"They risk becoming irrelevant" - Alexi Lalas launches scathing attack on USWNT after 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup elimination 

Alexi Lalas slammed the USWNT after their elimination in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup Round of 16 after a tense penalty shootout loss against Sweden on August 6.

Many expected the USWNT to be a major success during this year's FIFA Women's World Cup. The United States are historically the most successful nation in the competition, having won it four times since its first edition in 1991.

They were also defending champions, having won the global crown in 2015 and 2019 respectively. However, disaster struck the USWNT during the FIFA Women's World Cup Round of 16 against Sweden.

After stumbling through the group stages, the United States struggled against the Swedes. Despite dominating the game, the game ended 0-0 in normal time. Sweden pulled off a major upset by winning the penalty shootout 5-4 after Megan Rapinoe, Sophia Smith, and Kelley O'Hara missed their spot-kicks.

This defeat ended the US women's dreams of winning their third World Cup in a row. It was also the first time they finished outside the top three in the tournament's history.

Even though the USWNT were distraught, their defeat left many fans pleased online. This included various fans from the US as well. One fan wasn't pleased with this as he posted on Twitter:

"Weird watching Americans celebrate an American loss."

Alexi Lalas replied to this statement (via GOAL):

"Don’t kill the messenger. This #USWNT is polarizing. Politics, causes, stances, & behavior have made this team unlikeable to a portion of America. This team has built its brand and has derived its power from being the best/winning. If that goes away they risk becoming irrelevant."

While the women's team are talented on the pitch, some players are infamous for mixing politics with football, much to the chagrin of many fans. It will be interesting to see how the United States bounce back from this.

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USWNT vs Sweden: Exploring the statistics from FIFA Women's World Cup Round of 16 clash

Sweden recently pulled off the major of the tournament by knocking out the USWNT in the FIFA Women's World Cup Round of 16 after a nerve-wracking penalty shootout. Let's take a look at the stats to see how both teams performed at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium on August 6.

The United States controlled most of the ball, boasting 58% possession and completing 587 passes (with a pass accuracy of 77 percent). On the other hand, Sweden had just 42% of the ball and completed just 427 passes in comparison with an accuracy of 69 percent.

Vlatko Andonovski's side dominated the game when it came to the attacking aspect of the game. They recorded 22 shots (with 11 being on target), whereas the Swedes only has 9 shots (with one being on target). Despite the former's dominance, the game ended 0-0 after normal time.

The penalty shootout went into sudden death after the scores were tied 3-3. Megan Rapinoe's spot-kick was saved to give Sweden a narrow 5-4 win. This was also the latter's first-ever penalty shootout win at the FIFA Women's World Cup.