The U.S. fought off an aggressive Australian team in its first game Monday at the World Cup, to come away with a win and an important three points in pool play.

The score was 3-1, with two goals coming from midfielder Megan Rapinoe and another from Christen Press. The win means the U.S. leads its pool in points after the first round of games.

There were some big questions going into the game: could the U.S. step up on the big stage, especially dealing with injuries for key players, such as Alex Morgan? Could the U.S. strike early in a group of teams considered one of the toughest in the tournament?

Despite the important win, some of those questions remain for Team USA, said Laura Vecsey of Fox Sports.

"This team is still very reliant on a very direct style of play and when it doesn't work, it falls apart, especially in the midfield, which is what we saw yesterday," she told Take Two from Winnipeg, where the U.S. game took place.

During a sluggish start, U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo made a couple key saves to keep the score even, showing why the U.S. has kept her in the starting lineup, despite off-the-field controversy, including new details reported by ESPN this week on an allegation of domestic abuse.

Next up for the U.S.: Sweden on Friday in Vancouver. That game could shape up to be a classic, said Vecsey.

"This is going to be just epic," she said, pointing out that former U.S. coach Pia Sundhage now heads Sweden's team and may bring extensive insight on US players to the match. "They're going to be playing against a coach who knows how to take them apart. It's going to be great."