What's next for USA? Mapping out its daunting path to Women's World Cup final

It so, so nearly wasn't the case, but the United States is alive and kicking at this Women's World Cup — even if the aforementioned kicking wasn't particularly accurate, cohesive or confidence-inducing during the team's disappointing 0-0 draw against Portugal. 

Survival is the name of the game in the group stage of any major tournament, but the Americans stretched that theory to its absolute limit, hanging on grimly to book a place in the Round of 16, and now embark on what they hope will be a brand-new journey with a markedly different script.

Up next, barring a wild and virtually unthinkable combination of results Wednesday, will be Olympic silver medalist Sweden, which has wrapped Group G in every way except the one that fully satisfies the mathematicians.

After that, do we even dare look ahead, given that Sweden is the world No. 3, beat the USA in both the Rio and Tokyo Olympics, and just rattled off a comprehensive thumping of Italy? 

Yes, we do.

Vlatko Andonovski's squad is struggling and stuttering, no question about it, but this is still the two-time defending World Cup champion we are talking about here, and whatever the current prevailing narrative, the USA sits only four games removed from an historic three-peat.

So, let’s plot it out. If the Sweden showdown can be successfully navigated, a quarterfinal would beckon between the USWNT and the winner of the meeting between Japan and Norway, a Round of 16 clash in which Japan will be a massive favorite, on account of its stunning performance in group play.

Japan, 2015 World Cup runner-up and 2012 Olympic finalist, and No. 1 in the current FoxSports.com Women's World Cup power rankings, would be a massive challenge.

Beyond that, a semifinal in Auckland would be in