The Group Stage of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand has ended, and the top two teams from each of the eight groups have advanced to the knockout stage. Among the teams that have moved on are the US, the Netherlands, England, Denmark, Australia, Nigeria, Switzerland, Norway, Japan, and Spain.
The US team, who are the two-time defending champions, have not played as well as expected in the tournament. Although they did not lose any matches, they finished in second place in Group E with a 1–0–2 record.
Coming into their final group stage match against Portugal on August 1, they needed a win or draw (tie) to advance. The match was scoreless through the entire 90 minutes of regulation time. In the first minute…
