'They Had Really Big Mouths': Rival Player Says She Celebrated When US Women Were Eliminated from World Cup
The World Cup will be much quieter without the United States Women’s National Team, according to one rival player.
Lineth Beerensteyn of the Netherlands said she was quite pleased at the early U.S. exit after the team lost to Sweden on Sunday, according to ESPN.
“From the first moment I heard they were out, I was just like, ‘Yes! Bye!” she said Thursday.
“From the start of the tournament, they had really big mouths and were already talking about the final.”
Blue haired big mouth soccer girl is done thankfully. https://t.co/O3uwIqDiy5
— Kevin Ellis (@ellisk26) August 6, 2023
Beerensteyn said she thought that was the wrong approach.
“I was thinking you first have to show it on the pitch before you talk [big],” she said, adding, “Don’t start to talk about something that is far away. I hope they will learn from that.”
“I’m not being rude in that way, I still have a lot of respect for them, but now they’re out of the tournament, and for me, it’s a relief, and for them, it’s something they will have to take with them in the future.”
Netherlands forward Lineth Beerensteyn felt the US team “were talking already about the final and stuff” before their early #FIFAWWC exit https://t.co/KolNmtC13s
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) August 10, 2023
Swedish player Magdalena Eriksson was more gracious, saying after the win that the U.S. team “proved today, they’re still an amazing team. They’re definitely the toughest team we’ve faced so far in the tournament.”
“They have amazing players,” she said, adding, “They’re still a massive powerhouse in women’s football, and they will be for a long time.”
Former President Donald Trump did not take the loss in stride.
“The ‘shocking and totally unexpected’ loss by the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team to Sweden is fully emblematic of what is happening to the our once great Nation under Crooked Joe Biden. Many of our players were openly hostile to America — No other country behaved in such a manner, or even close. WOKE EQUALS FAILURE. Nice shot Megan, the USA is going to Hell!!! MAGA,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, referring to a missed penalty kick by Megan Rapinoe.
Perhaps it’s not just us “right wingers” who couldn’t stand the U.S. women’s soccer team?https://t.co/SyRuXuLV4R
— Stefan (@StefanGrossman) August 10, 2023
U.S. women’s soccer legend Brandi Chastain was more philosophical, according to NPR.
“You have great times, and nobody’s worried about it. But you have a setback with a loss or you don’t win a tournament, and now all of a sudden it’s time to reevaluate. And I believe that’s really where we are in this time. But I think we also have to look down deep at how it is that we’re training and coaching our kids in the U.S. soccer system,” she said.
“You know, it’s very much about winning. If parents and kids don’t win championships, they move to the next club, when really development is — should be the most important thing. You know, we’re developing not just people who understand and have the mentality to win, but who have the skills necessary to make decisions under pressure. As coaches — and I’m a youth coach — we need to do better.”
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