USA vs. Canada: Americans Must Beat Canada Convincingly in Friendly

The worst thing you can ever do in sports is to underestimate your opponent. I don't care if you're the best in the world going up against a high school team, you can't assume that anything is in the bag.

In a friendly, a loss isn't the end of the world. It doesn't do anything more than give your team the loss of a mental edge that may have been there.

So, we shouldn't read too much into Saturday's USA vs. Canada friendly. No matter what happens, the Americans are going to be revered as one of the top teams in the world.

But given the talent they have and that Canada just completed the Women's World Cup with an 0-3 record while scoring only one goal, this one shouldn't be close.

Don't get me wrong, there is no need to run the score up. If they get out to a strong lead and can contain the Canadian offense, there is no need to continue with a constant attack. No real message is going to be sent to the soccer world with an 8-0 win over Canada.

But for the sake of their confidence for Olympic qualifying, it's necessary to come away with a big win in Kansas City. They can't be left with any internal doubts as to what kind of team they are.

So what's the concern?

Well, even though they didn't win, the American team became celebrities after the World Cup. Four years ago, the name Hope Solo was only known because of the controversy surrounding her in the 2007 World Cup.

Now, her image has had a complete 180. People know who she is, she's well liked and well respected. This team is as well known as any American team since the 1999 champions.

That's fine. There's nothing wrong with being a celebrity. If you handle it well, being a celebrity can bring great notoriety to yourself, as well as your sport.

But it can also distract you from your sport.

Now, don't get me wrong. I am not spelling doom for this team if they lose. But a loss, or even an unimpressive win, will put doubts into the minds of the players that the celebrity status is hurting them.

There's one way to avoid all of that. If the American team goes out and has a strong showing against Canada, they get the best of both worlds.