Dismay from 2023 has turned into a delight for the USWNT. With what it had been doing for the last three decades, the knockout from the previous World Cup in the round of 16 had left the entire soccer fraternity bewildered. Considered a perfect squad with a good mix of legendary seniors, including Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, expectations on the Gals were soaring high. Yet, they fell short.

Fast forward a year, and now the Stars and Stripes under Emma Hayes are fulfilling last year’s dream in Paris, having reached the quarterfinals already. However, many are still not able to let go of the FIFA heartbreak. Former USMNT star Alexi Lalas took a jibe at Morgan and Rapinoe for stumbling blocks in the 2023 World Cup, although he doesn’t think “it took a genius” to transform this squad.

Heaping praises on the current attack, Lalas expressed that the current set of players, Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson, Sophia Smith, and even Lynn Williams, were the kind of players the USA needed then. “This is in many ways the team that people wanted Vlatco to have in the summer of the 2023 World Cup. This is it,” Lalas said hinting that the two seniors’ time was over by then.

“And it is one thing to say that this is the natural progression, this is where it was heading anyway. But no! There were plenty of people that said at that time ‘No’. Whether it’s Alex Morgan or whether it’s Megan Rapinoe, it’s not the right mix on and off the field, and this should have been done a year ago,” Lalas added on the State of The Union podcast.

Notably, this is not the first time the Fox Sports pundit has slammed the USWNT. In a now infamous tweet, he wrote last year: ” 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.”

Rapinoe and Morgan have already etched their USWNT legacy. They had already won two World Cups and an Olympic gold together and needed to give spots to the fresh legs. Both of them could not convert any goals during the tournament and even proved expensive for their team after missing penalty kicks finally resulting in the team’s exit. Meanwhile, Hayes also got her due after a scintillating run since her arrival.

Lalas thinks Emma Hayes gets credit for success because ‘it’s on her watch’

Alexi Lalas also credited Emma Hayes for USWNT’s success and going with a formidable squad. He said, “While Emma Hayes is going to get the credit and she should because it’s on her watch, I don’t think it took a genius to figure out that this what was needed to be done.” 

He had also appreciated Hayes after the Alex Morgan didn’t get selected in the Olympic squad. “Logical. New #USWNT coach Emma Hayes is doing what she was hired to do, and what should have been done a while ago. Alex is a legend, but she’s no longer one of the best 18 players. Moving on,” he wrote in a tweet earlier this year. For the uninitiated, Morgan had failed to score any goals last year, and had only one assist throughout the FIFA World Cup.

On the other hand, Rapinoe was one of the three players who missed a penalty kick against Sweden, rendering them out of the tournament.

Having said that, both fans and experts were rueing Alex Morgan’s exclusion from the 2024 Olympics. Hardly did they know that the young offensive guns of the Yanks would quickly wipe out any such disappointment with their performances. The USWNT did not come in as favorites after losing their most experienced players, but have already scored more goals (9) in the group stage of the 2024 Paris Olympics than they’ve done in the World Cup.

They have turned favorites alongside Spain to clinch the ultimate prize in Paris. But would this have been possible if Rapinoe and Morgan were excluded in 2023? Let us know in the comments.