Brad Smith/USSF/Getty Images)Comment on this storySYDNEY — They’re dancing after dismal performances, and being scorned for it. They’re in peak athletic shape yet posing with medicinal cream, and being paid handsomely for it. But more than just hamming and peddling, in the biggest women’s World Cup ever, the U.S. national team is growing.
The signs are everywhere. The results might suggest otherwise, and it now seems far-fetched that the Americans will make a return trip to Sydney for the Aug. 20 championship match. But look harder, because there’s a bigger picture away from the pitch.