The semifinal round in women's soccer at the 2021 Olympics is set.
Despite another underwhelming performance, the United States survived and advanced on penalty kicks against the Netherlands. The Americans and Dutch played to a 2-2 draw through regulation and extra time before earning a 4-2 shootout. Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher was the USWNT star, making three penalty saves in the game, including a crucial stop in the second half.
The U.S. will face rival Canada, which needed penalties as well to get past Brazil. The two sides played to a scoreless draw before the Canadians moved on with a 4-3 shootout win. The USWNT and Canada will play the first semifinal Monday at 4 a.m. ET, with the winner advancing to Thursday's gold-medal match.
On the other side, Sweden cruised to a 3-1 win over Japan and Australia outlasted Great Britain in a 4-3 triumph. They will play in the other semifinal Monday at 7 a.m. ET in Tokyo.
The USWNT is holding firm as the gold-medal favorite, dipping below plus money at -125 at most books, with Sweden next at +175 odds. Sweden cruised to a 3-0 victory over the U.S. in their opening match of group play.
Below, we broke down group standings and scenarios for the knockout round, and we'll continue to fill out the bracket as it develops in the tournament.
Olympic Women's Soccer Bracket
Friday
Quarterfinal Matchups
Game 1: Canada 0, Brazil 0 (Canada wins, 4-3, on penalties)
Game 2: Australia 4, Great Britain 3
Game 3: Sweden 3, Japan 1
Game 4: USA 2, Netherlands 2 (USA wins, 4-2, on penalties)
Semifinals
Monday, Aug. 2
Game 5: Canada vs. USA — 4 a.m. ET
Game 6: Australia vs. Sweden — 7 a.m. ET
Medal matches
Thursday, Aug. 5
Game 7: Bronze medal match — 4 a.m. ET
Game 8: Gold medal match — 10 am. ET
Group Standings
The 12 teams in the Olympic women's soccer tournament are broken into three four-team groups. The top two teams will automatically advance, and two third-place teams with the most points will also reach the quarterfinals, with goal differential and goals scored as the next tiebreakers.
Group E
| Team | Points | GD |
|---|---|---|
| Great Britain | 7 | 3 |
| Canada | 5 | 1 |
| Japan | 4 | 0 |
| Chile | 0 | -4 |
Japan needed a win to advance and got it. It's the second of two third-place qualifiers, along with Australia.
Group F
| Team | Points | GD |
|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 7 | 13 |
| Brazil | 7 | 6 |
| China | 1 | -11 |
| Zambia | 1 | -8 |
Group G
| Team | Points | GD |
|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 9 | 7 |
| USA | 4 | 2 |
| Australia | 4 | -1 |
| New Zealand | 0 | -6 |
The USWNT advanced with a draw and finished second, because of its goal differential tiebreaker over Australia. It will face the Netherlands in the quarterfinals.
2021 Olympic Women's Soccer Schedule & Results
All four quarterfinal matches were Friday, with the semifinals and medal-round games set for Monday and Thursday. The gold-medal match will be at 10 a.m. ET and more viewable for the American audience.
Wednesday, July 21
| Match | Time (ET) | TV Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Great Britain 2, Chile 0 | 3:30 a.m. | Olympic |
| Brazil 5, China 0 | 4 a.m. | NBCSN |
| Sweden 3, USA 0 | 4:30 a.m. | USA |
| Japan 1, Canada 1 | 6:30 a.m. | NBCSN |
| Netherlands 10, Zambia 3 | 7 a.m. | Olympic |
| Australia 2, New Zealand 1 | 7:30 a.m. | USA |
Saturday, July 24
| Match | Time (ET) | TV Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Canada 2, Chile 1 | 3:30 a.m. | Telemundo |
| China 4, Zambia 4 | 4 a.m. | None |
| Sweden 4, Australia 2 | 4:30 a.m. | NBCSN |
| Great Britain 2, Japan 1 | 6:30 a.m. | None |
| Netherlands 3, Brazil 3 | 7 a.m. | Universo |
| USA 6, New Zealand 1 | 7:30 a.m. | NBCSN |
Tuesday, July 27
| Match | Time (ET) | TV Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Sweden 2, New Zealand 0 | 4 a.m. | N/A |
| USA 0, Australia 0 | 4 a.m. | USA |
| Japan 1, Chile 0 | 7 a.m. | Universo |
| Canada 1, Great Britain 1 | 7 a.m. | N/A |
| Netherlands 8, China 2 | 7:30 a.m. | N/A |
| Brazil 1, Zambia 0 | 7:30 a.m. | Telemundo |
Odds to Win Gold Medal
Odds via DraftKings entering the semifinal matches
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| United States | -125 |
| Sweden | +175 |
| Canada | +800 |
| Australia | +900 |
U.S. Women's Roster
Goalkeeper (2): Adrianna Franch (Portland Thorns FC), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)
Defense (6): Abby Dahlkemper (Manchester City), Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars), Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns FC), Kelley O’Hara (Washington Spirit), Becky Sauerbrunn (Portland Thorns FC), Emily Sonnett (Washington Spirit)
Midfielders (5): Julie Ertz (Chicago Red Stars), Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC), Rose Lavelle (OL Reign), Kristie Mewis (Houston Dash), Samantha Mewis (NC Courage)
Forwards (5): Tobin Heath, Carli Lloyd (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride), Christen Press, Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign)
