'Not the right time' to question USA mindset

United States were held to a goalless draw by Women's World Cup debutants Portugal in their most recent fixture

United States manager Vlatko Andonovski says it is not right to question the mindset of his team despite their underwhelming Fifa Women's World Cup.

It has led to criticism, with former captain Carli Lloyd saying they have "too many distractions".

"The public wants to set standards, but no-one sets them higher than players for themselves," Andonovski said.

"For someone to question the mindset of this team, after everything they do, it is not the right time for that and not the right thing.

"The competition, we want to blow every team out by five goals - who doesn't? - but those results are rare. That's the new standard."

The USA, who are the defending world champions, were fortunate even to finish second in their group. They drew 0-0 with Portugal in their final game, with the debutants hitting the post in injury time to narrowly miss out on a win which would have eliminated the four-time world champions.

"We accept the fact we could have been out if the ball hit the other side of post," said Andonovski. "We were lucky at that moment, but we move on. For everyone who wants to see more, we will do whatever we can to meet expectations."

'We hold ourselves to high standards'

Andonovski was joined at his pre-match press conference by striker Alex Morgan, who says that while it is "valid" to hold the team to high standards, fans and media should no longer expect the US to blow away teams as they have at previous World Cups.

"We hold ourselves to high standards and so does the rest of the world, which is valid," said Morgan, who is yet to score at this tournament.

"We have been very successful for decades, so we hold a high expectation for ourselves, and want to continue to prove ourselves right.

"But the game is getting better, the quality is just accelerating at such a fast rate. We want to stay on top, but have to fight to stay there time and again."

This is remarkably the sixth successive World Cup at which Sweden and the United States will meet, having been drawn together in the group stage at each of the past five tournaments.

They also met at the Olympics two years ago, where Sweden won 3-0 - but their manager Peter Gerhardsson is not interested in past meetings or results.

"Personally this is not something I do," he said when asked about comparisons between that meeting in Tokyo and now.

"I live in the present here and now, looking at us and the US, and if we can use the opportunities with their weaknesses.

"I might look at some videos of the Olympics but not particularly, as there are a number of new players in the line-ups.

"Historical facts are less interesting; what happens now is what matters, not what happened before."

Sweden manager Peter Gerhardsson saw his side win all three of their Group G games

Rachel Brown-Finnis' prediction

Sweden deserve to be the favourites in this tie. They have been very good at both ends of the pitch so far, especially on set-pieces, and I can see them winning it - although it could go the distance and require extra time.

The USA still have a lot of quality, but they haven't clicked yet. They don't appear to have much confidence or consistency when they come forward. That lack of cutting edge could cost them here, and mean they fail to make the World Cup semi-finals for the first time in their history.

Brown-Finnis' prediction: 2-1 after extra time

Key stats

• This is one of two last 16 matches where both sides have had to travel to Australia having played their group games in New Zealand, with Netherlands v South Africa being the other. The winner will play their quarter-final back in Auckland.
• The USA and Sweden have played each other in six of the past eight Women's World Cups, however this is the first time they have met in the knockout stages.
• The USA have won four of their previous World Cup meetings, with Sweden's only victory being a 2-1 win in 2011. They also drew 0-0 in 2015.
• The USA have faced only one shot on target at this World Cup - the goal they conceded in the 1-1 draw with the Netherlands. As such, goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher has not made a single save in three games at this tournament.
• Their record of one win and two draws in the group stage - accumulating five points - was the United States' worst return in the Women's World Cup.