The round of 16 is halfway done and perhaps the biggest shock so far is the USA Women’s National Team, the back to back champs, have been eliminated from the tournament after losing to Sweden in a very close round of penalties. They will join South Africa, Norway and Switzerland who also went home while the Netherlands, Japan, Spain and Sweden all move onto to the next round. These four will be closely watching the next two days to see who their potentials opponents will be in the next round of the tournament.

Netherlands vs South Africa (2-0)

The Netherlands advanced to the quarterfinals of the Women’s World Cup with a 2-0 win over South Africa, but star midfielder Danielle van de Donk was upset as she received a yellow card, leading to a one-match suspension. Netherlands coach Andries Jonker remained positive, expressing confidence in their ability to beat Spain in the quarterfinals and allowing van de Donk to return for the tournament. The Dutch team showed strong performance, and their goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar played a crucial role in securing the victory. South Africa, despite an impressive showing in the tournament, exited after their loss to Netherlands. The Dutch will be looking to bounce back from their loss to the USA 4 years ago.

Sweden(5) vs USA(4) (0-0) penalties

The U.S. women's national team suffered an early exit from a major tournament, getting eliminated by Sweden on penalties in the round of 16. Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher's effort to deflect a penalty shot was unsuccessful, as VAR showed the ball had rolled back across the goal line by millimeters, resulting in a 5-4 win for Sweden. This marks the USWNT's earliest exit at a major tournament, with their previous elimination also coming against Sweden on penalties in the 2016 Olympics. The close call on the decisive penalty kick is likely to spark controversy due to the ball just barely crossing the line. Three US players missed their penalties: Megan Rapinoe, Sophia Smith and Kelley O’Hara.

Player Spotlight: Megan Rapinoe

Megan Rapinoe has been at the heart of the USWNT’s achievements for over a decade. After making her national team debut in 2006, Rapinoe was part of the team that won Silver at the 2011 Women’s World Cup, gold at the 2012 London Olympics, gold at the 2015 Women’s World Cup, and gold at the 2019 Women’s World Cup where she also won the Golden Ball.

Rapinoe’s journey started in Redding, California, where she played for Elk Grove Pride alongside her fraternal twin sister Rachael Rapinoe. After playing for the University of Portland in an undefeated season, Rapinoe quickly rose to become one of country’s leading goal scorers but two season-ending ACL injuries led to her being unable to play from 2006-08 where on her return, she led the Portland Pilots to a 20-2 season.

The following year, Rapninoe was the second overall draft in the inaugural season for the Women’s Professional Soccer league as she joined the Chicago Red Stars. In the coming years, Rapinoe would go on to play for the Philadelphia Independence, Sydney FC, Seattle Sounders, and Olympique Lyonnaise before joining Seattle Reign FC in 2013 where she has been playing since. Rapinoe recently announced that she would be retiring from professional soccer after the end of the 2023 season and had hoped to go out with World Cup glory.

As an attacking midfielder and sometimes winger, Rapinoe primarily has played a creative role where her deft touches, dynamic dribbling, and free kicking expertise have made her among the best in the world since she her debut.