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5th Frustrating Finish for USA Women

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5th Frustrating Finish for USA Women

Ilona Maher vs Canada. Photo Mike Lee KLC Fotos.

The USA Women’s Sevens took a fifth place finish to close out the 2024 SVNS season on Sunday.

They wanted more and really they could have had more if they'd been a bit luckier. The Eagles ended pool play 2-1, losing big to New Zealand but beating Canada and Great Britain. But New Zealand let slip a game against the Canadians, leaving Canada, USA, and New Zealand all at 2-1. The Eagles lost out on a semifinal spot due to points difference.

From there they ended their campaign with wins over Fiji and Ireland to take 5th, and on the weekend in Madrid they were a cool 4-1.

This was a lesson in being switched on for every minute because the Olympics won't be any more forgiving.

“We were pretty disappointed," said USA Head Coach Emilie Bydwell, "but the unfortunate part about this is while we had instances of matches that were really positive. We weren’t delivering that consistently throughout the game and regaining that when we really needed to. For us, today was about how we can control the game over a 14-minute period. This could happen in the Olympics—you can win two pool games and then lose out, so it’s important for us to focus on what we can control, what the process is, and what the next thing is."

Adding to that, Bydwell concluded: "I’m super proud of how the team responded today. Some of these games, they were indecisive and they were controlling momentum while we were fighting for ways to get it back.” 

So what's next for the USA? It's all about Paris. This team still has the talent and ability to win a medal at the Olympics. Those off-kilter moments have hit them in the previous two Summer Games, so this year there has to be an unflinching focus. But Bydwell also needs the right combination of players, the right combination of healthy players, and the right game plan.

The Olympic Rugby competition kicks off July 28 with pool play, which wraps up on July 29. (One nice thing for the USA is that the games are being held in the afternoon and evening, making the nine-hour difference between Paris and the USA's training ground in Chila Vista a little easier to navigate.) The quarterfinals are on the evening of July 29, with semis and placement games on July 30.

All games will be at Stade de France. 

We don't have the pools yet, but along with the USA, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Fiji, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, and South Africa are in the tournament. It's fair to say that New Zealand, Australia, France, and the USA are favored to win a medal, but Canada, Ireland, and Great Britain could all sneak in there.

As Bydwell said, getting to the quarterfinals is not easy to predict. Last time, the USA made the quarters and looked very strong, only to be stymied by a comeback by Great Britain. That was a very bad time to have a bad second half, and just like it has been all season, winning that quarterfinal is hugely important.