The Ringer: All Posts by Kellen Becoats2024-03-08T08:39:51-05:00https://www.theringer.com/authors/kellen-becoats/rss2024-03-08T08:39:51-05:002024-03-08T08:39:51-05:00The Premier League Title Race Hasn’t Been This Thrilling in Years
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<p>Not two but <em>three </em>teams are duking it out, each with equally compelling reasons to believe they’ll lift the trophy come May </p> <p id="eB2Cxu">In Spanish soccer, there’s a saying when a title race is neck and neck heading into the final months: <em>Hay Liga</em>. “There’s a league.” Or, in colloquial English, “It’s coming down to the wire, and Manchester City might not actually win this thing for once.”</p>
<p id="jzW5N0">We’ve had a handful of <em>hay liga</em> scenarios in the past. Think of Leicester City’s improbable run to the Premier League title in 2016, when Lille piped PSG to the 2021 Ligue 1 crown, and last year, when Napoli won the Scudetto for the first time since Diego Maradona donned azure. But this season has seen some of the best European title races for the good part of a decade. Bayer Leverkusen are on the cusp of preventing Bayern Munich from winning the German league for the first time in 12 years, while underdog Girona has put up a staunch fight against superpower Real Madrid in Spain. And, of course, there’s the three-way ongoing slugfest in the English Premier League.</p>
<p id="AAOJxs">Ahead of Man City and Liverpool’s consequential matchup on Sunday, the Reds are top of the table with 63 points, while City, the reigning champions, are on 62 points and third-place Arsenal have 61 points—each with 11 games left to determine who will lift the Premier League trophy in May. </p>
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<p id="VWx60H"><br>Of course, we’ve been down this road before. Just last season, Arsenal were league leaders for <a href="https://twitter.com/OptaJoe/status/1659991615853699083?lang=en">248 days</a>, but Manchester City’s eventual triumph felt—and was—inevitable. No matter how assured any team in the Premier League may feel, the <em>Jaws</em> theme is always playing in the background. Manchester City are the most dangerous predator in world football. </p>
<p id="IaM9DR">But this season could be different. Jurgen Klopp’s announcement that he’ll be stepping down from Liverpool at the end of the season has seemed to inject a heavy dose of adrenaline into the Reds. And after falling short last season, Arsenal are piling up goals at a ridiculous rate—four consecutive league games scoring at least four times, including two 6-0 thrashings—and don’t seem ready to drop out of the conversation just yet. But City won’t go down quietly. In fact, they’re rising; after a slow start, they’re unbeaten in their last 18 games in all competitions.</p>
<p id="obkRKQ">To that point, City have looked a bit vulnerable this season—as is tradition; they always seem to take half a season to kick into gear—but after the return of Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland, the Death Star appears to be fully operational. </p>
<p id="zGmoT1">Even without those two, City are just so deep at nearly every position. No Haaland for a few games? No problem; the Citizens employ Julián Álvarez, a World Cup winner who would likely be a top-three striker in the league if he didn’t compete with the Norwegian. De Bruyne out for five months? It’s chill; the Manchurians have a phalanx of playmaking wingers and midfielders to drive the attack in his absence. </p>
<p id="yWDngo">Trying to find a fault in Man City can feel like a Sisyphean task. Manager Pep Guardiola likes to mix up his lineups to keep his team fresh, but the City ethos is always the same: Dominate your opponents. Suffocate them, even. They will stick to the same formula for the remainder of the season. Someone will just have to execute it even better. Enter Liverpool?</p>
<p id="iZEerR">The Reds lifting the Premier League trophy at the height of the pandemic feels like a collective fever dream. After years of pushing Guardiola’s team to its limit, Klopp finally triumphed over his northern neighbors by an 18-point margin. Pep seemed to take that personally, winning the league by double-digit points the following season and, cruelly, by a single point in 2022. </p>
<p id="N2NrZI">But going back to his Dortmund days, Klopp has never been afraid to take on a giant (his 2011-12 BVB squad was the last team not named Bayern Munich to win the Bundesliga), and his club is doing it again this season. If you’re a romantic, this would be the storybook ending for Klopp. His Liverpool side had already looked untouchable ahead of his announcement in January. Now, they look like a team of destiny.</p>
<p id="jRkFyW">The Reds have weathered the loss of talisman Mo Salah to the African Cup of Nations in January (and his lingering injury suffered in that tournament), as well as injuries to just about <a href="https://theathletic.com/5288101/2024/02/20/liverpool-salah-nunez-injury-news-luton/">every</a> <a href="https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/jurgen-klopp-kostas-tsimikas-and-luis-diaz-injuries">other</a> <a href="https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/trent-alexander-arnold-injury-update-0">attacking</a> <a href="https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/39562741/liverpool-boss-klopp-confirms-jota-months-injury">player</a>. And yet tuning in to recent Liverpool matches has felt like injecting five cans of Red Bull into your veins. </p>
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<p id="CCxzZL"><br>Liverpool has lost just once in 2024, while recently winning the EFL Cup with a team that <a href="https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2024/02/26/who-are-klopps-kids-meet-the-brilliant-bunch-who-foiled-chelseas-billionaire-bottle-jobs-at-wembley/">mostly consisted of academy kids by the end of the match</a>. To watch a Liverpool game now can seem like an exercise in feeling old as hell. In some of their recent games, multiple players who scored were born well after the turn of the century. It makes one wonder whether the emergence of the younger ranks could prompt Klopp to reconsider his choice, à la <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/sir-alex-ferguson-says-retirement-7965596">Alex</a> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2010/dec/20/sir-alex-ferguson-manchester-united">Ferguson</a>. Forget <a href="https://theathletic.com/4961960/2023/10/16/liverpool-next-sporting-director/">“Liverpool 2.0”</a>—this is Liverpool 3.0, ahead of schedule. </p>
<p id="nd1BQV">Regardless of Klopp’s unintended reliance on youth, Liverpool could be considered the cautious favorites to win the league—yes, even ahead of City. Quiet as they’ve kept, Liverpool have sat at the top of the table for months now, thanks to their penchant for dominating most games and finding <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKdCe3q9sR0">late breakthroughs</a> in others. But Liverpool’s limitations may be laid bare by their <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/liverpool-fc-injury-update-salah-alexander-arnold-alisson-latest-news-return-dates-b1142938.html">dwindling squad</a>. If they keep suffering injuries and their returning players don’t hit the ground running, holding on to the league lead will only grow more difficult.</p>
<p id="yWJXu6">That leaves Arsenal, last season’s upstart who stumbled at the final hurdles in 2023. The Gunners have been scoring for fun since their poor festive period raised questions about their striker situation. Ever since Arsenal took a winter break to Dubai and were blessed by the fork of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJc-lIS0kEs">Salt Bae</a>, the club has looked revitalized. Arsenal’s last few Premier League score lines look <em>FIFA</em>—ahem<em>,</em> <em>EA Sports FC 24</em>—esque. </p>
<p id="mEpNlN">This Gunners team seems to have unlocked its attacking potential by placing Kai Havertz up top and having him act as a false nine to link play between Arsenal’s speedy wingers and a midfield trio of Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, and either Jorginho or Leandro Trossard. </p>
<p id="tgonaG">It’s easy to look at Arsenal’s recent fixtures and dismiss their opponents as weaker competition because, frankly, they are. Sheffield United are going down. Burnley … going down. Newcastle and West Ham have looked disjointed in 2024, and Crystal Palace are the eternal definition of “mediocre” and were languishing under since-dismissed manager Roy Hodgson. </p>
<p id="hiezZL">But as much attention as Arsenal’s attacking prowess has garnered in recent weeks, it’s the defense that has been most impressive this season. There’s been a lot of whataboutism about whether Arsenal could have won the league last season had <a href="https://talksport.com/football/1583957/william-saliba-arsenal-premier-league-title-injury/">William Saliba not gotten injured</a>, but he’s played every available minute for the Gunners this season, and it’s shown in the results. </p>
<p id="o67omX">The defensive pairing of Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães has been damn near impenetrable this season. Arsenal have conceded the lowest number of goals in the division, and that’s not just down to luck. Their <a href="https://x.com/WhoScored/status/1759552961666015596?s=20">expected goals against</a> puts the rest of the league to shame, and if you need a tangible example, just watch the best striker in the world <a href="https://theathletic.com/4973562/2023/10/19/saliba-haaland-arsenal-city-bounce/">try to compete</a> against them. So while the goals are certainly nice for the Gooners, Arsenal’s title chances will probably come down to the defense. There’s supposed to be a famous saying about that, I think.</p>
<p id="rRFF6n">Nothing is set in stone, and that’s what makes this year’s title race enthralling. While City and Liverpool’s game on Sunday will be momentous, it won’t decide anything. The top three will still have 10 games each left to play. Arsenal have away trips to the Etihad, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and Old Trafford, while both City and Liverpool have dates against Aston Villa and Spurs on the horizon. </p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="svnApk">With the teams at the top playing thrilling football and the title still up for grabs this late in the season, this has a chance to be the most exciting three-way race in the past decade. <em>Hay liga</em>, indeed. </p>
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https://www.theringer.com/soccer/2024/3/8/24093966/premier-league-table-standings-title-race-arsenal-liverpool-manchester-cityKellen Becoats2023-11-13T12:40:14-05:002023-11-13T12:40:14-05:00Megan Rapinoe and Ali Krieger Changed the USWNT. They Also Changed the NWSL.
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<p>The two-time World Cup winners left an indelible mark on not only the national team, but also women’s professional soccer in America </p> <p id="I0T9TP">Gotham FC’s 2-1 win over OL Reign in the National Women’s Soccer League Championship on Saturday meant a lot of things to a lot of different people. For Gotham, it was the perfect ending to a miracle turnaround story; last year, the Bats had finished last in the league—by some distance—before winning it all in 2023. For fans, it was proof of the league’s unpredictable and irrational nature. In addition to the brilliant footwork and skill on display from championship MVP Midge Purce, the game saw Gotham’s goalkeeper receive a red card in the waning moments of stoppage time, which forced midfielder Nealy Martin to put on goalie gloves to defend a dangerous free kick at the very end of the game. </p>
<p id="AREm63">But most importantly, this was the storybook ending that every neutral fan wanted coming into the playoffs. Both Ali Krieger and Megan Rapinoe—two-time World Cup–winning legends of the U.S. women’s national team—announced their intention to retire after the 2023 season, so their appearance as competitors in the NWSL championship attracted a <a href="https://twitter.com/GothamFC/status/1723116658448035915?s=20">great</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TheWOSOshow/status/1723042699102584884?s=20">deal</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSL/status/1722994377574711768?s=20">of attention</a>. </p>
<p id="m5Tq7p">So when Rapinoe, who started for OL, <a href="https://x.com/AttackingThird/status/1723512411158700459?s=20">went down</a> clutching her right leg in the sixth minute of the game, it was difficult not to think of her words earlier this summer, after the USWNT exited the women’s World Cup: “a <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/just-like-a-sick-joke-megan-rapinoe-suffers-cruel-ending-to-storybook-world-cup-career-164300770.html">sick joke</a>.” Even Rapinoe couldn’t help but produce a sad smile as she sat on the pitch, receiving treatment. She would experience the last game of her illustrious career on the sidelines after she, as she described it, “<a href="https://x.com/itsmeglinehan/status/1723570504118964419?s=20">fucking yeeted</a>” her Achilles.</p>
<aside id="qq03uf"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Megan Rapinoe Is Ready for Life After Soccer ","url":"https://www.theringer.com/soccer/2023/7/19/23799560/megan-rapinoe-2023-world-cup-retirement"}]}'></div></aside><p id="Q5eXrM">This wasn’t the ending anyone had predicted. Rapinoe is one of the greatest players the USWNT and NWSL have ever seen. It was her last chance to make her mark in a storybook career. Sadly, it didn’t happen that way. But after her injury, Rapinoe returned to OL’s dugout, large protective boot in tow, and cheered her teammates on for the rest of the game. She even managed to jump on reserve goalkeeper Laurel Ivory’s back in celebration of the Reign’s only goal. </p>
<p id="yJOI7g">That the game kept its thrilling pace even after Rapinoe’s injury is a testament to how good both teams were. And, of course, with Rapinoe off the field, many people turned their attention to Krieger. Krieger, who started as the left-sided center back for Gotham, did the things that have defined her reputation as one of the best defenders in the league. The 39-year-old regularly outran players much springier than her and kept things steady for Gotham’s youthful back line. </p>
<p id="rXnuu7">When the final whistle went and Krieger was mobbed by her teammates and eventually embraced by a smiling Rapinoe, it was hard not to think of how much the NWSL has changed during their careers. </p>
<p id="Nk2Wbl">When Krieger graduated from Penn State in 2006, the most recent women’s soccer league (WUSA) had been shut down three years earlier, and plans for the next iteration were anything but concrete. Even when Rapinoe graduated from the University of Portland two years later, the next (and eventually doomed) domestic league, WPS, still hadn’t been launched. </p>
<p id="h9ggxO">By the time the NWSL was established and ready to kick off its first season in 2013, both players had left WPS for Europe and had seen America’s league fold within five years. Still, they opted to return to the U.S. and sign up for yet another shot at domestic soccer. </p>
<p id="xDQzgp">The ensuing 10 years saw women’s domestic soccer in the United States stabilize and then grow from eight teams to 12, but that didn’t stop both Krieger and Rapinoe from challenging the league to be better on everything from equitable pay to LGBTQ+ support. And while Rapinoe’s record of fighting for inclusion is well documented, Krieger’s efforts have a tendency to go less recognized. </p>
<p id="OoeSEe">A major flashpoint for Krieger came in 2016, when she was playing for the Washington Spirit. While most NWSL teams were taking steps to provide a safe space for queer players and fans, Spirit majority owner Bill Lynch seemed to be doing the opposite. The Spirit was the only organization in the league without a Pride Night (it wouldn’t hold its first one until 2019) and was the sole team that didn’t openly applaud the Supreme Court’s ruling on gay marriage in 2015. </p>
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<p id="8odDJv"><br>Krieger eventually decided to take matters into her own hands, reportedly stopping by then–Spirit chief operating officer Ashlee Fontes-Comber’s office and emphasizing how sad it was that the Spirit still didn’t have a Pride Night.</p>
<p id="z0F1mw">“For us to go against that and to purposely not celebrate the LGBTQ community? That’s half our team,” Krieger told the <a href="https://www.powerplays.news/p/i-was-out-of-there-ali-krieger-and"><em>Power Plays</em> newsletter</a> in 2019. “And even if not just for us, [they should hold one] for the fans.” </p>
<p id="WYaele">This all came to a head later in 2016 when the Reign came to Washington for the last game of the NWSL regular season. Days earlier, Rapinoe had taken a knee during the national anthem in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick’s protest against inequality. Just as in the NFL, Rapinoe’s gesture sparked much conversation and controversy throughout the league. And that night in Washington, it also prompted Lynch to play the national anthem while both teams were still in the locker room, <a href="https://equalizersoccer.com/2016/09/07/washington-spirit-clinch-home-semifinal-nwsl-seattle-reign-megan-rapinoe-national-anthem-video/">claiming</a> he didn’t want Rapinoe to “hijack our organization’s event.”</p>
<p id="oxSkNq">Rapinoe called the decision “fucking unbelievable” and went on record saying Lynch was “homophobic.” The event led Krieger, who was captain of the Spirit, to put together a statement from the team condemning Lynch’s actions. She was traded to the Orlando Pride after the season, as many of the other big-name players on the roster left for greener pastures. </p>
<p id="0OtSoy">But that night left an impression on Krieger. She wrestled with what her next steps should be and worried about Rapinoe’s future. Krieger had traditionally been reserved when it came to speaking out on social issues, but Rapinoe’s protest and the attention it produced brought something out of the star defender. </p>
<p id="ssF5a6">“That might have been a changing point,” Krieger told <em>Power Plays</em>.</p>
<p id="no5gxs">Krieger came out publicly in 2019 when she announced her engagement to fellow USWNT player Ashlyn Harris, and she has since been an ardent fighter for equal rights, something that might not have happened if Rapinoe hadn’t taken her stand three years earlier. </p>
<p id="4qYzJL">2019 was also the year that turned Rapinoe into a global sensation. She had been a star in the game—or a pariah, depending on who you asked—for many years, but her feud with Donald Trump during the women’s World Cup opened up the floodgates of criticism. A player’s announcement that they wouldn’t visit the White House if their team won the championship was bound to start a firestorm.</p>
<p id="hUgFf1">But Rapinoe stood by her convictions, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/megan-rapinoe-uswnt-star-doubles-down-on-skipping-white-house-visit-2019-06-27/">doubled down</a> on her White House statement, and ended up getting the last laugh when the USWNT lifted its second consecutive World Cup. The OL Reign star has continued to use her platform to actuate meaningful change across the league and in sports in general, especially with her work fighting for equal pay.</p>
<p id="U2lqjC">While the equal pay fight was spearheaded by the USWNT, many of those players star for NWSL teams, and their constant push to improve standards not only for themselves, but for the generations coming after them, has seen the league make major leaps in professionalism since its inception.</p>
<p id="5hf7q6">We’re not that far away from when Gotham, then named Sky Blue FC, was making headlines because its facilities were so poor that other NWSL players <a href="https://deadspin.com/the-nwsls-sky-blue-fc-is-falling-apart-on-the-field-an-1828043155">felt sorry for the team</a>. Problems reportedly ranged from players having to live in housing so rundown that former Sky Blue assistant coach David Hodgson said “you would not let your dogs sleep in” it, to some teams leaving games without showering because the locker rooms were so unsanitary. Now the rebranded Gotham team plays in Red Bull Arena with healthy salaries and more hygienic facilities. </p>
<p id="l5dzhX">Improvements have been made at Rapinoe’s Reign as well. In the past three years, the club has negotiated a deal for the team to play at Seattle’s Lumen Field, and the club’s training facilities have moved from a couple of Tacoma-area high schools to Starfire Sports, the sports complex employed by MLS’s Seattle Sounders.</p>
<p id="aUtdTD">That’s not to say that the work is complete. It would take many more thousands of words to describe the problems plaguing the NWSL. There are persisting issues as thorny as <a href="https://theathletic.com/2857633/2021/09/30/this-guy-has-a-pattern-amid-institutional-failure-former-nwsl-players-accuse-prominent-coach-of-sexual-coercion/">abusive coaching and ownership</a>, as well as more minor complaints like how difficult it is to find a specific game on television. Still, this is the longest a domestic women’s league has lasted in this country, and the NWSL just signed a huge media deal that will bring in $60 million annually and see games broadcast on ESPN, CBS, Amazon Prime Video, and Scripps Sports. The league has come a long way since the early afternoon games were broadcast on the likes of the Lifetime Channel. </p>
<p id="65ZlVu">When Krieger and Rapinoe <a href="https://x.com/MenInBlazers/status/1723544580610466164?s=20">embraced</a> after the final whistle, it really hit home that the NWSL will have to go on without two of its best ambassadors. Krieger’s words from an ESPN interview a day earlier show how important the past decade in the league has been. </p>
<p id="HHlNYz">“I think the first year [of the NWSL], our purpose was to help this league succeed,” she said. “We knew what was at stake, and all of us basically came together and we knew that we had to really give it our all and work really hard to get to where we are now. </p>
<p id="YZV7sy">“This is like an elite level now. … So yeah, I am so proud and happy to see where we’ve come. Because those were some dark days early on.”</p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="GzEIAH">Even though Krieger is the only one who came away with a storybook ending on Saturday, the NWSL wouldn’t be where it is today without her and Rapinoe’s fight for progress every step of the way. </p>
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https://www.theringer.com/sports/2023/11/13/23959100/megan-rapinoe-ali-krieger-retirement-final-game-uswnt-nwslKellen Becoats2023-09-07T14:44:29-04:002023-09-07T14:44:29-04:00Kelly Burton and the Decade of Black Innovation
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<p>Bakari and Kelly also talk react to the discrimination lawsuit faced by Fearless Fund</p> <div id="RYhs9w"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 152px; position: relative;"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/71NInbNS5541fclxZvzgKJ?utm_source=oembed" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" allow="clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture;"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="8TVGHm"><br><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/71NInbNS5541fclxZvzgKJ?si=j1VpQ5xSS1iRRLojvvdxqg">Bakari Sellers</a> is joined by Kelly Burton, an author, entrepreneur, and founder of the Black Innovation Alliance, to discuss closing the racial wealth gap (2:55), break down the art of investing (6:45), and react to the discrimination lawsuit faced by Fearless Fund (11:45).</p>
<p id="yjgAvO">Host: Bakari Sellers<br>Guest: Kelly Burton<br>Producer: Donnie Beacham Jr.<br>Executive Producer: Jarrod Loadholt</p>
<p id="E4a2fe"><strong>Subscribe:</strong> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/4Qq4AH2YWHezet7O3j7Fq9?si=vIINLU5XTcmiEFdsaeqnKA">Spotify</a> / <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bakari-sellers-podcast/id1520269301">Apple Podcasts</a> </p>
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https://www.theringer.com/2023/9/7/23863366/kelly-burton-decade-of-black-innovationKellen Becoats2023-08-07T14:26:05-04:002023-08-07T14:26:05-04:00Where Did It All Go Wrong for the USWNT?
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<p>Since the inception of the women’s World Cup in 1991, the U.S. had never exited the tournament before the semifinals. Why did it happen now?</p> <p id="cMeybP">Whenever a team falls short of expectations, there is always a chorus of opinions about what went wrong. A section of the fans thinks the players have suddenly lost their talent, while some analysts argue it was purely tactical, and that the coach was too strident in their beliefs. And, when it comes to the U.S. women’s national team, you will have bad-faith actors who believe the team lost because it was “too woke” or didn’t act correctly in the face of bad performances.</p>
<p id="Sj2FyO">But, as with many things in life, it’s more complicated than any one explanation. </p>
<p id="2SaCTN">The USWNT aren’t heading home from Australia because the players danced after drawing with Portugal, nor is the team out because the U.S. is abruptly at a talent deficit compared to the rest of the world. The fact of the matter is that as good as the USWNT have been over the past 30 years, this was bound to happen eventually.</p>
<div id="XgoOyv"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 152px; position: relative;"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/6prtTR6s6b4Tt7dmhRby1Z?utm_source=oembed" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" allow="clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture;"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="nNUxDC"><br>A handful of moments during the <a href="https://www.theringer.com/2023-world-cup/2023/8/6/23822183/uswnt-vs-sweden-round-of-16-2023-womens-world-cup-analysis">Americans’ penalty shootout loss to Sweden</a> in the round of 16 on Sunday perfectly encapsulate how chaotic and <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/just-like-a-sick-joke-megan-rapinoe-suffers-cruel-ending-to-storybook-world-cup-career-164300770.html">humorously dark</a> soccer can be sometimes. The USWNT had looked much more structured than in previous games of the tournament, with the <a href="https://twitter.com/kimischilling/status/1688132461757415424?s=20">introduction of Emily Sonnett</a> to the starting XI proving to be a surprising masterstroke by manager Vlatko Andonovski. The U.S. attack looked to have gotten its verve back, too, and if not for an outstanding performance by Swedish goalkeeper Zecira Musovic—who recorded an eye-popping 11 saves—the Americans would likely be moving on to a quarterfinal meeting with Japan. But as the momentum swung firmly toward the U.S. and the game crept toward extra time, Andonovski provided the first moment of chaos. </p>
<p id="cpA7nI">Why did he decide to substitute Trinity Rodman, possibly his best forward in that game, for Lynn Williams in the 66th minute? Fans had been clamoring all tournament long for Andonovski to be more proactive with his subs, but surely it made more sense to bring on Williams for Alex Morgan. Morgan is a USWNT legend, but at 34, she’s approaching the twilight of her career. Sophia Smith could have moved to the 9 position with two speedy forwards on either side to really put pressure on the Swedish defense. </p>
<p id="XxUeTK">Nevertheless, the Americans continued to push toward breaking the deadlock with <a href="https://twitter.com/FOXSoccer/status/1688143179315310593?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1688143179315310593%7Ctwgr%5E154567f29ed20bee215d6ce41c5d5928b24ecbe0%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxsports.com%2Fstories%2Fsoccer%2Fwomens-world-cup-2023-top-plays-sweden-united-states">promising chances</a>, but it would be another Andonovski decision that truly sparked ire among USWNT fans. Although he had opted to bring on Megan Rapinoe for Morgan in the 99th minute, finally pushing Smith into her preferred central striker role, his last batch of subs nearly didn’t make it onto the field. </p>
<p id="pvEvGO">With the USWNT manager sensing penalties were in the cards, Andonovski prepared Kristie Mewis and Kelley O’Hara to enter the match. There was only one problem: Time was running out and breaks in play were hard to come by, meaning there was barely time for Mewis or O’Hara to get on the field, let alone get a touch on the ball before taking possibly the most important shots of their careers.</p>
<p id="6fEiDA">Seasoned soccer fans were likely reminded of the England men’s team during the 2021 European Championships final, when manager Gareth Southgate brought on Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford at the dying moments of extra time. Both Sancho and Rashford, cold off the bench, failed to convert their penalties and England lost to Italy.</p>
<p id="024qfP">Putting Mewis—who was making her World Cup debut—and O’Hara under that kind of duress borders on malpractice. But Andonovski’s gamble appeared to pay off when Mewis <a href="https://twitter.com/FOXSoccer/status/1688152360353153024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1688152360353153024%7Ctwgr%5E154567f29ed20bee215d6ce41c5d5928b24ecbe0%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxsports.com%2Fstories%2Fsoccer%2Fwomens-world-cup-2023-top-plays-sweden-united-states">buried her penalty</a> and Sweden’s Nathalie Bjorn blasted hers over the bar to give the U.S. a 3-2 advantage. The Americans had one foot in the quarterfinals.</p>
<aside id="elrn0H"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"The USWNT Faced a New Kind of Uncertainty in the 2023 World Cup and Lost","url":"https://www.theringer.com/2023-world-cup/2023/8/6/23822183/uswnt-vs-sweden-round-of-16-2023-womens-world-cup-analysis"}]}'></div></aside><p id="Y2hvDR">Cruel irony came back to strike the USWNT, however, as Rapinoe and Smith both missed their penalties. The misses allowed Sweden to get back on level terms before U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher surprisingly stepped up in the sixth round and smashed her penalty down the middle to give the Americans the lead once again. It would be the last advantage they held, bringing us to our final tumultuous moment.</p>
<p id="z7TLPU">We’ll never know whether O’Hara coming on late and not getting a touch affected her penalty, but it certainly didn’t seem to help. The two-time World Cup winner saw her shot <a href="https://twitter.com/FOXSoccer/status/1688153916192546817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1688153916192546817%7Ctwgr%5E154567f29ed20bee215d6ce41c5d5928b24ecbe0%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxsports.com%2Fstories%2Fsoccer%2Fwomens-world-cup-2023-top-plays-sweden-united-states">hit the right post</a>—the same post that saved the USWNT from elimination against Portugal—before Lina Hurtig’s subsequent shot crossed <em>just</em> enough of the goal line to send the Swedes into exuberant celebration.</p>
<p id="hjFg2w">So where did things officially go off the rails for the U.S.? It’s tempting to point at the lack of rotation in the group stages or the stringency with which Andonoski insisted on using his preferred formation as the issue that ultimately led to the USWNT’s downfall.</p>
<p id="lAFWUq">But, truthfully, penalties are a crapshoot, and had O’Hara’s shot been just a few inches to the left, we might not be sitting here discussing failure. The harsh reality is that it’s no longer enough to be a world power on this stage. As Colombia and New Zealand proved in their wins against former World Cup winners Germany and Norway, respectively, we are now in the Anybody Can Get It Era. Your team is mostly composed of players playing at top-level clubs across the world? Great, but that doesn’t matter anymore—quite a few nations in the 32-team field have at least one world-class player, but the real improvement has come from better coaching and a willingness to adapt tactics game to game. Germany and the USWNT have combined to win six of the eight women’s World Cups, yet they’ll both be on the couch watching other nations move on to the World Cup quarterfinals. </p>
<p id="BOMfqY">And with the USWNT’s exit, there will be unending questions about what this means for the future of the team. We always seem to be wondering how the Americans will meld a new generation while not necessarily pushing out established veterans. We’ve seen it when Naeher took over for Hope Solo, or when Morgan and a cadre of other forwards had to step up when Abby Wambach retired. Moments of transition can be hard, but the USWNT has always recovered and been just as dangerous. </p>
<p id="HegsRG">With Rapinoe and Julie Ertz officially hanging it up after this World Cup and other aging players like O’Hara, Morgan, and Naeher likely winding their international careers down, it can be scary to think about handing the U.S. youth the reins at such a young age. At least it would be if the young Americans weren’t already so good. </p>
<p id="8tfbys">Smith, whose 23rd birthday is in a few days, was playing in her first World Cup and has already shown in the NWSL that she’s more than capable of adapting her game and being a world-beater for years to come. Rodman, 21, was possibly the USWNT’s best forward on Sunday and will continue to grow into her game. Alana Cook, 26, probably should have been starting in central defense over Ertz anyway, and there are worse options than having Casey Murphy (27) and Aubrey Kingsbury (31, still sort of young for a goalkeeper) waiting in the wings to take over the no. 1 shirt. </p>
<p id="BSR9fY">That’s to say nothing of other notable young players like Alyssa Thompson, Savannah DeMelo, and Ashley Sanchez, who all had limited playing time because of players ahead of them in rotation. So the hand-wringing about where this team will go without its veterans seems a bit hyperbolic. </p>
<p id="cGP6x4">It’s true that the other countries are catching up, as they should be. The U.S. passing Title IX in 1972, a year after England <a href="https://theathletic.com/3464251/2022/07/31/england-women-euro-2022/">lifted its ban</a> on women’s soccer and nearly seven years before Brazil would <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/world/brazil-womens-soccer-sexism/#:~:text=In%201941%2C%20Brazil%20banned%20women,Women's%20World%20Cup%20even%20began.">get rid</a> of its own ban, helped the Americans establish a base level of dominance. It was only a matter of time before the playing field evened out, and now it appears that it has. </p>
<p id="imvnms">Although some of the strongest nations in the world still don’t have a fully professional women’s league (here’s looking at you, <a href="https://herfootballhub.com/frauen-bundesliga-what-is-going-on-at-turbine-potsdam/#:~:text=The%20Frauen%2DBundesliga%20is%20not,also%20applies%20to%20Turbine%20Potsdam.">Germany</a>), women’s soccer has never been more competitive. England’s WSL is regularly playing its matches in men’s stadiums and filling them to capacity, Barcelona’s women’s team full of Spanish internationals is lauded as the best women’s club team in the world, and even smaller leagues like Germany’s semi-professional Frauen Bundesliga and Italy’s Serie A had teams make it into the knockout stages of the women’s Champions League.</p>
<p id="ATfVfH">Other countries have been catching up to the U.S. because of the club academy environment, and with girls soccer in this country <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/us-soccer-girls-youth-development-ecnl-000044659.html">reportedly in crisis</a>, it’s hard to see that stopping. Even seemingly unrelated things like Stanford <a href="https://www.si.com/college/stanford/football/stanford-releases-statement-following-latest-wave-of-realignment">being in limbo</a> after college football’s conference realignment could have major implications on the future of the USWNT, since the program <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/college/article/pac-12-s-collapse-means-women-s-sports-stanford-18278305.php">essentially acts as a feeder program</a> for Team USA. Would Naomi Girma, Cook, Smith, and others attend Stanford if they were in high school now? We’ll never know.</p>
<p id="TmMAGe">But that won’t be the focus in the days after the USWNT suffered its earliest exit in a World Cup. There will be reflection from the departing players, a scramble for narratives by the media, and, ultimately, a desire in the younger players to avenge this loss. </p>
<p id="8Dibv6">So in short, no, this isn’t the end to the dominant force the Americans have been since the first World Cup in 1991, it’s more of a reset. With the <a href="https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/articles/womens-world-cup-2027-when-where-calendar">potential of a 2027 home World Cup jointly hosted with Mexico</a> growing and the Paris Olympics less than a year away, we could get a quick answer on where this team lies. </p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="gi1Ble">Andonovski likely won’t be coaching the team a year from now, but Smith, Thompson, Rodman, Girma, and the next generation are here to stay. It’s OK to be disappointed by the Americans’ showing in Australia and New Zealand, but this team, like the iterations before it, will now be forced to rebound from a disappointing tournament. The only question is whether things will look more like what happened when the USWNT lost to Sweden in the 2016 Olympics and then won the next World Cup, or whether Team USA will go out sad in back-to-back tournaments as it did in 2021 and 2023. My bet’s on the former. </p>
<aside id="eMib2T"><div data-anthem-component="newsletter" data-anthem-component-data='{"slug":"ringer_newsletter"}'></div></aside>
https://www.theringer.com/sports/2023/8/7/23823209/uswnt-vs-sweden-analysis-what-went-wrong-womens-world-cupKellen Becoats2023-08-01T10:10:00-04:002023-08-01T10:10:00-04:00The USWNT Can’t Keep Getting Away With This
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<p>The Americans were one post hit away from crashing out of the group stage for the first time in women’s World Cup history. How can they right the ship heading into the round of 16?</p> <p id="AOyJ8R">For about half a second after the shot left Ana Capeta’s foot, the U.S. women’s national team was out of the World Cup. The Portuguese sub had run onto a ball flicked ahead by Francisca Nazareth and smashed a strike toward goal. Emily Fox’s last-ditch challenge had been evaded, Alyssa Naeher was beaten, and Julie Ertz and Naomi Girma—and every other person with a vested interest in the USWNT—held their breath as the shot <a href="https://twitter.com/FOXSoccer/status/1686298521408864256?s=20">rebounded off the outside of the post</a>.</p>
<p id="iWkBoL">That was the best chance for either team to score in Tuesday’s match, but the USWNT was able to hold on to secure a drab 0-0 draw against Portugal. The result means the Americans finished second in their group for only the second time in women’s World Cup history. They’re now looking for answers ahead of a round of 16 game against Group G’s winner, which will probably be Sweden. </p>
<p id="ccxiHo">Throughout the World Cup so far, the Americans have looked <a href="https://www.theringer.com/soccer/2023/7/27/23809945/uswnt-vs-netherlands-game-womens-world-cup-schedule-portugal">incohesive, sluggish, and frankly bereft of ideas</a>. Those trends continued against Portugal. USWNT players regularly put their passes wide of the target, kicked the ball into space no one was occupying, and failed to put more than one or two <a href="https://twitter.com/Odriozolite/status/1686309877571039232?s=20">threatening attacks</a> together. </p>
<p id="whlLHX">When <a href="https://twitter.com/caitlinmurr/status/1686287358101159936?s=20">literal alarm bells started going off</a> in the stadium during the beginning of the second half, it seemed a bit on the nose. Yet the warning sign went unheeded and the American attack that was vaunted coming into the tournament continued to struggle. You’d run out of fingers trying to count the number of times a U.S. player tried to do something fancy that didn’t come off, whether it was an ill-advised flick when a simple pass would have sufficed, or a lob down the line that found only an opposing player. </p>
<aside id="a5UKIS"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"The USWNT-Netherlands Draw Is a Warning Sign for the Americans ","url":"https://www.theringer.com/soccer/2023/7/27/23809945/uswnt-vs-netherlands-game-womens-world-cup-schedule-portugal"}]}'></div></aside><p id="I3cHPo">It’s been years since the USWNT has looked this disjointed, and many people will point the finger at manager Vlatko Andonovski. They wouldn’t be wrong. The USWNT hasn’t appeared to have a game plan in any of its matches, and his substitution pattern is bordering on unjustifiable.</p>
<p id="YTDJnX">Even Andonovski starting super-sub forward Lynn Williams on Tuesday felt like it came too late. Williams struggled to influence the game, which might not have happened had she gotten a chance to build chemistry with her teammates earlier in the tournament. We still don’t have a good reason she didn’t receive any playing time against Vietnam or the Netherlands. After all, she is, by <a href="https://defector.com/the-uswnt-world-cup-roster-doesnt-answer-all-my-questions">Andonovski’s own admission</a>, the “best 15-minute player in the world.” </p>
<p id="3ydXcF">Andonovski could have brought center back Alana Cook into the side and moved Ertz up to midfield, a move plenty of people have clamored for, to give the USWNT’s spine a bit more solidity. Instead, he’s remained frustratingly stubborn and has continued to make bewildering tactical choices. (Why on earth are you bringing on 18-year-old Alyssa Thompson with two minutes left in a game your team desperately needs a result from?)</p>
<p id="1anCup">Luckily, many of these mistakes have been covered up by Girma, who has been far and away the best U.S. player in this World Cup. There was a lot of concern about the American defense after Becky Sauerbrunn was forced to miss the tournament due to a foot injury, but that unease dissipates with every good decision Girma makes. The reigning NWSL Defender of the Year has been just as good as advertised. Nearly every dangerous Portuguese attack was stifled by the 23-year-old as she constantly beat forwards to the ball, calmly regained possession for the U.S., and floated dangerous balls over the top that regularly broke down Portugal’s back line. The Americans have let in only one goal in three games, and Girma is a huge reason they haven’t been tested more frequently.</p>
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<p id="7Aayfb"><br>While a great defense can keep you in matches, it rarely wins them for you. Disappointingly, U.S. forwards have looked out of sync for much of this tournament. Putting three past Vietnam seemed encouraging until we saw the Netherlands waltz to a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiHcGQho9yw">7-0 win</a> over the tournament debutant. </p>
<p id="GvYh3a">The attacking depth for the USWNT is vast and varied, so it’s anyone’s guess as to why they’re struggling to find the back of the net. Sophia Smith and Alex Morgan are surely tired after playing the majority of minutes in the past three games. But even subs like Williams, Megan Rapinoe, and Trinity Rodman have found it difficult to establish a rhythm. </p>
<p id="6JSNUk">The forwards’ misfiring is certainly an issue, but the biggest problem in this team might be its <a href="https://twitter.com/Odriozolite/status/1686317514643660801?s=20">lack of creativity</a> and consistent service. The USWNT has veteran midfielders like Rose Lavelle and Lindsey Horan who are capable of producing individual moments of magic. Yet both have looked restricted and passive for much of the World Cup run. Never has the absence of Catarina Macario been felt so intensely.</p>
<p id="SBfYzF">None of this should take away from Portugal’s effort on Tuesday, though. The Portuguese were fantastic, executing their counterattack game plan to perfection. Capeta’s shot may have been its single best chance, but Portugal regularly looked dangerous when it got onto the ball. The team’s other major chance came in the 16th minute, when Jéssica Silva latched on to a perfectly weighted through ball, but she ended up <a href="https://twitter.com/FOXSoccer/status/1686275042781335552?s=20">dragging her shot wide</a>. If simple balls like that are troubling the USWNT, the Americans might be in for a rude awakening.</p>
<p id="5VFySA">I’d be interested to see Andonovski finally make major changes to his lineup, including the aforementioned option to bring in Cook while moving Ertz up the field. His hand might be forced after Lavelle picked up another yellow card on Tuesday, meaning she’ll have to miss the next game due to accumulation. Inserting Sofia Huerta at right back and having Williams or Ashley Sanchez ready to go off the bench could also alleviate the USWNT’s attacking woes. The team will need to be smarter in attack if Sweden is indeed its opponent on Sunday. </p>
<p id="iteqvN">The Swedes may have beaten South Africa only 2-1, but they pummeled Italy in their second game, scoring five unanswered goals en route to a clean sheet. For the U.S., keeping Jéssica Silva and Diana Silva off the score sheet is one thing; stopping Stina Blackstenius and Fridolina Rolfö will be a much different beast. </p>
<p id="7kXCuZ">Sweden is a familiar opponent for the Americans. In fact, before Tuesday’s game, the Swedes were the last team to hold the USWNT to a scoreless draw in the World Cup, all the way back in 2015. The U.S. would be crowned champions at the end of that tournament after similarly facing struggles in the group stage, but as things currently stand, it looks far more likely that the USWNT will go out early than repeat 2015’s turnaround. </p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="dbTCkS">Typically, USWNT matches have been a cause for celebration. Since the inception of women’s national team soccer, Team USA has been a force, scoring bucketloads of goals and clearly outclassing their opposition. Those days have been temporarily put on hold. Let’s see whether they can bring back that dominating spirit on Sunday. </p>
<aside id="B3S3F6"><div data-anthem-component="newsletter" data-anthem-component-data='{"slug":"ringer_newsletter"}'></div></aside>
https://www.theringer.com/soccer/2023/8/1/23815451/uswnt-vs-portugal-game-reaction-analysis-womens-world-cupKellen Becoats2023-07-27T11:25:22-04:002023-07-27T11:25:22-04:00The USWNT-Netherlands Draw Is a Warning Sign for the Americans
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<p>Sharing the points isn’t the worst outcome for the U.S. in the World Cup, but a first-half showing like the one in the Netherlands game will get the USWNT punished in the coming weeks</p> <p id="ecSAwN">For the first 58 minutes of Wednesday’s match between the Netherlands and the U.S. women’s national team, you’d be forgiven for thinking the former was the no. 1 team in the world, not the latter. The Dutch looked composed, unbothered, and generally superior as they regularly bypassed the Americans’ midfield on the counterattack. </p>
<p id="RJox82">But the energy of the game shifted in the 59th minute when Danielle van de Donk slammed into Lindsey Horan, prompting the American cocaptain to confront her Lyon teammate with a shove. Horan must’ve taken the hard tackle personally, because moments later she scored off the ensuing corner to bring the USWNT level, ultimately securing a 1-1 draw.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">LINDSEY HORAN SENDS THE ULTIMATE MESSAGE <br><br>THE <a href="https://twitter.com/USWNT?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USWNT</a> HAS LEVELED IT <a href="https://t.co/IV7hnG4CyK">pic.twitter.com/IV7hnG4CyK</a></p>— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) <a href="https://twitter.com/FOXSoccer/status/1684389104736243713?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 27, 2023</a>
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<p id="ZwEJpy">The tie was just enough to keep the USWNT at the top of Group E, but it’ll need to show a lot more if it hopes to go deep into this tournament. </p>
<p id="LnuqeO">The U.S. started brightly in the first 10 minutes, with the front three of Sophia Smith, Alex Morgan, and Trinity Rodman using their pace and smart interplay to put pressure on the Dutch defense. But the Netherlands was able to regain its composure and started to control the game, keeping possession away from the Americans and forcing them to make sloppy passes when they did have the ball. When <a href="https://twitter.com/FOXSoccer/status/1684372558982918146?s=20">Lieke Martens broke through</a> the U.S. midfield in the 17th minute and confidently strode toward the box, you could almost predict what was going to happen. </p>
<p id="Sq9dJ6">Left back Crystal Dunn had stepped up from her position to try to halt the attack but slipped when trying to defend Martens’s ball into the box, leaving the right flank wide open for two Dutch attackers to race into. Dunn was able to get back into position to stop Victoria Pelova’s first attempt at a cross, but the Arsenal midfielder got the ball back and fed it to Jill Roord, who slid it into the back of the net to open the scoring. </p>
<aside id="bn9u0v"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"The Bandwagon Fan’s Guide to the 2023 Women’s World Cup","url":"https://www.theringer.com/soccer/2023/7/19/23800211/womens-world-cup-2023-bandwagon-fan-guide-predictions"},{"title":"The 2023 Women’s World Cup Entrance Survey","url":"https://www.theringer.com/soccer/2023/7/20/23801311/womens-world-cup-2023-predictions-uswnt-entrance-survey"},{"title":"The Future of U.S. Women’s Soccer Is Here ","url":"https://www.theringer.com/soccer/2023/7/17/23795273/us-womens-soccer-world-cup-preview"}]}'></div></aside><p id="QF1hOr">The goal emboldened the Netherlands, as it continued to dominate the ball and keep the Americans at arm’s length for the remainder of the half. The introduction of Rose Lavelle at halftime gave the USWNT a bit more attacking bite, but it didn’t change much for the Dutch, who continued to pass the ball around with ease. </p>
<p id="7z5J6z">Of course, that all changed after <a href="https://twitter.com/FOXSoccer/status/1684388554774827009?s=20">Van de Donk’s challenge</a> on Horan, who could be seen swearing and getting visibly angry on the sideline after the foul. If opposing teams have learned anything from playing the USWNT over the years, it’s that you should never poke the bear.</p>
<p id="MZTo8F">As tensions flared between the Lyon teammates, Lavelle waited patiently by the corner flag. When play resumed, she floated in a delicious ball that Horan dutifully <a href="https://twitter.com/FOXSoccer/status/1684389104736243713?s=20">headed into the back of the net</a>, securing her revenge and putting the USWNT back in the driver’s seat. </p>
<p id="OEClzR">The goal seemed to spark something in Horan’s teammates, as the USWNT players looked much more like their dominant selves after the goal. The last 20 minutes or so saw Morgan <a href="https://twitter.com/FOXSoccer/status/1684390520942985216?s=20">smash the ball past Dutch keeper</a> Daphne van Domselaar, only to see the offside flag raised; Rodman break through the Dutch defense and get 1v1 with Van Domselaar before <a href="https://twitter.com/FOXSoccer/status/1684394185321742337?s=20">putting her shot wide</a>; and Smith unleash a wicked volley from just inside the box that would have found the goal if Martens hadn’t headed it wide.</p>
<p id="DT7L4A">It also saw Julie Ertz have to make a game-saving block inside her own box to keep things level in the 79th minute. A walk in the park this was not.</p>
<p id="weUkx0">A lot went wrong for the USWNT in this game, but it’s hard not to focus on manager Vlatko Andonovski’s decision to leave his lineup completely unchanged—the <a href="https://twitter.com/AttackingThird/status/1684353254635761664?s=20">first time</a> this has happened in a World Cup group stage match since 1999!—from the side that beat Vietnam 3-0. </p>
<p id="SBZzHn">While the scoreline was admittedly lopsided in that first game, Vietnam still raised plenty of questions about the USWNT’s chemistry and its failure to capitalize on many of its scoring chances. The Dutch truly brought those concerns to the forefront, as they regularly made the U.S. midfield look dysfunctional and mostly held the Americans to a flurry of half chances.</p>
<p id="QHQfYC">Sharing the points isn’t the worst outcome for the U.S., but it does put the team under quite a bit of pressure ahead of Tuesday’s final group game against Portugal. The Americans sit atop Group E on goal difference but could easily finish second in the group if they struggle to break down a stubborn Portugal side while the Netherlands defeat Vietnam. The USWNT could even exit the tournament altogether if it falls to the Portuguese and the Dutch earn at least a draw—which would mark the first time in Women’s World Cup history that the Americans have failed to advance to the knockout stage.</p>
<p id="l2KLad">Any hopes that Andonovski would switch up his lineup in the Portugal game took a blow when the Netherlands game ended and Lavelle was the sole USWNT sub used in the match. This suggests that the head coach is reluctant to alter his preferred starting 11, a risky strategy as fatigue begins to set in. </p>
<p id="a9TPKA">Things could change in the five days between now and the final group game, but putting out the same lineup against a Portuguese side that is likely to sit back and play on the counterattack would be a mistake. It was surprising to see Ertz retain her spot at center back for the Netherlands game, and it would be stunning to see it happen for a third time in a row. That role should go to Alana Cook, who developed a brilliant partnership with fellow USWNT starter Naomi Girma <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eERiKxQ1yuI">at Stanford</a>, while Ertz should be allowed to shore up the midfield so that Dunn and Emily Fox have more license to go forward. </p>
<p id="uWOVwM">In addition to those changes, Lavelle, who is still building fitness after an April knee injury, could start in place of Savannah DeMelo. Being removed from the starting lineup would be a tough blow for DeMelo, who has just three caps with the team, but she’s been thrust into her role as a starter ahead of more experienced players like Kristie Mewis and Ashley Sanchez. Why Andonovski didn’t give her a proper chance to get acclimated before the biggest tournament in the world is <a href="https://twitter.com/838_carlisle/status/1684357189354262528?s=20">anyone’s guess</a>. </p>
<p id="IW0Ecf">It would also be wise to bring in another forward to start, as both Smith and Rodman looked a bit gassed by the end of Wednesday’s match. It would be a no-brainer to give Lynn Williams, who has been in <a href="https://www.nwslsoccer.com/players/lynn-raenie-williams/stats?season=gnqacg1k5u6wlm4kd6fo4u8k">scintillating</a> <a href="https://justwomenssports.com/reads/lynn-williams-nwsl-goal-contributions-record-gotham-fc-uswnt/">form</a> for Gotham FC in the NWSL this year, a chance to test Portugal’s defense. </p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="W4OQXk">Suffice it to say, a first-half showing like the one in the Netherlands game will get the USWNT punished in the coming weeks. It can’t rely on someone making Horan angry every game, and Portugal will have watched that match and taken plenty of pointers from the Dutch. If Andonovski insists on using the same lineup, or if the Americans come out sluggish again, they could find themselves with a much harder ride through the knockout rounds, with every team licking their lips at the prospect of taking down the back-to-back world champions. </p>
<aside id="tOrgkP"><div data-anthem-component="newsletter" data-anthem-component-data='{"slug":"ringer_newsletter"}'></div></aside><p id="rLqEA8"></p>
https://www.theringer.com/soccer/2023/7/27/23809945/uswnt-vs-netherlands-game-womens-world-cup-schedule-portugalKellen Becoats2023-04-02T21:22:29-04:002023-04-02T21:22:29-04:00LSU Had the Stars to Outshoot and Outshine Iowa’s Caitlin Clark
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<p>Kim Mulkey used the transfer portal to build LSU into a champion after just two years, and her biggest star, Angel Reese, upstaged Clark when it counted</p> <p id="ODwq6D">Louisiana State wasn’t supposed to win the NCAA women’s tournament. When everyone began filling their brackets out a few weeks ago, many fans Sharpied South Carolina into one half of the national championship, and anyone from UConn to Virginia Tech into the other half.</p>
<p id="hGA0eu">But those overlooking LSU weren’t giving much thought to the way controversial head coach Kim Mulkey had quickly transformed the LSU program and turned the Tigers into a legitimate title contender, thanks to a slew of transfers—from star Angel Reese to bench player Jasmine Carson, a graduate transfer who spent two seasons apiece at Georgia Tech and West Virginia before finding her way to Baton Rouge. Both players were critical to LSU’s 102-85 win over Iowa on Sunday. Carson’s season high before Sunday came with a 25-point outburst against Florida early in the season. On Sunday, she had 21 in the first <em>half</em>, and kept the Tigers rolling when Reese was on the bench with foul trouble. </p>
<p id="kbJjxF">LSU proved the best way to shut down Caitlin Clark and Iowa’s potent offense was to simply shoot better. The Tigers shot 54.3 percent from the floor, including 11-of-17 from deep—LSU averaged around five made 3s per game heading into the title game—and LSU, Carson in particular, likely benefited from the referees’ soft whistle in the title game. </p>
<p id="lLiQdG">Referees called 37 fouls, and LSU’s Reese and Alexis Morris, in addition to Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, Monika Czinano, and McKenna Warnock, were all forced to the bench early because of foul trouble. Some of those calls were … let’s say <a href="https://twitter.com/justwsports/status/1642621323338825732?s=20">dubious</a>. Czinano and Warnock were the only ones who ended up fouling out, but the constant whistles clearly affected the game, with many players (including Clark) playing hesitantly for much of the second half. Clark, who picked up her fourth foul—a questionable technical after she flipped the ball behind her and out of bounds—scored 30 points and recorded eight assists, but that wasn’t enough. Not on a day when LSU simply couldn’t miss. Carson was a perfect 7-for-7 from the field in the first half, with five 3s, including one she banked in from deep at the halftime buzzer. </p>
<aside id="v3gQp2"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Winners and Losers of the Final Four ","url":"https://www.theringer.com/march-madness/2023/4/2/23666809/winners-and-losers-final-four-march-madness-caitlin-clark-san-diego-state-uconn"}]}'></div></aside><p id="Hww0Zl">“It’s no one-man show around here,” Reese said during her postgame, on-court interview. “When I go down, the next man is up. Every single time I go out, or Alexis goes out, everybody always comes to step up. … Jasmine Carson! Are you telling me 21 points in the first half? That’s what we needed from her. And I’m super excited and happy for this team.”</p>
<p id="Y213Ls">You can certainly read the subtext in Reese’s comments. This game will be remembered for the officiating, sure, but also for the story line of Reese, the Tigers’ on-court <em>and</em> emotional leader, vs. Clark, the AP National Player of the Year who had back-to-back 40-point games in the Hawkeyes’ Elite Eight and Final Four wins. As LSU pulled away in the fourth quarter, Reese appeared to taunt Clark by doing John Cena’s “You Can’t See Me” gesture—the same one Clark did last week during Iowa’s win over Louisville. </p>
<p id="8qRefv">“All year, I was critiqued about who I was,” Reese said after the game. “I don’t fit the narrative. I don’t fit in the box that y’all want me to be in. I’m too hood, I’m too ghetto, y’all told me that all year. But when other people do it, y’all don’t say nothing. So this was for the girls that look like me, that’s going to speak up on what you believe in, that’s unapologetically you.”</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Angel Reese postgame presser: <a href="https://t.co/RgCYbIibfa">pic.twitter.com/RgCYbIibfa</a></p>— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) <a href="https://twitter.com/NicoleAuerbach/status/1642685951229960192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 3, 2023</a>
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<p id="6ygzht">Reese also flashed her ring finger at Clark—a nod to the first women’s basketball title in LSU history, an accomplishment that would have been unthinkable a short time ago. LSU lost in the second round of last year’s NCAA tournament during Mulkey’s first season, and was picked to finish third in the SEC this season. </p>
<p id="Nu4o4M">Of course, Mulkey has never been concerned about what outsiders think about her or her team. This often works to her benefit, like moving from the Baylor program she’d built into a powerhouse to an LSU program that hadn’t been to the Final Four since Sylvia Fowles was on the team. Yet for all of her teams’ on-court successes, she’s been a polarizing figure—with her outfits and comments overshadowing her team’s play. For months, she refused <a href="https://twitter.com/bubbaprog/status/1574480161155825674?s=20">to comment</a> on her former player Brittney Griner’s detainment in Russia and also appeared to not <a href="https://www.insider.com/kim-mulkey-lsu-press-conference-mask-2021-4">take the pandemic seriously</a>; but those are just <em>some</em> of her <a href="https://www.outsports.com/2021/4/28/22407060/kim-mulkey-baylor-homophobia-womens-basketball-lsu-brittney-griner-wbb-lesbian-out-athletes">problematic</a> and <a href="https://www.nola.com/sports/lsu/womens_basketball/lsus-kim-mulkey-addresses-transgender-athletes-issue/article_a4f91410-cf24-11ed-83b2-5bb5619ff11f.html">controversial</a> takes. </p>
<p id="TbDrUE">But Mulkey’s impact on the court is undeniable. She is now a four-time champion as a coach, which puts her at third overall—behind only Geno Auriemma with 11, and Pat Summitt with eight. She joins Rick Pitino (if you count his vacated title at Louisville) as the only Division I coaches to win the NCAA tournament at two schools. </p>
<p id="hZ4Ogz">“This is the fourth time I’ve been blessed,” Mulkey said in her postgame, on-court interview. “I think my tears are tears of joy. I’m so happy for everyone back home in Louisiana.”</p>
<p id="ZyXBPW">Two years ago, Mulkey took over a struggling LSU program that hadn’t made an NCAA tournament appearance since 2018. She immediately began improving the roster by using the transfer portal, adding guard Alexis Morris before last season, and forward Angel Reese this season. </p>
<p id="S9I63e">The player nicknamed “Bayou Barbie” was exactly what LSU needed—a dominant post player who brings length, energy, and a perfect amount of <a href="https://twitter.com/justwsports/status/1642646133943017473?s=20">shit-talking</a> to the court. Reese didn’t have her best game Sunday, but just looking at the box score wouldn’t do her justice. Every time the Tigers needed a big rebound, she snared it in. And the few moments when the Tigers badly needed a bucket, she made her way into the post and gave them one. </p>
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<p id="27aEr5"><br>And as much as this game was a battle between Clark and Reese, it was always bigger than those two stars. And when it came down to it, Reese just had more support than Clark. </p>
<p id="PrM7XJ">First-half hero Carson only took one more shot in the second half, but it didn’t matter; she’d already played her role. Morris came up with play after play down the stretch to keep Iowa at arm’s length, even after the Hawkeyes went on a 15-2 run in the third quarter to cut into LSU’s lead. And LaDazhia Williams had possibly the quietest 20 points in a title game. And at the end of the game, all of those contributions proved vital for LSU. The Tigers wouldn’t have won with Reese alone. </p>
<p id="ZomPqw">“Breathe and believe. That’s all we did all year,” Reese said in her postgame, on-court interview. “Just take a deep breath and believe in each other. Nobody thought we were gonna be here. As long as we believe in each other, I don’t even know what to say right now, I’m just so happy.”</p>
<p id="E0iP4e">Reese will be back next season, and LSU will have to deal with the pressure of being national champions in a conference where Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks are hungry to avenge their Final Four loss to Iowa, and Tennessee is looking to reclaim some of its old glory. And there’ll be other challenges as well, some of which won’t present themselves until all the players step onto the court. </p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="lNwP1h">But for now, Mulkey and Bayou Barbie and their squad reign supreme. And while few people predicted it would happen, in shutting down Clark and dominating the title game there should be no question they earned it. </p>
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https://www.theringer.com/march-madness/2023/4/2/23667466/lsu-ncaa-womens-basketball-champion-angel-reese-kim-mulkey-caitlin-clarkKellen Becoats2023-02-07T06:10:00-05:002023-02-07T06:10:00-05:00The Winners and Losers of WNBA Free Agency
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<p>Now that the dust has settled after a wild free agency period, the Liberty and Aces enter the 2023 season looking like juggernauts, while the Sky and Sun look depleted</p> <p id="uZvAjJ">You’d be forgiven for feeling whiplash during the opening of WNBA free agency last week. It seemed like every time you picked up your phone, another major player was on the move or sending out <a href="https://www.insider.com/breanna-stewart-cryptic-tweet-wnba-free-agency-decision-liberty-storm-2023-1">cryptic messages</a> for us to decode. </p>
<p id="ERPEny">But now that the dust has mostly settled, we have an emerging picture of the best teams in the league. The New York Liberty inserted themselves into the early championship conversation by acquiring a couple of former MVPs, and the Las Vegas Aces will look to repeat as champions after adding Candace Parker to their already-impressive roster. Meanwhile, in the other direction, some teams blew up their rosters, and others opted for a softer rebuild. Here are the winners and losers so far from WNBA free agency. </p>
<h3 id="F9DcnM">Winner: The New York Liberty</h3>
<p id="qr4G6O">It’s hard to be considered anything other than a winner when you convince three of the best basketball players in the world to come play for your team in one offseason. The Liberty signed forward Breanna Stewart and point GOAT Courtney Vandersloot during free agency after trading for Jonquel Jones in January.</p>
<p id="cFOg2B">It will be nearly impossible for opponents to effectively guard the Libs. Sabrina Ionescu and Vandersloot are spellbinding passers who can find any angle—which is dangerous enough on any team, let alone one that contains scorers like Stewart and Jones, who are just as comfortable pulling up from deep as they are in the post. Add a 3-point flamethrower like Marine Johannes and a Swiss Army knife like Betnijah Laney to the equation, and, frankly, this team doesn’t have many offensive holes. </p>
<p id="wQjIGp">There are questions about chemistry and making sure everybody gets enough touches, but championship-winning head coach Sandy Brondello should help ease any growing pains. There may be stumbles along the way, but the only concern Libs fans should have is getting a “Stew York City” shirt before the Liberty shop sells out. </p>
<h3 id="JatV88">Loser: The Seattle Storm</h3>
<p id="n0Omok">On the opposite coast, we have the Storm, who in one offseason have seen their legendary franchise point guard retire and their young generational talent leave for New York. </p>
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<p id="HbUGej"><br>This might be tough to swallow for a team that won the championship as recently as 2020, but Seattle still has some promising players. Ezi Magbegor is an exciting, young big who is already a major plus on the defensive end and may now get the opportunity to expand her role on offense. Plus, after bringing back deadeye shooter Sami Whitcomb and signing versatile guard Kia Nurse, Seattle should stay near the top of the league in 3-point percentage and makes. </p>
<p id="9jLVvA">Storm brass also have a tough decision to make: Will they keep Jewell Loyd, who will become a free agent after the 2023 season, or will they trade her and lean even deeper into a rebuild? Either way, it might be a long, rainy summer in Seattle.</p>
<h3 id="CA8JIX">Winner: Las Vegas Aces</h3>
<p id="6yeDY1">What do you get the person in your life who has everything? How about a 6-foot-4 dynamo who eschewed retirement and left her hometown team for the desert? The Aces look hilariously stacked, with a potential starting lineup of Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young, Candace Parker, and A’ja Wilson. For those counting at home, that would be four no. 1 overall picks, four combined MVP trophies, two Defensive Player of the Year awards, and a truly silly number of potential lineup combinations.</p>
<p id="SioJ0R">Vegas wasn’t exactly a slouch on defense last season, but adding Parker to a lineup that includes the 2022 DPOY and a tenacious defender like Gray will turn this team into a puzzle that few offenses can solve.</p>
<p id="hnNDrn">The details surrounding <a href="https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/35573178/dearica-hamby-details-wave-emotions-trade-aces">Dearica Hamby’s departure</a> have cast a cloud over the Aces organization—especially with Candace spotlighting her family as a reason she chose Vegas—and we still need to learn more about that situation. Yet among the other significantly less serious concerns, it doesn’t seem like much can derail this team. Becky Hammon is an excellent coach who took the Aces from yearly disappointments to world-beating champions in her first season. Now that she has Parker and the newly acquired Alysha Clark to plug in, the Aces could be one of the best teams we’ve ever seen. </p>
<div class="c-float-left"><aside id="e7Mojy"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Becky Hammon Is the WNBA’s Coaching Ace ","url":"https://www.theringer.com/wnba/2022/9/9/23343205/becky-hammon-las-vegas-aces-wnba-finals-aja-wilson"}]}'></div></aside></div>
<h3 id="iSrrdX">Loser: Chicago Sky and Connecticut Sun</h3>
<p id="I3mI0I">Surely, Kahleah Copper must have felt like Will Smith standing all alone in that <a href="https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1348992-imagine-being-in-a-room-with-everyone-youve-had-sex-with">meme</a> from <em>The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air</em>. The news that Allie Quigley <a href="https://twitter.com/espnW/status/1620921650999967748?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1620921650999967748%7Ctwgr%5E293e7d1292f6e3a315161893befeb6a17a28af5e%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcsports.com%2Fchicago%2Fsky%2Freport-allie-quigley-sit-out-season-not-retire">will sit out the season</a> likely sent a shiver down the spines of Sky fans. On top of that, the departures of Candace Parker, Courtney Vandersloot, and, finally, Azurá Stevens completed the demolition of the Sky. Even the news that Courtney Williams is coming to Chicago from Connecticut couldn’t improve the vibes.</p>
<p id="YTGP9B">Speaking of Connecticut—man, it’s been a tough offseason for the Sun. They lost their coach and one of their best players to the Sparks, their former MVP to the Liberty, and another one of their better players to the Sky. Not great! Change seemed likely after the Sun lost in four games in the Finals last year, but going from the cusp of a championship to a minor dismantling is a harsh reality check. </p>
<p id="VKZuti">But let’s be clear: The Sun still have DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas to run their offense, though it will be interesting to see how they fare without Jasmine Thomas and Williams. Those guard minutes will likely go to Natisha Hiedeman and DiJonai Carrington, who will step into bigger roles, and the acquisition of a sharpshooter like Rebecca Allen should help stabilize the offense as well. This team will be tough as hell and grind out wins; even after all they gave up, they still have the <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/basketball/wnba-championship">fifth-best title odds</a>.</p>
<p id="x4RLX3">There’s less reason for short-term optimism for the Sky, but watching Copper and Williams figure out how to play together will be fun. Both are fighters who <a href="https://twitter.com/CANwatchwomens1/status/1564110143029231616?s=20&t=JbQgrL1OSytqY37kwBHlCw">refuse to give up</a>, and watching them will the Sky to a few extra wins should give fans a reason to tune in. </p>
<h3 id="Rl9BNy">Neutral: Joe Tsai and Kevin Durant</h3>
<p id="y3UpGw">I could not resist including Joe Tsai and Kevin Durant here, but I can’t decide whether they are winners or losers after the past week. Tsai is the owner of the Liberty, the Brooklyn Nets, and Barclays Center, while Durant is the Nets’ biggest star who spent weeks sending out public messages trying to convince Stewie to come to Brooklyn. Now that the Liberty have become title contenders overnight, it seems that both their wishes were granted. </p>
<p id="OuJ1X2">That said, this was before Kyrie—Bye-rie? I’ll keep workshopping—Irving requested a trade from the Nets and was ultimately <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nba/2023/2/5/23587012/kyrie-irving-trade-dallas-mavericks-brooklyn-nets-luka-doncic">sent to the Dallas Mavericks</a> in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, and future picks. </p>
<p id="swqEaz">So, on the one hand, one occupant of Barclays Center just became the favorite to win a championship. On the other hand, another occupant just ejected one of its premier players, who was once touted as a symbol of a supposed hierarchy shift in the NBA. Only time will tell what happens with KD and the Nets (the NBA trade deadline is Thursday afternoon, and <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nba/2023/2/6/23587643/kevin-durant-brooklyn-nets-kyrie-irving-trade">there’s no shortage of teams lining up to trade for Durant’s services</a>), but it’s been a confounding week for the folks at 620 Atlantic Avenue. </p>
<h3 id="qNbWOy">Loser: Competitive Balance</h3>
<p id="kd5kzR">My personal apologies to all who like competitive balance because that’s all but out the window for this season. Whether you think superteams are good or bad, it’s undeniable that seeing two absolutely stacked teams fight it out like two kaijus over a despairing city will make for some incredible basketball. </p>
<p id="l5fpQv">Is it disappointing that a perennial contender and the 2021 champion in the Sun and the Sky, respectively, were deconstructed and that their best players are now on superteams? Sure. But we’ve lived through superteam eras before, the clearest examples being the Houston Comets dynasty that won the first four WNBA championships and the Minnesota Lynx teams that dominated much of the 2010s. </p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="gf4pc3">But we’ve experienced a great deal of parity since the Lynx dynasty started to rust around the edges. In fact, we haven’t had a team go back-to-back since the L.A. Sparks in 2001 and ’02 (though there are numerous examples of teams that won two championships in three years). But the WNBA is unpredictable. It’s cliché to say, but rosters on paper don’t win championships. So even though it may seem clear which two teams have the best chance to win it all this year, there are likely still plenty of surprises awaiting us when the season kicks off in May.</p>
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https://www.theringer.com/wnba/2023/2/7/23588919/wnba-free-agency-2023-winners-and-losersKellen Becoats2023-01-30T10:31:54-05:002023-01-30T10:31:54-05:00Everything You Need to Know About the 2023 NFL Conference Championships
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<p>The Eagles routed the 49ers while a last-second field goal helped propel the Chiefs to yet another Super Bowl. Plus, Brock Purdy’s injury, how Mahomes prevailed despite a bum ankle, and winners and losers from the weekend.</p> <p id="uz1i8Y">An action-packed conference championship round brings us to the precipice of the Super Bowl! The Eagles got going early and steamrolled the 49ers, while it took a last-second field goal to send Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to yet another Super Bowl. Our <em>Ringer</em> writers discuss Brock Purdy’s injury and how it affected San Francisco, how Mahomes managed to win despite his bad ankle, and how the Eagles stayed true to themselves en route to the Super Bowl. We also go through winners and losers from the weekend. Follow along with all of <em>The Ringer</em>’s coverage right here. </p>
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2023/1/30/23577741/everything-you-need-to-know-about-2023-nfl-conference-championshipsSheil KapadiaDanny HeifetzDanny KellyCraig HorlbeckNora PrinciottiSteven RuizThe Ringer StaffDaniel ComerBill SimmonsCousin Sal IaconoRyen RussilloWarren SharpJoe House2023-01-23T09:30:17-05:002023-01-23T09:30:17-05:00Everything You Need to Know About the 2023 Divisional Round
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<p>Read our analysis on the Bills’ collapse against the Bengals, Patrick Mahomes grinding through injury to dispatch the Jags, the Cowboys falling short in the postseason once again, and everything else from this weekend</p> <p id="0bp2UR">With the NFL conference championship games set up, <em>The Ringer</em> staff takes a look at all the action from the divisional round. There’s analysis on Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys throwing away another big playoff moment, how Patrick Mahomes’s ankle injury might affect the Chiefs in the next round, and the Eagles putting on a show vs. the Giants. Plus, there’s analysis on the Bills’ disappointing exit, winners and losers from last weekend’s games, and much more! </p>
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2023/1/23/23567438/everything-you-need-to-know-about-2023-divisional-roundSteven RuizNora PrinciottiBen SolakDanny HeifetzDanny KellyRodger ShermanBill SimmonsCousin Sal IaconoJohn JastremskiRiley McAteeSheil Kapadia