The scenario is straightforward for the U.S. women's national soccer team: Win or draw against Australia in the final Group G match and it will secure second place in the group, an automatic quarterfinal berth, and a likely matchup against the Netherlands. Australia needs a win to accomplish the same thing.
If there is a loser in the game, that team will finish third and will have to wait for the conclusion of the other groups later in the day to see if it has one of the two best third-place records. If not, that team is eliminated. If one of Australia or the USA qualifies as the third-place team, that team would face Canada or Great Britain in the quarterfinals.
The USWNT is coming off a 6-1 trouncing of New Zealand, which followed the shock of a 3-0 loss to Sweden. Meanwhile, Australia got all three points with its 2-1 win against New Zealand before it also lost to Sweden, a 4-2 thriller that saw star forward Sam Kerr score two goals and fail to convert a penalty kick that would've momentarily made it a 3-3 game.
MORE: Updated Olympic women's group standings
Sporting News will be following the match live and providing real-time updates, commentary and highlights from the USWNT vs. Australia Group G finale.
USWNT vs. Australia live score
| 1H | 2H | Final | |
| USA | — | — | — |
| Australia | — | — | — |
(All times Eastern)
11:40 p.m.: You probably had to do this a few days ago. Don't think the boss will appreciate the late notice:
We're the #USWNT and we approve this message 🇺🇸 https://t.co/15Kn0n6K2C
— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) July 27, 2021
USWNT vs. Australia probable lineups
U.S. women's national team head coach Vlatko Andonovski promised there will be more lineup changes to provide his players with sufficient rest ahead of the single-elimination knockout rounds. Below's projected lineup is one way his team could look ahead of the announcement of the starting lineups.
As for Australia, the Matildas can't relax too much in this game. A heavy loss could cost them a spot in the quarterfinals if other results don't go their way. The regular starting 11, featuring star forward Sam Kerr, is likely the only option for the Aussies.
MORE: U.S. women Olympic team roster
USA
Projected starters (4-3-3, left to right): 1-Alyssa Naeher — 2-Crystal Dunn, 4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 17-Abby Dahlkemper, 5-Kelley O’Hara — 3-Samantha Mewis, 8-Julie Ertz, 16-Rose Lavelle — 11-Christen Press, 13-Alex Morgan, 21-Lynn Williams
Projected substitutes: 18-Adrianna Franch-GK, 12-Tierna Davidson, 14-Emily Sonnett, 9-Lindsey Horan, 19-Catarina Macario, 15-Megan Rapinoe, 7-Tobin Heath
Projected to sit out: 22-Jane Campbell-GK, 20-Casey Krueger, 6-Kristie Mewis, 10-Carli Lloyd
Australia
Projected starters (3-4-3, left to right): 1-Lydia Williams — 5-Aivi Luik, 4-Clare Polkinghorne, 12-Ellie Carpenter — 7-Steph Catley, 13-Tameka Yallop,10-Emily van Egmond, 16-Hayley Raso — 9-Caitlin Foord, 2-Sam Kerr, 17-Kyah Simon
Projected substitutes: 18-Teagan Micah-GK, 3-Kyra Cooney-Cross, 21-Laura Brock, 14-Alanna Kennedy, 6-Chloe Logarzo, 15-Emily Gielnik, 11-Mary Fowler
Projected to sit out: 22-Mackenzie Arnold-GK, 19-Courtney Nevin, 20-Charlotte Grant, 8-Elise Kellond-Knight
How to watch USWNT vs. Australia Olympic soccer
- Date: Tuesday, July 27
- Time: 4 a.m. ET
- TV Channels: USA Network
- Spanish-language TV: Telemundo
- Replays: USA Network (10 a.m., 6 p.m. ET), NBCSN (11:45 p.m. ET)
- Streaming: fuboTV, NBCOlympics.com, TelemundoDeportes.com, NBC Sports app and Telemundo Deportes app (with user authentication)
USA vs. Australia will air live on USA Network and Telemundo at 4 a.m. ET. Those channels can be streamed on fuboTV (free 7-day trial).
MORE: Complete Olympic women's soccer schedule
All soccer matches are also streamed in the USA on NBCOlympics.com, TelemundoDeportes.com, NBC Sports app and the Telemundo Deportes app — all with user authentication.