Canada meets Sweden in World Cup knockout round

Canada's Jordyn Huitema, left, and Janine Beckie (Francisco Seco/Associated Press)Sweden proved a tricky opponent for the United States in the final match of the group stage and should pose an even larger challenge for Canada, which took an influx of youth (three 18-year-olds and two 20-year-olds) into the tournament.

The Swedes tried to drop back on defense and counterattack against the Americans, and came away with some pretty good scoring chances, too. Against Canada, they’ll have a more equal share of the ball and will be able to push more numbers forward. Kosovare Asllani likes making runs in from her midfield position. Fridolina Rolfo, who entered as a second-half substitute against…