United States Beats Colombia in Women's World Cup

The Women's World Cup quarterfinals added another team today, the United States. Team USA played its second match of the tournament and beat Colombia 3-0. The win was the second in group play and it propelled the United States into the quarterfinals. It still has one more match to complete in group play, but the results no longer matters after wins over North Korea and Colombia.

The win over Colombia was pretty one-sided, and if the U.S. can keep playing this well in the single-elimination rounds, another World Cup title could be within reach. In the world of soccer, winning 3-0 is considered a blowout. For those watching, it probably could have been even worse for Colombia if the U.S. tried to press harder in the match. It seemed that at times it was settling for what Colombia would give it rather than pressing on offense, but it still worked as well as any other strategy would have in the end.

The United States will finish off group play against Sweden before the quarterfinals. This is very familiar territory for the U.S. women, and at this point an expectation of the team. It is a normality to see the team in the semifinals, but the results haven't always been pleasing once it reaches that point. Still, making it into the top eight of the tournament is a nice milestone for any team to enjoy.

The U.S. came into the World Cup with the No. 1 ranking in the world, meaning a loss would be considered an upset. It has been a few years since the women enjoyed a title in soccer though, and the group on the field is a dedicated group on a mission. This isn't something men's soccer is very familiar with in the U.S., but maybe the women can put the country back on the map in the world of soccer again.

There are a few teams to watch out for in the single-elimination face of the tournament, especially if they have also gone 2-0 already. Those 2-0 countries include France, Germany and Japan. Sweden is also undefeated, posing a good challenge to Team USA before, then there is the ever-present team from Brazil that will likely finish their group play undefeated as well.

Things are only going to get tougher from here, but goalie Hope Solo certainly seems up to the task.

Reference:

FIFA_Group_Standings