I'm beginning to think Germany is the place to be in the summertime. Back in 2006, I got to spend one of the weeks of my life in Berlin at the World Cup. Now, at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, I'm here for the entire tournament and it's quite a show.

Once again, Germany has taken the opportunity to promote itself, the game it loves and the pride this country rightly takes in its national soccer team. Taking advantage of opportunities, though, is something precious few forwards are doing here, and that's one of the big themes of the first week of these finals.

While there has been a lot of media talk about parity, the traditional powers wouldn't be looking over their shoulders quite so much at the moment if their forwards had taken care of business in front of goal. From Berlin to Augsburg, and all other points of the Women's World Cup compass, the likes of proven goal poachers such as Germany's Kerstin Garefrekes, Sweden's Lotta Schelin, Norway's Isabell Herlovsen and Australia's Lisa de Vanna have missed sitters that they will see in their nightmares for a long time to come.

It's true that the big dogs have a smaller margin of error than ever at this Women's World Cup, but as Camille Abily and France ably demonstrated on Thursday night, nothing puts away parity quite like clinical finishing. Les Bleus' fluid movement, sharp passing and offensive speed, all orchestrated by the superb Louisa Necib, was a delight. But it's the French goal connection that makes them the prime Cinderella candidates here in Germany.

Suddenly, though, the favored two-time defending champion host is not having a ball on the pitch. German legend Birgit Prinz is weighing her team down more than a late night meal of Saxony schnitzel. Germany didn't finish off Canada early in its opening game and barely created anything against Nigeria on Thursday. But just like their male counterparts, the German women know how to win on the grand stage. For all the Sturm und Drang in the media here, Germany is 2-0 and in the quarterfinals, and I'd be amazed if it didn't figure out how to get its groove back.

If the forwards and the favorites have a smaller margin of error than ever before at the Women's World Cup, the pack of underdogs chasing them still face the challenge of having to always bring their A-plus game to win. They can make no mistakes if they are to pull off the big upset that hangs so tantalizingly in the air in these parts at the moment.

And that's why so many of the early games have been so compelling. The teams at the lower end of the rankings are trying to crash the party, and in the early going the old hierarchy haven't quite known how to quell the anarchy. It's a bit like an astronaut needing to scratch an itch during a spacewalk: unexpected, terribly inconvenient and not so simple a problem to solve.

At least at the Women's World Cup, the top teams can take the gloves off. Japan and France have done that in their second games. And on Saturday against Colombia, the U.S. will have the opportunity to do the same.

The Americans did it in the second half against North Korea, and they can make a real statement of intent against the Colombians by doing it again. But to do that, they must take their chances in front of goal. If the U.S. does, then the opportunity for Women's World Cup glory beckons.