US Coach April Henrichs is ready for the game against Norway tomorrow. And there's a lot at stake.

"A victory on Wednesday would validate her decisions to remake the national team with a blend of youth and experience, to play a melting-pot style that she feels best represents a melting-pot nation. A defeat would dilute United States dominance in the sport, extinguish spectator and news media interest, and blur Heinrichs's bold vision of evolutionary soccer."

The players are hoping that the World Cup might reinvigorate fan and corporate interest in women's soccer, and thus revive the WUSA. But if the US gets knocked out early, there's little chance of that. That's some pressure.