THE United States Women’s National Team’s path to the knockout round of the Women’s World Cup is simple.
If the two-time defending World Cup champions earn at least a point against Portugal at Auckland, New Zealand, Tuesday, they advance. A win, and even a tie, can put the team on top of Group E and forge an easier path within the knockout round.
There is a scenario where the US could move on with a loss but it would require heavily favored Netherlands losing to Vietnam, which has lost both matches without scoring and already has been eliminated.
“It’s a pressure moment, and that’s what the tournament is,” US forward Megan Rapinoe said. “Now, every single game from here on out is that pressure moment. And that’s the best part of being in the World Cup.”
With two countries advancing from the group, the US and Netherlands each have four points at 1-0-1 after they played to a 1-1 tie on Wednesday. Portugal (1-1-0, 3 points) still has a chance to advance.
