Let the Games Begin!!!

It's opening day in the 2006 World Championship. The anticipation is over and all teams will take the floor to begin their quest for world glory and the most coveted title in Women's Basketball. Many will try, but few teams have real shots at dethroning the Americans, the reigning two-time champions. The last official game Team USA lost was against Brazil in the 1994 World Champs semi-finals. Since then, they have dominated all major competitions, collecting medals and individual honors. BUT...that was when they had the Swoopes-Leslie-Staley trifecta. Staley has retired and is now one of the team's assistant coaches. Leslie has withdrawn from the team for personal reasons and Swoopes is not in game condition. The US must decide today if they will keep her on the official roster, even if she can't play, or if they'll add Cappie Pondexter who traveled with the team as an alternate. Team US will miss their talent, but above all their leadership and experience. The talent is there, like it's always been, but nobody on Team USA stands out as a vocal leader capable of gathering the troops and taking them to the next level. The talent diferential might be enough. But then again, it might not be enough. Russia and Australia can smell blood and they are more than ready to challenge the US for world supremacy. Even if it's only for a couple of years. The Russians have a tall, skilled frontcourt while the Opals rely mostly on their tested stars. Brazil would be a huge surprise and the homecourt factor has been incredibly overrated. As if thousands of fans can make up for the coaching staff's ineptitude. There will be no homecourt advantage in the early stages with the team playing during working hours. Other teams that might sneak in are Czech Republic and Cuba. Group D may turn out to be the most interesting as there are no clear-cut favorites. Despite the Czechs' reputation, they haven't exactly fared well in World Champs play.
As it is, I still don't see the US being dethroned, but if I had to take a wild guess as to who can beat them, Russia is my pick.