KASHIMA, Aug 2: Carli Lloyd, clutch in so many critical moments for the U.S. women’s soccer team, failed to connect against Canada on Monday night and the Americans won’t play for a fifth Olympic gold medal.
Lloyd’s look in the 86th minute with the United States trailing by a goal hit the crossbar as Canada won 1-0 and dropped the Americans into the bronze medal match.
It is the second straight Olympics that the U.S. failed to reach the gold medal game. The Americans were bounced from the 2016 Rio Games by Sweden in the quarterfinals.
As Canada celebrated wildly at Ibaraki Kashima Stadium, Lloyd knelt to the turf with her head in her hands.
“That wasn’t good enough,” said Lloyd, the oldest player on the U.S. team at 39 and playing in what was likely her last major tournament with the national team.
The U.S. lost starting goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher when she came down awkwardly after going up for the ball around the 20th minute. Trainers attended to her for some five minutes as backup Adrianna Franch warmed up on the sideline.
Naeher tried to stay in the game, but was replaced by Franch in the 30th minute.
Canada pounced in the 74th minute on Jessie Fleming’s penalty kick, which gave Canada its first win against the United States since 2001.
Fleming booted her penalty kick past a diving Franch and took off toward the sideline, sliding on her knees before teammates swarmed around her.
Lloyd actually had two attempts against Canada. She fired off a shot in the 65th minute that forced Canadian goalkeeper Stephanie Labbe to leap to push it over the crossbar. A short time later, Labbe stopped Julie Ertz’s header off a corner from Rapinoe as the United States increased the pressure.
It is the second straight Olympics that the Americans, the two-time defending World Cup champions, will not play for the gold medal. The team was uncharacteristically uneven in Japan, starting with a 3-0 loss to Sweden that snapped a 44-game unbeaten streak.
The previous time the U.S. played neighbor Canada in the Olympics was 2012 in a controversial semifinal match that went to overtime.
Canadian star Christine Sinclair had scored three goals, but the United States eventually won that match 4-3 on Alex Morgan’s header in the 123rd minute.
The Canadians have won the bronze medal in the past two Olympics.
In the other semifinal match, Fridolina Rolfo scored in the 46th minute for Sweden in its victory over Australia.
The Swedes also went to the final in the 2016 Olympics, but fell to Germany and took home the silver.
Canada and Sweden will play the final on Friday at 6:30 am IST for the gold medal.
The bronze medal match, meanwhile, will be held on Thursday between Australia and the United States at 1:30 pm IST. (AP)
