American women, colored lights can hypotize

Christie Rampone is Captain America, and the ultimate soccer mom.

Hope Solo, a new-breed Star Wars action figure, with steely blue eyes, hair tautly pulled back, a well-place mole on her upper lip, waxed eyebrows and a killer app to match.

Abby Wambach is the professor. She's all cerebral. Everything is done with her head. Some have said her forehead deserves a shoe contract. No butts about it.

Megan Rapinoe is the peroxide blonde terrier who comes off the bench and lobs those poetic, left-footed passes aimed at Wambach's cranium. Like a video game.

Alex Morgan, a young, innocent 22 year old, has to know that we can see her pink sports bra through her white No. 13 jersey. Stop teasing. The matching pink headband holding back her pony tail ties it together nicely in a Paula Creamer sort of way.

Lauren Cheney, UCLA certified, with the clever, deft touch around the goal. Amy Rodriguez, USC branded, has the defense backpeddling down the sidelines.

Shannon Boxx and Stephanie Cox, ready to pose for a Wheaties box.

Heather O'Reilly and Kelley O'Hara, all set to pose for a picture with Obama.

And don't forget Heather Mitts. We know you're on the bench somewhere. Please, take off your warm-up jacket.

Get to know your U.S. Women's World Cup kickballers.

It's fever pitch time.

This is another odd year for American soccer, meaning that, according to their quadrennial sundials, the light shines on the females again, a year after the men tried, and failed, to get past the group play in the World Cup.

For the first time in a dozen years, the U.S. women are about to carpe Germany.

Back in 1999, when the squad clinched the Women's World Cup title at the Rose Bowl on penalty kicks against China, it was Brandi Chastain unchained.

Back to 1991, in the very first Cup final, was a Hamm-and-Akers kind of team. Very basic. Very strong.

Now, in 2011, we've all matured a bit, but there are characters to embrace all over again.

We know that when Lance Armstrong cycles through another a Tour de France or U.S. hockey team (men or women) snatch an Olympic gold medal, we believe in minor miracles. But we don't just patronize what's patriotic.

For this group of players, it's is another season of American idolizing, which comes along with a lifetime supply of Adidas and the bar raised for expectations.

The good sign is that, historically, the U.S. women never settle for second best. Since the first Cup, it's either been a title or a third-place consolation ribbon.

Consider that with instant success comes instant revisionist history.

Solo has also said she's tired of hearing about the comparisons to the '99 squad. This is a team forging its own identity.

But it's not that simple. Nor should it be.

This is a legacy thing. But much fresher than a 3D Smurf movie.

"I'd be tired of it, too, if I were them," said Julie Foudy, analyzing the games for ESPN in Germany and co-captain of that '99 squad. "It's understandable. That's what I love about this moment. Here is a moment that the country can embrace this team and wrap their arms around this team. They are the ones. It wasn't from someone else. It wasn't from another time. It's them who did it. They've given this country such a reason to love them."

Chastain, though, says it's "a little disheartening for me personally" to hear the talk of being "tired" of history, "because once a part of U.S. soccer, you're always a part of it. We're all building hopefully to make U.S. soccer better, to make the game better, and to grow the sport in a way that it deserves to be shown."

Win or lose in the final today, this U.S. women's team has taken it up another notch.

Southern Californian can cash in on its soccer groupon this weekend - the Women's World Cup finale comes hours after Beckham and Donovan's Galaxy faces Kaka and Ronaldo's Real Madrid at the Coliseum and Chivas USA takes on Theirry Henry and the New York Red Bull at the Home Depot Center.

But the group that counts most is the one in Frankfurt this morning.