
Goalkeeper Karen Bardsley was ruled out through injury, the team was thrown, and later that incredibly hot evening, the USWNT won 2-1 to end England's World Cup dream. But then came upheaval on the morning of their semifinal against the United States. Three years ago at the 2019 World Cup in France, Bronze was playing the best football of her career. While the team celebrated in the changing room, she sat in the tunnel, chatting to the team's photographer. So, having experienced the expectation and then the heartbreak, it's easy to see why she was a little withdrawn after their 2-1 quarterfinal win over Spain on Wednesday. She was there for England's last three "Final Four" knockouts. Lucy Bronze knows the pain of losing a semifinal in a major international tournament all too well.
