The USWNT Takes on Familiar Foe Sweden in the Round of 16

After barely scraping by in group play, the U.S. women’s national team will take on familiar foe Sweden in the round of 16 at the Women’s World Cup.

The U.S. opened the tournament with a 3–0 win over Vietnam, but followed that up with draws against the Netherlands and Portugal, earning the second spot in Group E. The USWNT’s has struggled to finish—no doubt missing star forward Mallory Swanson, who is still rehabbing an injury—with just Sophia Smith and Lindsey Horan finding the back of the net so far, each with two goals. The U.S. will be without star midfielder Rose Lavelle, who earned a yellow card against Portugal (her second in group play) and will have to sit out.

And while the Americans looks to start anew in the round of 16, they have no easy task in this matchup. The last time these teams met, Sweden comfortably beat the U.S. 3–0 at the Tokyo Olympics. Ranked third in the world, Sweden won all three of its games in group play in New Zealand, including a dominant 5–0 win over Italy. Four of Sweden’s nine goals in the World Cup were scored off corners, with defender Amanda Ilestedt responsible for three of them.

Be sure to follow along for updates when the game kicks off at 5 a.m. ET.