USWNT Showed Their Confidence When It Counted in Gritty QF Win over Netherlands

If you were having flashbacks to 2016 while watching the United States' shootout against the Netherlands, the players weren't. In a tidy parallel with their quarterfinal exit against Sweden four years ago in Rio, the Americans couldn't avoid penalties Friday after a 2–2 draw—only this time they had ice in their veins.

Whatever happened in the game itself, they looked every inch a championship team as they handily won with just four kicks.

During the run of play, this game was more of a head-scratcher than the U.S.' previous outings. Offensively, the first half was the best it's played all tournament. Players who started their Olympics looking uncharacteristically scared and clumsy—Lindsey…