USA vs. Colombia Women's Olympic Soccer: Full Match Preview, Potential Lineups

The United States Women's National Team continue their quest for Olympic gold against Colombia on Saturday, July 28.

After an impressive 4-2 victory over France in their first game, coach Pia Sundhage will turn her attention to the nation's second group-stage game as the competition begins to heat up.

Read on for a full preview of the game and possible starting lineups.

USA's First Game

The USWNT got off to a shaky start, but they recovered nicely to open their account with a crucial win.

Falling behind by two goals in quick succession, Pia Sundhage's squad had to think quickly and keep their heads up as they struggled to find their groove.

Alex Morgan proved to be the turning point, and her intelligent runs caused the French defence problems throughout the first half.

The second half saw Megan Rapinoe turn on the style. She finally began to torment her marker and opened things out completely. In the end, four goals didn't flatter the gold-medal favourites.

Colombia's First Game

In stark contrast to the U.S., Colombia got off to a terrible start in the competition.

After waiting around an hour for their North Korean counterparts to agree to play following a flag-related controversy, Colombia failed to exert any kind of dominance on the game and went down 2-0.

Both goals, featured in the BBC Sport link above, suggest the defence is far from assured and susceptible to clever movement.

Colombia struggled to bother North Korea offensively and will have a lot to think about against the U.S.

USA's Possible Lineup

Despite a questionable start with regard to the scoreline, USA looked relatively comfortable on the ball throughout Group G's opening game.

The team performed well, and as coach Pia Sundhage suggests, it's important to judge her troops on the entire 90 minutes, not just the first 15 (via ussoccer.com).

Alex Morgan was roughed up by France but appears just fine, so the only injury concern ahead will be Shannon Boxx's hamstring. 

Carli Lloyd came on in her place and proved more than capable after scoring the winning goal, so overall, Sundhage will be happy with her options and feel confident in achieving a second win.

Potential starting XI: Hope Solo, Kelley O'Hara, Rachel Buehler, Amy LePeilbet, Tobin Heath, Carli Lloyd, Lauren Cheney, Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, Abby Wambach

Colombia's Possible Lineup

Ricardo Rozo and his squad will hardly have wanted to face a make-or-break game this early, but a loss to North Korea in the first round of matches puts them in a tough situation.

Colombia are not blessed with the most talented squad in the competition, and the majority of their players who started against Korea DPR were incredibly young.

The defence, as mentioned, looked uncertain and suspect. As much as Rozo will want his team to improve in that area, the options on the bench cannot be considered luxurious.

Minimal, if any changes will be made to Colombia's team.

Potential Starting XI: Sandra Sepulveda, Natalia Gaitan, Natalia Ariza, Daniela Montoya, Orianica Velasquez, Carmen Rodallega, Maria Usme, Liana Salazar, Yulieth Dominguez, Laly Andrade, Kelis Peduzine

Prediction

As much as we'd like to see a well-contested game like USA's first encounter with France, this one looks rather one-sided.

Colombia's defensive frailties were put on show against Korea DPR, so Alex Morgan will be ready to take over. Abby Wambach, too, should have a field day.

The U.S. team had defensive issues themselves, as Kelley O'Hara struggled to keep a lid on France's potent, gutsy attack. If Colombia can find any rhythm in attack, the U.S. could struggle for periods of the game.

No clean sheets, but a comfortable win for the USWNT—3-1 the score.