Plus 5 key points about the U.S. women's semifinal match vs. France today

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Plus 5 key points about the U.S. women's semifinal match vs. France today

Oh, by the way, the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team hasn’t won anything yet.

We interrupt the nation’s newfound interest with the Women’s World Cup for a moment in order to point out that the U.S. team’s miraculous victory over Brazil on Sunday was only one step in the journey – the quarterfinals - and hurdles remain in its bid to reach the championship match in Frankfurt, Germany.

With that in mind, here’s five things you should know about their semifinal match against the French on Wednesday:

1. Rachel Buehler is out: Buehler, a U.S. defender, has to miss this match due to her red card against Brazil. She's missed one game in 2011, and started every game during this World Cup cycle. Her replacement, Becky Sauerbrunn, has played in 11 total matches for the U.S., and never in one of consequence. No coach ever wants to make a change to the back four this late in the tournament.

2. Rest is key: France had a whole extra day of rest over the U.S., since it played on Saturday. At this stage of the tournament, that could be crucial.

3. France is a miracle team, too: The upstart French side had their own penalty-kick jubilation when it ousted the favored English on Saturday. This team is close and cohesive, stemming from the fact that 10 players are teammates at the club level for Lyon, which won the European Cup in the spring. Some observers called France a dark-horse to win this tournament in June.

4. Possession is critical: If the U.S. gets impatient and becomes direct, attacking out of frustration or even boredom, it'll favor the French. The U.S. needs to be disciplined in its midfield, and looks to counter and capitalize with its own speed, particularly with Heather O'Reilly on the right flank and Amy Rodriguez up top.

5. The U.S. hasn't "won" since the Colombia match: Remember this team lost to Sweden in the group finale, and tied Brazil (advancing on penalty kicks in that match, but it goes in the books as a draw). Despite the emotional comeback and media rush, the fact is that the U.S. hasn't played well in this tournament. It’ll be an uphill battle, as any of remaining teams could easily take the Cup.

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