After second-place group finish, USWNT faces brutal World Cup road

After a scoreless draw with Portugal, the U.S. women are likely to face Sweden in the round of 16. (Andrew Cornaga/AP)Comment on this storyAfter a second-place finish in Group E, the U.S. women’s national team has advanced to the knockout round of the World Cup. The United States has moved out of the group stage at all eight editions of the tournament, but this year is only the second time that it finished as the group runner-up. (The first time was in 2011. The Americans went on to reach the final but lost to Japan on penalties.)

The second-place finish also creates a dangerous road ahead for the U.S. Its round-of-16 opponent will be determined after Wednesday’s final Group G matches, but…