FOX Sports FIFA Women’s World Cup Morning Highlights – Tuesday, June 23

FOX Sports’ coverage of the FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP 2015™ continues with the final Round of 16 game on Tuesday, June 23. See below for Tuesday’s schedule and for highlights from yesterday’s FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TONIGHT.

TODAY’S SCHEDULE
9:00 PM ET – FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TODAY, FOX Sports 1
10:00 PM ET – Japan vs. Netherlands, FOX Sports 1
(Vancouver – John Strong, Danielle Slaton and Julie Stewart-Binks)
1:00 AM ET – FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TONIGHT, FOX Sports 1

Eric Wynalda says the USWNT’s performance was ‘embarrassing’:
“Why are we playing defense against 10 players and letting them [Colombia] dictate the result? This was embarrassing.”

“You can’t be proud of that. I’m embarrassed. The performance was pathetic, and it’s not the players’ fault. We have plenty of players who can go at teams, plenty of players who can score goals, but the reins have been pulled on them. They’ve been told to play defense. She’s [Jill Ellis] married to the 4-4-2. She doesn’t even know what a 4-3-3 is, and it’s not a U.S. team that we can be proud of right now. They’re better than that. Those players are much better than that, and you’ve got to let them play.”

Former USWNT player Leslie Osborne says it’s on the players to perform:
“It’s the players playing the game. At the end of the day, Carli Lloyd, Holiday, Rapinoe, they have to step up, and they’re not happy with their performance. Like Carli Lloyd said, they have a lot left in their tank, which, I’m not sure what that means because you should be giving everything you have. We just have to find a rhythm, and I’m not quite sure it’s going to click. Today was an opportunity for things to click, and it didn’t.”

Kelly Smith says that despite the score, the U.S. was never fully in control of the game:
“I never felt like the U.S. was fully in control of the game, even at 1-0 or 2-0. You wouldn’t know that Colombia had a player down. They just weren’t clicking in the final third. It was just breaking down all the time. Defensively, they’re very sound; they’re just not making goals.

“It’s not entertaining. I was quite bored during the game, but they did their job.”

Osborne says the U.S. feels relief after today’s game:
“They are relieved. They’re going to the quarterfinals, and that’s the most important thing, but you saw it on your faces after the game, especially Alex Morgan. It’s relief that they won that game.

“We were reacting versus anticipating. We didn’t have that rhythm and that collectiveness that we were hoping to see. That was not a statement game at all.”

Wynalda still believes the U.S. could win a potential semifinal matchup against France or Germany:
“They’re going to rise to the challenge when the challenge happens. Right now they’re electing to just let games happen. When they get forced into a fight, I think they’ll be alright.

“I think we can take them. I can’t wait for that fight. It’s going to be good.”