USWNT draws Portugal, finishes 2nd in Group E
The United States Women’s National Team played to a 0-0 draw with Portugal in its final match in Group E. The team advanced to the knockout round by finishing second in the group and will likely play Sweden in the Round of 16 on Sunday.
Video Transcript
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NICK BROMBERG: It's OK to be pessimistic about the United States' chances of winning the Women's World Cup. The US is through to the knockout rounds, but did not win Group E after a 0-0 draw with Portugal. The Netherlands took first place in the group thanks to a 7-0 thrashing of Vietnam. That tie with Portugal was a bit fortunate as well.
For a moment, it looked like the US could have been out of the World Cup entirely in the group stage after Ana Capeta got through the US back line and her shot beat Alyssa Naeher in the 92nd minute, but that shot ricocheted off the post instead of going into the back of the net. The US had 17 shots to Portugal's six, but was content to play on the counter as Portugal had the majority of possession.
The US has tried to be the more direct team in each of its last two games, and that strategy really hasn't worked. The US has 35 shots and just 10 on target over the last 180 minutes. It has scored one goal. A team with Alex Morgan, Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman, and Megan Rapinoe as its main attacking options should not be struggling for goals, yet this squad has just four goals through three matches. And that lack of goal scoring is why the US is advancing to the knockout rounds in second place and not atop the group.
That second place finish means the US will likely have to play Sweden early Sunday in its first knockout round game. Sweden is one of the favorites to win the World Cup, and more than capable of eliminating this disjointed US team from the tournament. The US also won't have Rose Lavelle against Sweden either. Lavelle picked up her second yellow of the tournament in the first half against Portugal and will be suspended for the match.
It's going to take the best performance of the tournament for the US to get to the quarterfinals. That's not an impossible proposition. This team is still capable of being the best in the world, but it's just hard to envision everything suddenly coming together after what we've seen in the group stage.