When US keeper Alyssa Naeher batted away Sweden’s fifth penalty kick Sunday night, American fans watching at a bar in Sydney, Australia erupted in cheers. Their elation quickly turned to stunned silence when a review of the shot determined the ball had crossed the goal line, sending the US women’s team crashing out of the World Cup.
Despite staying alive in the tournament following a tense 0-0 draw with Portugal on Tuesday, most USWNT fans would agree that performances throughout the World Cup so far have been underwhelming for women’s soccer’s most dynastic team.
Japan won the World Cup in 2011 playing a free-flowing style that made them the envy of women's football, but they have fallen behind since then, sparking accusations of mismanagement and neglect.-
Women's football in Japan enjoyed a spike in popularity after the 2011 World Cup, but interest gradually tailed off and attendances at the semi-professional Nadeshiko League dwindled.
There have been a total of eight previous editions of the Women’s World Cup but this year’s tournament in Australia and New Zealand promises to look very different.