MELBOURNE – (Wire Service Report) – Sweden’s Lina Hurtig scored in the seventh round of penalties after a scoreless 120 minutes to lift Sweden past the United States in a knockout round match at the Women’s World Cup on Sunday in Australia.

In the top of the seventh round, Kelly O’Hara chipped the ball off the right post and Hurtig then scored despite goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher getting a touch on the ball. The play was reviewed to make sure the ball crossed the line, and it did by less than an inch.

Third-ranked Sweden, which won the penalties 5-4, plays Japan in the quarterfinal on Friday in Auckland, New Zealand.

The United States, which was ranked No. 1 in the world, had reached the semifinals in the previous eight World Cups, never finishing lower than third place. The Americans were bidding for an unprecedented third straight title, a feat no men’s or women’s team has done before.

The player of the match was Swedish goalkeeper Zecira Musovic, who made 11 saves on the 22 American shots. Sweden had nine shots, only one on target.

Musovic kept the match scoreless in regulation with two great second-half saves, including a diving stop to her right on an Alex Morgan header in the 89th minute.

In the 53rd minute, Musovic made a reactionary save with her left hand to deny Lindsey Horan’s shot that was targeted for the lower right corner.

Musovic made stops on Morgan and Lynn Williams in the first 10 minutes of extra time.

The lone save for Naeher was in the 85th minute on a 10-yard shot by Sofia Jakobsson.

The U.S. was dominant everywhere but the scoreboard in the first half. The Americans had 62 percent of possession (82 percent the final 15 minutes) which led to five shots, two on target, compared to one off-target try for Sweden.

Trinity Rodman was dynamic on the right side, forcing saves by Musovic in the 18th and 27th minutes but the best chance for either team came in the 34th when Horan’s header from an Andi Sullivan corner kick skimmed the top of the bar.

— Field Level Media

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NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Men in Blazers Media Network, an independent soccer-focused media company based in North America, will expand their content offerings in conjunction with NBC Sports and the Premier League.

“The American Football Awards” will honor the Premier League footballer for the 2022-23 season as voted on by the growing audience of American fans. It’s a bit like the “Golden Globes of Soccer,” as seen through the foreign fans, as opposed to the Hollywood foreign press.

The accompanying “American American Player of the Year” will recognize the best American player in English Football. The first awards show will be seen on NBC on Sunday, May 28, following the Premier League Finals.

The new awards show will be hosted by Robbie Earle, Rebecca Lowe, and famed Men In Blazers guru in Roger Bennett. The winners will be announced and both will give their acceptance speeches on the show, directly addressing the American Premier League audience.

“For decades, the United States has seemed like the Final Frontier for Football, like Space was for Captain Kirk,” said Bennett, the Men in Blazers Co-Founder. “In the last decade, that has changed. The sport is surging. The audience is passionate and knowledgeable, and this award is both a reflection of their growing interest, and how seriously the Premier League teams and players take our fanbase.

“It is our hope this award will become the Ballon D’or for a U.S. audience, and are thrilled to partner with NBC Sports who have been such a driver of the growth of football in this nation as we continue to champion the growth of the sport in the U.S. on every level to the biggest audience possible,” added Bennett.

The finalists and winners were selected by thousands of fans across the nation.  Men in Blazers aka MiB will debut the women’s ““American Football Awards” this fall after the World Cup and conclusion of the NWSL season, with a unified, platform coming in 2024.

“The ‘American Football Awards’ continues Men in Blazers’ expansion as a leading pop culture, sports and entertainment platform,” added Bennett.

In March, MIB significantly added to its content lineup with talent and shows that now include: “Here We Go” with Fabrizio Romano, “The Road to the Cup” with Becky Sauerbrunn,  “VAMOS” with Herculez Gomez, and “Men in Blazers Live and Dangerous” with Sam Mewis on Twitch leading the Women’s World Cup 2026 programming, in addition to the widely followed and successful original MiB content.

What started as a weekly TV Show – now in its ninth season with NBC Sports and its accompanying Podcast affiliates  – has gradually become a 24/7 flourishing and integrated media network serving every aspect of global Futbol – both men’s and women’s – with a full slate of programming and talent across a variety of channels including a co-production partnership with Twitch.

All of this comes ahead of what will be an even bigger window of exposure for football interest and growth in the U.S., with the 2023 Women’s World Cup, the 2024 Copa America and the 2026 World Cup also scheduled for North America.

The continued interest in both the business and consumer engagement with MLS, the NWSL, US Soccer,  and other emerging properties. Men in Blazers partnered with Twitch prior to the 2022 Men’s World Cup, executing a strategy that fused “sidecasting” games live with celebrity guests by day, live “theater shows” by night, all streamed LIVE on Twitch. They were later combined with a daily cascade of podcasts.

The format nominated for Sports Emmy, had a total of six million unique viewers across the 44+ hours of live streams throughout the tournament. The content was amplified, cross-platform on social to create a 24/7 commentary which drove unprecedented numbers for Men in Blazers and its partners — reaching a high of No. 4 across all sports podcasts in the USA during the time-period.

The Men in Blazers Media Network has grown to be the largest independent soccer-focused media company in North America, covering the sport year-round, as it focuses on Premier League, Champions League, the US National Teams, NWSL, and other top leagues around the globe.

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