Algarve Cup 2012: Squads That Will Give U.S. Women Big Problems

Following a strong showing at last year's World Cup, the United States women's soccer squad will look to walk away from the Algarve Cup with its ninth victory in this event. 

While the U.S. squad has dominated this Cup, the field is deep and will create a lot of problems for them if they aren't careful. 

The storylines and stars will be out in full force when the Algarve Cup gets underway on Wednesday in Portugal. Here are the squads with the best chance to knock off the U.S. women. 

Japan

Who better to start with than the country that destroyed the World Cup dreams of the United States last summer?

The Japanese squad is the exact same as the one that took home the title last July, which will give them a confidence boost when they take on the American squad. 

It also helps that these two will be playing in the same group. Japan can get an early edge on the U.S. if it can walk away with an early victory. Doubt will start to creep into the minds of the Americans, which could create a huge ripple effect for the rest of the Cup. 

Sweden

Another squad that went over the United States in the World Cup, Sweden earned a 2-1 victory in that game. They also played to a 1-1 draw in an international friendly last November. 

Since these two squads are in different groups—Sweden in Group A, U.S. in Group B—they have to win their opening round matches to square off against each other. 

The U.S. is deeper than the Swedish squad, so they will have a clear advantage over them in a head-to-head matchup. But the Swedes proved that they will not be intimidated by anything that comes in their direction. 

Germany

Sitting right behind the United States in the FIFA soccer rankings is the German squad. Unlike the previous two squads on this list, there is no recent history between these two on the field. 

Playing in Group A could work against the German squad, since they will have to go through Sweden just to get a game against the United States. That will be one of the most important games of the Algarve Cup. 

If Germany is able to make it out of group play, it will have gained all the confidence needed to defeat the powerful U.S. squad. This squad won't be intimidated, and it will look to lay claim to the No. 1 world ranking. 

Follow @adamwells1985