It all came down to a post. Alyssa Naeher stood no chance as she dove to her left. Ana Capeta's shot whizzed right by her as the hearts of every United States women's national team player on the field sank. But that post, that magic post, saved the USWNT from utter humiliation.
Somehow, seemingly against all odds, the USWNT are still in this World Cup. They probably shouldn't be, to be fair. Portugal would have been deserved winners if the Soccer Gods hadn't been so cruel to Capeta and co. The Portuguese earned a 0-0 draw with the two-time defending World Cup champions, and it's they who will leave the ones wondering what might have been.
The USWNT, meanwhile, put forth one of their worst World Cup performances of all time, and they'll now limp into the knockout rounds on the heels of it. The USWNT, the mighty USWNT, was forced to hold on for dear life just to survive the group stage. What a sentence that is to read.
They survived, though, and maybe we'll all look back at this game as a turning point for a team that went on to three-peat. More likely, though, we'll look at this draw as a sign of things to come because, based on what we've seen, the USWNT is nowhere near where they need to be.
GOAL rates the USWNT's players from Eden Park...