US women's team regains confidence ahead of final

BEIJING (AP) The disappointing opening loss to Norway is a distant memory for the U.S. women's Olympic football team.

The defending champions have more than rebounded from that defeat - the team's first in the entire year - by winning four consecutive matches and securing a berth in its fourth-straight Olympic final.

The team enters the gold medal clash Thursday with Brazil full of confidence.

"We never doubted ourselves after that first game," midfielder Shannon Boxx said. "It didn't go the way we wanted, but after that we said that we wanted to get better every game, that we would take one game at a time, and we did just that."

Angela Hucles scored a pair of goals and Lori Chalupny and Heather O'Reilly added one each to give the U.S. a 4-2 win over Japan on Monday at the Workers' Stadium. The Americans trailed 1-0 early in the game but found the strength to rebound.

"We are growing as a team," U.S. captain Christie Rampone said. "Getting that first loss after a full year going unbeaten, it kind of wakes you up. I'm glad it was in the first game and not the last."

After the loss to Norway, the U.S. beat Japan 1-0, New Zealand 4-0 and Canada 2-1 in extra time in the quarterfinals.

"We're getting better every single game and we have some great momentum," Hucles said. "We expect a tough match, but we're looking for gold."

Coach Pia Sundhage has credited her players' strong characters for the team's recovery. Despite losing Abby Wambach - the team's top striker - just before the tournament because of a broken leg, the Americans found ways to keep up the pace en route to the final.

"There are very nice personalities and different personalities out there," Sundhage said. "That's why we are winning."

The players are just having fun, and thank the coach for helping them perform at their best.

"We just having a blast out there," Chalupny said. "Pia has been excellent at letting our own personalities shine. With Abby going down I think everyone has stepped up their game and we're getting scoring from so many different places. It's so fun to be out there."

Friday's match against Brazil in Beijing will be a repeat of the Olympic final from four years ago in Athens, when the U.S. beat the Brazilians 2-1 in extra time to clinch the second of its two gold medals. It had also won the title at the 1996 Atlanta Games, when women's football debuted. The U.S. was runner-up to Norway in the 2000 Sydney Games.

Led by two-time FIFA Player of the Year Marta, Brazil reached its second straight final by routing world champion Germany 4-1 in Shanghai.

"We both scored a lot of goals so it's going to be an exciting final," Boxx said. "Brazil is a great side but so are we. We are going to have to come out and play our best. Just like they are."

Although the U.S. defeated the Brazilians in Athens, it lost to them 4-0 in the semifinal of last year's World Cup in China.

"Some of us played in the World Cup," Rampone said. "So it's going to be great to get that rematch."

The Americans twice defeated Brazil in warmup matches just before the Olympics, but Brazil was without Marta and other regular starters who were not released by their European clubs.

No matter what, the Americans feel they are ready.

"We're pumped. Bring it on," O'Reilly said. "We've played Brazil before and we know they're a pretty awesome team with a lot of great personalities. But this team, player for player, is unified and strong, and we're together. We're looking forward to (playing Brazil)."