U.S. and Germany likely to emerge triumphant

With the Women's World Cup down to the final four teams, it's clear that progress in the women's game is relative. Despite the strides made by numerous countries, three of the four teams that remain are previous Cup winners, showing that experience trumps many other factors in international soccer.

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Germany's Renate Lingor has been a major driving force in the tournament.

Norway, the United States and Germany have all shone on the world stage before. Only the talent and hunger of the Brazilians could keep one of the three from adding to their trophy count.

Germany versus Norway

The defending champion, Germany, proved its mettle against North Korea. The Germans took on a team that had the physical and technical skill to defeat them and simply outsmarted the North Koreans on the field.

Germany was more patient and canny with its attacks, and this became especially clear when North Korea started to panic after falling behind.

Against Norway, however, the Germans face a squad that has just as much World Cup experience and game savvy, so it's doubtful that Norway will lose its composure the way North Korea did.

On the other hand, it's even more doubtful that Germany's rock-solid defense, which has not allowed a single goal in this tournament, will make the kind of amateur mistake that Norway was able to capitalize on for its only goal versus China.

Isabell Herlovsen, Norway's youngest player, adds to Norway's danger up front, while Ragnhild Gulbrandsen is the veteran who has proven in other matches that she can tally repeatedly.

Still, Norway could not manage another goal against a Chinese team that had given up four to Brazil.

Meanwhile, the German scoring machine was firing on all cylinders versus North Korea, scoring three goals without any help from its top threat, Brigit Prinz.

The back line of Germany, manned superbly by goalkeeper Nadine Angerer and defenders Annike Krahn and Simone Laudehr, has been airtight.

The bottom line is that the Germans have shown they can weather the best offensive efforts of opponents and create better chances of their own against quality rivals. That gives Germany a distinct edge over Norway.

Prediction: Germany will make it back to the final to defend its title.

U.S. versus Brazil

The Brazilians are clearly playing the best attacking soccer in the world at this moment. While the dynamic Marta is the key, Brazil also has multiple offensive threats for the U.S. to contend with. Formiga's ball control and shooting, the long-distance threat of Daniela Alves, and the ability of forward Cristiane to find space all give Brazil a variety of goal-scoring options.

Brazil looked dangerous on offense in its quarterfinal match versus Australia and dominated possession. However, Australia had its chances against the Brazilians and exposed their defensive vulnerabilities.

On set plays, the marking of Brazil was woefully lacking. The U.S. can exploit that weakness, given the ability of Abby Wambach and Kristine Lilly to connect on dead-ball plays.

The U.S. also has speedy, opportunistic players like Heather O'Reilly who can pick off any wayward back passes by Brazil -- that's how Australia scored its first goal.

Except for a shaky few minutes against North Korea, goalkeeper Hope Solo and her defensive line have been the backbone of a U.S. effort that has been solid throughout the World Cup.

In the 3-0 win over England, the U.S. neutralized the opposition's biggest threat by smothering Kelly Smith with dogged man marking. Offensively, the U.S. relied on setting up its forward line with service on dead balls. A similar game plan will probably be employed against Brazil.

The problem is that it is very difficult to contain Marta. She has all the technical skill of a Smith, for example, but with one crucial bonus -- she is much faster. Another important difference between Brazil and England is that Brazil has more options if Marta is contained.

Brazil seems to have a distinct advantage in the midfield, where the U.S. has conceded a lot of ground in this World Cup. The Americans have largely failed to control the middle of the field, opting instead to focus on defensive play that breaks up opponent's attacks and looks to counter quickly.

Shannon Boxx and Leslie Osborne have been key players in this effort. While Boxx has an impressive outside shot (showcased versus England for the second goal), neither she nor Osborne offer the fluidity and dynamic connections that the Brazilian midfielders do while going forward.

Bear in mind that Brazil lost to the U.S. in the 2004 Olympic final. Emotions got the better of the Brazilians in that match, which degenerated into a foul-fest. If the Brazilians focus simply on playing the best soccer they are capable of, they could run the Americans off the field. Still, the same intensity that gives their play such sparkle could also work against them.

Frankly, more than a few soccer purists will be rooting for Brazil, because the team has provided the most exciting play of the tournament. Yet the U.S. has more balanced overall quality and has yet to play its best soccer. The discipline and composure of the Americans should be the deciding factor.

Prediction: The U.S. takes the match.

Andrea Canales covers MLS and women's college soccer for ESPNsoccernet. She also writes for soccer365.com and contributes to a blog, Sideline Views. She can be contacted at soccercanales@yahoo.com.