KASHIMA, Japan — The U.S. women’s national team crashed out of the Olympics with a dud of a 1-0 loss to Canada here on Monday, a fitting end to a tournament in which the most dominant soccer team in the world never hit top gear.
Officially, the Americans are going home because of a 75th-minute penalty, conceded by Tierna Davidson for a foul on Deanne Rose, awarded after a video review. Canada’s Jessie Fleming converted it. Backup U.S. goalkeeper Adrianna Franch just barely couldn't save it.
But really, the Americans are going home because they were poor, throughout the Games and here on a sleepy, sticky-hot evening at the Ibaraki Kashima Stadium.