Those of us who rallied at 2 a.m. PT/5 ET to watch the USWNT take on Sweden were treated to a fleeting feeling in the first half: optimism about the U.S. Maybe, we thought, we’d wrap up in a tidy 90 minutes and go soundly back to sleep. But it was not to be, as the sides held scoreless through extra time.

The latest installment of this storied rivalry — it was the seventh time the U.S. and Sweden have met at a women’s World Cup, the most-played matchup in the tournament’s history — certainly lived up to the hype.

The quick hits:

Swedish goalie Zećira Mušović was heroic, posting multiple game-saving stops.

It was undoubtedly the USWNT’s best outing of its lackluster run at this tournament, and going to PKs seemed like worst-case scenario after Mušović’s day.

But it wouldn’t matter — Megan Rapinoe (taking her last World Cup shot ever), Sophia Smith and Kelley O’Hara outright missed the frame. Both generations of U.S. stars faltered on the biggest stage.

U.S. keeper Alyssa Naeher, who even stepped up and nailed a penalty of her own, came a millimeter away from saving the game before VAR called it for Sweden.
Instead, we’re left with the Americans’ earliest exit ever from the Women’s World Cup.

The final stats: one win, three draws, four goals (a 238-minute scoreless drought to end the tournament) and zero three-peats. Now? Vlatko Andonovski job watch is very much on, and the USWNT is poised for a new era.