The Matildas must win or draw against the USA to qualify for the Olympic knockout stages, but there are scenarios where the dream of a medal could still be alive should the team lose – although results would have to fall Australia’s way.

Following a dismal 3-0 loss to Germany and a plucky 6-5 win over minnows Zambia, reports have emerged of dissatisfaction with coach Tony Gustavsson.

The Australian reported “several sources close to the team” have described the Swedish manager’s running of the Olympic camp as a “sh-tshow” at times.

Another word used to describe Gustavsson in the report was “disorganised”, while on the field the team is thought to be in a “mess” owing to “disorganised direction”.

The Matildas have not won silverware in 14 years and had high hopes to take home a medal from Paris.

Australia has only defeated the USA once in 33 games. The Matildas play the USA at 3am AEST on Thursday morning.

The same sources questioned if Gustavsson’s heart is in the job.

He is likely to leave his role at the end of the tournament and after the World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand he missed out on the top job as USA head coach, and coach of Sweden.

There are also concerns that the absence of star striker and captain Sam Kerr is adversely affecting the team.

She was not invited to be with the squad in Paris despite her injury and while her talents have been missed on the field the report suggested her off-field mentoring has also been lacking.

Gustavsson admitted “we didn’t play well” after the 6-5 win over Zambia, in which the Matildas trailed 5-2 down at one point. But he did also want to focus on the positive nature of the fightback.

“How many times have these players done that? This is not the time to dwell about how we conceded five goals because obviously that was sh-t; this is the time to talk about the spirit in this team,” Gustavsson said.

“No one can question their fitness after today – to push through that type of game when you’re three goals down with 35 minutes to go.

“There are things we can do better defensively, yes, but I think if we are fair, if you want to look at all the chances we had we were close to eight to 10 goals in this game.

“Sometimes it takes a couple of games to get into a tournament and hopefully we play our way into this tournament when it comes to form.”

Veteran striker Michelle Heyman, who scored the winner against Zambia hailed her team’s tenacity.

“This is such a good feeling, you know!” Heyman said.

“It’s the never-say-die attitude. I just wanted to get on that field and give it my all. I really want that medal and I’ll do anything that I can to bring that home.

“We just kept digging … We knew we could do it. It was going to come, and we knew they were going to get tired.

“That’s why I was happy to come on with fresh legs and run some rings around them and enjoy the game, and you could see that passion on the field. We were giving it our all and we never gave up.

“This is sport. High-scoring games are a little bit on the edge for everyone, but this is what we play to do. We love it.”