REIMS, France -- The United States will need to overcome both Spain and scheduling disadvantages when it plays its first knockout round game Monday in the FIFA Women's World Cup.
The U.S. was the tournament's most dominant team in winning all three of its games in the group stage. The Americans set a World Cup group-stage record by scoring 18 goals and didn't allow a goal in wins against Thailand, Chile and Sweden. But in addition to being one of only two group winners that plays a second-place finisher in the initial knockout round, instead of a third-place finisher, the U.