'We haven't seen growth' - Christen Press shares USWNT concerns ahead of last-16 clash with Sweden at Women's World Cup

• USWNT scraped through group stage
• Face Sweden in the Round of 16
• Press bemoans lack of tactical change

WHAT HAPPENED? Group E should have been a walk in the park for the current world champions but they almost exited the competition early. The USWNT finished second behind Netherlands and would have already been home had Portuguese striker Ada Capena's last-minute effort been an inch or two to the left. Press, who won the tournament in both 2015 and 2019 but missed out this time through injury, has given her opinion as to why the group stage went as it did.

WHAT THEY SAID: Speaking on the RE-CAP show on Youtube, Press said: “It wasn’t that we didn’t put players into the match, right? That’s what everybody was emotional about. But the point was the team didn’t structurally change to win that game (against Portugal). Have we seen any tactical adjustments in the last year? Have we seen any different formations tried? Have we seen any adjustments to the way that we’re pressing? We’ve seen the team come out for the last year in the same general shape in the same general pressing structure.

"And the question I have is, now we’re in this tournament and we’re saying: ‘OK we’re not super happy with the first three performances, but we’re going to grow, and we’re growing into this tournament'. But if we haven’t seen growth in the last year, then how can we expect growth now to happen over the next seven days?”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: The round of 16 tie against Sweden presents another awkward test for Vlatko Andonovski's team as they face a side who won Group G with a 100 per cent record, conceding just one goal in the process. It's a mouthwatering tie as Sweden, ranked third in the world, eye up knocking out the reigning champions, something that would just sum up the USWNT's fortunes as of late.

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WHAT NEXT FOR PRESS? As she recovers from her anterior cruciate ligament injury, Press will have to sit and watch the USWNT take on Sweden from home, hoping that the performance level and tactics improve, otherwise they could well face an early exit.