Under-fire USA face acid Sweden test

The USA go into their meeting with Sweden in Melbourne, which kicks off at 09.00 GMT, looking to improve on some lacklustre performances in the group stage as they chase an unprecedented third consecutive World Cup title. After Germany's shock group-phase exit, the top-rated Americans and Sweden, third on the FIFA list, are the two highest-ranked teams left standing.
The winners will go through to a quarter-final against Japan in Auckland on Friday. Vlatko Andonovski's USA have looked unconvincing, squeezing into the knockout phase with a 0-0 draw against debutants Portugal and also being held by the Netherlands.
"The fact we are in, we are lucky, but we are moving on," Andonovski said on the eve of the game. "Now we will do everything possible so that same situation doesn't happen again. We are doing everything we can to provide success and meet the expectations for everyone."
The United States and Sweden are familiar foes, having met six times before at World Cups, but never in the knockout stages. The USA won their last World Cup encounter 2-0 in 2019 on their way to the title, but Sweden were 3-0 winners when they last met at the Tokyo Olympics.
Coach Peter Gerhardsson said history will mean nothing when they meet and is confident the underperforming champions can be beaten. "It's not something I look at, historical facts, I'm rooted in the present," he said. "There are a lot of new players in both line-ups so history is less important.
"(The Olympics) was two years ago, it's all about the physical and mental shape we are in now," he added. "I have great confidence in the squad. We believe in this, believe we can win." Japan have been the sensation of the tournament so far and the 2011 champions eased into the last eight with a 3-1 win over Norway on Saturday in Wellington. Monday's action sees European champions England take on Nigeria in Brisbane before co-hosts Australia face Denmark in Sydney.