It's time to start thinking about the Olympics! Groupings were announced yesterday for both the Men's and Women's teams as they continue to prepare for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
The Men face the decidedly tougher road -- Netherlands, Nigeria, and Japan in the first round. Yikes. The Women have a slightly easier path -- Norway, Japan, and New Zealand. A nice warmup for the elimination rounds. Who knew New Zealand had a Women's team? They do, and they're currently ranked 23rd in the FIFA rankings.
Keep in mind that the teams are not the same. The Men's team is actually the Under-23 team while the Women's team is the senior national team. It's unfortunate the opening group difficulty wasn't reversed.
While a good challenge for the Men, it will be very discouraging if they do not advance. The U-23 nucleus will be relied on heavily as we move towards World Cup 2010....
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