Mind games ahead of USA-Colombia World Cup match
The U.S. Women's National Team hopes to take one more step tonight toward a World Cup title.
The American women play a second round match against Colombia, and are expected to win, but the underdog isn't backing down, reports CBS News correspondent Jericka Duncan.
USA emerged on top of the "Group of Death," but now it's the round of 16 and an unpredictable opponent.
The mindset is much different in the knockout stage, causing at least one team to play mind games before competitors hit the field.
Twenty-eight-ranked Colombia is nothing if not feisty. They scored the first big upset of the tournament just over a week ago against number-three France.
Colombian star Lady Andrade has guaranteed an even bigger upset.
She told USA Today that the "Americans belittle us...We're going to beat them since they like to talk so much."
Andrade is the same player who sucker-punched America's Abby Wambach in the face during the 2012 Olympics, leaving Wambach with a black eye. Wambach insisted last night that, to her at least, the incident is old news.
"If people are still concerned about what happened then, I don't know what you've been doing with your time," she said. "My focus is on winning this game."
Lady Andrade was not made available to the media, but her teammates say Colombia embraces its role as David against the American Goliath.
"Clearly they are taller, they are more athletic, they have better athletes, but they do not have the heart of the Colombian," Colombia midfielder Yoreli Rincon said.
When asked if the war of words provides extra incentive against Colombia, American forward Megan Rapinoe was blunt.
"We don't need any extra motivation. This is the knockout round. It's do-or-die now. We're ready," Rapinoe said.
Colombia's history against the U.S. doesn't bode well. America has beaten them twice, by identical 3-0 scores. Colombia will be playing without their starting goalkeeper, due to a yellow card she picked up in the last game.