The USA is aiming to secure their third consecutive Women's World Cup victory in Australia and New Zealand this summer.
The United States had a nerve-wracking experience but managed to advance from the Women's World Cup group stage, keeping their hopes alive for a third successive title.
In a crucial moment, Portugal hit the post late in the match, allowing the United States to avoid an early elimination from the group stages.
The defending champions began their campaign with a convincing 3-0 win against Vietnam but faced a tough challenge when they were held to a 1-1 draw by the Netherlands, a rematch of their 2019 World Cup final.
However, the goalless draw against Portugal has faced criticism back home, even from legendary American player Carli Lloyd.
As runners-up in Group E, the USA will proceed to the next stage behind the Netherlands, who dominated with a 7-0 victory against Vietnam. Here's all you need to know about the USA's upcoming match: [proceed to provide details about the next match].
"Which Teams is the United States Playing in the World Cup?"
Group E will be paired with Group G for the Round of 16, indicating that the United States will face the winners of Group G.
As Sweden currently leads Group G with an impressive +6 goal difference after two games, which is 10 more than Italy in second place, it is highly likely that the USA will face Sweden in the next round, rather than South Africa or Argentina.
While Sweden has already secured a spot in the last 16, for the USA to avoid facing them, Sweden would need to lose to Argentina, and Italy would need to defeat South Africa, resulting in an 11-goal difference swing in the goal column.
The anticipated Round of 16 match between the USA and Sweden will be held at the Rectangular Stadium in Melbourne on August 6, with kick-off scheduled for 5 a.m. ET (10 a.m. BST).
The winner of this match will proceed to face the winner of Japan vs. Norway in Auckland on August 11.
The USA's group stage matches are scheduled as follows (All times ET):
July 22 - USA vs. Vietnam (USA won 3-0)
July 27 - USA vs. Netherlands (Match ended in a 1-1 draw)
August 1 - USA vs. Portugal (Match ended in a goalless 0-0 draw)
The potential path for the USA to reach the final is as follows (All times ET):
August 6 - Sweden vs USA (Melbourne) - Round of 16 (Kick-off at 5:00 am)
August 11 - Japan or Norway vs USA (Auckland) - Quarter-final (Kick-off at 4:30 am)
August 15 - Winner of Switzerland/Spain or Netherlands/South Africa vs USA (Auckland) - Semi-final (Kick-off at 6:00 am)
August 20 - Winner of Australia/Denmark or France/Morocco or England/Nigeria or Jamaica/Colombia vs USA (Sydney) - Final (Kick-off at 6:00 am)
Group E Standings:
1. Netherlands - 7 points (+8 goal difference)
2. USA - 5 points (+3 goal difference)
3. Portugal - 4 points (+1 goal difference)
4. Vietnam - 0 points (-12 goal difference)
Results and Fixtures:
- USA 3-0 Vietnam
- Netherlands 1-0 Portugal
- USA 1-1 Netherlands
- Portugal 2-0 Vietnam
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