Team USA on high in Women's soccer

The highly anticipated Women's World Cup kicks off today with an opening ceremony in Berlin.

Sitting at No. 1 in the FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World ranking, the U.S. team will give soccer fans around the country a reason to watch as the world's best converge in a contest for the Cup. The event will provide enthusiasts with three straight weeks of fierce competition and beautiful soccer.

Although the U.S. holds the No. 1 ranking coming into the tournament, it has not been sitting comfortably. Suffering a loss to Mexico, the U.S. had to battle for a spot in the Cup with a narrow 1-0 playoff victory over Italy last November. Despite the disappointment, U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage insists the loss to Mexico was a humbling stepping stone in preparation to compete for the Cup.

"We have had a bumpy road, but I think the situation has strengthened us," Sundhage said.

With the U.S. team's accomplishments, the squad has every reason to be confident in its chances this year. It has fared amazingly well in the Cup since its beginnings in 1991.

Team USA holds the title of leading scorers at the FIFA Women's World Cup finals with 85 goals overall. In addition, the team has finished in the top three at all five previous tournaments, emerging victorious in two. Although eight women on the present team have played in a World Cup, Christine Rampone is the only current U.S. player with that particular title under her belt.

With an ideal balance of young talent and experienced leaders, the U.S. took the Algarve Cup in March with wins over Japan and Norway. The team will look to utilize this mix again in the next couple of weeks.

With strong players like Abby Wambach and Amy Rodriguez, the U.S. will be tough contenders. Hope Solo, one of the best goalkeepers in the world, has been out with an injury but is expected to return for the tournament. If not, Nicole Barnhart has proved herself a capable alternate.Three LCD Screen Guards / Protectors for Apple iPod Touch 4 / 4G / 4th Gen

The U.S. will compete in Group C, which seems to be the most difficult of the four. The group includes three of the top six teams in the world with U.S. at No. 1, Sweden at No. 4 and Korea DPR at No. 6. Colombia is the final team in Group C and is making its debut in the Women's World Cup.BlueRigger High Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet 6.6 Feet (2m) - Supports 3D and Audio Return [Latest Version]

The USA will open with Korea DPR on Tuesday in Dresden. The last big game matchup between the two was at the FIFA Women's World Cup in China four years ago. The contest ended in a 2-2 draw with Abby Wambach in need of emergency stitches.Energizer Max AAA Batteries, 16-CountApple iPod touch 32 GB (4th Generation) NEWEST MODEL

The meeting with North Korea DPR will be the fourth consecutive matchup in the Cup, beginning with the 1999 tournament. It will be the second time they open group play against one another. With the tenacity of the two, it promises to be an exciting matchup.Transcend 16 GB Class 10 SDHC Flash Memory Card TS16GSDHC10E

The U.S. will then meet Colombia on July 2, followed with coach Pia Sundhage guiding the Americans against her native Sweden on July 6.Xbox 360 4GB Console with Kinect

Sundhage participated for Sweden in the 1991 and 1995 FIFA Women's World Cups. She took the helm of Team USA in 2007 and has since led the squad to victories at the Algarve Cup in 2008, and gold in the Beijing Olympics. She's assisted great coaches and mentors and brings a different style of play to the U.S. team.Motorola Vehicle Power Adapter micro-USB Rapid Rate Charger

Mexico got USA in Gold Cup Final 2011

For the second straight time, Mexico edged the United States in the Gold Cup final.Zumba Fitness Total Body Transformation System DVD Set

Pablo Berrera scored two goals as Mexico rallied for a 4-2 victory tonight in the tournament title game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.Andres Guardado and Giovani Dos Santos also scored to help Mexico score its sixth Gold Cup crown.Rothco 550lb. Type III Paracord

It was the third time in a row the countries met in the Gold Cup title game. Mexico beat the U.S. 5-0 in 2009. The U.S. won 2-1 in 2007.Since the Gold Cup began in 1991, the U.S. and Mexico have won nine of the 10 championships.CamelBak BPA-Free Better Bottle with Bite Valve

With the win, Mexico qualifies for the 2013 Confederations Cup, an international tournament that previews the 2014 World Cup.Stearns Kids Puddle Jumper Deluxe Life Jacket

Michael Bradley and Landon Donovan both scored to give the U.S. an early 2-0 lead. It was Donavan's 13th Gold Cup goal, making him the tournament's all-time leading scorer.Omron HJ-112 Digital Pocket Pedometer

But Barrera put Mexico ahead for in the 50th minute, slipping a 10-yard shot underneath the right hand of diving goalkeeper Tim Howard, a North Brunswick native.Zumba Fitness Exhilarate: The Ultimate Experience DVD Set

Team USA disappointed in Gold Cup 2011 but they made quaterfinal

I've never kept it a secret that I'm a fan of three of the soccer teams I often write about here. The Philadelphia Union, the United States men's national team and West Ham United of England always will hold serious places in my heart. All told, I've seen the three of those teams play, in person, more than 30 times in the last 12 years.

The blogosphere, so to speak, is a different animal to print and other traditional media in that regard. But, just because I express an allegiance to certain teams, it doesn't mean my analysis is all rose petals and violins. Hey, if a team claims your soul, then they had better produce performances that wreak of passion.

That was far from the case in the U.S. men's 1-0 win over Guadeloupe on Tuesday night in the last Group C game of the CONCACAF Gold Cup at Livestrong Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan. American striker Jozy Altidore scored a belter of a goal from 30 yards out in the first half, but the rest was a case of "nearly" from a U.S. side that flattered to deceive.

No matter, as the U.S. will play Jamaica in the quarterfinals at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., on Sunday at 3 p.m. (Fox Soccer). The pedestrian play shown by the Americans has to be wiped completely off the "white board" by coach Bob Bradley. There has to be a vibrancy to the U.S. gameplan that we really haven't seen since the last few minutes vs. Algeria last year in South Africa.

I've also said on here before that I've actually taken days off work to watch the U.S. men play in FIFA tournaments such as the Confederations Cup and, of course, the World Cup. I'll always "root for the shirt," as we say in this sport. But, I must say, that undying enthusiasm is getting much harder to muster. I at least want to be entertained by the product.

I hate to say it, but soccer's growth in the U.S. seems to have got to this team. When you make the covers of Sports Illustrated and ESPN the Magazine and are hailed as the greatest thing since sliced bread, the effort levels are bound to dip. The Landon Donovans and Carlos Bocanegras of the world look to be coasting and resting on their laurels.

Then, there's Mexico. They have been the revelation of this tournament, with a 3-0-0 record in group play. "El Tri," as they are known, have scored 14 goals and conceded just 1. They're scoring goals for fun now, and I hear regulalrly from local friends such as Jessica Figueroa of Linwood and Antonio Cortes of Pleasantville about their advanced level of play over the last week.

Many other pundits have written about this in recent days, but I agree that the Bradley coaching experiment has gone stale. How can a team with Donovan, Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard be struggling like a junior-college side? You have to think that a foreign coach might have to be the way to go here, although there is another type of option ... semantically, at least.

Don't look now, but Philadelphia Union manager Peter Nowak just could become the next U.S. coach. He's been at the helm for younger age groups within the American setup, but his work with the Union has been stellar this year. If Bradley is fired and Nowak gets the call, don't be surprised if Union CEO Nick Sakiewicz lets his manager go and hands the team over to assistant John Hackworth.

Nowak is from Poland, but he's been involved in the U.S. hierarchy for years. He'd almost be the perfect candidate for the national team ... he has the foreign pedigree but he knows what makes American players tick, so to speak. But, we digress. The U.S. team has Jamaica in front of them Sunday. For now, that's all that matters.

USA beat Guadeloupe to ensure their quaterfinal against Jamaica

Rarely is any win widely labeled as a failure, but the United States have captured that rare distinction tonight with their embarrassing 1-0 win over Guadeloupe. Though Jozy Altidore hit a fantastic strike in the 9th minute to put the United States up 1-0, they missed an absolutely unbelievable volume of chances and played completely lackadaisical throughout the second half. Guadeloupe hardly showed up to the game, and the fact that they were only able to win 1-0 in a must win game at home against such a poor side is extremely disappointing.

The general consensus is that the performance they put in tonight would get the USMNT embarrassed by Mexico and beaten quite easily by Jamaica and Costa Rica, so they will have to bring a much higher level of focus and energy against the Reggae Boyz

Clint Dempsey, in particular, had what can only be described as one of the worst games of his professional career. The attacking midfield player has been great for Fulham and the United States over the years, which is exactly what made his performance so shocking. He could have very easily had a hat trick, and his 75th minute miss was worthy of an all-time great misses lowlight reel.

Even more puzzling than the United States' atrocious finishing and their seemingly limited effort in the second half were the substitutions that Bob Bradley made. Despite the fact that his team had all of the possession and Guadeloupe appeared to have no chance to make anything happen, he brought in midfielders for strikers with his first two substitutions, then made a like for like change with the third. The decision to sit back and try to kill off a game in which his team held a 1-0 lead against an inferior opponent was baffling.

This was about the least impressive win that the United States could have possibly posted, and they look like a team that will be defeated by Jamaica without much of a problem. They have the rest of the week to sort themselves out, and despite the bad performances so far in Gold Cup, that quarterfinal matchup should be a close one.