The United States will have a chance to earn at least some sense of reclamation on Tuesday when they face Japan in the gold medal game of the Olympic Games for women's soccer. SB Nation's Amy K. Nelson talked with team captain Christine Rampone a few months ago for the following interview, which detailed just how brutal of a loss it was for the U.S. against Japan in the 2011 Women's World Cup final last summer.
Take for instance, this very candid quote:
"I'll always remember that feeling on the field... not finishing it off and knowing with all of my experience how hard it is to make it to a final," Rampone said. "Especially the world cup where every other country -- that's their tournament. The Olympics is more I think of, for Americans. It's what we dream about being involved in and playing in. For a lot of the Europeans, a lot of the international soccer teams, it's the World Cup and to be on that stage and realize how close we came and kind of let it slip away, I don't want it to slip away again."
Check out the whole interview here:
For the latest on the 2012 Olympics, check out SB Nation's dedicated Olympics hub.