London 2012 Olympic Predictions: 5 Reasons US Women's Soccer Will Be Golden

The U.S. women's soccer team enters the 2012 London Olympics as the presumed favorite to win the gold medal. It is fitting, as the 2011 World Cup runner-up has won three of the four Olympic gold medal games.

Their Olympic championships (1996, 2004 and 2008) all came the year after the women took third-place in the World Cup. Oddly, their 1999 World Cup title led to the team taking silver in the 2000 Olympics.

The teams that have preceded the 2012 squad managed to overcome issues in World Cup play to win the gold medal, and this side will have what it takes to do the same in London.

Popularity of Women's Soccer in the U.S.

There is a gender difference relative to the popularity of soccer in America.

While the boys' game has been steadily climbing over the last 15 years, pressures to focus on sports with greater opportunities tend to push the most gifted American boys to sports such as football, basketball and baseball. These sports have more scholarship opportunities and the hope of a professional payday for the best of the very best.

Soccer has not held nearly the same opportunities, and the feeder system has suffered for it.

For women, though, the primary payoff is a college scholarship, as there are few professional sports options available.

Per a report by scholarshipforathletes.com, there are currently over 6,700 scholarships available to female soccer players. The value of those awards is $920 million, on-par with the roughly $1 billion available to basketball for men and for women.

This information is fairly correlative to data provided by the NCAA.

On the men's side, the totals are barely over half of what is available to women. There are roughly 3,650 scholarships available worth about $500 million.

The influence of Title IX has created an expansion of female sports, and many schools needed to find options for females to offset the high-profile football teams. The total scholarship money available for football players is estimated at over $5 billion.

While a circuitous route, opportunities for female soccer players make the sport more attractive to kids, thus creating an improved talent base that has become an international power.

Talent...with Heart

The purpose of the initial slide was to provide some background on the athletes that were choosing soccer 15-20 years ago, as they are currently the heart of the American team. The international success of the U.S. women over the last 16 years is certainly pushing today's youth to the sport.

While there are other factors, it doesn't hurt that the U.S. team starts with some of the best talent in the world.

Players like Hope Solo, Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach make the U.S. roster quite intimidating. 

The success starts where opposing offenses often end...with Solo. She is considered by many to be the best keeper in the world and is given much of the credit for the success of Team USA.

John McGregor of soccer365.com states Solo "is recognized as being the premier goalkeeper in the women’s game." He also shared Solo's thoughts on what makes the U.S. team such a power: 

"

Confidence comes from our preparation, and because we know we are damn good.

Hope Solo

"

While this may come off as arrogant for some athletes, it is fitting from Solo and for her team.

Another example is Wambach, who has a knack for creating scoring opportunities when her team needs her the most. She is working quite well with relative newcomer Morgan, who simply has a knack for scoring almost at will.

It won't likely be said that the U.S. team is the most talented, though. On the contrary, World Cup victims like France and Brazil may have better overall talent.

Brian Straus with the Sporting News likened the French and Brazilian teams as playing “the beautiful game.”

The U.S. was struggling against France in the semifinal, who looked to be the better team. They held a large advantage in shots on goal and had the U.S. team on their heels.

Straus shares the response from coach Pia Sundhage when she was asked how the U.S. managed their comeback win.

"A big heart, " Sundhage offered. "I think France played very well. In the beginning, we did OK but we just lost our legs. But we picked up the heart. That is why we won today and why we’ll play in the (World Cup) final."

Experience

The U.S. team holds an incredible amount of international experience. There is a solid core of players that have been with Team USA for years, and only one player has been added since 2010 when the team began preparing for the 2011 World Cup.

This team has had a challenge in creating their own identity with so many veterans, though. There are players that shared time with the likes of Brandi Chastain and Mia Hamm, and the former World Cup and Olympic champions cast a large shadow.

As Sally Jenkins with the Washington Post puts it, "they have an indefinable something, a charisma that begins with their physical largeness." 

That charisma may very well begin with their intimidating presence on the pitch, but it is defined by the years of dedication to their side. They have seven players with over 100 caps. These stars have seen what it takes to win and know they have the skill to make it happen.

There are many other factors at play, but there is a synergy that begins with the team's experience.

Familiarity and Teamwork

While experience is important, there is something to be said for a team being familiar with each other. In some Olympic team sports, the American entry has players with a lot of experience but very little familiarity.

For example, the 2012 men's basketball squad is full of NBA veterans, but the team was just recently finalized. The players have very little shared experience, and that was an issue with the 2004 squad.

However, the women's football team has been playing together most of the past 12 months, or longer.

Granted, some have club commitments as well, but the market for professional women's football in the U.S. (or world, for that matter) hasn't materialized. This means fewer club matches and more time for the women to work as a team.

The results have been solid, with the U.S. team staking a 14-1-1 mark on the year. They have played a team sport as a team and have been rewarded for their efforts.

The time together also allows the coaching and conditioning staff to keep better tabs on the players. 

The aforementioned Jenkins mentioned in her Washington Post article that "as a group, they are demonstrably the strongest, fittest team in the world." 

The advantages of spending time on the team are immense, but in the case of the U.S. side, this familiarity is at the core of their synergy. They know they can depend on their coach and teammates, and they've experienced enough together to know they can find a way to win.

Balance

There is certainly an art to setting a team's roster.

There is the obvious breakdown to fill positional needs, but there is also the need to balance the team's chemistry.

To be successful on the international stage, a team needs to combine experience with youthful energy. It needs players that are passionate with their style of play, and those that can keep the team centered and focused. 

It also takes a balance of cockiness and confidence.

Coach Sundhage is at the center of all of these areas, and this is where her leadership is invaluable.

She has helped build a U.S. team featuring energetic young scorers like Morgan and Sydney Leroux and balances them with the experience of Wambach (18 World Cup caps) and Rampone.

She takes the confidence and possible arrogance of Solo and balances it with...well, perhaps Solo doesn't need any balancing.

Not only does this approach ensure the experience of the future, it offers synergy in the present.

One example can be gleaned from the U.S. victory over France in the 2011 World Cup. As mentioned before, France was outplaying the U.S. side. Sundhage recognized her team had lost their legs a bit and made a pair of key substitutions. 

Morgan entered the game early in the second half and began to complement Wambach. Sundhage then sent Megan Rapinoe into the game at the 65-minute mark, and her passing and control left the French unsettled.

Team USA wins with balance and poise, and coach Sundhage is at the very core of both. She recognized what her team needed to beat France and responded accordingly.

Solo offered a fitting summation of the team, via the Sporting News. “We’re calm the whole time. I knew we were going to win (against France). I knew from the very beginning we were going to find a way to win. That’s this team’s mentality.”

That mentality didn't secure a World Cup championship, but that will only add drive to be sure they don't come up short in London.