litman lake
College football and soccer analyst
AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Alex Morgan took a deep breath and approached the penalty spot with a plan in mind.
The United States led Vietnam 1-0 in the 44th minute of their World Cup opening game, and Morgan had a chance to double the scoring with a penalty kick after Trinity Rodman was fouled in the box.
Morgan’s plan was to target the bottom left corner with his left foot. But Vietnam goalkeeper Tran Thi Kim Thanh read the US co-captain and made a daring dive save.
Alex Morgan’s penalty denied
The US women’s national team won 3-0 anyway and scored three critical points in Pool E. But Morgan’s bizarre miss didn’t sit well with her. And it’s the kind of opportunity the USWNT won’t be able to bounce back from so easily in their next game against the Netherlands on Wednesday (coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET, with kickoff at 9 p.m. on FOX and the FOX Sports app).
(USWNT vs. Netherlands: Scouting report, prediction for key Group E clash)
“When you take a penalty, obviously it feels really good,” Morgan said. “And when you don’t, it doesn’t. It really sucks and it feels like you let the team down. So I’m glad to put that behind me and I’m very hopeful for the future in this tournament.”
Penalty kicks are some of the most compelling theater in sport.
Just seven months ago, Lionel Messi and Argentina won the men’s World Cup after a penalty shootout with reigning champions France. After the first 16 matches at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, there have been nine penalty attempts with just five players scoring a goal.
It’s been equal parts wild, unusual and exhilarating.
(What’s with so many PKs and so many misses in this Women’s World Cup?)
“I think a penalty is a unique situation in football,” Morgan said. “It’s one you can try to recreate in training, but obviously the psychological factor comes into play with a packed stadium, with a goalkeeper you may not have faced before, with the pressure of where you are in a game, whether you’re up or down or whatever the score is.
“But at the same time, it’s something that you train and train, and the ball is always in the same spot, and you try to put it in a particular spot. That wasn’t the case for me the other day. And hopefully it was the last thing that didn’t happen with me.”
This was Morgan’s first penalty attempt in regulation time at a World Cup, and this is his fourth opportunity. Four years ago, Carli Lloyd and Megan Rapinoe were at the top of the pecking order. Morgan said that the team practices PK almost every day, and as an attacker, he believes that he should have the advantage over the goalkeeper.
(Carli Lloyd explains the ‘art of finishing’, where USWNT can improve)
Some of the best attacking players in the world have recently joined Morgan in stopping his penalty kick. Canada legend and longtime captain Christine Sinclair would have become the first player (female or male) to score in six World Cups had she converted her penalty in a 0-0 draw against Nigeria. Of course, she still has time.
The veteran Spanish striker Jennifer Hermoso, The RedTop scorer of all time, he was denied by Costa Rican goalkeeper Daniela Solera.
Morgan is also in good company when it comes to former USWNT players who stumble at a World Cup. In 2019, Lloyd went wide on the left against Chile in the group stage and in 2015, Abby Wambach failed to convert against Colombia during the round of 16.
But for an American at the World Cup, having his penalty kick saved by a goalkeeper is rarer than missing the shot entirely. Morgan was the first USWNT player to have a PK save since Norwegian goaltender Bente Nordby denied American icon Mia Hamm in 2003.
“Every time I see one of my teammates step up and PK, I have every confidence in them,” USA defender Sofia Huerta said. “I’ve seen Alex do every PK I’ve seen her take. But the reality is, we’re human and we’re not perfect, and every player who takes a PK and steps up to take a PK is bound to lose one from time to time.
“We are behind Alex and have full confidence in her when she takes another PK.”
‘This is the first time Team USA will be tested defensively’ – Ari Hingst on the upcoming USWNT game against the Netherlands
Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball, and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today, and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of “Strong Like a Woman,” published in the spring of 2022 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.
USA
Netherlands
FIFA Women’s World Cup
FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP
Get more from the FIFA Women’s World Cup Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
– Daily News Post