MELBOURNE, Australia — Vlatko Andonovski sat at the podium, tears welling in his eyes, as he tried to come to terms with what had just happened.
For the first time ever, the United States will not progress to the quarterfinals of a Women's World Cup, having fallen to Sweden on penalties in the round of 16 after a scoreless draw during which the Americans did everything but find the goal they needed to win the match.
It was a lot for the U.S. coach to process. "We deserved to win this game," he said. He's probably right. After a dismal group stage, the four-time champions dominated Sweden from start to finish on Sunday at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.
They took 22 shots, half of them on target, but couldn't buy a goal. Swedish keeper Zećira Mušović made 11 saves over the 120 minutes — including acrobatic stops on U.S.