Ask the casual United States soccer fan and they assume the Women's National Soccer Team won the 2011 World Cup. It sure felt like that after Abby Wambach's header in extra time sent the team into penalty kicks which eventually won them the game against Brazil. At the time, that was the moment women's soccer was put on the map in the states. However, Japan beat the United States to win the overall title and now they begin their quest for revenge as their tournament begins against Australia.
Most of the current roster who took place in the loss to Japan will state they are still not over barely missing the World Cup title and are ready for some revenge. That should help as Group D is one of the hardest pairings in the tournament and Australia is no exception. The USWNT enters the tournament ranked No.2 in the world as Australia comes in as No.10. The remaining teams in Group D include No.5 Sweden which means losing to Australia in the opening game could be disastrous.
One of the biggest question marks for the United States is the health of forward Alex Morgan. She has been dealing with a lingering knee injury all during the pre-tournament friendlies. Originally diagnosed as a bone bruise, Morgan told the media that she close to full health and intends on playing no matter what. The US certainly need her 51 goals and speed along with those picture-perfect finishes. Another question mark will be the number of minutes allotted to Wambach. That has been a topic of debate heading into the tournament. Some believe Wambach should not be a starter this time around. 2015 is her last World Cup and the veteran will do whatever it takes to win.
Another big headline for the opening match along with the entire tournament is the synthetic turf players will be forced to compete on. This could be an issue for players like Morgan who are battling injuries. Most of the team has stated they understand this is something that is not going to change and they simply hope adjusting will not be an issue.
The Australia team knows they are underdogs in terms of the media, but they have the talent to truly test the US. They will come out attacking in a 4-3-3 formation. Players like Lisa DeVanna and Katrina Gorry headline their roster. The US has beaten Australia 22 of 24 games. Regardless, they cannot afford to drop the game.
Watch Women's World Cup live stream USA vs. Australia, click here.