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DAN WOLKEN
2021 Olympic Games

Opinion: In playing for a tie to advance at the Tokyo Games, is USWNT losing its edge?

Dan Wolken
USA TODAY

TOKYO – Welcome to the new U.S. women’s soccer team, where the goal is … playing for a 0-0 tie?

If you listened to coach Vlatko Andonovski after Tuesday’s scoreless draw with Australia in the Group G finale, this was all part of the plan. In fact, he pretty much admitted that playing it safe to protect themselves in the standings was the plan – a concession to the perilous position the Americans put themselves in when they were routed by Sweden 3-0 in the Olympic opener.

“We came in with the mindset that the first goal was to win the game and the second goal was to put a good professional performance and not get scored on,” Andonovski said. “We accomplished the second which was very important because it put us in the same place.”