USA vs. Brazil: Early Lead the Key to Americans' 3-0 Victory

Facing Brazil in the three-team Kirin Cup on Tuesday, the United States women's soccer team relied on a foolproof tenet to carry them to victory: score early and let defense do the rest.

Thanks to some early scoring, the U.S. women's team notched a 3-0 win over Brazil in a game that started four hours ahead of schedule because of heavy rain and wind in the forecast.

Carli Lloyd led off the scoring in the 18th minute, picking up a loose ball after Christie Rampone's free kick. Shannon Boxx made it 2-0 just five minutes later with a header off another free kick and Amy Rodriguez added a third goal in the 83rd minute.

U.S. coach Pia Sundhage couldn't overlook the importance of winning this game as the team prepares for this summer's Olympics in London. Sundhage told the Associated Press' Jim Armstrong:

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We scored two good goals in the first half. We looked very good on set pieces and that's something we talked about so I'm happy about that. Playing teams like Japan and Brazil is always good preparation for the Olympics.

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The U.S. played to a 1-1 draw against Japan on Sunday in the exhibition tournament's opening round, kicking off a three-day stretch in which it would face the No. 3 team (Japan) and No. 4 team (Brazil) in the world.

Asserting its dominance with some early scoring was particularly important for the U.S. as it faced a Brazil team without its most important player. Brazil's Marta, five-time FIFA women's world player of the year, didn't play and instead prepared for upcoming matches with her Swedish club team, Tyreso.

Still, Brazil coach Jorge Barcellos was grateful for the experience his younger players were able to glean from Tuesday's match. He told the AP, "It wasn't our best squad so we knew it would be a tough match. But we wanted to give some of our younger players some chances as we prepare for the Olympics."

This is the type of match that will give the top-ranked U.S. team confidence as the Olympics draw near. Scoring early and sustaining those leads can give the team the momentum it needs to make a push for the gold, just like it's 1996 again.