Admittedly, there wasnt a lot on the line here, not in this tournament of friendlies. To give you an idea of how low stakes it was, Carli Lloyd came off the bench. But Australia is a team thats never gotten beyond the quarterfinals of a major world tournament, and even if theyre solidly in the second tier now, a United States A minus team of the past would still have embarrassed them off the field. Now, though, things are trickier. After a tough loss on penalties in last years Olympics quarters, the U. S. have now dropped three games on their own soil this year. In those three games, theyve scored zero goals. The teams finishing and its general forward movement have been abysmal, as they lack any kind of excitement in the final third. Continued defensive mistakes arent reassuring, either. While the result and the continued lack of offense is disappointing for the U. S., in the grand scheme, this loss may still be an encouraging sign for the future. Gone are the days when Germany and the U. S. would dominate every major tournament now at least eight teams feel their have a legitimate shot at a trophy. The competition is deeper and tougher, and the USWNT, for their part, is ramping up its preparation and challenges, scheduling as many top teams as possible. Whether they get results now isnt as relevant as the increased experience in high level competition, especially for younger players looking to make a future impact. The U. S. has two more matches in the next week, both against formidable opponents in Brazil and Japan. Most importantly, however, is the long view The next World Cup still two years away. For the first time in at least a decade, the USWNT is facing some real challenges, and if they can respond, 2. France could be both their toughest and their most accomplished World Cup yet. The classic US stereotype of attempted Iranian ideological indoctrination via chants of Death to America and such has been old hat for quite some time.