Fellow Americans say they rooted against 'woke' US women's soccer team, were happy about loss to Canada that eliminated US from Olympic gold medal hunt

The road to an Olympic gold medal came to end for the once-dominant U.S. women's soccer team Monday after a 1-0 semifinal loss to Canada that Yahoo Sports described as "listless."

The team's best hope now is winning the bronze medal game Friday, the outlet said.

Backlash against Americans — by Americans

But what may be even bigger news is the outpouring of contempt for the "woke" squad and a number of its crusading players who arguably have become better known for staging kneeling protests against America prior to games.

In fact, the Yahoo Sports story is being inundated with comments from Americans who indicated they actually were rooting against the U.S. women's team and were happy about the loss:

• "I can't believe I'm happy a Canadian team beat our U.S. team, but that's how these woke soccer players who injected politics into the Olympics made me feel," one commenter wrote.
• "I'm an American, but was cheering for Canada," another commenter said.
• "Maybe if they spent more time playing soccer and less time embarrassing America they would have done better," another commenter observed. "First time I ever rooted for a U.S. team to lose."
• "I never thought I'd live long enough to root against a U.S. team in the Olympics," another commenter said. "Then again, these protesters in shorts weren't really representing the U.S."
• "Outstanding!" another commenter declared. "They don't deserve to represent this country, and I'm glad they lost."
• "Looks like they shoulda practiced soccer a bit more ... than politics," another commenter noted. "As an American, I am sad to be so glad. Hope they lose the bronze, too."
• "Glad to see this," another commenter said. "If you can't respect and represent the country that sent you there, then you don't belong on that podium."
• "Y'all wanted to be 'woke' cause that's the hip thing to do, disrespect the flag and those who sacrificed for it, and act ugly by protesting and throwing tantrums?" another commenter asked. "Karma's got ya. I'm glad you lost, and I hope you won't get bronze, either, cause you don't deserve it."

One commenter took aim at outspoken U.S. player Megan Rapinoe, who began making a name for herself after kneeling for the national anthem a la Colin Kaepernick several years ago: "I'm so happy to see Team Rapinoe go home without Gold or Silver. They deserved what they got, and now hopefully Rapinoe loses the pedestal the media has placed her on."

'Sucks'

Yahoo Sports added that "the Americans fell short of the final because they were poor, throughout the Games and here on a sleepy, sticky-hot evening at the Ibaraki Kashima Stadium. They had no rhythm. No composure. No verve."

"Sucks," Rapinoe said in response to a question about what was going through her head at final whistle, the outlet. "Really s**tty."

According to Yahoo Sports, she added: "We just — I don't know. It's not like we have a bad vibe. The group is feeling good and everything. But we just haven't been able to find that juice that we normally do. So, just, yeah, sucks."

The U.S. women's team suffered a shutout loss to Sweden in its opening-round contest at the Tokyo Olympics — and after it staged a kneeling protest. It was the U.S. women's first defeat since January 2019, and ESPN said the American players looked "confused" and "rattled" against Sweden.

ESPN added in regard to the U.S. women's team that "to say the reigning Women's World Cup champions arrived in Japan as a favorite is perhaps an understatement. The U.S. has reached the gold medal match in five of the six Olympics Games since women's soccer became an event ..."

'Nauseating smugness'

"The nauseating smugness finally smacked the team in the choppers," another commenter on the Yahoo Sports story wrote while another observer added, "This soccer team needs to read these comments. They should be ashamed how their fellow Americans feel about them."

This story has been updated to reflect that the U.S. game against Canada took place Monday, not Tuesday.