Looking back at the 2017 Tournament of Nations, I still get chills remembering how it reshaped women's international soccer that year. As someone who's followed women's football for over a decade, I can confidently say this tournament marked a turning point in how national teams approached preparation and competition. What stood out to me most wasn't just the final results, but the incredible preparation stories behind them - particularly how teams optimized their limited training windows.

I recall being fascinated by the Australian coaching staff's approach when they revealed their preparation strategy. Their head coach explained, "We are trying to get maybe about, if we can, 18 practices together including two-a-day practices. We are hoping to get 18 practices including friendlies before we actually get into the first game proper on August 5th." This meticulous planning struck me as revolutionary at the time. Most teams would have settled for fewer sessions, but the Matildas understood that every training opportunity mattered in such a compressed tournament format.

The actual tournament unfolded with breathtaking intensity across those August days in 2017. What made it particularly memorable for me was watching how that preparation translated to pitch performance. Australia's stunning 6-1 victory over Brazil remains etched in my memory - it was one of those matches where you could literally see the training ground work paying off. The coordination, the understanding between players, the tactical discipline - it all screamed of a team that had maximized every minute of those 18 practice sessions. Meanwhile, the United States and Japan brought their own distinctive styles to the competition, creating a fascinating clash of football philosophies.

From my perspective as a football analyst, the 2017 edition demonstrated something crucial about modern international tournaments: preparation time has become the invisible weapon. Teams that managed to squeeze maximum value from limited training windows consistently outperformed expectations. The tournament's final standings saw Australia claiming the top spot with 7 points, followed closely by the United States with 6 points - results that directly reflected their strategic approaches to pre-tournament preparation.

What I particularly loved about this tournament was how it showcased evolving tactical trends in women's football. The high-scoring matches - 21 goals across 6 games - indicated a shift toward more attacking, expansive football. Teams were moving away from cautious approaches and embracing risk, which made for spectacular viewing. The 1-1 draw between Japan and Brazil, for instance, featured end-to-end action that had me on the edge of my seat throughout.

Reflecting on it now, the 2017 Tournament of Nations taught me that success in short international competitions often comes down to two things: smart preparation and the courage to play attacking football. The teams that embraced both elements left the strongest impressions and achieved the best results. While the tournament format has evolved since then, the lessons from 2017 continue to influence how national teams approach similar competitions today. For pure entertainment value and tactical innovation, that August tournament remains one of my favorite women's football events of the past decade.