Team USA and Sweden arrive at the stadium
MELBOURNE, Australia — With game faces on and dressed in suits, Team USA and Sweden have arrived at the Melbourne Rectangular stadium for their round of 16 match.
It’s a mild evening in Melbourne, with temperatures at around 50 degrees Farhenheit and some cloud cover —ideal conditions for the match.
It is the seventh time the teams have faced each other at the World Cup and both teams know what lies in store for them if victory is achieved: Japan.
After 3 lackluster matches, knockout play begins for U.S. World Cup team
MELBOURNE — Good has so far been barely good enough for the United States women’s soccer team, as its quest to win a third straight World Cup has been marred by uncharacteristically mediocre play.
The one-sided scores and dominating play that USWNT fans have come to expect have yet to materialize in two weeks of competition, prompting observers to wonder if U.S. command of women’s soccer has come to an end.
So U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski said he fully understands the stakes ahead of America’s knockout match Sunday against Sweden.
Read the full story here.
U.S. women say they’re not panicking despite slow World Cup start
AUCKLAND, New Zealand — U.S. goals — and wins — have been few and far between this World Cup, but American confidence isn’t lacking.
Despite three lackluster group matches that saw the reigning champions squeak through to knockout play, key players insist they’re not shaken by “noise” from the “outside,” firmly believing the United States’ best soccer is still to come.
“We are not panicking,” experienced forward Lynn Williams told reporters in Auckland on Thursday. “I think that we haven’t played our best soccer yet, which is the most exciting part for us.”
Read the full story here.
How to watch the U.S. vs Sweden
It’s the World Cup’s first knockout round and Team USA will take on Sweden.
When: 5 a.m. ET Sunday, 7 p.m. local time
Where: The Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, in Melbourne, the capital of the southeastern Australian state of Victoria.
How to watch: Watch the action on Fox, Telemundo and Peacock.