PARIS — If the U.S. is on a collision course with France in this Women's World Cup—and they could very well meet in the quarterfinals—then the opening salvo fired by France on Friday should have the world champion Americans plenty concerned.
All week long, there had been questions about this French side. Would a team known as big-tournament chokers be overawed by the occasion of hosting a Women's World Cup? And would Les Bleues be able to drum up more attention in a city that was surprisingly lacking in visible evidence that a Women's World Cup was about to start?