Star player of the USWNT, Alex Morgan, has openly acknowledged the need for improvement ahead of their last-16 clash against Sweden on Sunday.

Morgan's team had a close call in the group stages, with a lacklustre 0-0 draw against Portugal and a 1-1 draw against group winners Netherlands, almost missing out on a spot in the knockout stages.

As they prepare for the crucial last 16 tie against Sweden, Morgan has emphasised the necessity for significant improvements if they are to progress to the quarterfinals.

"There's no sugarcoating it, we had a bad game against Portugal," Morgan said at a press conference. "We are lucky. We have moved on from that and are looking forward to this match. We've prepared every second we possibly could in creating the most chances, on limiting [Sweden] in chances, and I feel very motivated for the match."

It will be a stern test against Sweden, who narrowly missed out on the 2019 World Cup final — in which USA beat Netherlands 2-0 — and who face USWNT having topped Group G with a maximum nine points.

Despite having 121 goals in 210 appearances for the USWNT, Morgan hasn't yet scored in this tournament and will need to be on fine form if her side are to get a result.

Morgan and Co. were recently fired a warning shot by Sweden defender Nathalie Bjorn, who told reporters: "We'll make sure we knock out the USWNT" in a fierce pre-match press conference.

Fighting talk from the Swedes, who come into tomorrow's match full of confidence.