ToplineAfter losing to Canada Monday in the semifinal match of the competitions, the U.S. women's soccer team is out of the running for an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo. This defeat ends the hopes of the top-ranked U.S. teams of winning the World Cup in 2019.Carli Lloyd #10 from Team United States looks sad after losing the Women's Semifinal... [+] match Getty ImagesThe Key FactsThe U.S. teamfavorites lost 1-0 to Canada in Monday's semifinal match. Canada's Jessie Fleming scored in the 74th minute to win the match. This was the first victory for Canada over the U.S. women's team in 20 years. The U.S. team will be competing for bronze against whoever loses in the semifinal between Sweden or Australia.Important QuoteMegan Rapinoe, the star U.S. player, said it was terrible after the match. It just wasn't there today. Rapinoe acknowledged that the loss to Canada was a difficult one, but noted that there is still much to be fought for. It's not the color we want but there's still a medal at stake. It's huge and we want that game to be won. It is a pain.Important BackgroundThe seven Olympics saw women's soccer played in Athens, Sydney, Beijing, Beijing, Rio de Janeiro, London, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo, and now Tokyo. Only two of the eight qualifying games were won by the U.S. women's soccer team. The U.S. won gold in four of these Games. The team was defeated in Rio by Sweden in the quarterfinals. They also lost to them in Tokyo in the earlier match.What to WatchThe medal matches will take place on Thursday. Canada will improve upon its bronze-winning performance at the Olympics. The outcome of the second semifinal will determine whether Sweden wins the gold and takes down 2016's silver. Australia may also be in the running for the first Olympic medal in this discipline.Continue readingThe U.S. women's soccer team loses in semifinals to Canada, ending their bid for Olympic gold (Washington Post).Team USA: Sweden Defeats U.S. Womens Soccer Team In Opening Tokyo Olympics Game (Forbes)
