Sweden vs USWNT: Will Sweden deal final blow to struggling USA?
Sweden looks set to pose a stern test for reigning World Cup champions. USA are certain to face a stern test when they meet up in the in the round of 16 on Sunday. The Blågult, have had a stellar competition so far, winning all three of their group stage games to finish top of Group G. They did have a much tougher battle than they had probably anticipated against a determined South Africa side, but ultimately won that game 2-1 before crushing Italy 5-0 in order to qualify for the round of 16 with a game to spare and recorded a comfortable 2-0 win over Argentina on matchday three to make it a 100 percent winning record.
Meanwhile, the Stars and Stripes come into this match in shaky form after a disappointing group stage campaign in which they finished second behind the Netherlands. While they didn’t lose any of their matches, their five points earned during that period is the worst ever posted by the USWNT, and they hardly looked convincing in their final group stage match against Portugal. In fact, Portugal, who were one of eight teams making their debut at this summer’s competition, were by far the better side and were unfortunate not to see their spirited efforts rewarded with a goal. Overall Team USA struggled to make inroads and ultimately the match finished as a 0-0 draw, which was enough to give them the point they needed to progress ahead of Portugal, who earned four.
As such, the USWNT will hope to put all that behind them and silence their critics when they take on Sweden. Despite their struggles, the USWNT are still unbeaten in World Cup games dating back to their shock 2011 loss to Japan on penalties in the final. Sweden don’t have the best record against the USWNT, with just eight wins from their last 43 ties, but the Blågult did win their most recent meeting against the Stars and Stripes 3-0. That, coupled with the reigning champions’ flagging form, could see Sweden ending the USWNT’s hopes of achieving a historic “three-peat” at this summer’s tournament.
