Norway head coach Bjarne Berntsen said on Monday that they hoped to beat the United States with its young but talented players at the Beijing Olympic women's soccer opener on August 6.

"Although we have a young side - only one of our players was born in the 1970s - we still have experience. We have a lot of players who have played many international games," Berntsen said.

Being the Champion of the 2000 Olympics but missed last Games in Athens, Norway's midfielder Marie Knutsen called this tournament "very important" for them. "We want to be one of the best teams in the world," she said.

Lost to the US 4-0, 4-0 and 4-1 last year, Norwegian believed the Olympics were the best stage to win back their reputation. "We know we need to be much better in defense, but we think we have a chance, even if the USA is great favorite," Berntsen said.

"My only focus now is the US team on Wednesday. After that, all my focus will be on New Zealand, and then, I can start to think of Japan," Berntsen said.

Defending Olympic champions, the United States finished third in the 2007 World Cup in China, crushing Norway 4-1 in the third-place playoff.

(Xinhua News Agency August 5, 2008)