Notebook: Women's World Cup favorites tested early

WINNIPEG, Manitoba - Every team at the World Cup has now played once. With Wednesday having been the first day on the schedule with no games played, it's a good time to assess where the United States' rivals to win the tournament stand.

Some of them seem to have not found solid footing yet.

Reigning champion Japan, chic title favorite France and host Canada all won their group stage openers by narrow 1-0 margins. Was it the pressure of the World Cup stage? Perhaps, but credit is also due to their opponents.

Japan beat a Switzerland team that may be a World Cup debutant, but has skilled and speedy forwards in Ramona Bachmann and Lara Dickenmann. France was up against an old rival in England, which is the world's No. 6-ranked team - just three spots behind Les Bleues. Canada had to deal with China's disciplined defense, which frustrated the home team and the record crowd of over 53,000 in Edmonton.

The only powerhouse team that had an easy victory was Germany. But their opponent, Ivory Coast, is the lowest-ranked team in the field at No. 67. Thursday's clash with No. 11-ranked Norway (4 p.m., Fox Sports 1 and NBC Universo) will be a better measuring stick.

Good starts for U.S.' other neighbors

Women's soccer in CONCACAF, the North and Central American confederation, has historically been dominated by the United States and Canada. On Tuesday, Mexico and Costa Rica showed that they are making strides of their own.

Mexico battled Colombia to a 1-1 draw, and would have won if not for a questionable foul call that ruled out a goal in second-half stopppage time. Costa Rica, in its first ever World Cup game, recorded a 1-1 draw of its own against rising European power Spain.

Moncton fans frustrated

On Tuesday, I wrote about the noticeable number of empty seats during the afternoon doubleheader in Moncton. It turns out that some of those seats weren't supposed to be empty.

With just one main entrance at the stadium, many fans had to wait in a line to enter that stretched for hundreds of yards. Those who planned to take shuttle buses from park-and-ride lots set up by local organizers found there to be just a handful of buses for thousands of fans.

United States fans planning to go to the team's knockout round games should take note. If the Americans finish second in their group, they'll go to Moncton for the round of 16.