USA vs. Canada: 3 Reasons Americans Will Throttle Northern Neighbors

USA women's soccer's Celebration Series begins tonight against Canada at Livestrong Sporting Park in Kansas City, Ks. This will be the first of two games between the rivals in a week's time, and is meant to be a homecoming of sorts for the USA and a celebration of their performance in the World Cup.

Everyone surely remembers the magical run that the stars and stripes went on in Germany, but they were denied the ultimate prize by Japan, who defeated them in penalty kicks in the final. Regardless, fans will likely be out in full force to support the ladies on a job well done.

This may only be a friendly, but both teams will undoubtedly be looking for a victory to bolster their journeys toward the 2015 World Cup. Here are three reasons why the USA will wipe the floor with their Canadian counterparts.

Home-Field Advantage

Regardless of whether head coach Pia Sundhage installs the USA's best lineup, the USA women will surely feed off the energy that will be supplied by the partisan Kansas City crowd. Rarely is a team so celebrated following a loss, but the USA women seem to have genuinely touched the hearts of many Americans.

Once the American ladies step on the pitch, they certainly won't want to let the fans down. To be universally loved, despite ultimately failing, is something the US women must appreciate. The fans have supported them for the past several months, so the least they can do is pay them back with a victory on home turf.

Goalkeeping

Despite her struggles late in the game and in penalty kicks against Japan in the World Cup final, Hope Solo is the best goalkeeper in the world. Because of that, the USA often doesn't have to play a perfect, or even a particularly great game in order to win. After being chosen for Dancing With the Stars, Solo is now an American sports darling.

Despite her new-found celebrity, Solo's focus is very unlikely to wane from the task at hand. She is an intense competitor who wants to win every match, whether it counts for something or not. Not winning against Canada wouldn't be the end of the world since it has no bearing on qualifying, but Solo will refuse to lose in this friendly.

USA is Out For Redemption

Tonight's game marks the first time the US women will compete together since losing to Japan in the World Cup. There, undoubtedly, has to be a sour taste still in the mouths of the players following that loss, particularly with leaders like Solo and Abby Wambach. While their reception has been great back home, that loss has been sitting with them for months.

Finally, the US women are going to be afforded the opportunity to play together as a team again. After this game, the World Cup will officially be a thing of the past as there will be nothing to do, but look forward. If the players are truly going to forget about the loss, however, they need to have a great performance tonight and they certainly have to win in convincing fashion.