The U.S. women's national soccer team advanced to the round of 16 at the Women's World Cup after securing a 0-0 draw with Portugal on Tuesday morning in the final game of group play.
Vlatko Andonovski's U.S. team needed to win or tie against Portugal—a team it had defeated 10 meetings in a row—to advance to the knockout stage. The USWNT finished second in Group E with five points—two behind the Netherlands, which posted a dominant 7-0 win over Vietnam on Tuesday.
The Americans will face the winner of Group G in Melbourne on Sunday.
Here's what you need to know ahead of that match.
Who does the USWNT play next?
The USWNT won't know its official round of 16 opponent until Wednesday, though the U.S. is likely to face a familiar foe—Sweden. The Swedes lead Group G with six points and face last-place Argentina at 3 a.m. ET Wednesday with a chance to clinch the group.
Sweden defeated the USWNT in the opening game of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, as well as in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Since opening World Cup play with a 3-0 win over Vietnam, the U.S. had tied in its last two matches with the Netherlands and Portugal. Meanwhile, Sweden opened group play with a 2-1 win over South Africa and is coming off a 5-0 stomping of Italy.
How to watch the USWNT in the knockout round
Team USA's next match will air on Fox at 5 a.m. ET Sunday, with coverage beginning at 3 a.m. ET. The match will also be available on the Fox Sports app.
A full replay of the game will be available on the app.
Carli Lloyd critical of U.S. performance
The USWNT avoided being eliminated in the group stage for the first time ever at the World Cup by holding on for the draw against Portugal. But the game wasn't without a close call. Portugal striker Ana Capeta came within inches of eliminating the two-time defending World Cup champions.
Capeta unleashed a strike in stoppage time that, thankfully for the U.S., ricocheted off the post.
Ana Capeta hits it off the post for Portugal and the US is still alive 😬pic.twitter.com/BNB3YRVZML
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) August 1, 2023
When the match finished, and the U.S. clinched its advancement, American players were seen on the broadcast dancing and celebrating with fans.
Former USWNT player Carli Lloyd wasn't pleased about that.
Lloyd, who retired in 2021 after 16 years with the national team, is now a member of Fox's broadcast team for the World Cup. The two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time World Cup champion questioned her former team's passion and criticized her former teammates for celebrating after a relatively disappointing draw. The U.S. entered the World Cup as the favorite to win the tournament but barely squeezed into the knockout stage.
Fox's Carli Lloyd did not mince words about the USWNT appearing to celebrate their disappointing 0-0 draw with Portugal.
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 1, 2023
"To be dancing? To be smiling? The player of the match was that post." pic.twitter.com/QPHCIAoZ1e
"I have never witnessed something like that," Lloyd said on the post-match show. "There's a difference between being respectful of the fans and saying hello to your family, but to be dancing, to be smiling. I mean, the player of the match was that post. You're lucky to not be going home right now."
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