<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="23050" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Sweden">Sweden</keyword> romped the US women's soccer team, 3-0, in their opening match of the Tokyo <keyword id="6360967" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="olympics">Olympics</keyword>.</li><li><keyword id="3566675" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="stina-blackstenius">Stina Blackstenius</keyword> led the charge with two goals in the upset.</li><li>The 25-year-old striker was also responsible for the US meltdown during the 2016 Olympics in Rio.</li></ul><p>The US women's soccer team has an Achilles' heel at the Olympics.</p><p>Her name is Stina Blackstenius.</p><div type="image" title="Stina Blackstenius jumps into her teammates' arms in celebration." height="1727" width="2302" msid="84617252" hostid="261"></div><p>The 25-year-old striker provided the heroics in <a href="https://www.insider.com/uswnt-loses-sweden-tokyo-olympics-drops-44-game-unbeaten-streak-2021-7">Sweden's 3-0 romp of the top-ranked US</a> during their Tokyo Olympics opener Wednesday morning, scoring the first two goals in the upset. With the win, Sweden ended the Americans' 44-game unbeaten streak and severely complicated their path to overall victory at the games.</p><p>It's actually not the first time Blackstenius has almost single-handedly derailed a US bid for gold.</p><p>Five years ago, a then-20-year-old Blackstenius was instrumental in Sweden's massive upset over the US in the quarterfinal match at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Pia Sundhage was forced to sub in the budding star early in the do-or-die game after an injury to forward Fridolina Rolfö, and Blackstenius capitalized on the opportunity.</p><div type="image" title="Stina Blackstenius dribbles past the USWNT's Becky Sauerbrunn." height="1421" width="1895" msid="84617253" hostid="261"></div><p>In the 61st minute of the contest, the wunderkind split the American defense for a breakaway and slotted a goal past US keeper Hope Solo that put Sweden on the board. Though the US equalized on a goal from its superstar Alex Morgan mere minutes later, the Swedes finished the job in penalty kicks, delivering a stunning blow to the reigning World Cup champions.</p><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/n312cs" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" style="width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;left:0px;top:0px;overflow:hidden;"></iframe><p>The US found itself in a similar position heading into the Tokyo Olympics. After winning the 2019 World Cup in dominant fashion, Vlatko Andonovski's squad entered the games looking to become the first team to earn gold directly after winning the preeminent international soccer tournament.</p><p>But once again, Blackstenius was around to thwart the effort.</p><p>In the 25th minute of Wednesday's contest, Sweden's Sofia Jakobsson delivered a cross into the box for the Bollklubben Häcken star, who connected with her head to find the back of the net and give her side an early lead.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-Planet Fútbol  (@si_soccer) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1417772377191194625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2021</a></blockquote><p>She doubled Sweden's advantage roughly 30 minutes later, cleaning up a loose ball deep in the box with a left-footed volley after a teammate's header ricocheted off the far post.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-#TokyoOlympics  (@NBCOlympics) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1417784993577725952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2021</a></blockquote><p>Though the US hasn't been eliminated from the tournament, the team's path to victory became a whole lot narrower thanks to Blackstenius' brilliant effort. The Americans will need to finish first or second in the four-team Group G - which features New Zealand and a formidable Australian side in addition to Sweden - to advance to the knockout stage.</p><p>They'll have three days to recover before taking the pitch for a Saturday-morning matchup against the Kiwis. Then, on Tuesday, the US is set to face the international superstar Sam Kerr and her Matildas for what promises to be a decisive final match in the group round.</p><p>But for now, Blackstenius has the Swedes sitting pretty atop the group. They'll face Australia - which also has a win under its belt - Saturday morning before finishing out the group stage against New Zealand.</p>

The player responsible for the USWNT's 2016 Olympic meltdown has once again torched the Americans on the world stage

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The US Women's National Team finished the World Cup group stage with a scoreless draw against Portugal.</li><li>The reigning champs are set to advance to the knockout round as the second-place finishers in their group.</li></ul><p>The US Women's National Team is through to the knockout stage of the 2023 World Cup.</p><p>But just barely.</p><p>The reigning champions — who are looking for an unprecedented third-consecutive World Cup victory — stumbled to a scoreless draw against Portugal on Tuesday to narrowly advance in this summer's tournament Down Under. The Stars and Stripes finished second in their group behind the Netherlands, who used a 7-0 win against Vietnam Tuesday to take Group E's top spot on goal differential.</p><p>Now, after <a href="https://twitter.com/FOXSoccer/status/1686298521408864256">coming within literal inches of elimination</a>, the US will face a nightmarish matchup in its win-or-go-home game on Sunday.</p><div type="image" title="Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan look dismayed." height="1666" width="2223" msid="102339121" hostid="261"></div><p>Sweden — a team with a remarkable history of upsetting women's soccer's longtime frontrunners — is awaiting Vlatko Andonovski's side in the Round of 16. After FIFA's third-ranked team earned a 2-0 victory against Argentina in its final group-stage match Wednesday, Caroline Seger and company emerged at the top of Group G to secure yet another blockbuster matchup against the US.</p><h2>The US and Sweden have a storied history of playing contentious, high-stakes games on the world stage</h2><p>The US has already faced Sweden nine times in world championship tournaments, <a href="https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2021/07/2020-tokyo-olympics-uswnt-vs-sweden-match-history-preview-five-things-to-know">according to US Soccer</a>, with Sunday's rematch marking the seventh World Cup meeting between the two giants of the sport. And while Blågult — or The Blue and Yellow — have yet to take down the Americans in soccer's most prestigious tournament, recent performances indicate that they're poised to break through this time around.</p><p>In 2016, a Sweden squad outfitted with many of the same players competing in Australia and New Zealand shocked the world by outlasting the United States in penalty kicks and booting the top dogs from the Rio Olympics. The loss marked the US's earliest exit from a major international tournament and left the reigning three-time Olympic champions without a medal for the first time ever.</p><div type="image" title="Swedish players celebrating." height="1529" width="2500" msid="102339125" hostid="261"></div><p>Five years later, at the postponed Tokyo Olympics, the Swedes once again dealt The Stars and Stripes a staggering blow. The two star-studded squads faced off in their opening matches of the tournament as co-frontrunners of Group G, but it was Sweden — not the reigning World Cup champions — who emerged as a dominant force after 90 minutes.</p><p>The top European side earned <a href="https://www.insider.com/uswnt-loses-sweden-tokyo-olympics-drops-44-game-unbeaten-streak-2021-7">a decisive 3-0 victory</a> over the US largely thanks to <a href="https://www.insider.com/uswnt-sweden-stina-blackstenius-scores-twice-bested-usa-rio-2016-2021-7">Stina Blackstenius</a> — the very same striker who helped spur the Americans' meltdown in Rio half a decade prior. The loss in Tokyo brought the US's 44-game unbeaten streak to a screeching halt and left the team with a <a href="https://www.insider.com/alex-morgan-tokyo-olympics-more-challenging-than-expected-us-soccer-2021-9">relatively disappointing bronze</a> medal.</p><p>Still, the US boasts a considerable advantage over Sweden in World Cup play. The Stars and Stripes have faced Sweden in each tournament since 2003 — with all meetings coming in the group stage — and have yet to drop a single game. Aside from a scoreless draw at the 2015 World Cup, the US has come out on top in every World Cup match it's played against Sweden.</p><div type="image" title="USWNT players celebrate." height="1504" width="2500" msid="102339128" hostid="261"></div><h2>Sunday's match could flip the script on the US-Sweden rivalry</h2><p>The Scandinavian nation is not just looking for a breakthrough against the US, but also in World Cup tournaments broadly.</p><p>Despite its status as one of women's soccer's powerhouse programs, Sweden has only been in one World Cup final, in 2003. But if the reigning champs fall out of contention, Peter Gerhardsson's team could very well hoist its first World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.</p><p>The US, meanwhile, risks suffering the earliest World Cup exit in program history. The four-time champions have never finished below the top three in the tournament, and have advanced to the title game in all but three World Cup appearances.</p><p>Now, they'll have to fend off a Swedish side that won all three of its group-stage matches and has conceded just a single goal in the tournament. And the US will have to do it without Rose Lavelle, their star midfielder who earned two yellow cards in the group stage and now must sit out of the Round of 16.</p><p>Fans stateside can tune into FOX to watch the latest leg of the US-Sweden rivalry unfold Sunday at 5 a.m. ET (7 p.m. local time).</p><p><em>Correction: August 2, 2023 — An earlier version of this story misstated where Sweden women's national soccer team placed in previous World Cup tournaments. Sweden appeared in the 2003 World Cup final. </em></p>

The once-unrivaled US women's soccer team faces a nightmarish World Cup matchup after barely surviving the group stage

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The US women's <keyword id="3071" type="SPORT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Soccer">soccer</keyword> team fell apart in its Tokyo <keyword id="6360967" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="olympics">Olympics</keyword> opener.</li><li>The reigning World Cup champions lost 3-0 to <keyword id="23050" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Sweden">Sweden</keyword>, ending a 44-game unbeaten streak.</li><li>Though the US hasn't been eliminated from the games, its path to gold just became much tougher.</li></ul><p>The normally dominant US women's soccer team on Wednesday lost for the first time since January 2019.</p><p>The reigning World Cup champions and top-ranked national team faltered against Sweden in their opening game of the Tokyo Olympics, dropping a brutal 3-0 loss against the same team that ousted them from the Rio Olympics some five years ago.</p><div type="image" title="Megan Rapinoe." height="1667" width="2500" msid="84614992" hostid="261"></div><p>With the loss - the first of head coach Vlatko Andonovski's tenure with the team - the Americans ended their 44-game unbeaten streak and severely decreased their chances of winning gold at the games.</p><p>Sweden was dominant from the opening kickoff, creating quick chances and forcing the ball into the US's defensive third. US goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher managed to ward off an early deficit with numerous key saves, but the Swedes finally broke through in the 25th minute via a stunning header from the 25-year-old forward Stina Blackstenius.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-Planet Fútbol  (@si_soccer) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1417772377191194625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2021</a></blockquote><p>The Americans looked rattled heading into the locker room at halftime, though the Swedes could have further increased their lead had they converted on several promising opportunities in the first 45 minutes.</p><p>Andonovski's squad returned to the pitch with two adjustments: Carli Lloyd in for Alex Morgan up top and Julie Ertz anchoring the midfield for the first time since suffering a knee injury in the spring.</p><p>The changes weren't enough, and Blackstenius wasn't finished tormenting the US. She found the back of the net in the 54th minute with a left-footed volley after a teammate's header ricocheted off the far post.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-#TokyoOlympics  (@NBCOlympics) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1417784993577725952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2021</a></blockquote><p>Blackstenius left the game shortly thereafter, but her substitute - Lina Hurtig -<a href="http://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/252074/hanna-glas"></a> added insult to injury for the Stars and Stripes. Hanna Glas made a stunning run up the right flank to deliver a cross right to the top of the 6-yard box, where a loosely guarded Hurtig rose up for a header that soared past Naeher's outstretched hand and into the goal.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-#TokyoOlympics  (@NBCOlympics) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1417787937610141696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2021</a></blockquote><p>Though the US hasn't been eliminated from the tournament, the team's path to victory became much narrower after the 3-0 shutout. The Americans will need to finish first or second in the four-team Group G - which features New Zealand and a formidable Australian side in addition to their Olympics Achilles' heel in Sweden - to advance to the knockout stage.</p><p>They'll have three days to recover before taking the pitch for a Saturday-morning matchup against the Kiwis. Then, on Tuesday, the US is set to face the international superstar Sam Kerr and her Matildas for what promises to be a decisive final match in the group round.</p>

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The player responsible for the USWNT's 2016 Olympic meltdown has once again torched the Americans on the world stage

Meredith Cash

The once-unrivaled US women's soccer team faces a nightmarish World Cup matchup after barely surviving the group stage

Meredith Cash

The USWNT fell apart against a familiar foe in its Olympic opener, ending a 44-game unbeaten streak and dropping its chances for gold in the process

Meredith Cash