What to watch at the Women's World Cup now that Canada is out

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Yesterday's devastating 4-0 loss to co-host Australia eliminated Canada from the Women's World Cup. But, even with the Olympic champions gone, there are many reasons to keep following the tournament. Such as:

The United States' three-peat hopes are on a knife edge.

The world's top-ranked team came in as the betting favourite to win its unprecedented third consecutive World Cup title. But, after beating newcomer Vietnam 3-0 and settling for a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands, the Americans needed a win or a tie today in their group-stage finale vs. Portugal to advance. They got it, but just barely, eking out a scoreless draw against a 21st-ranked team that did not qualify for the playoff rounds.

The U.S. finished second in Group E, behind the ninth-ranked Dutch, and scored just four goals in its three group matches. At the last World Cup, in 2019, the Americans racked up 18. But the current roster is quite green (14 players are World Cup rookies) and this tournament might have caught the team in a transitional phase. Veterans Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe, who each scored six goals in 2019, have yet to find the net while rising star Sophia Smith hasn't scored since her pair in the opener vs. Vietnam.

If the Americans get past the Swedes, their quarterfinal foe will likely be Japan — a team looking much stronger than its No. 11 world ranking suggests. The Japanese rolled through Group C, winning their three matches by a combined score of 11-0, including yesterday's 4-0 drubbing of No. 6 Spain. Midfielder Hinata Miyazawa scored twice in that game and leads the tournament