Four teams are just one victory away from appearing in the Women's World Cup championship game next week.
The United States and Germany are playing in what might be called the unofficial final. Both teams are undefeated and seem to have the most talent top to bottom in their rosters.
Tony DiCicco was the U.S. women's head coach in 1999 and he has seen Germany play many times over the years. He said Germany has risen to a new level.
"There is no panic in their play. They keep playing. It is a wonderful discipline. They have confidence in their style. They have confidence in their player's ability. They are confident. The Germans are confident. It is the most confident I have ever seen them," he said.
DiCicco says Germany's strengths will provide a well balanced challenge for the U.S. women, who he feels have a slight edge in overall talent. He also likes the second game pairing Canada and Sweden.
"I think the matchup of Sweden-Canada is a very good matchup because they are not dissimilar in the way they play. They play hard. They play the balls forward quickly. They fight for them. They look for opportunities. Both are athletic. Both teams are fit. And both teams have good goalkeepers," he said.
The winners go to the final in Carson, California, just south of Los Angeles, on October 12. The losers will face each other in the third place game one day earlier, also in Carson.
Gametimes: USA:GER 2330 UTC SWE:CAN 0230 UTC