Why the USWNT might be better off losing to Brazil...
Key takeaways
- Yes, this is a team accustomed to winning: four World Cups, five Olympics and over 600 victories to go with fewer than 100 losses.
- That is true, except in this version of football, you play friendly matches to learn how to win the games that matter.
- "I'm a developer of players, and they need to go through these things," USWNT coach Emma Hayes said after losing to Japan in April.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
Yes, this is a team accustomed to winning: four World Cups, five Olympics and over 600 victories to go with fewer than 100 losses. Accepting defeat seems counterintuitive to such a winning culture. No (duh) -- the Americans are not going to Brazil with the express purpose of losing. As ex-NFL coach Herm Edwards once famously shouted, "YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME."
That is true, except in this version of football, you play friendly matches to learn how to win the games that matter. The USWNT should embrace the concept of struggling in a new and uncomfortable environment this month. Struggling -- even losing -- could be instructive for winning the World Cup. That will be especially true when the USWNT plays next summer's World Cup host Brazil in a pair of friendlies on Saturday and Tuesday in Brazil.
"I'm a developer of players, and they need to go through these things," USWNT coach Emma Hayes said after losing to Japan in April. "It will get us one step closer to where we are. We cannot always play just for the result -- but yes, we don't like to lose."