Unlike Wednesday's men's friendly between the United States and Germany, which resulted in a big-time upset, there haven't been any major surprises at the 2015 Women's World Cup to this point.Sure enough, it's the U.S. and Germany thatLinemakersreported were the favorites entering the tournamentthe U.S. at 5-2 odds and Germany at 3-1. Each squad came out on top in its opening match, albeit playing two totally different types of games.Behind an outstanding effort from goalkeeper Hope Solo, the U.S. defeated Australia 3-1.Solo was a force, especially early on in the match when the defense in front of her had a couple of breakdowns. It was the type of performance the U.S. has come to expect out of the star goalkeeper.Just a day before the game,ESPN's Mark Fainaru-Wada published a story regarding Solo's 2014 arrest on two counts of domestic violence, though the case was later dismissed.As reporter Lizzie Haldane noted, the timing of the story served as a potential distraction for Team USA:Nonetheless, it didn't appear to affect Solo and her teammates on Monday.The team's chances of making a deep run in this World Cup greatly hinge on Solo's ability to divert the efforts that come her way.If her head is clear, the U.S. is in a good placeSolo's one of the very best at what she does, just ask Kealia Ohai of the Houston Dash:Germany didn't need a Hope Solo-like performance out of its goalkeeper, Nadine Angerer, but she didn't surrender a goal against Ivory Coast anyway.Check out this tidbit from ESPN Stats & Info:Though Ivory Coast is considered to be one of the weaker teams in the tournament, Germany's 10-0 victory over the African outfit was an impressive way to get things started.Anja Mittag and Celia Sasicscored three goals apiece for a Germany team that looked like a machine, dribbling through the defense with ease and making precise passes that led to constant scoring opportunities.No, the following isn't a replay from a FIFA video game, this was Germany's first goal on Sunday:Shot attempts such as that won't come so easily as the competition gets tougher, but Germany looks formidable.Brazil also opened up with a victory, and though not exactly a powerhouse loaded with as much talent as the likes of Germany and the U.S., the South Americans could be a dangerous opponent in the later rounds.Brazil defeated South Korea 2-0, as Marta set the record for Women's World Cup goals with her 15th on this penalty kick:Jamie Trecker of Fox Sportssaid this about Brazil's win over the Koreans:Brazil are not considered as strong a side as in years past, but they have a couple of advantages: A fairly easy path to the late rounds, and a lot of experience. That was on the display as the reigning Copa America champs got off to a fast start against the Taeguk Ladies, with Adriana needing only three minutes to crash a shot off the bar. Formiga would flight a header past the near post in the 33rd minute and you can imagine the tone of the game from there.France, meanwhile, prevailed over England, but neither team was overly impressive in the match.These two weren't mentioned among the elite teams entering the World Cup, but they have the ability to play better than they did in this first game.French soccer correspondent Andrew Gibney was underwhelmed by what he saw:Gibney was dazzled by Japan's showing in its 1-0 win over Switzerland, however.Yes, Japan and Brazil looked good in their first matches, but could they do the same against Germany or the U.S.'For that matter, can any team aside from Germany or the U.S. win the whole thing'That's the question everybody's asking right now, and they will find out the answer soon enough.
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