Women's Football/Soccer Tournament; Day 1 Recap

We are still a couple days away from the opening ceremony of the Olympics but the Women's soccer tournament got underway today. 6 games were crammed into a 5-6 hour time frame (some were played simultaneously). At the end of the day some games went as expected while a couple had a little drama. Here are 3 things we witnessed and learned from today's action.

1. BEWARE OF THE NORTH KOREANS!!!!!!!

Some people will look at this and say to themselves "I know, they have a lot of nuclear activity going on". Well no I'm actually talking about their women's soccer team. They kicked off their tournament against the feisty and very athletic Colombians. Those of you that read my last blog post will remember that I mentioned Colombians stars Carmen Rodallega and Yoreli Rincon, but the North Koreans could care less about those ladies. There was drama before the match even started as the North Koreans refused to come onto the field because the stadium jumbotron displayed the South Korean flag next to the names and pictures of the North Korean players as it was listing their lineup. After an hour delay the issue was resolved and both teams took the field. The ladies from the north side of the Korean peninsula took out their pregame frustration on the Colombians by putting constant pressure on their defense and handling them en route to a 2-0 victory. I don't think anyone really expected this result but the North Koreans came out to make a statement today. They are nearly impossible to scout because they don't play many international matches but they showed today that they are well organized and other opponents better take caution. Whether it's politics or sports, in this day in age the North Koreans refuse to be ignored.

2. GOALS GALORE!!!!!!!

Great Britain 1-0 New Zealand

USA 4-2 France

Japan 2-1 Canada

Brazil 5-0 Cameroon

Sweden 4-1 South Africa

North Korea 2-0 Colombia

When it comes to major soccer tournaments we are accustomed to seeing games end with little to no goals on opening day. Teams come out very cautious in their first games to avoid losing. We usually don't see high scoring games until the end of the group stage or the knockout stage when everyone starts playing with a sense of urgency. Well that was no the case today. With the exception of the Great Britain vs. New Zealand game we witnessed at least 2 goals in each game. Spectators often complain of soccer being too boring because of a lack of scoring, but no one will be complaining about today's result. Even more interesting is the fact that after only one day of action there are already 4 players tied for the goal scoring lead at 2 goals a piece (Alex Morgan-USA, Marta-Brazil, Lotta Schelin-Sweden, Kim Song Hui-North Korea). I hope this is a sign of things to come and we see more games with many goals. 

3. THE AMERICAN WOMEN MEAN BUSINESS

Out of all the teams that were victorious today, the most impressive had to be the United States. After 15 minutes the situation didn't look so good for the Americans as they fell into a quick 2-0 hole against a strong French side. Team USA needed a spark and they needed it fast and they got it minutes later from a familiar player. Abby Wambach who made it a routine to finish crosses by heading them into the back of the net during the 2011 World Cup came to the rescue for the Americans. She slipped through the French defense and finished off a corner kick with a great header to get the U.S. on the board. That was all it took for her teammates to get going. A couple minutes later Alex Morgan scored the equalizer, and when the second half started the Americans took total control. A goal from Carli Lloyd gave them the lead and Alex Morgan put them 2 up by scoring her second goal as they entered the last 25 minutes of the game. After a devastating loss to the Japanese in last year's world cup the American ladies are determined to bring home the Olympic gold and what better way to start that journey than beating one of the top teams in the tournament with 4 unanswered goals to complete a spectacular comeback. The only concern the Team USA in the tournament is their ability to finish games once in the lead. Former American soccer star Brandi Chastain who co-commentated the game emphasized towards the end how this USA team does not know how to control possession and finish a game comfortably. They refused to stop attacking against the French and almost got punished on a couple counterattacks. We will see how they adjust as the tournament goes along but for now we all have to admit, they look the strongest.

Be sure to catch more women's soccer action on Saturday but in the meantime check out the men's soccer tournament, which starts tomorrow Thursday July 26th. Opening ceremony for the whole Olympics games is on Friday. Enjoy the games and look out for more blog posts about the Olympics from Abdi and I. 

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