The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is nearing the end of the group stage and the knockout stage awaits this weekend. The United States women’s national team have advanced to the round of 16, just barely, after a scoreless draw against Portugal on Tuesday. They now await the first-place winner of Group G, likely Sweden, to begin the knockout round phase with that match set for Sunday morning at 5 a.m. ET. But exiting the group stage wasn’t as simple as some expected, with a manageable win against Vietnam and two draws — a first-time underachievement by the team — to close out group play. This was just the second time in history that the national team failed to win their group.
Naturally, in a program where success is the standard, players and head coach each echoed the importance of putting Group E behind them and looking ahead to the knockouts. Survive and advance might be a true sentiment, but it’s a different feeling for a team failing to show consistency in attack. So what went wrong on the pitch against Portugal? It certainly wasn’t because of too much smiling or dancing off the pitch.
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