No matter what sport you compete in at the Olympics, the sense of team and country is the great unifying force. Great performances in one sport inspire their countrymen in other sports.

But for me, it goes even beyond that. I heard a story about a Polish swimmer who was really active in her community, crusading for children's cancer research, and then had a horrible accident, was charged with reckless driving and her brother passed away and now she's back in the Olympics. Even though she's not American, I just found myself cheering for her because we can all appreciate the stories of athletes succeeding against all the odds under awful, atrocious circumstances. , here this person has found a way to be the best in the world. I find myself cheering up and cheering for somebody I don't even know.

NBC does a great job with that stuff, clearly making it an emphasis when we do our media training that stories are what the Olympics are about. At first, I was like, it's really about the game, but I think the stories are important. You can't separate a player from their stories. Whatever they go through in their personal lives obviously impacts them when they are performing their talents on the field or on the court. So they have to be connected.

Especially for the young people who are watching the Olympics for the first time, the ideas that you're hearing in these stories about hardships or determination. Those athletes that you're watching are no different than anybody else. They are the kids that are reading.

The people that decide to be better or best, are just like everyone else. They start with a dream or a passion and they just follow through with it. So I hope when kids and parents are reading these blogs or seeing the stories, they recognize that their own potential lies within themselves. Anything great can happen.

Something great happened for the American women yesterday, getting past a really good Canada team in overtime to reach the semis and a date with Japan on Monday. In the other game, look for Brazil and Germany to put on a show. For the men, a few regulars, Brazil and Argentina, as well as a couple of surprises in Nigeria and Belgium reached the final four on Tuesday. And at this stage, anything can happen.

Big day tomorrow for the USA Women's team, single elimination against Canada while the other three games also feature amazing talent.

At this level, there are a lot of intangibles that you can't train for. The home field advantage, the weather, your emotions on the day, the crowd and even how you wake up in the morning. There are a lot of things that you can't just put your finger on that will impact the game.

Likewise, there are a lot of things you can prepare for: game time scenarios like how to play if you're up, you're down or you're tied, if you go down a player, you're winning late, you're losing late, etc. I would think that by now, they have gone through all those scenarios in their heads and tomorrow and the next day they'll go over them again so that they are all on the same page.

As far as the American loss to Norway in the first round, that's behind them. In this situation, it becomes a learning opportunity. There is no time to dwell on anything. I'm fairly certain they didn't think they were going to finish first in the group with the way they played. They finally scored some goals in the last game, which gives them confidence in the fact that if one player is not scoring, they know goals can come from other places.

On the same hand, they're still not playing the best soccer that they can play. And maybe as a coach, you can spin that positively. "Look, the best soccer that we have is in front of us," she should be telling them.

Early morning and big day tomorrow, so got to get some rest. Enjoy the games and be sure to tune in and log on bright and early to catch the action.

Hey all, Hope you've been enjoying the Olympics. What a week so far, right? I've been covering a lot of the soccer games for TV broadcasts, though I am such an Olympic junkie that I was watching the men's gymnastics and swimming till midnight last night. Unbelievable stuff.

With all the excitement and staying up that late, it's been tough getting used to my work schedule. The soccer games start at like 6 in the morning, which feels even earlier on my California body. ! I got here on the first day and set my alarm for 5am and I was like "Oh my gosh," because I had a meeting at 8:30. It was brutal. But the excitement of the games, being on a team with the folks over at NBC and MSNBC for soccer, has been a lot of fun. It's enthusiastic, everyone's in it for the same reason - because we all love the game. So it's been great fun.

I guess we can all, on some level, say we've commentated a game, right? We sit in our homes and make comments like "Why didn't they do this?" and "Why aren't they doing that?" So on some level, I've been watching sports my whole life, I feel like I have a lot of opinions on them. But this is the first official time I've been an analyst. Might as well just start at the Olympics, you know! Just jump right into the fire!

If only I could watch every second of every game, that would be a dream. But I can't because we have games that are simultaneously going on and I can only focus on one thing at a time. Today, for example, I called USA versus New Zealand women's game at the same time Norway-Japan was going on. Luckily I get copies of all the games them on DVD just in case I get them in the next round, I can be prepared. I will study the roster and go over the players and the things that stood out. That's how it works.

As for the U.S. Women, what a game today! Their 4-0 win was promising because they had only scored one goal in the first two games. And that's very unlike the U.S. National Team. Granted, Abby Wambach is not in the lineup, which makes a huge difference. If she's not scoring goals, she at least has the attention from the other team. In the first game against Norway and going down so quickly, the team never got a chance to settle in. It's like they took a sucker punch between the eyes and couldn't shake it off. So they just weren't themselves. Then they had a player injured in that game who didn't start in the second game. So things have not gone according to plan.

People have been asking me if I'm surprised the U.S. lost the opener. I am and I'm not. It's not so much the youth and inexperience of the team as it is their not being with new coach Pia Sundhage long enough. She's got them doing things that they weren't doing this time last year. Even though they've been play soccer their whole lives, terminology is still different, the approach is different and it takes time to adjust. Their transition has been a little bit difficult.

Regardless, we're smack in the middle of this tournament and the single elimination process begins Friday. It's a clean slate.

The U.S. men play tomorrow morning, though I haven't been able to see them play too much. The bottom line is they truly blew an opportunity to be leading in their group in the last game with that silly goal at the end. That's a lack of concentration. But I really feel that they're going to bounce back from that with a good match. I'm really looking forward to the lineup that Coach Peter Nowak puts out.

So get up early and watch, support the U.S. and root them on!

The big day has finally arrived and the Olympics are here as the Opening Ceremonies begin tonight at 8pm. But for one sport, the Games began a few days ago and the competitions are already heating up. Of course, I'm talking about soccer.

In my first Olympics as a broadcaster, I've spent the past few days studying and watching the first batch of games, preparing for the televised coverage.

Learning all of the names and players has been challenging, but even more of a challenge will be not rooting too hard for the Americans while in the studio. I still keep in touch with so many of the players and definitely give advice when asked, but they are all adults, you know what I mean? You have a few conversations with a few players, but they're professionals. They know the stakes and get it. For as much as we talk, they're also skilled at kind of attacking this. A lot of them have been there before, so they don't need my advice.

Of course, I'm sure you've already heard by now that the U.S. Women lost their opening game, 2-0 to Norway, while the American men opened yesterday with a big win over Japan.

We knew the women's game against Norway was going to be a tough test. At one time, Norway was the only country in the world that had a winning record against the U.S. That's since changed, but it's still pretty close and they are obviously a competitive team.

The top teams in the world are all in Beijing - the same culprits who are competitive in the major international tournaments - Germany, Brazil, Norway, Sweden.

The lesson I hope that has been learned is that each and every game matters in these tournaments. They're not long and drawn out, they're quick and to the point. Now the next two games are even more important - against Japan and New Zealand. Each game is going to be tough, bottom line. These top teams have to battle getting ready themselves as opposed to preparing for their opponents. Focus on fulfilling the game plan and executing it.

It's August, which means the Olympics are here! Actually, opening ceremonies are still a week away, but I seriously can't wait to kick things off.

Unlike the last Games, I won't actually be on the field, but I will definitely be involved. I'm not going to Beijing, unfortunately, as soccer is one of the sports that will be broadcast from the studios in the States. So I'll be in New York City for the majority of August, doing the commentary from 30 Rock. What that does mean is that I'll have more time to blog for you all and give some updates throughout.

Right now is all about preparation. What we'll do is start to watch more games on DVD over and over again and get familiar with the names of the players on the rosters of the different teams. We also get to speak with coaches and hopefully some players about their goals for the Tournament.

Obviously everyone that is going wants to win gold, so that one's a no brainer. But also we'll talk about how they'll play, how they'll manage the tournament and what seems to be the focus for themselves and their team and going forward.

The Olympics are about the games, but they're also about the people and the stories, so we hope to paint a good picture for the audience. I'm heading to NY next week so once I'm settled, keep checking back for updates here. One week until the Opening Ceremonies!

Hi everyone, so even though I don't have a camp going right now, I wanted to check in and say a quick hello.

Hope you all had a good July 4th. We had a barbeque here in the backyard with a group of families - all of home we met when we went through our birthing education together. We all started out pregnant together and now all our kids are two years old so and we like to spend time together. With our schedules, just hanging out is a vacation for us. My husband and I are away a lot for work, so it's nice to just be home.

Now a few weeks since the last camp, those four or five camps over these past few weeks, I've had some time to reflect back on it, thinking about how soccer is changing. The coaches continually talked amongst ourselves about how these young kids have more training as youngsters than I did or my generation, Mia and Julie, and myself.

We had our dads and the local or somebody else's dad coaching us. But now, these kids have professionals. They have actual soccer trainers, professional players. So they're well more advanced than we were, I think, in terms of the technical aspect of their game than I ever was. So, it's great to see. It's taking it to the next level even earlier, which is fun!

For my campers reading this, I know we were really busy and productive in that short time together, but remember to keep focused and to be purposeful with all of your touches and runs! Remember the lessons learned and practice them with your teams now.

As for the downtime now, it's brief... The Olympics begin in a few weeks and I will be working the broadcasts starting in August. Lots of good stuff to look forward to, but we'll talk about that before the Games begin.

Thank you, Tulsa. Hope you had as much fun as I did.

I know everyone will take something positive away from the camp this week, but remember that you are in charge of your own progress. Stay positive no matter what happens!

Again, my son Cameron is a perfect example. He tried out to play soccer at Santa Clara, and he was the last player to get cut from the team. But he handled it very gracefully and very well. As a parent, I was upset, of course, because you want your children to be happy.

But I realized for Cameron, maybe his happiness wasn't whether he made the team or not, but maybe just being out there and being able to participate was important for him.

After flying back late last night, I'm back home for the weekend as my son is about to turn 2 on Sunday! Having a 2-year old is quite demanding, not to mention all of the other things going on. We got home last night, and his birthday is on Sunday. We're also doing some home remodeling, but it's just great to be here.

With all of the time I spend on the road, home is like going on vacation.

In addition the camps, I've also been working with the USOC as an athlete ambassador on a program for all of the Olympic hopefuls and qualified Olympians who will be going to Beijing.

I will have another one coming up with a basketball team in July, which should be really fun.

Hey everyone, I'm here in Tulsa for a Chastain Soccer Academy Camp and could not be happier with how things are going so far!

Tulsa is great - like most soccer communities, it's getting bigger. The training center we are using has like 30 fields and kids of all ages and all sizes are playing the game here. I know I never grew up with anything like this we just played at the local park.

I'm glad to be joined by my brother, Chad, who has been doing all of the hard work behind the scenes to get the camps going. My older son, Cameron, actually helped train some of the kids in Reno and Carson where we'll be next week. He's a junior in college and now actually helps my husband coach the women's team at Santa Clara University. He plays for fun on his own but also helps out on the collegiate level.

Our other son Jaden is turning two next week. He's back at home, but will be with me next week in California. Chad and our grandparents live there so it gives Jaden some time to spend with his great grandparents, which is one of the reasons why we go there.

I look back at my own camp experiences and think that's another reason why I love doing this. I had such a great time back then, although it was much different than what camp is today because there was no girls-only soccer 30 years ago. I think I went to camp with 250 or 300 boys and maybe five girls. So it's a lot different even though I loved it. I loved the instruction, the competition and just trying to impress my coaches.

Believe it or not, I still keep in touch with people from back then and was actually just talking to a coach from a camp who I am friends with now. We were actually laughing over a few emails about how I remember specifically one play that happened at an indoor game when he was trying to ref two games at one time. I scored a goal and he disallowed it and we've been fighting ever since for 20 something years. Then I finally apologized for being a brat and he said "well I told you that you were a baby."

So that's why I love these camps not only can you be a better player, but you can make friendships that last your whole life!

Hello everyone, hope you are all well.

I'm actually here in New York with a friend to pitch a couple of youth and tween-based television shows to the networks and had some free time to catch you up on what's been going on. It's a beautiful day here and I wonder if I didn't bring the warm weather with me from California...

So we are starting to think about Jaden's second birthday, which is coming up the second week of June. We had something for him last year, but this is the first party where he will actually be aware of what's going on and get to interact with his friends. We're thinking of bringing in some animals in and having a petting zoo out in the yard with a billygoat and a horse.

That's right, there will be large animals on our lawn. Every time we go to the local zoo, he has a blast, so I think that's the direction we're heading in as of now. There is going to be one of those big, bouncy moonwalk trampoline things for the kids to jump on. We'll also set up the Rock Band in the garage since this is a party as much for the adults and parents as it is for the kids. So this is going to be a pretty big deal, with lots of planning and thought that still needs to go into it.

I've also been traveling around the country a lot recently, offering soccer camps in a few different cities with more on the horizon. I absolutely love being on a soccer field and being around kids is such a wonderful experience. So to spread and share my love for the game is great for me, and I am focused on bringing enthusiasm to the game, every drill, every play, every minute. I still have such passion for the game and love getting to share that excitement with these kids. Who knows, I might be coming to your town soon.

So what else... well since my last Blog, the U.S. Women have qualified for the Olympics, which is great. I really am excited for the team to defend our gold medal. People ask if it's going to be tough not being out there as this is the first Olympics with soccer that I won't be participating in. It's definitely going to be different for me not being there with a jersey on, but I've already begun to get used to my new role and separate the two in my mind.

I think the hardest part about being an analyst is not saying "we" or "our" when referring to the team. I think I can be objective and all, but this is always going to be my team and my country. I have former teammates and good friends out there and I want them to succeed. There are some new faces and younger players on the team, but they have their identity and have proven that they can beat the best teams in the world. So they have been tested, have some real experience behind them and I expect them to challenge and compete for the Gold. But that's a long ways away and we've got time to talk about that.

In the meantime, the group putting together the new Women's Professional Soccer League is making real progress, and we're getting closer every day with a target kickoff in 2009. We've got seven cities nailed down and looking to secure the eighth to balance it out. So it's all coming together and just another thing that's been keeping me busy.

I hope you all are staying busy and active as well. Get outside, enjoy spring and be well! And of course don't forget to post your favorite stuff here on weplay... I rounded up a couple new ones I'm going to post now and I've got more on the way. Until next time,

-Brandi

Hi everyone! Welcome to my weplay blog. I'm very excited to start playing around on weplay.com, start getting to know lots of new people and sharing my love of all sports with everyone! This is going to be such a good time, I know it already. Mostly I'm looking forward to connecting with new friends, keeping in touch with my old ones, and talking soccer with all of you!

I know I'm just getting going on here, but I just posted some pics of me - check them out and definitely post comments. These pictures are of me as a kid, and yeah, that was quite a while ago! I sometimes forget what great hair I had then :) But what's even harder to believe is that my son, Jaden, is going to be running around on the field in just a few years. I hope I can keep up with him then. Well, let's not rush things yet - he is going to be two years old this summer. Time sure flies.

This is truly going to be a big year coming up, especially with the Olympics. The 2004 games in Athens was truly one of the best experiences of my life. Representing your country is something I had the honor of doing a number of times, but bringing home a gold medal is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Of course, I'll be cheering on the U.S.A. and many of my former teammates.

Until then, I'll probably be here. So I hope you'll join me and post pictures and videos of you playing sports. Can't wait to see them. And don't forget to add me as your friend, too. I can't wait to be weplay buddies with you!

See you on the pitch....

~Brandi