USA forward Abby Wambach celebrates her goal with teammates Lauren Holiday and Tobin Heath during a Group C football match between Nigeria and USA at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver .ANDY CLARK/AFP / Getty Images
Abby Wambach dreamed in red.
The night before the United States won its final group-stage game at the Women's World Cup, a key match against speedy Nigeria, Wambach's sleep was filled of visions of red things. She woke and researched what it meant. The colour, she discovered, conjured ideas of identity in flux, passion, physicality.
The 35-year-old star striker, nearing the end of her career, is no longer a de facto starter for the United States – but waking from the red dreams, she felt a little bit different on Tuesday morning. "Something shifted in me," Wambach said.
On Tuesday night, at a roaring BC Place packed full with more than 52,000 raucous fans, mostly Americans, Wambach delivered, as she has so often. Her goal helped propel the United States past Nigeria 1-0 and into a solid slot in the Round of 16. The stadium went bonkers when Wambach scored. The fans had draped themselves in red, white and blue: flags in hands, flags painted on faces, flags on hats, flags on shirts, flags on pants, flags on shorts, flags as capes.
"We're playing home games here in Canada," Wambach said afterward. "I can't tell you how amazing that feels. How amazing this stadium was. How loud," Wambach leaned a particular emphasis on the word, "BC place was. It was awesome."
Neither Wambach nor the United States are the unassailable titans they once were, but for all their naysayers and critics, the United States remains among the favourites. The team has a strong defence and while the midfield is imperfect, there are a selection of strikers, including Wambach, who bring punch in the starting lineup or off the bench.
And so it is that one tally of odds gives the United States the best chance to win the tournament, fractionally ahead of Germany.
The United States has long duelled with Germany, which was No. 1 in the world from late 2003 through early 2007 while the United States was second. After a year of oscillating, the United States took the No. 1 mantle in early 2008 and held on for nearly seven years, until late 2014, when Germany wrested the top spot back.
Because of the draw, the United States and Germany are on a collision to meet in the semi-finals. It could become, effectively, the championship match.
The quiet and careful orchestrator of the U.S. path is Jill Ellis, the team's head coach, a 48-year-old who was born in England, moved to the United States as a teen and is a rookie boss at the World Cup.
Ellis brings wry humour, tactics and calm. On the sidelines, she isn't often standing. She has tinkered with the U.S. roster and game plan. "She's been really steady," defender Becky Sauerbrunn said. "She's not screaming things to scream things. It's instructive. We're able to solve problems on the field as it's happening."
In a news conference before the Nigeria match, Ellis sat, arms folded, with an easy demeanour. When a journalist with a strong Irish accent asked a question about parity among World Cup teams, Ellis first said, kindly, "Is Ireland in the tournament?" and then: "Love that accent."
Later, a journalist asked defender Ali Krieger, who was beside Ellis, about a knee injury she had suffered three years ago at BC Place.
"Really?" Ellis injected as though it were uncouth to ask, softly chiding the questioner. "Come on," she said. The coach aiming to protect a player.
Krieger provided a brief answer, no big deal. A couple of questions later, it was humour again. One person wondered about Sauerbrunn's role as a veteran, being the leader for the first time on the biggest stage alongside younger defenders. "She goes to church more often," Ellis joked.
Ellis, according to midfielder Carli Lloyd, brings to the team cohesion, alongside smart tactical adjustments.
"We've got lots of people talking outside – 'Oh, we're not scoring, this, that' – but we keep in our own bubble," Lloyd said.
The United States is beginning to find its rhythm, but it is, Ellis knows, a work in progress. Four wins to go if the country – winner of the past three Olympic gold medals – is to claim its first World Cup since 1999.
"It's really focusing on the pulse of the team, knowing what they need, when," Ellis said about her progression as coach. "You only experience that as you go through it."
David Ebner