Women's World Cup, Germany goes Down, US Stays Alive

For anyone that hasn't been watching this stuff, they don't know what they're missing. First you see the tiny but quick Japanese team beat a much more physically dominant German squad.  You could tell that the Japanese players were giving their absolute all to just stay in the game and just as they were headed to penalty kicks, they got the break they finally needed with a goal in the second overtime period.

Abby Wambach, a former Florida Gator, heads in the game-tying goal.

And how about that U.S. win? Once again, women's soccer provides one of the greatest sports moments in American history. I jumped up and screamed as I was standing in front of my television watching Megan Rapinoe center the ball for an Abby Wambach header. I can honestly say that I haven't reacted that way for many sporting events, but beating Brazil and especially winning the way they did, made the U.S. victory one for the ages. You have to love all the hyperbole after the game, especially that of former national coach Tony DiCicco who said the game was a "celebration of the American human spirit." A bit of an exaggeration, sure. But you know what, it sounds kind of cool and made you feel happy to be on the American side.

Let's thank ABC and ESPN for promoting this sport in the States. I don't know where women's soccer was in 1995, but by 1999 it had at least gained a small foothold in the consciousness of sports fans. Now, women's soccer has gained at least as much foothold as women's gymnastics. Both sports get a ton of attention every four years when their sport's respective premier event takes place (the World Cup and the Summer Olympics), and in between there's the occasional coverage. Women's soccer has the additional advantage of being a big event in the Summer Olympics as well. I don't know how successful another women's soccer league will be, with the men's Major League Soccer struggling to capture a larger market, but as long as the powers that be continue to showcase the Women's World Cup, it's certain that the sport will continue to grow.

Today I was walking on my college campus where they're holding soccer camps for young kids. A group of 7 and 8 year old girls were engaged in a friendly competition when one group suddenly started to chant "USA! USA!" I smiled thinking about how the game was still in these girls' minds the next day.

Predictions: USA defeats France and Sweden defeats Japan in the two semifinal games, setting up a rematch from group play between the USA and Sweden.