SAITAMA, Japan — The first game just wasn’t good enough, the United States women’s soccer players declared.
The loss of a single match, even the opening game of the Olympic tournament, was one thing. The lack of energy. The absence of purpose. The surrender of the team’s championship mentality, baked into their very being through years of wins and work — those were things they could never accept.
“It’s a switch that should never be switched off,” the veteran forward Carli Lloyd said. Her teammate Kelley O’Hara had boiled down the response to a single word.