What an unfortunate way for the U.S.A women to end their World Cup run. Outlasted by the Japanese women 3-1 in a shootout. It seemed like when the U.S. women held the lead, they eased up and started to get a little sloppy. Japan took full advantage of this lackluster play and tied it back up. A valuable lesson can be learned here. When ahead, keep increasing the distance between you and the competition. 
Business is about exposing a niche or playing in a market large enough for you and your competitors. Experimenting to figure out ways to distinguish yourself, whether it be by branding or marketing schemes, allows you to increase exposure and up revenue. Staying ahead of the curve is a great way to put yourself out there and make customers come to you.
If the U.S. women were able to capitalize and maintain the ‘play to win’ mentality rather than ‘not to lose’, I think the game would have had a different outcome. If your retail business can learn from them and ‘play to win’ in it’s respective market, the ball is in your court. In the end their loss was just a game, and looking back they did have a great tournament. Instead of playing with the field of competitors in your retail business niche, pull away from them and become the champion. After all, everyone likes a winner.