FIFA Women’s World Cup pressure building for Lindsey Horan, USWNT
The UNWNT is in somewhat unfamiliar territory in this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup. The USWNT has won the last two World Cups, and prior to this year’s, they had won 13 games in a row in the tournament. After two consecutive draws in the group stage, the team squeaked into the round of 16, but they are facing a lot of pressure.
“It’s the great thing about this team, I’ve said it a lot to the team and to the press: pressure is a privilege,” USWNT star Lindsey Horan said according to an article from FIFA.com. “The expectations that we have, the standards that we hold, the mentality of this team… it’s a privilege to be on this team.”
Next up for the USWNT is Sweden, who went 3-0 in the group stage and finished in first place in group G. This is going to be a very difficult test for the US, and the team hears the chatter surrounding them.
“That’s the funny thing about the noise and everything that’s being said, that’s always going to be the case,” Horan said. “The fact is we had to be better, we could have been better, so I think it is fair. People are always going to have opinions, and they’re entitled to them. The main thing that we have to remember is people are always going to be talking about the national team, our national team. We have the highest of expectations. We want to keep it that way and we want to hold ourselves to a high standard in that respect. So we will allow everyone to talk and have their opinions, but remain in this inner circle and remember why we’re here, what we’re doing. The main goal of this tournament is to win it, and we’re on the right path to doing so.”
The noise is certainly loud, but at the end of the day, the USWNT hasn’t lost in their last 19 FIFA Women’s World Cup games. The ties were surprising, but it’s better than losing, and the US got out of the group stage, which is all that really matters.
Sweden vs. USA will take place early Sunday morning, starting at 5:00 AM ET from Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, and it will be aired on Fox.
