Rapinoe leads USA past Aussies in World Cup opener

Megan Rapinoe scored two goals in USA’s 3-1 victory over Australia.

There is no other acceptable end result than a World Cup championship for the United State women’s soccer team. No country invests more money or more resources in women’s soccer. No country has a deeper developmental system for women’s soccer. No country should be better in women’s soccer. The last two times the United State played in the World Cup, however, they came up short. The last time was the most bitter defeat as they lost to Japan on penalty kicks.

But they have started their 2015 quest off on the perfect foot. The No. 2 team in the world dominated an Australia team ranked No. 10 in the world to a 3-1 victory.

Megan Rapinoe has taken over as the leader of the team and scored two wonderful goals. Her first came just 12 minutes into the game when she found the ball at her feet off a deflected ball kicked by Abby Wambach. She found just a slight glimmer of light in the middle of four Australian defenders and kicked the ball to the far right side of the goal.

Not too long later the Australians were able to tie the game when Lisa De Vanna got one past a diving Hope Solo. But it was clear the Americans were playing with a purpose. They were putting the pressure on, moving the ball well from the back up to the front. The only thing that was not quite clicking was the connection between Wambach and fellow striker Sydney Leroux, who was starting in place of Alex Morgan, who is coming back from an injury.

In the second half, though, that connection was much stronger and as Leroux got more involved it led to more pressure from the Americans.

In the 61st minute, Leroux ran the ball all the way up the left side of the field and just before she got to the end line she kicked the ball back into the middle of the field to right wing Christen Press and Press finished with an immediate shot into the goal to put the team back up by a goal.

USA was playing defense by offense in the second half, controlling possessions, preventing Australian attack from getting in a rhythm.

In the 61st minute, Rapinoe score one more insurance goal to give the Americans a little extra cushion. She made a tremendous run up the left side and finished it on her own after a few dodges, striking it into the goal with her left foot.

The team next plays on Friday against Sweden, which tied Nigeria 3-3 earlier in the day.

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Corey Johns

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You could say Corey was born to become a sports journalist. His father won a national championship coaching college soccer. His mother is a baseball fanatic who hasn't missed seeing an Orioles game since 1983 (literally, sometimes it's annoying). His great uncle was a big-time boxing promoter and his maternal grandfather was once a department head at the Baltimore Sun. Basically, sports and journalism run through his blood. He played just about every little league sports there was when he was a kid and was a multi-sport athlete in high school; even playing in the first-ever high school sanction Rugby game in the country. Eventually he retired from sports as an undefeated Maryland state Rugby champion as a high school senior. Perhaps lack of athletic talent has more to do with the retirement, but he will tell you that it more had to do with a great desire to jump right into media. Upon his graduation from University of Maryland, Baltimore County as a triple communications major, Corey started the So Much Sports network and has continued to grow his websites and continues to work to make them premier sports media outlets.

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