BRASILIA, Brazil -- The United States womens soccer team spent much of the past year laying a foundation to win now and win later. So as the Olympic medal rounds begin without American players in sight, were left to figure out what an inability to win in Rio says about the prospects of winning the 2019 World Cup and beyond.The calendar of international womens soccer, at least for those teams not geographically fortunate to qualify for next summers European Championship, makes the Olympics even more important than what the event might merit. Success can serve as a quick salve for World Cup bitterness, as gold medals were for the U.S. women in 1996, 2004, 2008 and 2012. Failure can make for a fitful hibernation, the sting fading all the more slowly with three years until the next major tournament.Nothing is ever as rosy as it seems in the afterglow of a championship or as grim as it seems after defeat. The image of Swedish players taking a celebratory lap around the field in Brasilia while their American counterparts crumpled to the shoddy turf will linger in many minds. Fair or not, that defines the U.S. team for now.Yet the United States will be back on the field in barely a month to play Thailand in a friendly, then the Netherlands a few days later. It is both all the time in the world and barely enough time to take stock of what comes next.For those who believe the blueprint for success is in place, what this team needs is time. Time and experience in meaningful games would be nice, but time will suffice. That perspective was put forth by the one person who had better believe in the blueprint -- because she drew it.I think that this was a good step, in terms of how we want the game to look for us, U.S. coach Jill Ellis said after the exit against Sweden, a game in which she felt her team played well but couldnt find the goal. Certainly to come up short, its disappointing. But at this point, weve got to stay committed and focused on how we want to evolve as a team.Ellis, who earned a contract extension and likely all the political capital she needs for now during the World Cup, had one eye on 2019 almost before 2016 arrived. It was to be a remake in both style and personnel.This wasnt a roster put together in a go-for-broke effort to become the first country to win the World Cup and Olympics in back-to-back years. Partly that was because such a roster wasnt possible. Beyond the players who retired or took themselves out of the running after last years World Cup, captains Abby Wambach and Christie Rampone among them, other players with international experience like Sydney Leroux and Amy Rodriguez were also unavailable.The roster grew more developmental by necessity. Short of including Heather OReilly on the active roster, and her place might well have been the one that went to Megan Rapinoe, there wasnt exactly a plethora of players with dozens of caps wasting away at home this summer.A roster that included Crystal Dunn, Lindsey Horan and Mallory Pugh, as well as untested options like Sam Mewis and Emily Sonnett among the traveling alternates (not to mention a roster on which Morgan Brian and Julie Johnston qualified as experienced), was by definition a work in progress. Make no mistake, it was a group with which the United States felt it could win gold -- and should have medaled -- but a work in progress all the same.So the game against Sweden raised several questions that have as much to do with what comes next for the United States as what went wrong on the day.First among them, by public acclaim if not importance, is what to do with Hope Solo.It is ironic that the same pragmatism that granted Solo a reprieve the last time the goalkeeper defined another unsuccessful major tournament with her own words, blasting then-coach Greg Ryans decision to bench her in the 2007 World Cup, is what caused the mess in Brasilia. Just as Pia Sundhage looked at the quarterfinal against the United States in this tournament and decided a defensive approach was the best way to give her team a chance to advance, she looked at the state of American goalkeeping entering 2008 and decided Solos saves and back-line management were worth some news conference headaches and critical columns.Ellis faces the same conundrum, but with a goalkeeper who will be 37 when the next World Cup begins. It is possible Solo will walk away of her own volition, although that seems the less likely scenario. But when it comes to her job, Ellis is as much a pragmatist as her old boss. And the memorable Olympic miscue against Colombia aside, Solos words still attract attention because she is still really good at playing the position that gives her a megaphone.Right or wrong, the current clamor will soon fade to a grumble, and Solo will probably remain in goal until another goalkeeper, rather than her own words, removes her.The more pressing question, or series of questions, comes down to how the other pieces fit together. There will be new faces to emerge in the next few years -- few would have predicted even this spring that Allie Long would end up on the Olympic roster and starting. But with the aforementioned cadre of young talent and a group of veterans who could almost universally still be in play three years from now, the core of 2019 is already here.And it needs to fit together better than it did in Brazil, the middle of the field the best example of how close it might be but how it fell short.Some of the best moments for the United States against Sweden came when someone had the ball in space in the middle of the field and stretched the discipline of the lines of defenders. In early moments that was Brian, often in combination with Heath. Later, even more effectively, it was first Pugh, while the game remained scoreless, and then Crystal Dunn as the United States chased an equalizer and eventually the winner that never came.No one has truly thrived in the No. 8 role as it exists for the United States as Ellis looks for a quicker tempo, passing game to replace the direct style of Sundhage and days of yore. Holiday made the best of it in the rare moments she got to play it because she was that good, but it was rarely the best we saw of her. Brian struggled to make the same sort of impact in that role that she did a year ago in the No. 6 role. Horan slipped out of the rotation after promising showings early in the year. That is too much talent passing through that space without making a distinct impression.And indeed, it all too often feels as if there is too much space for any one player to manage behind Alex Morgan and Carli Lloyd, who for all the gifts of skill and spirit that made her the FIFA player of the year is not going to be a string-pulling creator as a No. 10. It seems from afar that too much is asked of others at the expense of exactly the kind of instinctive, intuitive play Ellis said the situation demanded on the eve of the Sweden game.It is partly skill that makes Dunn and Pugh, to this point both wide players for this team, so electric when they come inside of pick up the ball in those central areas. It is also that they are free to be electric in those spaces.As much as anything, that space might tell the story in the coming weeks and months. Not because a commanding play maker is a cure-all but because someone emerging as that presence would indicate a team better understanding how their coach wants them to play and perhaps a coach adjusting to enable the players to operate with more abandon. There is ample attacking talent. The U.S. women have the pieces to put games away.They ran out of time to put those pieces together, just as they ran out of time against a Swedish team they bombarded with shots.Brazil was a painful experience. But it was painful in context. This wasnt a case of a collection of the best we have proving decidedly not good enough. The hope is this remains a group that isnt yet the best it can be.Three more things to watchLabor unrest: Players lost leverage with the premature exit from the Olympics, helped not at all on the public relations front by headlines about the poor sportsmanship of one of their most recognizable voices during what is, in theory, a celebration of global athletic goodwill. But the veteran leadership on this team, including Solo, is also committed to standing up for wage equality and using what remains one of the highest-profile bully pulpits in womens sports.All of which means there probably isnt going to be a tidy or quick resolution when the memorandum of understanding acting in lieu of a collective bargaining agreement expires at the end of this year. Far more of consequence is likely to happen off the field in 2017 than on it.Pughs turn as captain: She wont be enrolled at UCLA this fall, but Pugh will keep busy. Shell continue to pile up air miles when she leads the U.S. entry in the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Papua New Guinea in November and early December. This is also the U-20 World Cup that is most likely to offer auditions for players who want to be part of the conversation for the senior team in 2019 or 2020. Near the top of that list is Ashley Sanchez, who spent a short time with the senior team earlier this year. Pugh is an aberration. High school seniors dont usually earn starting places on the national team. But Sanchez is a talent at whatever pace she develops.Aging process: Lloyd mentioned more than once in the mixed zone after the game that she planned to go for titles in both the 2019 World Cup and 2020 Olympics. She will be 37 when the World Cup begins. Fellow captain Becky Sauerbrunn will be 34. Frequent starters Megan Rapinoe (33), Tobin Heath (31) and Meghan Klingenberg (30) will also be in a new decade on the planet. Vans Old Skool Wholesale . Arsenal failed to take full advantage of its main rivals stumbles on Saturday as substitute Gerard Deulofeu levelled with a hard shot from a tight angle in the 84th minute to give Everton a deserved point. Ahead of a crucial fortnight that will see them play against Napoli in the Champions League, Manchester City and Chelsea, Arsenal leads by five points ahead of Liverpool and Chelsea. Cheap Vans Old Skool For Sale . Toronto has dropped games to Indiana and Miami since a five-game winning streak and closed out a three-game road trip at 1-2. http://www.cheapoldskoolwholesale.com/wholesale-toy-story-vans.html . Peter Gammons, an analyst for Major League Baseballs network and website, drew the ire of hockey fans on Sunday when he criticized the two NHL teams on Twitter for their physical game the night before. Cheap Vans Old Skool White .com) - Following a late-game loss to the reigning NBA champs, the Toronto Raptors will look to sustain their recent high-level play as they travel to Indiana to take on the Pacers. Authentic Vans Old Skool . - After leading the Saints to a fourth playoff appearance in five seasons, Drew Brees expressed confidence in the direction of his team and, perhaps more importantly, showed a willingness to listen to contract proposals if the team needs his help getting under the NFLs salary cap. Weve officially started the run to the finals and its clear some top eight sides are struggling.The Hawks inflicted back-to-back SCG losses on Sydney after prevailing in a thrilling Thursday night contest. The Swans could have snatched top spot with a win, but now after dropping out of the top four, they sit fifth on percentage.On the other side of the country Geelong had to fight until the very end to hold off a Fremantle side desperate for a win. Patrick Dangerfield continued his march towards a maiden Brownlow Medal after racking up 31 disposals and booting four goals.North Melbournes mid-season dip in form has gone from bad to worse after being stunned by the Power?The Kangaroos have now lost six of their last seven matches after starting the season 9-0. If their shaky form continues, a top eight finish is no certainty.Speaking of shaky, the West Coast Eagles were far from convincing against a wasteful Carlton side on Sunday. If the contest had run five minutes longer, the Blues may well have run over the top of them, but as it was they crucially secured the four points.However, in Scott Thompsons big milestone, Adelaide swept their way to eight straight wins with their victory over Collingwood and now occupy second spot on the ladder behind Hawthorn.HEROESShaun Burgoynes final term:?What can you say about Burgoyne that hasnt already been said? The 300-plus gamer inspired his team to victory after being thrust into the midfield in the final quarter against the Swans. Burgoyne was dominant in the last, racking up 11 disposals and kicking two crucial goals to steer the Hawks to a terrific top-of-the table clash win. For so much of his career he has been able to play the Mr-fix-it role at the most desperate of times and Thursday night was no exception. Cyril Riolis long bomb from outside 50 on his birthday also deserves a mention, and capped off a memorable night for Hawthorn. The reigning premiers now have a four-point cushion at the top of the table; could a fourth straight flag be on the cards?Koby Stevens: Influential in the middle and dangerous when forward, Stevens is emerging as yet another valuable member of the Western Bulldogs squad after arguably his career-best match against the Suns on Saturday. The former Eagle had 34 disposals, eight clearances and kicked back-to-back goals for the Dogs in the opening quarter of the 48-point win. In a game that was overshadowed by the return of prized forward Tom Boyd, it was the smaller forwards and midfielders that got the job done with Clay Smith, Marcus Bontempelli and Mitch Wallis also prominent in front of goals. After a wretched run with injuries lets hope Stevens can string more than a handful of games together as the Dogs look to do some damage in September.Jackson Trengove: Since Matthew Lobbe went down with a knee injurry, Trengove has stepped up enormously in whats been a mid-season revival for the Power.dddddddddddd Up against the games most dominant ruckman Todd Goldstein on Saturday, many would have excused Trengove for being unable to contain him, but the defender-turned-ruckman was outstanding, particularly in the first term when Port Adelaide motored to a five-goal lead. Trengove finished the day with 22 disposals (10 more than Goldstein) and six tackles. Is the shorter, more versatile ruckman the way of the future?VILLAINSMelbournes record at Etihad Stadium: Theres only one word that springs to mind when describing Melbournes recent record at Etihad Stadium: dreadful. The Demons have lost 24 of their past 25 games at Docklands and again on Sunday were well beaten by the Saints. If that wasnt humiliating enough, Sundays loss stretched the Dees losing streak against St Kilda to 14 straight matches. It was a day to forget for Melbourne -- who had been playing good football heading into the clash -- after Jesse Hogan was reported for striking Jarryn Geary in a marking contest.Tom Hawkins: Hes such an important player for the Cats and at his best could prove the difference between a mediocre Geelong and one thats a serious premiership threat. However, just one disposal in the first half against Freo is simply inexcusable. Full credit to Zac Dawson who played a terrific game on the Geelong star forward, but Hawkins was guilty of a plethora of forgettable moments, most notably spilled marks and poor positioning. Despite improving in the second half, Hawkins still failed to have any impact on the contest. He looked relieved to finish up with one goal, but against a bottom four side thats simply not good enough. If Geelongs indifferent form is to be eradicated, they need the big man firing -- especially with two tough challenges against Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs in the next fortnight.50m penalties:?To the letter of the law, I believe both 50m penalties against Swans duo Kieren Jack and Ben McGlynn against Hawthorn were there. However, in a tight, low-scoring contest, decisions like that have the ability to drastically change momentum, as we all witnessed at the SCG on Thursday night and against Kade Simpson versus the Eagles on Sunday. The Jack decision was of particular concern as he was clearly in the protected zone and should be afforded the opportunity to exit the area without being pinged and costing his side a goal. It is worth noting that Jack was also on the boundary side of the Hawk in possession, Jono ORourke, in these types of instances we need to take a more lenient approach as it is not stopping the ball from moving quickly through the corridor. ' ' '