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U.S., North Korea meet again at Women's World Cup

Jun 27, 2011 - 7:59 PM Dresden, Germany (Sports Network) - The United States will face North Korea in group play of the Women's World Cup for the fourth straight event Tuesday when it starts play in the 2011 tournament, but for the first time there may not be a gap between the countries.

The U.S., which won the 1991 and 1999 World Cups, beat North Korea 3-0 in both 1999 and 2003, but four years ago the Asian nation earned a 2-2 draw. With the Americans struggling ahead of the 2011 event, the opening match provides a big test.

"There's been a lot of speculation on how we will match up with the teams in our group, but it all comes down to performance, so come June 28 it's a chance to show what we can do in big games and every player on the team is excited for that opportunity," U.S. forward Amy Rodriguez said.

The U.S., ranked No. 1 in the world, remains the clear favorite in Group C and should advance to the knockout stage for the sixth consecutive tournament. But North Korea and Sweden are also capable of advancing.

So although its a scenario that has never been discussed in previous World Cup tournaments, the U.S. actually is in danger of failing to advance out of group play. That's a fate Sweden suffered four years ago for the first time.

But at Rudolf Harbig Stadion in Dresden, Germany, the Americans can also erase any doubts about what this team is capable of this summer.

"We are ready to start the tournament," Rodriguez said, "and there is a lot of fire in our bellies."

But over the last nine months, the U.S. has lost to Mexico, Sweden and England - three World Cup qualifiers - and has never before looked so human. With the lone link to the '99 team being captain Christie Rampone, this squad does have something to prove.

Although two straight third-place finishes certainly doesn't look bad at first glance, in the women's game - for one of the best teams in the world - it has signaled failure.

Now, coach Pia Sundhage must take a team that has 13 players in the World Cup for the first time back to the pinnacle of the sport in an event she said will be "the most difficult World Cup to win ever."

North Korea has played in the last three Cups, and qualified for the knockout stage for the first time four years ago. And as runner-up in Asian qualifying, not to mention being ranked eighth in the world, the always solid North Korean side will be a threat.

"We don't know much about the North Koreans, but what we do know is that they played us evenly in 2007 and they're going to be a really technical team," said U.S. forward Abby Wambach.

However, that 2-2 tie four years ago comes with an asterisk as Wambach was not on the field when the Koreans scored both goals. She suffered a deep gash on her head and spent nine minutes on the sidelines to close the wound, and North Korea scored both goals during that time.

But a loss to North Korea on Tuesday could leave a deeper gash that takes four years for the U.S. to heal.