USA vs. New Zealand Women's Olympic Soccer: Americans Who Must Shine in Quarters

The United States' women's national team received a scare in its opening Olympic match against France, falling behind 2-0 in the first 14 minutes. The Americans rebounded to win that game 4-2, and cruised through the rest of the group stage with ease.

They enter the knockout round as the favorite to take home a gold, but have to win three more games to make that dream reality. It starts with a quarterfinal clash against New Zealand on Friday, so let's look at three players who need to lead the way for Team USA.

Megan Rapinoe

There isn't a better distributor in the women's game than Rapinoe. While the dynamic striking duo of Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach often steal the headlines, their jobs up front are made a lot easier by Rapinoe's pinpoint passes.

She's especially effective on counterattacks when the opposing back line is on its heels, threading the needle to create easy scoring opportunities for her teammates. The American attack simply wouldn't be as effective without her.

New Zealand will likely set up in a defensive formation with hopes of keeping the game close for as long as possible. That will put a little extra pressure on Rapinoe to find open lanes, but she should be up to the task.

Alex Morgan

Morgan scored twice in the United States' comeback victory over France, but has been held off the score sheet in each of the last two games. The Americans need her to get back on track during the knockout rounds to provide some support for Wambach.

While Morgan did have a nice assist in the win over North Korea, she's at her best while attacking the net. That's illustrated by her numbers, which show the 23-year-old fan favorite has scored 29 goals in less than 50 international appearances.

Morgan's incredible pace can cause nightmares for the New Zealand defense if she utilizes it early and often. As long as the striker picks up her level of aggressiveness, the results will soon follow.

Hope Solo

Even though New Zealand is ranked well below Team USA, Solo can't afford to lose her focus on Friday. The Football Ferns are coming off a game in which they scored three goals, giving them a boost of confidence heading into the quarterfinals.

The American defense, including Solo, was caught off-guard a little bit in the aforementioned match against France. While they are heavy favorites to advance, they can't take anything for granted or it will be too close for comfort.

Solo hasn't allowed a goal in either of the last two games, as the back-line has stepped up to take most of the pressure off her shoulders. If she does get called on, however, it will be her duty to show why she's considered one of the best in the world.