But that can be said of all the top teams. On any given day ….
The challenge for all the top contenders is that to win, they will have to beat four peer-level opponents in a row. So there are three elements to winning the tournament: you have to be very good, you have to be consistent, and you have to get lucky at the right time.
France has defeated the U.S. in two of the last three matchups, but Ellis was monkeying around with new players, new positions and new lineups in each of those games. Head to head in the World Cup? It's a coin flip. Wendie Renard is a matchup problem for every opponent; the only solution to Wendie is to not give up set pieces. France will have the home field advantage. And France has the advantage of so many of their players all playing for the same club team, so they have terrific cohesion.
France is certainly one of the favorites, but again, their inconsistency is a problem. And the injury to the German player is likely only the first of many. The U.S. likes to think that it has better depth than most of the other elite teams. I hope we don't have to put that to the test. This tournament is wide open.
My concern with the US is the back line and goalkeeper. I have watched almost all of the team’s games over the past two years. We appear to be very vulnerable at the back. Lots of mental mistakes and slow. The rock is Sauerbrunn. If O’Hara is healthy and Dunn plays a disciplined game the defense can hold. Dahlkemper is a question. I still like Krieger for her experience and intelligence.
I would add to your list of three depth. Injuries and conditioning will play a role as the competition heats up. The US could play France in the quarters, which means one will definitely not win a medal.