After second-place group finish, USWNT faces brutal World Cup road
The U.S. women’s national soccer team advanced to the World Cup’s knockout stage Tuesday, but there was nothing impressive about the way the two-time defending champions accomplished it.
The 0-0 draw with Portugal was far from a championship performance as the Americans continued to sputter through the tournament. The result was just enough to claim second place in Group E and a round-of-16 meeting Sunday in Melbourne, likely against nemesis Sweden, but thoughts of becoming the first men’s or women’s team to win three consecutive titles seem so distant right now.
“It’s not like we played well, by any means,” Coach Vlatko Andonovski said. “We all know it’s not good enough. We’re not happy with our performance, but we qualified for the next round. We’re moving on.”
That was the only positive for the world’s top-ranked team to take from a distressing match against a first-time World Cup participant that the United States had beaten in all 10 previous meetings without conceding a goal.
How close did they come to their earliest elimination in program history? In second-half stoppage time, substitute Ana Capeta hit the right post with a low bid from the top of the box. Had that gone in, the Americans would’ve been eliminated. In eight previous tournaments, they have never been ousted before the semifinals.
“We know we can be better,” left back Crystal Dunn said. “It’s not like everyone’s sitting there like, ‘Wow, that was the most amazing performance we put together.’ But that’s where you have to dig deep. That’s what it takes to win a World Cup. It’s not easy to do this. Right now we are very fortunate to have another opportunity to put on a great performance.”
This year is only the second time that it finished as the group runner-up. (The first time was in 2011. The Americans went on to reach the final but lost to Japan on penalties.)
The second-place finish also creates a dangerous road ahead for the U.S. Its round-of-16 opponent will be determined after Wednesday’s final Group G matches, but it is almost certain to play group leader Sweden – a familiar foe that has caused the U.S. team trouble in the past. (It will also have to do so without star midfielder Rose Lavelle, who is suspended for the round of 16 due to yellow card accumulation.) The Americans have never lost in the earliest round of the knockout stage. (Until 2015, the first round after the group stage was the quarterfinals.)
Here’s what to know about the road ahead for the U.S. women at this World Cup.
Who will the USWNT face next?
The Americans will most likely face Sweden, the third-ranked team in the world and the current Group G leader, in the round of 16. Sweden sits atop its group with six points. It would win the group with a win or draw against Argentina on Wednesday, or an Italy draw or loss to South Africa. But it has the best goal differential in the group (plus-6) and is almost certain to remain in first place, even in the unlikely event of a loss to Argentina.
That next U.S. game will be played Sunday in Melbourne, Australia, at 5 a.m. Eastern.
What is the USWNT’s history against Sweden?
Sweden is no stranger to the United States. The Americans have faced the Swedes 42 times – of all the teams at the World Cup, they’ve only played Canada, China and Norway more. The two sides have met in the group stage at all but three World Cups (1995, 1999 and 2023), and this would be the first time they have squared off in the knockout round.
They last met in the opening match of the 2021 Olympics. A clinical Swedish side took advantage of a frazzled and mistake-prone U.S. team for a dominating 3-0 win – the Americans’ first loss in 21/2 years. The last time these two teams met with elimination on the line? The 2016 Olympic quarterfinal, which Sweden won in a penalty shootout. That Olympic defeat remains the United States’ earliest exit at a major tournament.
How has Sweden done at the World Cup?
The Swedes have impressed at this World Cup. After going down early in their opener against South Africa, they clawed back with goals by winger Fridolina Rolfo and center back Amanda Ilestedt to leave with a win. Facing Italy five days later, they scored three times in a seven-minute span before halftime. Of note: This team has been particularly dangerous on set pieces. Four of its seven goals have come from corner kicks.
Sweden is arguably the best nation to have never won a major tournament. It has finished third at three World Cups (1991, 2011 and 2019) and was the runner-up in 2003. It also claimed silver medals at the 2016 and 2020 Olympics.
Who are Sweden’s players to watch?
Fridolina Rolfo is the name at the top of the list. At Barcelona, she has been converted to play as a left back, but with her national team she commands the left wing as an attacker. The 29-year-old already has two goals at this World Cup.
Arsenal center back Amanda Ilestedt may not have entered the tournament as one of Sweden’s most-known stars, but through two games she’s left her mark. With three goals in two games, she’s tied for second in the race for the Golden Boot. At 5-foot-10, Ilestedt is particularly dangerous on corner kicks, off which she’s scored all of her goals.
Bayern Munich defender Magda Eriksson, who won multiple titles with Chelsea, partners with Ilestedt to lead a back line that has conceded only one goal in this tournament.
AC Milan midfielder Kosovare Asllani is appearing at her third World Cup and is the country’s active leading goal scorer. She’s a key part of the midfield, especially when it comes to sending through balls to Sweden’s attackers. Arsenal striker Stina Blackstenius has scored seven goals for the Swedes in the past two years.
Peter Gerhardsson has managed Sweden since 2017, when he took over from former U.S. and current Brazil coach Pia Sundhage.
Who could the USWNT face in the quarterfinals?
If the United States wins its round-of-16 matchup, it would face the winner of Japan vs. Norway. The quarterfinal would be played Aug. 11 at 3:30 a.m. Eastern in Auckland, New Zealand. Japan and Norway play Saturday in Wellington, New Zealand at 4 a.m. Eastern.
Japan finished first in Group C after Monday’s emphatic 4-0 win over Spain. It has been one of the best teams at this World Cup; its lethal counterattack has helped produce a tournament-most 11 goals and it has yet to concede on the other end. Through Tuesday’s games, midfielder Hinata Miyazawa is the front-runner in the Golden Boot race with four goals. The Japanese won the 2011 World Cup and reached the final in 2015 before crashing out in the round of 16 in 2019. They lost to the United States, 1-0, in February at the SheBelieves Cup.
Norway was second in Group A, falling to New Zealand in the opening match of the tournament but making up points in a draw with Switzerland and a 6-0 win over the Philippines.
Who could the USWNT face in the semifinals?
If the United States wins in the round of 16 and the quarterfinals, one of four teams will be waiting in the semifinal: Group A winner Switzerland; Group C runner-up Spain; Group E winner the Netherlands; or the Group G runner-up, which will likely be Italy or South Africa.