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BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil -- The final score might not have been historic, but it was sufficiently satisfying for a team trying to take the first step toward a historic gold medal in womens soccer.The Americans beat New Zealand 2-0 on Wednesday. Carli Lloyd scored the opening goal in the ninth minute, while Alex Morgan added the second in the opening minute of the second half.There were uneven moments and lulls that left a crowd to figure out the minimum attendance required to successfully pull off the wave (when it wasnt booing U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo with increasing delight every time she touched the ball). But in its sixth Olympics, the United States opened with a win for the fifth time.The United States remains in Belo Horizonte to play France on Saturday, a matchup of medal favorites and two of the top three teams in the world.More to come, but here are three observations from the Group G opener.1. Injury questions answeredWell, mostly answered. Some deft juggling at halftime marked Megan Rapinoes only appearance on the field once the game began. U.S. coach Jill Ellis elected not to give the veteran her first minutes since suffering a torn ACL in Hawaii in December.But it didnt take long to get a feel for the status of Morgan Brian and Tobin Heath, the other two health concerns entering the tournament. Both were in the starting lineup for the first time since June. And both, as Ellis suggested beforehand, looked ready for duty. That was particularly true of Heath, so easily overlooked but such a dynamic presence in wide spaces and on set-piece deliveries. She set up Lloyds opening goal and created several other chances.Squad rotation will be a common phrase here, but Heath looked indispensable enough to likely squeeze minutes from Crystal Dunn, Mallory Pugh or both.2. Midfield questions remainThere is a difference between a problem and a question. And after one game, the composition of the midfield behind Lloyd remains squarely in the camp of the latter. But there are questions as to how things best fit together after Ellis elected to pair Morgan Brian and Allie Long in the starting lineup for just the third time. That arrangement pushes up Brian to the No. 8 role, while Long fills the No. 6 role that Brian played through much of the World Cup (although rarely ever before that). And the arrangement pushes Lindsey Horan to the bench.Brian was able to slip in the ball that Morgan converted for the second goal, although Brian wasnt always a noticeable presence as the U.S. women went wide.Given that Ellis probably never intended to play Brian 90 minutes in her first start back, it made for an easy swap when Horan came on midway through the second half. And with the condensed schedule of this tournament, all three are going to play. Still, it leaves open the question of what happens against France? Ellis was pleased with the way her team played when those teams met earlier this year, and that was with Brian and Horan paired together to deny French possession.3. Carli Lloyd is agelessLloyd is effectively the same age in this tournament as Abby Wambach was when the World Cup began a year ago. That was a farewell tour, a role and minutes that had to be delicately managed. Lloyd at 34? Just put her out there for 90 minutes and let her score. She might have more memorable highlights than a looping header to the opposite post, but she put the ball in the net for the fifth game in a row at a major tournament. Nate Thurmond Jersey .ca NFL Power Rankings, overtaking the Denver Broncos and remaining ahead of NFC competition San Francisco, Carolina and New Orleans. Vitaly Potapenko Jersey . The Lightning are 2-0 so far on a four-game road trip, giving the club five straight wins as the guest and improving Tampas away record this season to 11-8-2. https://www.cheapcavaliers.com/512q-danny-ferry-jersey-cavaliers.html . The 43-year-old closer, in his 19th and final big league season, has said hed like to play the outfield. Yankees manager Joe Girardi says hes thinking about allowing Rivera to do it this weekend, when the Yankees finish their season with a three-game series at the Houston Astros. Jim Chones Jersey . -- Aaron Murray threw for 408 yards and three touchdowns, ran for another score, and led No. Kevin Porter Jersey . -- Aldon Smith believes he is on the path to being sober for good. LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Senior co-captains Danielle Harbin and Breana Jones registered career-high performances Saturday afternoon but the University of Arkansas volleyball team dropped a five-set decision to fourth-ranked Kansas. In the upset bid, Harbin tallied a team-high 22 kills while Jones registered 11.0 total blocks. Fellow senior Savannah Voelzke led a trio of double-double efforts with a career-best 14 kills and 12 digs.FINALNo. 4 Kansas 3, Arkansas 2 (25-20, 23-25, 25-19, 31-33, 15-8)Attendance: 1,234 | Time: 2:35Horejsi Center (Lawrence, Kan.)On her way to earning Kansas Invitational All-Tournament honors, Harbin averaged 4.15 kills per set during the weekend to go along with totals of 13 digs, 12 total blocks and three service aces. She opened the tournament with a then-career high of 18 kills against Maryland.Defensively, Jones was one of two Razorbacks with double-digit blocks as Ana Sofia Jusino equaled her career high with 10 total blocks. Both of Jusinos 10-block performances in her career have taken place at the Horejsi Center in Lawrence. Jones racked up 22 total blocks during the Kansas Invitational, good for 1.69 blocks per set. Behind the block, sophomore libero Okiana Valle ppicked up 28 digs, good for the eighth 20-dig showing of her career.ddddddddddddDown 2-1 in the match and facing a 22-19 deficit in the fourth set, the Razorbacks got a kill from Barbara Dapic and back-to-back kills from Harbin to pull even and force a Kansas timeout. From that point, the scoreboard was tied eight times and Arkansas had to fight off four match points before capitalizing on its fifth set point to force a decisive set with a kill from Harbin, her eighth of the frame.Carrying the back-and-forth play into the fifth set, Kansas (6-0) led 8-7 when the teams switched sides at the media timeout. The Jayhawks went on to win the final six points of the match to secure victory in the five-set thriller. Prior to the match, Kansas had not lost a set in its previous five matches. The Razorbacks fall to 1-5 with the loss.Arkansas continues its road travels next weekend with a trip to Albuquerque for the Lobo Classic with matches against host New Mexico and defending national champion Nebraska. The Razorbacks also have an exhibition matchup scheduled with Montreal. ' ' '