If it wasn't for the fact that Portugal's 92nd-minute shot on goal didn't go in, the United States would have been eliminated from the tournament. I'm sure this team, which is striving for a third consecutive title, is quite happy to have stayed low and made it to the last 16.
Citi were not good enough to bury the ball against Portugal, so they will need to focus on improving their goal-scoring ability, and players including star striker Alex Morgan will need to deliver better performances.
Ruth Navini's suspension will have a serious impact on the United States, but they have a number of good players in their squad to fill in the gaps. The experience of Leslie Horan and Zuri Izzi will be a great asset to the team, as they know how to play in a pressurized environment. I think it was a mistake for the U.S. to switch out Sophia Schmidt against Portugal because she has the ability to rewrite the game, and I feel she is the player most likely to cause problems for Sweden up front.
Sweden won all three of their group stage matches in a refreshing breeze to finish first in the round of 16. However, their record against the USA is seriously numbing, having recorded just one win in six Women's World Cup meetings.
I see Elise Dieter as the core player of Sweden, not only can she organize the defense, but she can also be a big threat in dead ball attack, and she has scored 3 goals in this tournament, which shows her value, so the US defenders have to keep a close watch on her in the penalty area. As for the attacking players, Bikstien Nuess and Esperanza, they will be able to impact the US defense and create some problems. I think that Sweden will be more energetic after the rest of their starters in the match against Argentina.
