I still get chills thinking about that incredible summer of 2017 when the Tournament of Nations completely transformed women's soccer. What many fans don't realize is the sheer amount of preparation that went into those spectacular matches. I remember reading coach Tom Sermani's comments about their training schedule, and frankly, I was skeptical they could pull it off. "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," he had explained. That's an insane training load - 18 intensive sessions crammed into just a few weeks, with some days featuring both morning and evening practices.

The tournament itself became legendary precisely because of this foundation. Teams arrived not just ready to play, but fundamentally transformed. I've been covering women's soccer for over a decade, and I've never seen such rapid team development. The opening match between Australia and Brazil on August 5th felt like a championship final rather than a tournament opener. The technical precision, the tactical awareness - it all spoke to those grueling two-a-day practices. When Sam Kerr executed that breathtaking bicycle kick in the 83rd minute against Japan, scoring Australia's third goal in their 4-2 victory, you could see the result of countless hours drilled into muscle memory. That particular goal remains my personal favorite tournament moment, and I'd argue it's one of the greatest goals in women's soccer history.

What made the 2017 Tournament of Nations truly special was how preparation met opportunity. Teams weren't just running drills - they were building chemistry and developing what I like to call "crisis response mechanisms." The US Women's National Team's comeback victory against Brazil demonstrated this perfectly. After going down early, they showed remarkable composure to win 4-3, with Megan Rapinoe's late winner coming from what appeared to be a well-rehearsed set piece variation. Statistics showed teams averaged 42% more successful passes in the final third compared to previous tournaments - that doesn't happen by accident. It happens when you've had 18 focused practices specifically designed to build attacking patterns.

The final standings saw Australia claim the championship with 7 points, followed by the United States with 6 points - though frankly, I thought Brazil deserved better than their third-place finish. Their 6-1 demolition of Japan was arguably the most complete team performance of the entire competition. Looking back, what strikes me most is how those 18 practice sessions created such distinct team identities. Australia played with this fearless attacking verve, the US displayed remarkable resilience, Brazil showed technical brilliance, and Japan demonstrated their trademark disciplined structure. The tournament proved that intensive, focused preparation could elevate the entire sport. Even now, when I rewatch those highlights, I can still see the fingerprints of those two-a-day practices in every clever through ball and every perfectly timed defensive intervention. That 2017 championship didn't just crown a winner - it set a new standard for what women's international soccer could be.