U.S. women's soccer team falls to Sweden

Posted July 21, 2021 1:00 am

By Patricia Babcock McGraw

If no one saw it, did it even really happen?

Well, yes, the U.S. women's soccer team did, in fact, lose a game Wednesday, getting shut out 3-0 by Sweden in an empty Tokyo Stadium in its Olympic opener.

Thanks to COVID-19 rules that are keeping fans out of Olympic events, no one saw the Americans suffer their first loss in more than two years. The loss also snapped their 44-game unbeaten streak.

Sweden also happens to be the team that knocked the United States out of the Olympic tournament in 2016.

The Americans, who feature local Olympian Casey Krueger of Naperville and next play Saturday against New Zealand, hadn't lost by 3 goals since a 3-0 loss to France in 2017.

Meanwhile, in softball Tuesday, Italy, which features Andrea Filler of Buffalo Grove at second base, lost to the United States in its Olympic opener. Filler got the only hit for Italy, a single in the fifth inning.

Italy next faces Australia on Thursday, while the United States on Wednesday night took on Canada.

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