What went wrong for the US women’s team at the World Cup?

The USA women's team was issued their earliest knockout in World Cup history last weekend, losing to Sweden on penalties in dramatic fashion.

Megan Rapinoe, Sophia Smith, and Kelly O'Hara missed their spot kicks before Lina Hurtig's penalty was overturned by VAR to give the Swedes a 5-4 victory.

It was a nightmare ending for US soccer legend Megan Rapinoe, who blazed her penalty over the bar in her final act at a world cup.

The US was unconvincing in the group stage, barely scraping through after underwhelming performances against Portugal and the Netherlands.

In an isolated performance against Sweden, the US looked to have been back to their near best, with Sweden goalkeeper Zecira Musovic being awarded Player of the Match after making eleven saves.

According to cbsnews.com, US coach Vlatko Andonovski said: "I am proud of the women on the field. The bravery showed we did everything we could to win the game. And, unfortunately, soccer can be cruel sometimes."

After being world champions in 2015 and 2019, what went wrong for the US women's team at this year's World Cup?

One issue has been the tactics implemented by coach Vlatko Andonovski, whose use of direct football has failed to benefit the team's star players.

In their draws with Portugal and the Netherlands, Andonovski played a direct 4-3-3 approach, but in the game against Sweden, he switched to 4-2-3-1, but it was too late.

The team is aging, and it isn't the same team that had won in the previous two tournaments, with poster girls Alex Morgan being 34 and Rapinoe being 38.

The reliance on the older players and the lack of accountability and performance from the players in their prime resulted in underwhelming results.

The lack of chemistry and team coherence could be down to the number of injuries the team has, losing seven players who would be starting, or having key roles off the bench.

The players include Becky Sauerbrunn, who missed what would have been her fourth world cup, Sam Mewis, the former number one player in the world, and Catarina Macario, the USA's best midfield player.

With the infrastructure created in European countries, such as England, Germany, and Spain, the talent pool for European and the rest of the world sides have grown much larger.

The USA used to be the only viable option for women's football, but with the money and quality of the leagues, the rest of the world is now better or just as good as the USA.

After her final game for the US, Rapinoe explained her activism for equal pay was greater than her two World Cup triumphs.

Not singing the national anthem and continuing several debates and protests at the tournament may be a valid reason for poor performance.

The USA's exit from this year's world cup will go down in history, but this time, it's for all the wrong reasons.