U.S. must improve as they don't look like World Cup winners

AUCKLAND, New Zealand -- The width of the post. That is how close the U.S. women's national team came to being eliminated from the 2023 World Cup.

Fortunately, for the U.S., the shot from Portugal substitute Ana Capeta in the first minute of second half stoppage time bounced away from danger, allowing the U.S. to escape with a 0-0 draw that punched their ticket to the Round of 16.

"It was a beautiful sound to hear it hit the post, that's for sure," said U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher.

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The sequence was perhaps the only one all night that could be described that way by the U.S., in what…