The American women's soccer team has left shortly after drawing with Australia



The highest scoring team in the history of women's soccer was told to play in defense on Tuesday. Top gamblers suddenly behaved like red politicians.


For an American team that has climbed regularly to the international tournament, Tuesday's goalless draw with Australia should be as difficult to play as it was to watch.


But for coach Vlatko Andonovski, who is competing in a major tournament for the first time in his career, the draw was all the US needed to reach the knockout round of the Tokyo Olympic tournament. And not seeing the need for greed, that's what she was playing for, supporting her team in the final quarter of Friday in Yokohama against the Netherlands in what would be a rematch of the women's World Cup final.


But just because Andonovski's plan worked did not mean it was successful. At a post-match press conference, while the coach praised his team for implementing his unusual strategy, forward Alex Morgan, who was sitting next to him, smiled.


"We came up with the idea that the first goal was to win the game," Andonovski said. "And the second goal was to put in good performance and not score. It is clear that we did not achieve the first goal, but we achieved the second, which is very important because it has finally put us in the same place."


It may not be. But playing the tie was not the same as the team that did not lose in Andonovski's first games as coach but won once in three games since arriving in Japan.


It was outside the league average of almost 3/2 of the game's goals this year and has not been closed for more than four years but has been held to a double goal in three games since its arrival in Tokyo.


On Tuesday they were unveiled by a team that has won just once in seven games in 2021 and dropped to less than two goals twice. That, too, was outside the character.


"They did nothing when they were under pressure," said Australian coach Tony Gustavsson, an assistant to the 2015 and 2019 World Cup winners. "I used to see them very angry."


Instead, the US was content to let Australia control the ball for almost 60 minutes for 90 minutes, knocking them out 10-8 and filling in more passes than the Americans tried.


As a result, the U.S. (1-1-1) closed the first round with just four points, the lowest he achieved at team level in any championship tournament. And it was the second time it had finished in its first team in the Olympic tournament since its first in 1996.

A gold standard in Olympic football after winning four of the first five tournaments, the US has just won one of its last five Olympic games. It leaves it hard to get to the final, starting with the Netherlands, scoring 21 points in their three team games in Japan. The United States did not take 21 guns at the tournament.


"You can't think of future games without thinking about the next game," Morgan said. "As for us, we look at the upcoming games and see who we're going to face. And then, you know, you see how Vlatko wants us to face this team.


"We are experienced enough and talented enough to be able to do that. We will look forward now. Obviously we have to build on that moment."


But the US are not at all angry after missing two things, a mistake full of mistakes in seven days around to beat New Zealand in a match that was close until the last 10 minutes.


Tuesday's game in Kashima, just over an hour outside Tokyo, was the first in the US to be played in front of fans with twelve children, wearing school uniforms and track suits, sitting behind one goal and waving small American flags.


"It was great to have fans - to be with someone - on the stands clapping and cheering a little bit," Morgan said. "It's a challenge to play in front of an empty court. So it was very shocking for us."


Morgan gave them something to cheer for about 31 minutes, jumping to Kelley O'Hara's head. But she was sentenced to be a hairdresser, referee Anastasia Pustovoitova confirmed after checking with assistant referee Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb.


Australia's best chance came in the 17th minute when Mary Fowler's head came off the center of the box with a hand stretched out by United States goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher.


Australia has been on the front foot all night while the US has continued to shoot itself in the foot, holding back when it should move forward.


“It was like we ruled a lot of times,” Gustavsson said. "Without the ball. We had a lot of dangerous games in the first half.


"At the end of the game, maybe the tie was worth it."


Andonovski certainly thought so. But it is better not to hang other people in his locker room.