Women's Olympic Soccer 2012: Why Team USA and Brazil Will Battle for Gold

The women's football gold medalist will be either Team USA or Brazil.

The other teams in the tournament simply aren't as talented as these two.

Japan, the world champions, are the biggest competition. However, the Japanese have never finished better than fourth at the Olympics. While that is nothing to be ashamed of, it certainly doesn't mean they should be favored.

The World Cup was an incredible moment in Japanese football history. That being said, it was much more of an aberration than a trend. It took a perfect storm for Japan to win a tournament, and it won't happen again.

Another reason Brazil and the United States will be battling for gold is that the other best team in the world, Germany, didn't even qualify for the Olympics.

The Germans are ranked second in the FIFA and have won three straight bronze medals. Unfortunately, they didn't qualify for the tournament, making the road a lot easier for the other top teams.

Team USA and Brazil have met in the final for two straight Olympics, with the United States capturing the gold on both occasions. In the two Olympic games before that, the United States won another gold as well as a silver medal. Meanwhile, Brazil finished fourth each time.

Accordingly, it is clear how well these two countries play at the Olympics. The tournament structure is a little different from the World Cup, and it benefits the best teams. The quarterfinal match is usually a cakewalk for the No. 1 seeds, which facilitates the consistent top-four finishes.

The United States and Brazil are the two most talented women's teams, and they have the best history at the Olympics. Their strongest competition didn't qualify, and the other best team is trying to recreate some of the magic that was lost last summer.

It will be an entertaining tournament, but at the end of the day, the gold medal will go to either Team USA or Brazil.