To Right The Ship, USWNT Players Simply Need To Smile Less

On Tuesday, the United States Women’s National Team played to a 0-0 draw against Portugal, adding additional concern to what has been, by USWNT standards, a relatively rocky start to the 2023 World Cup. While the USWNT will advance to the round of 16, their second place finish in Group E has generated a great deal of concern as they prepare to (likely) face an excellent Sweden team on August 6. But fear not—there seem to be some fool-proof methods to ensure better play from the USWNT in the round of 16, including smiling less, according to the Fox Sports post-game commentators.

Catch-22

It is all too common for women athletes to face pushback if they fail to adhere to common gendered expectations. Typically, though, these gender stereotypes call for women athletes to present in a more “feminine” manner and often implicitly demand them to be less dominant, smile frequently, keep aggressive play to a minimum, and to keep from voicing their opinions. While society is often more comfortable with these feminine approaches, women athletes are burdened with a catch-22, also facing criticism for failing to perform and behave in more “masculine” ways, given the stereotypical masculine nature of sport.

For example, many remember the 2019 World Cup match between the United States and Thailand, when the USWNT scored 13 unanswered goals. Months of criticism ensued based on the outcome of this match, ranging from the fact that the team continued to celebrate goals, to their scoring the additional goals at all. Dominance, in this instance, was unacceptable for elite women athletes. The criticism back in 2019 was, even at that time, highly hypocritical given that total goals scored in group play do in fact matter and can have huge implications for overall standings. But given what the USWNT has experienced so far in 2023, scoring fewer goals than they typically do in group play, the criticism seems even more outlandish.

You Can’t Please Everyone

The commentary during the moments following the USWNT 0-0 draw to Portugal focused largely on attitude and behavioral issues rather than any tactical or coaching concerns. In other words, the USWNT players appear to be unable to please anyone fully. Either they are far too dominant and need to tone it down, or they are too feminine in their approach to the tournament and should not celebrate making the round of 16.

Back in 2019, USWNT supporters and former stars such as Abby Wambach, criticized international soccer federations for the lopsided score against Thailand, claiming a lack of funding and development meant teams were not able to compete as they should on a World Cup stage. Now, four years, later, it is obvious that the talent gap is closing, and in some cases has closed entirely. While the USWNT is not necessarily playing up to their full potential in this World Cup, gone are the days of the certainty of multiple blow-out wins.

The USWNT athletes have gone from being condemned for their dominance, to being criticized for a lack of stoic, “masculine” behavior. Women athletes are hard-pressed to find a way to please everyone—or anyone.