US Women Will Play Sweden

On Satrurday July 2, the US National Women's soccer team defeated Columbia in their second World Cup match 3 - 0, giving them a commanding position in Group 'C' and bringing them to their final group match against the powerful Swedish womens team.  Goals in the 12th minute by Heather O'Reilly, Megan Rapinoe in the 50th minute, and Carli Lloyd in the 57th minute were enough to overwhelm the Columbian women, giving the American side the victory.

According to Goal.com,

"The U.S. has been the best team in Group C so far, outscoring its opponents 5-0 and firing the most shots of any team in the tournament with 46. Sweden, the fifth-ranked team in the world, has been the second best as it also had two shutout wins over North Korea and Colombia.

The U.S. and Sweden have already advanced to the quarterfinals but they are battling for first place in their group. The Americans need a win or a draw to finish first, while the Swedes need a win due to the fact that the U.S. has the advantage in goal differential, which is the tie-breaker to determine placement in group play.

If the U.S. wins or draws, it will travel to Augsburg to face the second-place team in Group D. With a loss, it  would travel back to Dresden for a matchup against the winner of Group D, which will likely be Brazil. Norway and Australia are playing for second place in Group D on Wednesday."

Sweden will be playing without team captain Caroline Seger, who is suspended for one game due to the two yellow cards she accrued in Sweden's victories over North Korea and Columbia.  The American women should thus have a good chance to win this match and advance in the tournament, barring a defensive meltdown or a heroic performance by the Swedish women.