Head scratcher: Abby Wambach and the rest of the U.S. women’s team were left to rue what could have been after Sunday’s World Cup final loss to Japan (AP Photo).

You could talk about the jillion wasted first half chances the U.S. women missed in the first half of a World Cup final they would eventually lose to Japan.

You could talk about the coaching wisdom of having defensive players (Shannon Boxx?) step up first for the penalty kicks rather than strikers to put the pressure on the opponent in a pressure-filled situation.

You could talk about the fact the rest of the world has made significant progress in the women’s game while the U.S. has in large measure appeared to tread water.

You could, but I chose not to in today’s column.

For me the Women’s World Cup was a welcome breath of fresh air in comparison to some of the men’s games I’ve seen recently (and don’t even get me started on the disappointing showings of the likes of Brazil and Argentina at Copa America).

Read the column here.

Look ahead to next year’s Olympics and the prospects for the USWNT here