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U.S.
Women Win…….Total Domination
VANCOUVER, Canada (Jan. 29, 2012) – Alex Morgan
got her first start up top alongside Abby Wambach, and
responded with two goals to lead the U.S. women to a 4-0 victory over
Canada in front of a sold-out crowd of 25,427 at BC Place to take the
championship of the 2012 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
Morgan, whose previous role was that of a second-half substitute, got
her first goal in the fourth minute of play, taking a flick-on from Wambach
and slotting it past Canada’s goalkeeper.
Both teams sealed their berths to the 2012 London Olympics with semifinal
wins last Friday, but that did nothing to temper the emotion and energy
the USA and Canada showcased in front of a CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying-record
crowd.
Wambach scored her 130th and 131st career goals in the 24th and 28th minutes,
respectively, to surpass former U.S. WNT teammate Kristine Lilly,
who retired at the beginning of 2011 with 130 career goals. Wambach now
trails only U.S. legend Mia Hamm (158).
It marked the first time that Morgan and Wambach started a match together
and Morgan contributed to each of the four U.S. goals.
"I think we came out really strong and the early goal took the wind
out of their sails a bit," said Wambach. "It quieted the crowd
down a considerable amount, and then of course the second goal is just
the backbreaker for them. It's hard to score one goal against the U.S.,
let alone two to equalize and three to go ahead."
U.S. WNT head coach Pia Sundhage shook up her starting
lineup for the championship game, leaving regulars Shannon Boxx,
Lauren Cheney, Heather O'Reilly, Rachel Buehler and Amy LePeilbet
on the bench. Only Cheney and Buehler eventually saw action, but by that
time the game was well in hand.
In the 4-4-2 formation, Heather Mitts got the start at
right back, with Christie Rampone and Becky Sauerbrunn
in the middle and Kelley O'Hara on the left. Lori
Lindsey was inserted to pair with Carli Lloyd at
center midfield, and Megan Rapinoe got her second start
of the tournament, this time at left midfield.
Amy Rodriguez was on the right flank with Morgan and Wambach partnered
up front. In the fourth minute the USA struck on the counter attack as
Lloyd sent the ball up to Wambach, who then headed the ball forward for
Morgan who had made a strong run up the gut of Canada's defense. Morgan
fended off Canada's Shannon Woeller and Candace
Chapman and then placed the shot low into the left side of the
net past onrushing Canada goalkeeper Erin McLeod for
the 1-0 lead.
In the 24th minute the USA doubled its lead as Rapinoe sent Morgan down
the right side and she raced toward the end line before crossing to the
near post. Wambach was making a perfect run and darted in to flick a header
past McLeod for the 2-0 lead.
The Americans effectively sealed the match in the 28th minute after Canada's
defense was in scramble mode after Lloyd's initial low driven shot hit
the right post. The ball deflected out and Morgan latched onto it before
showing great composure to draw a defender and play a short square pass
to Wambach on her left. The U.S. striker spun the ball into the lower
right corner with a first-time shot to take sole possession of second
place in career goals ahead of Lilly with No. 131.
Canada's star forward Christine Sinclair, who scored nine goals in the
tournament, was held scoreless and only accounted for four shots.
U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo made six goals in the game, three of which came
on one-on-one situations.
The victory gave the USA its third straight CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying
Tournament title, improved its all-time record against Canada to 43-3-5
and improved its current unbeaten streak against its northern neighbors
to 25 games. Lloyd, Rodriguez and Wambach were the USA's top goal scorers
for the tournament with six goals apiece.
Cheney led in assists with seven, followed by Morgan with six assists.
For Canada, Sinclair had nine goals, but she could not find the net on
Sunday.
The USA defense did not give up a goal over the five games in the tournament
to start off 2012 and the U.S. offense outscored its opponents by a 38-0
margin. Solo has established a new shutout streak in the CONCACAF Olympic
Qualifying Tournament with 454 consecutive scoreless minutes. Solo posted
450 scoreless minutes in this year's tournament and four scoreless minutes
at the end of the 2008 tournament.
The U.S. team will now go on a short break before regrouping in Frisco,
Texas, to prepare for its meeting with New Zealand on Feb. 11 at FC Dallas
Stadium. The match, which pits two 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup participants,
will kick off at 3 p.m. CT. –
U.S. Women's National Team Match Report
Match: U.S. Women's National Team vs.
Canada
Date: Jan. 29, 2012
Competition: 2012 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying
Tournament - Final
Venue: BC Place Stadium; Vancouver, Canada
Kickoff: 5 p.m. PT
Attendance: 25,427 (Sell-Out)
Weather: Indoors; 72 degrees
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 3 1 4
CAN 0 0 0
USA - Alex Morgan (Abby Wambach) 4th minute
USA - Abby Wambach (Alex Morgan) 24
USA - Abby Wambach (Alex Morgan) 28
USA - Alex Morgan (Lauren Cheney) 56
Lineups:
USA: 1-Hope Solo; 2-Heather Mitts (19-Rachel Buehler, 69), 4-Becky Sauerbrunn,
3-Christie Rampone (capt.), 5-Kelley O'Hara; 8-Amy Rodriguez (14-Sydney
Leroux, 63), 16-Lori Lindsey, 10-Carli Lloyd, 15-Megan Rapinoe; 13-Alex
Morgan, 20-Abby Wambach (12-Lauren Cheney, 46)
Subs not used: 6-Amy LePeilbet, 7-Shannon Boxx, 9-Heather O'Reilly, 17-Tobin
Heath, 18-Nicole Barnhart
Head coach: Pia Sundhage CAN: 18-Erin McLeod; 2-Shannon Woeller, 5-Robyn
Gayle (7-Rhian Wilkinson, 54), 9-Candace Chapman, 16-Lauren Sesselmann;
6-Kaylyn Kyle (14-Melissa Tancredi, 46), 15-Kelly Parker, 13-Sophie Schmidt
(4-Carmelina Moscato, 61), 11-Desiree Scott; 12-Christine Sinclair, 10-Christina
Julien
Subs not used: 1-Karina LeBlanc, 3-Melanie Booth, 8-Alyscha Mottershead,
17-Brittany Timko, 19-Chelsea Stewart, 20-Chelsea Buckland
Head coach: John Herdman
Statistical Summary: USA / CAN
Shots: 22 / 8
Shots on Goal: 13 / 6
Saves: 6 / 8
Corner Kicks: 8 / 1
Fouls: 7 / 9
Offside: 0 / 6
Misconduct Summary:
CAN - Kaylyn Kyle (caution) 32nd minute Officials
Referee: Quetzalli Alvarado (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Shirley Perello (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Kimberly Moreira (CRC)
4th Official: Gillian Martindale (BRB)
Bud Light Woman of the Match: Alex Morgan
Top of Page
U.S.
Women Qualifies For Olympic Games
VANCOUVER, Canada (Jan. 27, 2012) - Tobin Heath,
Carli Lloyd and Alex Morgan each scored a goal as the U.S. Women's
National Team defeated Costa Rica 3-0 in the first semifinal of the CONCACAF
Women's Olympic Qualifying tournament to earn a berth to the 2012 London
Olympics.
The U.S. advances to its fifth straight Olympic Games and now looks ahead
to the championship game on Sunday as it tries to capture its third straight
CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament title.
The U.S. will face Canada, a 3-1 semifinal winner over Mexico, on Sunday,
Jan. 29, in a match that will be televised live on the NBC Sports Network
at 5 p.m. PT (8 p.m. ET).
Fans can also follow the game via ussoccer.com's MatchTracker, on Twitter
@ussoccer_wnt and via online video at universalsports.com and CONCACAF.com.
"I always say I respect the game and the opposition and this is the
proof," said U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage. "You
can't take anything for granted. We did score a lot of goals, but Costa
Rica, they came out and played well, and played hard. Eventually, we got
our three goals, but despite that the first goal came quickly, we struggled
a little bit. It became an emotional game more so than a tactical one."
In the previous three qualifying matches, the USA had scored its first
goal within 12 minutes or less, but it took a bit longer this time around.
Costa Rica kept the U.S. off the board in the early going until the Americans
finally broke through in the 16th minute.
The goal came from a set piece as Lauren Cheney took
the corner kick on the right side and connected with Shannon Boxx
at the far post. Boxx hit a powerful header into the ground and
the ball bounced up, forcing Costa Rica goalkeeper Erika Miranda
to make the save. When the ball popped into the air, Heath crashed the
net and rose high to head the ball home from close range for the 1-0 lead.
Heath got the start after sitting out the previous two group stage matches.
It was Heath's second goal of the qualifying after tallying in the opener
against the Dominican Republic on Jan. 19.
USA goalkeeper Hope Solo had not been challenged much
at all throughout the entire tournament, but in a span of less than 10
minutes from the 20th minute through the 29th minute she saw far more
action than in the previous three matches combined.
It seemed as if Costa Rica has run itself out in the first half as the
USA totally dominated after the break. Lloyd, who scored in every qualifying
game, notched her sixth goal of the qualifying in the 72nd minute to make
it 2-0.
Morgan capped things off with an 89th-minute goal as she did all of the
work down the left side while turning the corner against Wendy
Acosta. Morgan tried to get the ball toward the net and, but
it bounced off a defender. Morgan followed up the deflection and flicked
the ball into the net with the outside of her foot past Miranda.
Sundhage gave Kelley O'Hara her first-ever start at right
back after she had recorded three assists in her first-ever game at left
back during the USA's win on Jan. 21 against Guatemala.
The USA improves to 4-0-0 on the year, outscoring its opponents by a 34-0
margin. The U.S. also defeated Costa Rica for berths to the 2004 and 2008
Olympics, winning 4-0 in San Juan, Costa Rica, back on March 3, 2004,
and 2-0 in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on April 9, 2008. After Sunday's championship,
the U.S. team will go on a short break before regrouping in Frisco, Texas,
to prepare for its meeting with New Zealand on Feb. 11 at FC Dallas.
U.S. Women's National Team Match Report - Match: U.S.
Women's National Team vs. Costa Rica
Date: Jan. 27, 2012
Competition: 2012 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying
Tournament - Semifinal
Venue: BC Place Stadium; Vancouver, Canada
Kickoff: 5 p.m. PT
Attendance: TBD
Weather: Indoors; 72 degrees Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 1 2 3
CRC 0 0 0
USA - Tobin Heath (Shannon Boxx) 16th minute
USA - Carli Lloyd (Abby Wambach) 72
USA - Alex Morgan 89
Lineups:
USA: 1-Hope Solo; 5-Kelley O'Hara, 19-Rachel Buehler, 3-Christie Rampone
(capt.), 6-Amy LePeilbet; 9-Heather O'Reilly (8-Amy Rodriguez, 70), 10-Carli
Lloyd, 7-Shannon Boxx (15-Megan Rapinoe, 80), 12-Lauren Cheney, 17-Tobin
Heath (13-Alex Morgan, 63); 20-Abby Wambach
Subs not used: 2-Heather Mitts, 4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 14-Sydney Leroux,
16-Lori Lindsey, 18-Nicole Barnhart
Head coach: Pia Sundhage
CRC: 18-Erika Miranda; 5-Diana Saenz (17-Adriana Venegas, 87), 6-Karol
Sanchez, 8-Daniela Cruz, 19-Fabiola Sanchez, 20-Wendy Acosta, 7-Mariela
Campos, 16-Katherine Alvarado, 4-Fernanda Barrantes (12-Lixy Rodriguez,
65), 10-Shirley Cruz (capt.) (15-Cristin Granados, 90), 11-Raquel Rodriguez
Subs not used: 1- Julieth Arias, 2-Saudy Rosales, 9-Carolina Venegas,
14-Marianne Ugalde
Not eligible: 3-Yendry Villalobos
Head coach: Karla Aleman
Statistical Summary: USA / CRC
Shots: 29 / 10
Shots on Goal: 8 / 7
Saves: 7 / 5
Corner Kicks: 6 / 1
Fouls: 14 / 12
Offside: 2 / 1
Top of Page
U.S.
Women Blank Mexico In Olympic Qualifier
VANCOUVER, Canada– Midfielder Carli Lloyd
scored three goals and the U.S. Women’s National Team netted two
early strikes in the opening eight minutes to defeat Mexico 4-0 and win
Group B of the 2012 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament
at BC Place Stadium.
The USA earned the full nine points to win the group stage, posting a
plus-31 goal differential while earning the right to face Group A runner-up
Costa Rica in the semifinal on Friday, Jan. 27, at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET.
The match will be broadcast live on Universal Sports Network and streamed
on universalsports.com and CONCACAF.com.
Host Canada will play Mexico in the other semifinal at 8 p.m. PT/11 p.m.
ET. Canada topped Costa Rica 5-1 on Monday to win Group A. The semifinal
winners earn berths to the 2012 London Olympics.
“I am very happy about four goals and especially Carli Lloyd, the
way she was on the end of the set pieces,” said U.S. head coach
Pia Sundhage. “In the beginning of the game we
got up 2-0 fairly quickly, but after that we couldn’t find the rhythm
in the attack and it was a little bit tough for us to change the point
of attack and get it going. In the second half, by putting Syd
Leroux up top, we stretched the team a little bit and it got
better and better. And of course getting that 3-0 goal gave us confidence.”
Three of the USA's goals came via set pieces; two off corner kicks and
one off a free kick. The U.S. netted back-to-back goals in the seventh
and eighth minutes to gain the quick 2-0 lead.
In the seventh minute, Lloyd notched her third goal of the tournament
with a nifty finish. The play originated off a Lauren Cheney
corner kick from the right side. U.S. defender Rachel Buehler
slid to hammer a shot off the right post, but Lloyd was the first to pounce
on the rebound and head the bouncing ball through traffic and into the
left side of the net for a 1-0 lead.
In the eighth minute, Heather O’Reilly tallied
an unassisted goal to make it 2-0, but Amy Rodriguez
deserved much of the credit for the score. The speedy Rodriguez, who got
the start at left midfield, raced into the left side of the penalty area
and crossed a ball that deflected off of a Mexico defender. Mexico goalkeeper
Cecilia Santiago stretched to her left to parry the ball
away, but couldn’t turn it away from danger. O’Reilly rushed
the net and pounded the loose ball into the roof of the goal from close
range for her fourth score of the group stage. It was her 34th career
international goal.
The USA was in control of the match the whole way as some sturdy defending
held Mexico without a shot on goal for the entire 90 minutes.
In the 57th minute, Lloyd gave the USA a cushion with her second tally
of the game, and fourth of the tournament. O’Reilly was chopped
down on the right flank and Cheney took the free kick. A perfect service
found Lloyd in at the far post in the six-yard box and she jumped over
a Mexican defender to head home.
Lloyd completed her hat trick and wrapped up the night in the 86th minute.
With the win, the USA improves to 11-0-1 in Olympic qualifying matches
and improves to 26-1-1 overall against Mexico. The U.S. has outscored
the tournament field 31-0, previously earning a 14-0 win against the Dominican
Republic and a 13-0 victory against Guatemala in the other Group B matches.
Mexico could not muster the magic that the team had on Nov. 5, 2010, when
it upset the USA with a 2-1 win during the CONCACAF Women’s World
Cup Qualifying Tournament to force the USA into a third-place match against
Costa Rica, and ultimately a two-game playoff against Italy to qualify
for last year’s World Cup.
The USA also defeated Costa Rica for berths to the 2004 and 2008 Olympics,
winning 4-0 in San Jose, Costa Rica, back on March 3, 2004, and 2-0 in
Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on April 9, 2008, in a match that was played in
a dust storm. The USA will have no such issues on Friday night as the
game will of course be played indoors at BC Place.
Top of Page
U.S.
WNT Faces Mexico In Olympic Qualifier
The United States Women’s National Team has qualified
for the semifinals of the CONCACAF qualifying tournament for the London
Olympics this summer.
The U.S. team will meet Mexico in the last of three group
qualifying games on Tuesday in Vancouver, Canada.
Pia Sundhage’s WNT squad advanced
to the group final with a 13-0 victory over Guatemala. They previously
had beaten the Dominican Republic 14-0. Sydney Leroux,
earning only her second international cap, scored five goals as a second
half after replacing Abby Wambach against Guatemala.
Leroux, a Vancouver native who played collegiate soccer
at UCLA, tied the U.S. record for most in a game. That record was shared
by Wambach, Brandi Chastain, Michelle Akers, Tiffeny Milbrett
and Amy Rodriguez.
Wambach scored a pair of first half goals against Guatemala
to run her career mark to 129, passing Germany’s Birgit
Prinz on the world all-time scoring list. That leaves Wambach
behind only Mia Hmm (158) and Kristine Lilly
(130) on the U.S. career list.
The scenario for the USA vs. Mexico game is similar to that
in the qualifying tournament for the 2010 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
There the U.S. had blowout wins leading up to a game against Mexico, where
the Americans were upset. They qualified for the World Cup in Germany
by winning the third-place game, and then a home-and-home play-in series
for the 16th and final spot in the world championship. This time there
will be no second-chances.
The two semifinal winners of the Olympic qualifying tournament
will advance to London from CONCACAF. A win over Mexico would put the
U.S. in a semifinal matchup against the #2 team in the other CONCACAF
group. Host Canada is favored to win that group, and would play Mexico
in that semifinal.
Top of Page
U.S.
Women Select Olympic Qualifying Squad
CHICAGO - U.S. Women's National Team head coach Pia
Sundhage has named the 20 players who will represent the U.S.
at the 2012 CONCACAF Olympic Women's Qualifying Tournament from Jan. 19-29
in Vancouver, B.C. The top two finishers in the eight-team tournament
qualify for the 2012 Olympics.
Nineteen of the 20 players chosen by Sundhage were on the
USA's 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup team with 21-year-old forward Sydney
Leroux the only player on the roster not in Germany.
"The players made it hard for us to choose the 20 for
Canada," said Sundhage. "We had a great camp in December and
this past week in Los Angeles. I'm excited that we have a new player in
the mix who wasn't in the World Cup (Sydney Leroux) and that will change
the environment a bit in a positive way. As always, we are excited to
play the next game and we will be prepared."
Sundhage has included a full complement of veteran players
and World Cup stars, led by forward Abby Wambach, who
heads into the tournament with 125 career goals; Hope Solo,
winner of the best goalkeeper award at the Women's World Cup; and team
captain Christie Rampone, who travels to Canada with 244 career caps.
The U.S. team arrives in Canada on Monday, Jan. 16 and will
train for three days before opening its competition against the Dominican
Republic on Friday, Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m. PT. All the U.S. games will be
televised live on the Universal Sports Network. The USA continues first
round action against Guatemala on Sunday, Jan. 22 (4:30 p.m. PT) and finishes
group play against Mexico on Tuesday, Jan. 24 (7:30 p.m. PT).
All the matches of the tournament will be played indoors
on artificial turf at the newly renovated BC Place. The group winners
and runners-up will play in the all-important semifinals on Friday, Jan.
27 with the winners of those games qualifying for the Olympics. The championship
game will be played on Sunday, Jan. 29. All the group games and the semifinals
will be played in double-header formats. Host Canada heads Group A, which
also features Costa Rica, Cuba and Haiti.
Leroux, who was taken first in the WPS Draft on Jan. 13
by the Atlanta Beat, is a Vancouver native and will be returning to her
hometown in hopes of helping the USA earn a berth to London. Born in Canada
to a Canadian mother and American father, Leroux played for Canada as
a 14-year-old in the 2004 FIFA U-19 Women's World Cup before coming to
the United States for high school and to pursue her dream of earning a
college scholarship and playing for the United States.
Leroux switched international affiliations in 2008 and played
in two FIFA U-20 Women's World Cups for the USA, scoring 10 goals over
those two tournaments to become the all-time leading scorer for the USA
at the U-20 level and in U-20 Women's World Cups. She has just one cap
for the full U.S. National Team, earned against Sweden in January of 2011
at the Four Nations Tournament in China.
All of the players who scored for the USA last summer in
Germany were named to the roster, which means that defender Rachel Buehler,
midfielders Heather O'Reilly, Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd
and forwards Lauren Cheney and forward Alex Morgan,
will all be trying to add to their goal totals.
Twenty-three year-old Kelley O'Hara is
the only other player besides Leroux who made her first qualifying roster
for a world championship. O'Hara, who won the Hermann Trophy for Stanford
as college soccer's top player in 2009, played mostly forward in college
and midfield for the USA's youth national teams and full national team.
However, she has recently been playing left back and may get a chance
to see some minutes on the back line in Canada.
The U.S. will be attempting to qualify for a fifth consecutive
Olympic Games and finish in first place at CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying
for the third consecutive time. In 2008, the USA won the Olympic Qualifying
Tournament in Mexico and went on to win the gold medal in Beijing. In
2004, the U.S. won the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Costa Rica and
went on to win gold in Athens, Greece. The U.S. qualified for the 1996
Atlanta Games as host and for the 2000 Sydney Games as a top-seven finisher
at the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Nine teams have already qualified for the 12-team Olympic
Football Tournament: host Great Britain; Japan and Korea DPR from Asia;
Cameroon and South Africa from Africa; Brazil and Colombia from South
America; and Sweden and France from Europe. New Zealand will likely earn
Oceania's lone berth, which leaves just the CONCACAF entrants to be decided.
U.S. Women's National Team Roster by Position
GOALKEEPERS (2): Nicole Barnhart (out of contract), Hope
Solo (out of contract)
DEFENDERS (7): Rachel Buehler (Atlanta Beat), Ali Krieger
(FFC Frankfurt), Amy LePeilbet (Atlanta Beat), Heather Mitts (out of contract),
Kelley O'Hara (Atlanta Beat), Christie Rampone (out of contract), Becky
Sauerbrunn (Sky Blue FC)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Shannon Boxx (out of contract), Tobin
Heath (out of contract), Lori Lindsey (Western New York Flash), Carli
Lloyd (Atlanta Beat), Heather O'Reilly (Boston Breakers), Megan Rapinoe
(out of contract), Amy Rodriguez (out of contract)
FORWARDS (4): Lauren Cheney (out of contract), Sydney
Leroux (Atlanta beat), Alex Morgan (Western New York Flash), Abby Wambach
(out of contract)
Top of Page
Sundhage
Calls Up 29
U.S. Women's National Team head coach Pia Sundhage
has called up 29 players for nine days of training at The Home Depot Center
in Carson, Calif., before the team leaves for the 2012 CONCACAF Women's
Olympic Qualifying Tournament being held in Vancouver, Canada. from Jan.
19-29.
The camp in Los Angeles will run from Jan. 7-15 as the U.S. Women kick
off the year with an important training period after which Sundhage will
choose a 20-player roster for Olympic Qualifying. All 29 players called
up for this camp participated in the USA's December training camp at The
HDC.
Of the 29 players called up, 12 participated in qualifying for the 2008
Olympics during a tournament held in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, in April of
2008. The USA won that tournament, defeating Canada in penalty kicks in
the championship game after earning its berth to Beijing with a 3-0 victory
over Costa Rica in the semifinal during a match played in a dust storm.
The WNT will have no such issues in Vancouver as all the games will be
played indoors on an artificial surface.
In Vancouver, the USA will open Group B play against the Dominican Republic
on Friday, Jan. 20 -- the second match day of the competition -- squaring
off against the Caribbean nation at 7:30 p.m. PT. The U.S. will then face
Guatemala on Sunday, Jan. 22 (4:30 p.m. PT) and finish group play against
Mexico on Tuesday, Jan. 24 (7:30 p.m. PT). Host Canada heads Group A,
which also features Costa Rica, Cuba and Haiti. The matches will be broadcast
on the Universal Sports Network and Telemundo. The release of a broadcast
schedule is forthcoming.
All the matches of the tournament will be played at the newly renovated
BC Place. The group winners and runners-up will play in the all-important
semifinals on Friday, Jan. 27, with the winners of those games qualifying
for the Olympics. The championship game will be played on Sunday, Jan.
29. All the group games and the semifinals will be played in double-header
formats.
The U.S. Women's National Team will face New Zealand on Feb. 11 at FC
Dallas Stadium in Frisco, Texas. Tickets for the international friendly
start at $18 and go on sale to the public Friday, Jan. 6, at 10 a.m. CT
through ussoccer.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000 and at all Ticketmaster
ticket centers throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex (including Walmart
and Fiesta stores).
U.S. Women's National Team Roster by Position
GOALKEEPERS (4): Nicole Barnhart (out of contract), Ashlyn
Harris (Western New York Flash), Jill Loyden (out of contract), Hope Solo
(out of contract)?DEFENDERS (9): Rachel Buehler (out of contract), Stephanie
Cox (out of contract), Whitney Engen (Western New York Flash), Meghan
Klingenberg (Boston Breakers), Ali Krieger (FFC Frankfurt), Amy LePeilbet
(out of contract), Heather Mitts (out of contract), Christie Rampone (out
of contract), Becky Sauerbrunn (Sky Blue FC)?MIDFIELDERS (11): Shannon
Boxx (out of contract), Tobin Heath (out of contract), Lori Lindsey (out
of contract), Carli Lloyd (out of contract), Kristie Mewis (Boston College),
Christine Nairn (Penn State), Kelley O'Hara (out of contract), Heather
O'Reilly (Boston Breakers), Megan Rapinoe (out of contract), Ingrid Wells
(FC Göteborg), Keelin Winters (Boston Breakers)?FORWARDS (5): Lauren
Cheney (out of contract), Sydney Leroux (UCLA), Alex Morgan (Western New
York Flash), Amy Rodriguez (out of contract), Abby Wambach (out of contract)
Top of Page
The
Celebration Tour?
They called it the “Celebration Tour”, but something
was missing. It was the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup championship.
Japan celebrated that after winning a penalty kick shootout
over the U.S. in the championship final in Germany earlier this year.
The post-World Cup tour was a celebration of the spirit of the U.S. team,
which produced exciting result after result in Germany just to reach the
title match.
After a rusty 1-1 draw with Canada to open the series in
Kansas City, the U.S. team exploded for three second-half goals to beat
the Canadians 3-0 in Portland.
Once again it was Abby Wambach who scored the goals for
the U.S. He had a penalty kick in the 10th minute of the first game, and
then scored two in the second to pace the win.
Those three goals lifted her career total to 125, good
for third place on the WNT all-time list and just five behind Kristine
Lilly.
U.S. coach Pia Sundhage essentially kept
her World Cup roster intact for the two games, but did make some tactical
changes.
In order to maintain greater possession, a lesson learned
from the game against Japan, Sundhage introduced a 4-5-1 formation. In
the opening game the U.S. players seemed to struggle offensively in that
setup. In Portland, the system seemed to work much better.
“I think we played our best soccer in the (World
Cup) final, but now they are coming back from a break,” said Sundhage
of her team after the first game. “They weren’t sharp and
we tried to tweak the system a little bit while keeping a possession style.
“There will be a lot of practices if we (are going
to be successful) in changing the system a little bit or maybe we’ll
go back to 4-4-2. We know that we can play a 4-4-2. It will be very interesting
the next few months.”
Actually, preparations have already begun for World Cup
2012 qualifying. After a six-week break, the team will gather in November
for a training camp leading up to the 2012 Olympic Qualifying Tournament
which will be held in Vancouver, Canada, January 19-29.
In the second game with Canada, the U.S. went into the
halftime locker room without a goal from the field in three halves.. Sundhage
gave a positive message to her team at halftime.
“In the locker room I told them that it’s not
the end of the world that we didn’t get a goal,” said Sundhage.
“The main thing is to have courage to have the patience and they
will result in goals, but I am very happy abut the performance and I think
it is the beginning of something unique.”
The new formation, which moved forward Amy Rodriguez
out of the middle and out on a wide midfield position, allowed the U..S.
to better utilize the skills of midfielder Megan Rapinoe,
who didn’t score in the second game but had two shots off the crossbar.
Wambach got the U.S. on the scoreboard 18 minutes into
the second half when she ran onto a ball at the top of the box and powered
a left-footed shot into the back of the net.
She made it 2-0 off a cross from Georgia native Kelley
O’Hara seven minutes later. That was O’Hara’s
first international assist.
Alex Morgan, the team’s super-sub, came on and
got the third goal, doing what she does best by scoring two minutes into
stoppage time. Lauren Cheney provided the assist.
The game in Portland drew a crowd of 18,570 at JELD-WEN
Field, which provided the game an exciting atmosphere.
“We have a long way to go to put this together, but
the energy and the attack was excellent tonight,” said Sundhage
after the victory, “and it was contagious among the players out
there. This is a great stadium and a great crowd and we were inspired
just being here. You can’t beat it. It’s like 12th player.”
The game in Portland was also a milestone for goalkeeper Hope
Solo, a Northwest native hailing from Richland, Wash. She was
honored for earning her 100th cap in a pre-game ceremony.
Solo became the 27th U.S. WNT player to hit the century
mark when she started the USA’s 3-1 victory over France in the semifinals
of the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The U.S. women have one more game this year, a Nov. 19
meeting with Sweden in Glendale, Ariz.
“You want to finish every season off on a positive
note,” said Wambach. “We didn’t get the World Cup back,
but this tour gave us something to celebrate. The way we played and scored
gave Portland something to cheer about.”
Wambach also spoke about the new formation and said, “the
new formation is just something we got to keep working on.. Megan is a
great player and a creative player and having her being in a different
position will affect how crosses come, but her new role gets us more shots.”
On the two off the bar, Rapinoe said, “I don’t
know how you chip a ball within the six (and hit the crossbar) but I did
it and I thought the other one was going to drop. But was good we were
creating chances and we got the three in the end and that’s all
that matters.”
Top of Page
Cheney’s
Blast Beat Mexico In Extra Time
HARRISON, N.J. (June 5, 2011) – The U.S. Women’s
National Team defeated Mexico 1-0 in its final international match before
the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany as forward Lauren
Cheney scored on a strike from distance in the second minute
of second half stoppage time.
The Americans thoroughly dominated the entire game, putting together some
dynamic attacking sequences, but struggled in the final third to finish
and in the end had just one goal to show for a 34-4 shot advantage.
“I think the road to the World Cup has been bumpy,” said U.S.
head coach Pia Sundhage. “In a perfect world we
should have scored a couple of goals today but my glass is half full.
When you look at the game, it was an excellent game because we played
well and we created chances and it was a player coming off the bench,
Lauren Cheney, who made the difference. That tells us how important every
single player is on this team.”
Part of the final score can be attributed to 16-year-old Mexican goalkeeper
Ceci Santiago, who made a slew of excellent saves to
keep the score down.
She could do nothing on Cheney’s blast, however, which came from
27 yards out and was launched from the right of the penalty arc. The screamer
blasted into the upper left corner giving the USA a much-deserved and
cathartic winning goal. The score for Cheney, who was a 61st minute sub
for Amy Rodriguez, was the 14th of her international
career.
The USA buzzed around Mexico’s penalty area for the entire match,
firing 14 shots on goal – 10 in the second half – but could
not find the net through the first 91 minutes against a scrappy and committed
Mexican defense.
The USA’s youngest player – 21-year-old striker Alex
Morgan – came into the match in the 76th minute and also
caused danger for the last quarter of an hour, perhaps her best chance
coming in the 80th minute when she shot just wide after doing well to
bring down a ball inside the penalty area.
The match marked the first game between the two teams since Mexico defeated
the USA in the semifinal of the CONCACAF Women’s World Cup Qualifying
tournament last November, forcing the Americans into a playoff against
Italy for the 16th and final berth to the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Mexico faces England, Japan and New Zealand in first round play at the
World Cup.
The 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup that will take place from June 26-July
17 in nine venues across Germany: Berlin, Frankfurt, Mönchengladbach,
Sinsheim, Wolfsburg, Augsburg, Bochum, Dresden and Leverkusen. The USA
will face Korea DPR, Colombia and Sweden in first round play.
The USA will depart on June 14 for a training camp in Austria and then
will arrive in Dresden, Germany, several days before its Women’s
World Cup opener against the Koreans.
Before the match, U.S. legend Kristine Lilly was honored
for her historic career which included five Women’s World Cup appearance,
including two titles, and three Olympic Games, including two gold medals.
Lilly, who retired in January after 23 years on the national team, finished
with a world record 352 caps and 130 goals.
- U.S. Women’s National Team Match Report -
Match: U.S. Women’s National Team vs. Mexico
Date: June 5, 2011
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: Red Bull Arena; Harrison, N.J.
Kickoff: 2 p.m. ET
Attendance: 5,852
Weather: Sunny – 72 degrees
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 0 1 1
MEX 0 0 0
USA – Lauren Cheney (Abby Wambach) 90+2 minute
Lineups:
USA: 1-Hope Solo; 11-Ali Krieger (2-Heather Mitts, 46), 19-Rachel Buehler
(4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 84), 3-Christie Rampone (capt.), 6-Amy LePeilbet
(14-Stephanie Cox, 61); 9-Heather O’Reilly, 7-Shannon Boxx (16-Lori
Lindsey, 71), 10-Carli Lloyd, 15-Megan Rapinoe (13-Alex Morgan, 76); 8-Amy
Rodriguez (12-Lauren Cheney, 61), 20-Abby Wambach
Subs not used: 5-Kelley O’Hara, 17-Tobin Heath 18-Nicole Barnhart,
21-Jill Loyden, 22-Whitney Engen
Head coach: Pia Sundhage
MEX: 20-Ceci Santiago, 2-Kenti Robles, 4-Alina Garciamendez, 5-Natalie
Vinti, 15-Charito Saucedo, 8-Lupita Worbis, 17-Tania Morales (24-Monica
Ocampo, 46), 18-Veronica Perez (7-Eve Lopez, 46; 23-Monica Alvarado, 84),
9-Maribel Dominguez (capt.) (22-Charlyn Corral, 80), 10-Dinora Garza (11-Nayeli
Rangel, 71), 21-Fany Mayor (19-Teresa Noyola)
Subs not used: 1-Erika Vanegas, 3-Marlene Sandoval, 6-Moni Vergara, 13-Natalie
Garcia, 16-Liliana Mercado
Head coach: Leonardo Cuellar
Statistical Summary: USA / MEX
Shots: 34 / 4
Shots on Goal: 14 / 2
Saves: 2 / 8
Corner Kicks: 9 / 1
Fouls: 8 / 5
Offside: 1 / 6
Top of Page
USA
WNT Wins 2-0 In Cary
CARY, N.C. (May 18, 2011) – The U.S. Women’s
National Team defeated Japan 2-0 to win its second game in four days by
the same score line against the world’s fourth-ranked team. Heather
O’Reilly had an assist and a goal, setting up a goal by
Amy Rodriguez in the 28th minute before bagging one herself
in the 69th.
“Tonight two different players scored goals and both of them were
great goals,” said U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage.
“We gain confidence when we look at the four goals we scored against
Japan in these two games. That is something we are going to talk about
and watch over and over again. We can gain some confidence just by watching.”
The USA also defeated Japan 2-0 four days ago at Columbus Crew Stadium
in Columbus, Ohio. Unlike that match, the USA started strong on a beautiful
afternoon in North Carolina and managed some good ball-possession while
putting high pressure on Japan’s backs and midfielders. Japan did
earn four corner kicks in the first 22 minutes, but didn’t manage
a dangerous shot on goal in the first half before the USA took the lead.
The score came off a brilliant dribble from O’Reilly who ran down
a long ball from Shannon Boxx near the end line on the
right side of the penalty area. She squared up on Japanese defender Aya
Sameshima and pulled off a nifty move to the outside before rolling
a pass back into the middle for Rodriguez, who side-footed her shot into
the net from 10 yards out. It was the 17th international goal for Rodriguez
and second in two games against Japan.
U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo made three saves on the night,
but controlled her penalty area extremely well and had an excellent game
with her feet off back passes from her defenders. She did have to come
fast off her line in the 34th minute to corral a through ball in front
of Ohno and then in the 81st pushed a dangerous looking 25-yard shot from
Karina Maruyama over the cross bar.
The Japanese had their best chance in the 41st minute as they wall-passed
their way through the U.S. defense inside the penalty box. The sequence
ended with an off-balance Shinobu Ohno firing high over
the goal from 10 yards away while under pressure from Stephanie Cox.
Like they did in Columbus, the U.S. Women dominated the second half and
should have scored a goal or two more. In the 52nd minute, a Rodriguez
cross from the right wing found Wambach at the far post, but her full-out
diving header flew over the goal.
In the 53rd, Megan Rapinoe got behind the defenders down
the left wing through a perfect spinning ball from halftime substitute
Amy LePeilbet, then slid a pass on the ground through
the six yard box but the crashing Wambach couldn’t connect.
Three minutes later, Boxx squared up on a defender in the left side of
the penalty area, nutmegged her and drove straight at the near post before
rolling a pass straight across the goal mouth that was cleared.
In the 61st minute, Rapinoe flashed a shot just outside the right post
after Wambach had slid a well-weighted pass into the left side of the
box.
Young U.S. forward Alex Morgan came into the game for
O’Reilly in the 61st minute and just seconds later got free on a
breakaway. She beat Kaihori to the ball and took a hard touch into the
left side of the penalty area. She had a wide open goal if she had shot
with her left, but instead cut the ball back to her right and that gave
time for the sliding Azusa Iwashimizu to recover and
block the point blank shot. Just a few minutes later, Morgan got behind
the Japanese back line again and got off a shot with her right foot from
10 yards out, but Kaihori stuck up a right hand to bat it away.
With the crowd yearning for a goal, O’Reilly provided it, running
onto a pass from Carli Lloyd into the right side of the
penalty box. She dribbled inside to her left to lose a defender and struck
a left-footed shot from 12 yards out the stuck just inside the left post.
It was O’Reilly’s 29th career international goal and it was
scored into the same goal in the same stadium in which she got her first
back in 2002 against Italy off an assist from Mia Hamm.
Sundhage also gave time to Lori Lindsey, Lauren Cheney and Tobin
Heath in the second half and the Americans could have added to
their total. In the 75th minute, Lindsey fired just over the upper right
corner from 20 yards after winning a bouncing ball in the penalty area.
In the 77th minute, Wambach struck a shot after a counter attack that
had to be palmed over the top by substitute ‘keeper Miho
Fukumoto.
In the 79th minute, Wambach won a header off a Rapinoe free kick from
the right side, but somehow bounced it off the ground and over the goal
from close range. The win extended the USA’s domestic unbeaten streak
to 50 games with one match remaining before leaving for Europe.
Rachel Buehler captained the USA in the absence of Christie
Rampone, who is still recovering from a slight muscle strain,
and played an excellent match in the center of the defense along with
Becky Sauerbrunn, who went 90 minutes for the second
straight match. Ali Krieger also had a solid game at
outside back as did Cox, who played on the left before she gave way to
LePeilbet at halftime.
The USA’s Women’s World Cup Send-Off Match will
take place on June 5 at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., against Mexico.
That match kicks off at 2 p.m. ET and will also be broadcast live on ESPN2.
The USA is preparing for the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup that will
take place from June 26-July 17 in nine venues across Germany: Berlin,
Frankfurt, Mönchengladbach, Sinsheim, Wolfsburg, Augsburg, Bochum,
Dresden and Leverkusen. The USA will face Korea DPR, Colombia and Sweden
in first round play.
The 16 nations competing are: host Germany, Korea DPR, Japan and Australia
from Asia and Sweden, Norway, France and England from Europe, New Zealand
from Oceania, the USA, Canada and Mexico from CONCACAF, Nigeria and Equatorial
Guinea from Africa and Brazil and Colombia from South America.
- U.S. Women’s National Team Match Report
-
Match: U.S. Women’s National Team
vs. Japan
Date: May 18, 2011Competition: International Friendly
Venue: WakeMed Soccer Park; Cary, N.C.
Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET
Attendance: 5,323
Weather: Partly cloudy, 69 degrees
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F USA 1 1 2 JPN 0 0 0
USA – Amy Rodriguez (Heather O’Reilly) 28th minute
USA – Heather O’Reilly (Carli Lloyd) 69
Bud Light Woman of the Match: Heather O’Reilly
Top of Page
Tarpley
To Miss World Cup With Torn ACL
CHICAGO (May 15, 2011) -- U.S. Women’s National Soccer
Team midfielder Lindsay Tarpley, a member of the USA’s
Olympic gold medal winning team in 2004 and 2008 who was also a member
of the USA’s 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup Team, tore the anterior
cruciate ligament in her right knee with 15 minutes remaining in the match
against Japan on May 14 in Columbus, Ohio.
Tarpley will be sidelined for six-to-eight months and will
be replaced on the USA’s 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup roster.
U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage will make a decision on
the replacement in the coming days. The final rosters are not due to FIFA
until 10 working days before the start of the tournament, which begins
on June 26.
Tarpley had an MRI on Saturday evening that confirmed the
ACL tear. Tarpley tore the ACL in the same knee at the end of the 2009
WPS season while playing with the Chicago Red Stars and had made a tremendous
recovery to earn a spot on this year’s World Cup Team.
“Obviously, I’m extremely disappointed, but
I believe that things happen for a reason and I know that I’ll grow
and learn from this,” said Tarpley. “I had a long road back
to recovery after my last surgery and one of my main goals was to get
myself healthy and competing at a level that would give me the opportunity
to make this World Cup Team.
“I have had the fortunate pleasure to be on a lot
of great teams but making this roster probably gave me the most satisfaction
of any team I have been on. I proved to myself that I could do it. It
has always been an extreme honor to be able to wear the U.S. jersey and
represent my country and even though I won’t be in Germany, I will
be there in spirit and cheering on the team from home. I know they are
prepared and going to do great.”
The 27-year-old Tarpley has earned 125 caps for the USA
(20th all on the all-time list) and has scored 32 career goals. Although
she has appeared in just six international matches since her first ACL
tear, she had scored two goals and was playing some of the best soccer
of her career. On her resume are two monumental and historic goals for
the USA. As captain of the U.S. U-19 team, she pounded home the “golden
goal” for a 1-0 victory over Canada in the championship game of
the 2002 FIFA U-19 Women’s World Cup and scored in the 2004 Olympic
gold medal game against Brazil, a 2-1 U.S. victory.
The 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off in 42 days
and will run from June 26-July 17 in nine German cities.
“It is sad to lose Tarp as she is a fantastic person
and a great player. She will be missed on and off the field,” said
U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage. “But now we have to make some decisions
and we will do that quickly as it’s important to have our entire
roster together as we move towards the World Cup.”
Top of Page
U.S.
Women Lose 2-1 To England
The U.S. women's national team lost to England for the first
time since 1988 when it fell, 2-1, in a friendly at Brisbane Road in London.
England got early goals from Jess Clark
and Rachel Yankey (set up by a 50-yard run by Kelly
Smith on a counterattack).
Megan Rapinoe scored the lone goal for
the Americans in the first half.
After a rough opening period, the USA came out kept England
on its heels for the entire second half, outshooting England, 15-2.
In the second half, Hope Solo came on for
Nicole Barnhart, making her first appearance for the
USA since last summer after recovering from major shoulder surgery this
past fall.
The USA had won seven and tied one over the last eight games
against England.
“We couldn’t wait until halftime to change the
style a little bit,” said U.S. coach Pia Sundhage.
“It was all about pressure on the ball. The pressure on the ball
in the first half wasn’t good and we were stretched.
“In the second half, we changed that totally and had so much more
pressure on the ball and solved the problem in the midfield with Kelly
Smith sitting underneath their three forwards.”
Sundhage also addressed the difference between the first and second half.
“It’s a little bit tactical, a little bit attitude and a little
bit players as well,” she said. “We made some changes. Anyone
coming off the bench with a lot of energy, that’s something that’s
good to have, but right now there was too big of a difference from the
first half.
“In the first half, we didn’t play well, not only in defending,
but also the attack. It felt like we were a little lost, and that’s
something to talk about, what we need to do to find that confident style
in the second half.”
England 2 USA 1. Goals: Clark 8, Yankey
36; Rapinoe 39. England -- Bardsley, Scott, Stoney, White
(Bradley, 68), Unitt, Scott, Williams, Clarke, Smith, Yankey (Carney,
75), White. USA -- Barnhart (Solo, 46), Krieger, Rampone,
Buehler, LePeilbet (Cox, 46), O’Reilly, Boxx, Lloyd, Rapinoe (Heath,
70), Rodriguez (Morgan, 70), Wambach (Cheney, 62). Referee:
Sian Massey (England). Att.: 5,801.
Top of Page
U.S.
Wins Algarve Cup Over Iceland
FARO, PORTUGAL -- The U.S. WNT captured their eighth Algarve
Cup championship with a 4-2 victory over Iceland.
Heather O’Reilly’s second half
goal broke a 2-2 draw and proved to be the game-winner. Alex Morgan
added the fifth goal with three minutes left in regulation.
The U.S. took a 1-0 lead in the eighth minute of play on
a goal by Carli Lloyd, and the U.S. was very much the
dominant team throughout the game.
Iceland actually went ahead, despite the run of play, with
a pair of goals midway through the first half, only three minutes apart.
Lauren Cheney tied the game at 2-2 in extra
time only seconds before the halftime intermission. Cheney scored and
the whistle sounded before Iceland could put the ball back into play.
The U.S. held a 21-7 shots advantage, getting 10 of those
on goal. The Americans also had a 6-0 advantage on corner kicks.
While the U.S. made an impressive run of four wins in the
tournament, the two goals scored so close to each other by Iceland again
raises questions about how solid the USA defense is.
The positive that the U.S. can take from the title game
are the four goals scored against a team that has not allowed a lot of
goals in previous games against the U.S.
Next up for the U.S. women is the April 2 game against England
in London.
Top of Page
U.S.
To Play Iceland For Algarve Cup Title
QUARTEIRA, Portugal (March 7, 2011) -- The U.S. Women's
National Team rolled to a 4-0 victory against Finland,
in what amounted ro a warm-up match for the Algarve Cup championship game,
behind two goals from Alex Morgan and one from Shannon
Boxx and Carli Lloyd.
The U.S. advances to play Iceland in the 2011 Algarve Cup
final on March 9 at 12 p.m. ET at Estadio Algarve. Live coverage will
be provided by ussoccer.com's MatchTracker and on Twitter @ussoccer_wnt.
In Group B, Iceland defeated Denmark 1-0 for its third win
of the tournament to earn a spot in its first Algarve Cup title match.
The USA will be playing for the tournament championship for the ninth
consecutive year.
The USA scored twice in the first 13 minutes to effectively put the match
away, with the first goal coming in the eighth minute on a fantastic header
by Boxx. Lauren Cheney earned the corner kick and Lloyd
drove a cross from the right side to Boxx, who jumped over a defender
to powerfully head home from just outside the six yard box. It was Boxx's
first goal since March 28 of last year against Mexico and the 22nd of
her career.
Five minutes later the USA doubled its lead as Lloyd won the ball in midfield
and played Cheney, who raced toward goal before laying a pass to Tobin
Heath on the left side. The U.S. midfielder bobbed and weaved into the
left side of the penalty box, faking out a defender so badly that she
fell to the ground. That allowed her to play a square pass to her right
into the path of Lloyd, who drilled her sliding shot on a line into the
left corner from 16 yards out.
Morgan was active inside the Finland penalty area and had
several looks at goal before tallying her first of the game just before
halftime. Seconds before the halftime whistle, right back Ali
Krieger drove a beautiful ball over the Finland back line to
the sprinting Morgan, who took the ball down off her chest. As Finnish
goalkeeper Minna Meriluoto came out to challenge, Morgan
lifted the ball into the left corner with her left foot to make it 3-0
at the break. The assist was Krieger’s first point in a U.S. uniform.
Morgan got her second of the game in the 54th minute when
she ran down a ball on the left end line that had been deflected up in
the air by a Finnish defender. Morgan tried to cross the ball, but it
was blocked and rolled back to her. She then took a crack at goal with
her right foot, but it was pushed away by Meriluoto. Morgan then won the
ball right back from a defender, made space with her left foot, and powered
a shot through traffic and into the lower right corner.
The goals were Morgan’s fifth and sixth of her career and first
since she scored the winning goal in stoppage time against Italy in the
first leg of the Women’s World Cup playoff match in Padova, Italy.
The USA will be playing in its 12th Algarve Cup Final (11th
since the tournament went to eight teams in Groups A and B) and ninth
in a row.
- U.S. Women's National Team Match Report -
Match: U.S. Women’s National Team vs. Finland
Date: March 7, 2011
Competition: 2011 Algarve Cup – Group A
Venue: Municipal Stadium; Quarteira, Portugal
Kickoff: 3 p.m. local / 10 a.m. ET
Attendance: 250
Weather: 52 degrees – Overcast, windy, intermittent
rain
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 3 1 4
FIN 0 0 0
USA – Shannon Boxx (Carli Lloyd) 8th minute
USA – Carli Lloyd (Tobin Heath) 13
USA – Alex Morgan (Ali Krieger) 45
USA – Alex Morgan 54
Lineups:
USA: 18-Nicole Barnhart; 11-Ali Krieger (25-Whitney Engen, 59), 3-Christie
Rampone (capt.) (22-Becky Sauerbrunn, 46), 19-Rachel Buehler, 14-Stephanie
Cox; 9-Heather O’Reilly (21-Kelley O’Hara, 46), 7-Shannon
Boxx (16-Lori Lindsey, 46), 10-Carli Lloyd, 17-Tobin Heath; 13-Alex Morgan
(5-Lindsay Tarpley, 70), 12-Lauren Cheney (20-Abby Wambach, 46)
Subs not used: 8-Amy Rodriguez, 15-Megan Rapinoe, 24-Ashlyn Harris
Head Coach: Pia Sundhage
FIN: 1-Minna Meriluoto; 2-Petra Vaelma, 3-Tuija Hyyrynen, 5-Elina Syrojala,
11-Susanna Lehtinen (4-Maija Saari, 46); 7-Annika Kukkonen, 16-Pernilla
Nordlund, 19-Essi Sainio (15-Leena Puranen, 70); 9-Laura Kalmari (14-Marianna
Tolvanen, 63), 18-Linda Sallstrom, 20-Annica Sjolund (capt.)
Subs not used: 8-Katri Nokso-Kovisto, 10-Anna-Kaisa Rantanen, 12-Tinja-Riikka
Korpela, 13-Hanne Ojanpera, 17-Emmi Alanen
Head Coach: Andrée Jerglertz
Statistical Summary: USA / FIN
Shots: 24 / 1
Shots on Goal: 13 / 1
Saves: 1 / 7
Corner Kicks: 9 / 3
Fouls: 6 / 5
Offside: 7 / 2
Misconduct Summary:
USA – Abby Wambach (caution) 79th minute
Officials:
Referee: Jacqui Melksham (AUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Allyson Flynn (AUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Sarah Ho (AUS)
Fourth Official: Etsuko Fukano (JPN)
Bud Light Woman of the Match: Carli Lloyd
Top of Page
Canada
To Host 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup
FIFA has awarded the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup to Canada
and allotted hosts for seven youth tournaments in 2013, 2014 and 2015,
following a two-day meeting of the FIFA Executive Committee in Zurich,
Switzerland.
Currently ninth in the FIFA World Rankings, Canada has qualified for every
FIFA Women's World Cup except the first one in 1991.
In 2003, Canada finished a best-ever fourth place. They also played host
to the first-ever youth Women's World Cup in 2002 with the U.S. winning
the inaugural FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship in front of more than
47,000 fans in Edmonton.
In 2007, Canada set an attendance record that still stands
for the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Canada will also host the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup
in preparation for the following year's event, similar to Germany hosting
the U-20 WWC a year before the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup.
The 2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup will be held in Uzbekistan.
The location of the 2014 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup will
be Costa Rica, meaning that both youth Women's World Cups will be held
within CONCACAF that year.
The FIFA U-20 World Cup was awarded to Turkey in 2013 and
New Zealand two years later. New Zealand hosted the FIFA U-17 WWC in 2008
and the U-17 men in 1999, but Turkey will be playing host to its first
FIFA event.
The FIFA U-17 World Cups, also held in 2013 and 2015, will
be held in the United Arab Emirates and Chile, respectively. UAE played
host to the 2003 FIFA U-20 World Cup and Chile welcomed the FIFA U-20
WWC in 2008 and the U-20 men in 1987.
The hosts for each FIFA event will receive an automatic
berth.
FIFA Women's World Cup
2011 - Germany*
2015 - Canada FIFA
U-20 Women's World Cup
2012 - Uzbekistan
2014 - Canada
FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup
2012 - Azerbaijan*
2014 - Costa Rica
FIFA U-20 World Cup
2011 - Colombia*
2013 - Turkey
2015 - New Zealand
FIFA U-17 World Cup
2011 - Mexico*
2013 - United Arab Emirates
2015 - Chile
*previously announced
Top of Page
U.S.
Women Defeat Norway 2-0
VILA REAL de SAN ANTONIO, Portugal (March 4, 2011) –
The U.S. Women’s National Team dominated Norway in its second match
of the 2011 Algarve Cup, winning 2-0 and earning a spot in the tournament’s
championship game for the ninth consecutive year.
Lindsey Tarpley scored in the first half and Carli
Lloyd added a goal in the second as the USA out-shot Norway 17-5
while dominating all facets of the game.
The USA will face Finland on Monday, March 7, in its group finale, but
the USA’s win against Norway combined with Japan’s 5-0 thrashing
of Finland seals first place in Group A for the Americans with one match
day left to play.
The USA’s match against Finland from Quarteira kicks off at 10 a.m.
ET while the championship game will be held at the beautiful Estádio
Algarve on March 9 with a kickoff of 12 p.m. ET. Fans can follow the action
from both games as it happens on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker and
on Twitter @ussoccer_wnt.
U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage made just one change to
the starting lineup that opened the tournament against Japan on March
2, inserting Tarpley at forward for Lauren Cheney, and
it paid off as Tarpley opened the scoring. It was Tarpley’s first
start since July 22, 2009, when she also started up top against Canada
in Charleston, S.C.
“I think the speed of play was so much better today for pretty much
90 minutes,” said Sundhage.” It was a little up and down in
the first half and the beginning of the second, but we then regained the
ball and played aggressively.
“This is the American attitude and mentality; playing hard, but
also being sophisticated enough to create chances and find the find rhythm
and Boxx and Lloyd did well today.”
The first U.S. goal came off a long pass over the Norwegian defense from
Rachel Buehler, who was only about 25 yards above her
penalty box when she let the ball fly. Rodriguez out-ran two defenders
and with her first touch cut into the penalty area from the left. It looked
as if Rodriguez had touched it too far, but she scrapped for the ball
and managed to pull it away from the reaching hands of Hjelmseth with
a back-heel flick to Tarpley, who crushed a first-time, left-footed shot
into the open net from nine yards out.
It was the 28th career goal for Tarpley, moving her past Joy Fawcett
and into sole possession of 14th place on the USA’s all-time scoring
list.
The second half started much as the first, with Norway trying to up the
pressure before the Americans took over with excellent ball possession
into the attack. Lloyd doubled the USA’s lead in the 63rd minute
and once again the sequence was started by Buehler. She played the ball
over to the left side to Rapinoe, who found Lloyd in the middle of the
field. Lloyd wound up to shoot with her right foot, losing a defender,
then cut to her left and fired a low skimming 23-yard shot that snuck
just inside the right post. It was Lloyd’s 25th career international
goal and effectively sealed the match.
The Americans will have to wait until after the third match day to find
out who their opponent will be in the championship game as Group B with
Sweden, Iceland, Denmark and China is still tightly contested.
- U.S. Women's National Team Match Report -
Match: U.S. Women’s National Team
vs. Norway
Date: March 4, 2011
Competition: 2011 Algarve Cup – Group A
Venue: Municipal Stadium; Vila Real de San Antonio, Portugal
Kickoff: 3 p.m. local / 10 a.m. ET
Attendance: 400
Weather: 55 degrees; cloudy
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 1 1 2
NOR 0 0 0
USA – Lindsay Tarpley (Amy Rodriguez) 33rd minute
USA – Carli Lloyd (Megan Rapinoe) 63
Lineups:
USA: 18-Nicole Barnhart; 11-Ali Krieger (25-Whitney Engen, 78), 3-Christie
Rampone (capt.), 19-Rachel Buehler, 14-Stephanie Cox (22-Becky Sauerbrunn,
46); 9-Heather O’Reilly (20-Abby Wambach, 46), 7-Shannon Boxx, 10-Carli
Lloyd (16-Lori Lindsey, 71), 15-Megan Rapinoe (17-Tobin Heath, 71); 5-Lindsay
Tarpley, 8-Amy Rodriguez (13-Alex Morgan, 46)
Subs not used: 12-Lauren Cheney, 21-Kelley O’Hara, 24-Ashlyn Harris
Head Coach: Pia Sundhage
NOR: 1-Ingrid Hjelmseth (capt.); 3-Maren Mjelde, 4-Nora
Berge, 15-Hedda Gardsjord, 18-Guro Knutsen Mienna (5-Ingrid Ryland, 69),
6-Lisa-Marie Woods, 7-Trine Rønning (8-Lena Storløkken,
40), 19-Lene Mykjaland (17-Madeleine Giske, 63), 20-Lise Klaveness (13-Cecilie
Pedersen, 63), 9-Isabel Herlovsen (16-Elisa Thorsnes, 63), 11-Leni Larsen
Kaurin (10-Lindy Wiik, 81)
Subs not used: 2-Runa Vikestad, 12-Erika Skarbo, 14-Gry Tofte Ims
Head Coach: Eli Landsem
Statistical Summary: USA / NOR
Shots: 17 / 5
Shots on Goal: 7 / 2
Saves: 2 / 5
Corner Kicks: 4 / 1
Fouls: 8 / 8
Offside: 4 / 4
Misconduct Summary:
NOR – Guro Knutsen Mienna (caution) 45th minute
USA – Abby Wambach (caution) 60
Bud Light Woman of the Match: Rachel Buehler
Top of Page
U.S.
Women Open Algarve Over Japan, 2-1
The U.S. Women’s National Team put together an excellent
all-around performance to defeat Japan, 2-1, in its opening game of the
2011 Algarve Cup.
The USA will now face long-time rival Norway on Friday, March 4, in its
second Group A match that kicks off at 10 a.m. ET
The USA tallied twice in the first 18 minutes through Amy Rodriguez
and Megan Rapinoe, while Japan’s Aya Miyama
nailed a perfect free kick in the 29th minute to account for the final
score line.
It was an entertaining match with both teams focusing quite a bit of energy
into attacking, but the U.S. back line ruled the day, allowing just three
shots on goal despite some quality Japanese possession.
“It was a good start and in the first 45 minutes we played some
very good soccer,” said U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage.
“Heather O’Reilly had a good game, and we
looked dangerous at times. We played some good one-touch soccer and got
some good rhythm against a very good team in Japan. In the second half,
there was a little bit of a difference, and you could see how good they
are in keeping possession, but I still felt we controlled the game because
of our defense.”
The USA’s first goal came just seven minutes into the game off a
free kick from about 15 yards inside the USA’s half after Japan
was called offside. U.S. goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart sent
a driven service to forward Lauren Cheney, who flicked
it on with her head to Rodriguez and she collected at the top of the penalty
area with her back to the goal. Rodriguez then spun to her right to lose
her defender and struck a perfect left-footed shot that beat flying Japanese
goalkeeper Miho Fukimoto into the lower right corner.
It was the 15th career international goal for Rodriguez.
The second U.S. goal came after O’Reilly burst past her defender
into the right side of the penalty box and cut a cross on the ground to
the crashing Rapinoe who did not give Fukimoto time to react, spinning
her first-time shot into the net from seven yards out just past the goalkeeper’s
feet. It was Rapinoe’s ninth career international goal.
Japan, as always, knocked the ball around with pace and accuracy, but
had a hard time penetrating the back line anchored by captain Christie
Rampone and Rachel Buehler. Meanwhile, the Americans
put together attacks with sting, especially down the right side as O’Reilly
and Krieger combined with their teammates to create consistent trouble
for Japan on that side.
Japan’s lone goal came off a set play in the 29th minute after O'Reilly
chopped down Nagasato just outside the penalty area on the left side when
the Japanese forward made a nice dribbling run. Miyama, who played for
the Los Angeles Sol and the St. Louis Athletica in WPS, hit about as perfect
a free kick as you’ll see anywhere in the world, spinning the ball
off the crossbar and right post and bouncing it down over the goal line.
Barnhart had no chance.
Sundhage sent on Tobin Heath and Abby Wambach
at halftime, marking just the sixth time Wambach has come off the bench
since the end of the 2004 Olympics. Wambach almost tallied in the 57th
minute after O'Reilly burned down the right wing almost all the way to
the near post before cutting a ball back to the top of the six-yard box.
The ball got caught under Wambach’s feet and she couldn’t
get off a dangerous shot, bouncing it wide left.
The USA is preparing for the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup that will
take place from June 26-July 17 in nine venues across Germany: Berlin,
Frankfurt, Mönchengladbach, Sinsheim, Wolfsburg, Augsburg, Bochum,
Dresden and Leverkusen.
The 16 nations competing are: host Germany, Korea DPR, Japan and Australia
from Asia and Sweden, Norway, France and England from Europe, New Zealand
from Oceania, the USA, Canada and Mexico from CONCACAF, Nigeria and Equatorial
Guinea from Africa and Brazil and Colombia from South America.
-- U.S. Women's National Team Game Report --
Match: U.S. Women’s National Team vs. Japan
Date: March 2, 2011
Competition: 2011 Algarve Cup
Venue: Municipal Stadium; Vila Real de San Antonio, Portugal
Kickoff: 3 p.m. local / 10 a.m. ET
Attendance: 350
Weather: Sunny, breezy, scattered clouds – 55 degrees
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 2 0 2
JPN 1 0 1
USA – Amy Rodriguez (Lauren Cheney) 7th minute
USA – Megan Rapinoe (Heather O’Reilly) 18
JPN – Aya Miyama 29
Lineups:
USA: 18-Nicole Barnhart; 11-Ali Krieger, 3-Christie Rampone (capt.), 19-Rachel
Buehler, 14-Stephanie Cox; 9-Heather O’Reilly, 7-Shannon Boxx (16-Lori
Lindsey, 71), 10-Carli Lloyd, 15-Megan Rapinoe (11-Tobin Heath, 46); 12-Lauren
Cheney (20-Abby Wambach, 46), 8-Amy Rodriguez (13-Alex Morgan, 63)
Subs not used: 5-Lindsay Tarpley, 21-Kelley O’Hara, 22-Becky Sauerbrunn,
24-Ashlyn Harris, 25-Whitney Engen
Head Coach: Pia Sundhage
JPN: 12-Miho Fukimoto; 2-Yukari Kinga, 3-Azusa Iwashimizu,
4-Saki Kumagai, 5-Kyoko Yano (15-Aya Sameshima, 44); 10-Homare Sawa (capt.),
8-Aya Miyama, 16-Rumi Utsugi (6-Mizuho Sakaguchi, 79), 7-Kozue Ando (13-Eriko
Arakawa, 56); 9-Shinobu Ohno 20-Nahomi Kawasumi, 76), 11-Yuki Nagasato
(19-Megumi Takase, 76)
Subs not used: 17-Megumi Kamionobe, 18-Mami Yamaguchi, 21-Ayumi Kaihori,
22-Asuna Tanaka
Head Coach: Norio Sasaki
Statistical Summary: USA / JPN
Shots: 16 / 6
Shots on Goal: 7 / 3
Saves: 2 / 5
Corner Kicks: 2 / 3
Fouls: 7 / 5
Offside: 5 / 10
Misconduct Summary:
USA – Rachel Buehler (caution) 84th minute
Top of Page
U.S.
Women To Play in England
International soccer has taken U.S. WNT captain Christie
Rampone to a lot of places around the world, but up until now
England hasn't been one of those.
That will all change when the U.S. women will play England on April 2
in east London. The game will be played at Matchroom Stadium, home to
English League One side Leyton Orient. The match will be televised live
on ESPN2 at 3 p.m. ET.
It was there in that quaint 9,000-seat stadium also known
as Brisbane Road, that Leyton Orient played Arsenal of the English Premier
League to a 1-1 draw on February 22 in a FA Cup match. With the draw the
match must be replayed.
"I've been on this team for almost 15 years and to
be finally going to England is really excitinig for our players and staff,"
said Rampone. "It will not only be a great exerpeince for our team,
but a competitive mach against a country that's also in the (2011) World
Cup.
"I've played with and against a bunch of English play
International soccer has taken U.S. WNT captain Christie Rampone to a
lot of places around the world, but up until now England hasn't been one
of those.
That will all change when the U.S. women will play England on April 2
in east London. The game will be played at Matchroom Stadium, home to
English League One side Leyton Orient. The match will be televised live
on ESPN2 at 3 p.m. ET.
It was there in that quaint 9,000-seat stadium also known
as Brisbane Road, that Leyton Orient played Arsenal of the English Premier
League to a 1-1 draw on February 22 in a FA Cup match. With the draw the
match must be replayed.
"I've played with and against a bunch of English players
in WPS and we all have great respect for their commitment to the game."
The game is part of a 20-day traiing camp in the U.K. for
the U.S. team, which is preparing for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup
in Germany from June 26-July 17. The trip will give the Americans an opportunity
to become acclimated to playing in Europe before heading over to Germany
in June.
"First of all, England is a soccer country and the
atmosphere while playing a game there will be wonderful," said U.S.
Women's National Team head coach Pia Sundhage. "The
World Cup is being played in Europe so the more time we can spend there
the better.
The U.S. and England have played only 10 times in the 27-year
history of the U.S. WNT program. Four of the games were played in Europe
(two in Italy, one in France and one in Portugal. They met four times
in the USA.
The other two took place in China, including the most recent
meeting, a 3-0 quarterfinal victory for the U.S. at the 2007 FIFA Women's
World Cup.
Sundhage is expected to take 23 players to England. The
trip will include additional training matches against England and Scotland.
England's top player is midfielder Kelly Smith,
who plays for the Boston Breakers in Women's Professional Soccer. Smith
played colegiate soccer in the U.S. at Seton Hall in New Jersey. She was
fourth in the voting for FIFA Women's World Player of the Year in 20100.
"England has an interesting way of attacking and some
talented wing players," said Sundhage. "Seeing how we deal with
Kelly Smith will also be an important experience for our team."
Top of Page
Wambach
Joins Team For 2011 Algarve Cup
CHICAGO – Following a seven-day training camp in
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Pia
Sundhage has named a 24-player preliminary roster the 2011 Algarve
Cup in Portugal.
This year’s tournament is being staged from March 2-9 and the U.S.
team will depart for Europe on Feb. 18. The venues and kickoff times have
yet to be confirmed. Sundhage will name 20 players to the tournament roster
prior to the start of the matches.
The U.S. team, which has been placed into Group A at the annual tournament,
will open play on March 2 against first-time Algarve Cup participants
Japan, will face Norway on March 4 and will finish the first round on
March 7 against Finland. Group B features Sweden, China, Iceland and Denmark.
Group C features host Portugal, another first-time Algarve Cup participant
in Chile, Wales and Romania.
Since the expansion to 12 teams 10 years ago, the Algarve Cup format has
been as follows: The teams in Group A and B will compete for the title
as the group winners will play on Wednesday, March 9, in the championship
game. The two second-place finishers in Groups A and B will play for third
place while the third-place finishers will play for fifth.
The Group C teams will be competing for a chance to play
for spots 7-12 as the winner of Group C will play the best fourth place
team from Groups A or B for seventh place. The second place team in Group
C will play the worst fourth place team from Groups A or B for ninth place,
and the third and fourth place finishers in Group C will play each other
for 11th place.
This will be the 16th trip to the Algarve Cup for the U.S. Women, who
have won the tournament seven times, including an unprecedented three
straight championships from 2003-05 at what has become one of the world’s
most competitive international women’s events. Last year, the USA
defeated Germany 3-2 in the championship game on a sloppy field at Stadium
Algarve in Faro.
After missing January’s Four Nations Tournament in China, Abby
Wambach returns to the roster looking to build on her career
total of 117 goals. The U.S. roster is stocked with veteran players, led
by U.S. captain Christie Rampone (who missed last year’s
tournament while preparing for the birth of her second daughter), Shanon
Boxx (the 2004 and 2006 Algarve Cup MVP), Wambach (15 career
goals at the Algarve, best of any U.S. player), and 100-plus capped midfielders
Lloyd, Lindsay Tarpley and Heather O’Reilly.
Lloyd was the MVP of the 2007 Algarve Cup after scoring
in all four games. O’Reilly will be playing in her team-leading
ninth Algarve Cup.
Nicole Barnhart, who has started the past 11 games in goal for
the USA, is joined by uncapped Ashlyn Harris and Alyssa
Naeher as the USA will bring four ‘keepers to Portugal.
This is the eighth Algarve Cup appearance for Boxx and seventh for Wambach.
U.S. Women’s National Team Roster by Position
GOALKEEPERS (4): Nicole Barnhart (out
of contract), Ashlyn Harris (Western New York Flash), Alyssa Naeher (Boston
Breakers), Hope Solo (out of contract)
DEFENDERS (7): Rachel Buehler (Boston Breakers), Stephanie
Cox (Boston Breakers), Whitney Engen (Western New York Flash), Ali Krieger
(FFC Frankfurt), Amy LePeilbet (Boston Breakers), Christie Rampone (Washington
Freedom), Becky Sauerbrunn (Washington Freedom),
MIDFIELDERS (9): Yael Averbuch (Western New York Flash),
Shannon Boxx (Washington Freedom), Tobin Heath (Sky Blue FC), Lori Lindsey
(Philadelphia Independence), Carli Lloyd (Atlanta Beat), Kelley O’Hara
(Boston Breakers), Heather O’Reilly (Sky Blue FC), Megan Rapinoe
(Philadelphia Independence), Lindsay Tarpley (Washington Freedom)
FORWARDS (4): Lauren Cheney (Boston Breakers), Alex Morgan
(Western New York Flash), Amy Rodriguez (Philadelphia Independence), Abby
Wambach (Washington Freedom)
18th Annual Algarve Cup
The Algarve, Portugal
Group A
Japan, Finland, USA, Norway
Group B
Sweden, China, Iceland, Denmark
Group C
Portugal, Chile, Wales, Romania
March 2
Group Teams
A Norway vs. Finland
A USA vs. Japan
B Sweden vs. Iceland
B China vs. Denmark
C Portugal vs. Wales
C Romania vs. Chile
March 4
Group Teams
A Japan vs. Finland
A USA vs. Norway
B Iceland vs. China
B Denmark vs. Sweden
C Portugal vs. Chile
C Wales vs. Romania
March 7
Group Teams
A Norway vs. Japan
A USA vs. Finland
B China vs. Sweden
B Denmark vs. Iceland
C Chile vs. Wales
C Portugal vs. Romania
March 9
Placement Matches
11th-Place Match
9th-Place Match
7th-Place Match
5th-Place Match
3rd-Place Match
Championship
Top of Page
U.S.
Rebounds To Beat Canada, 2-1
The U.S. Women’s National Team got itself back into
contention for the title at the 2011 Four Nations tournament with a 2-1
victory against Canada as Lauren Cheney and Lindsay Tarpley
scored second half goals.
With the win the U.S. rebounded from a 1-0 loss to Sweden in the opening
game.
“You have to look at two things from the game, attitude over 90
minutes, which we emphasized after the Sweden game, and I think we brought
that to this game, but also smartness,” said U.S. head coach Pia
Sundhage. “We kept possession with our two center midfielders.
Carli Lloyd and Lori Lindsey did a good job at times
and eventually we created chances and eventually we put them away as well
China PR defeated Sweden 2-1 in the first match of the evening, meaning
all four teams in the tournament have a win and a loss, three points and
a goal difference at zero. China and Canada sit in a better position by
virtue of scoring four goals each, one more than the USA and Sweden.
In order to win the tournament, the USA must defeat China and hope Sweden
and Canada tie their last match, or that the USA comes out on top in the
tie-breakers against the winner of that match, which are: 1) goal difference,
2) goals scored and 3) head-to-head result.
U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage changed seven players from the starting lineup
that lost to Sweden on Friday, switching out both outside backs, a center-back,
both flank midfielders, a center-midfielder and one forward.
The match marked the first career starts for defender Brittany
Taylor, midfielder Kelley O’Hara and forward
Alex Morgan, who earned their second, fourth and 10th
caps respectively. Defender Becky Sauerburnn earned just
her fourth cap and made her first start since she debuted at the Four
Nations Tournament in 2008. Twenty-two-year-old midfielder Meghan Klingenberg
earned her first career cap when she entered the match in the 78th minute
for O’Hara.
The first half was mostly uneventful with each team creating just one
legitimate chance.
Sundhage had sent on Lindsay Tarpley just 31 minutes
into the game for Megan Rapinoe and also inserted Lauren
Cheney on the forward line for Amy Rodriguez
at halftime. Those two players would trade goals and assists to give the
USA the win.
The game-winner was Tarpley’s 31st career goal, moving her past
Brandi Chastain into 11th place on the USA’s all-time
scoring list. It was also Tarpley’s first goal since May 25, 2009,
when she scored against Canada in a 4-0 win in Toronto. Tarpley tore an
ACL at the end of the 2009 WPS season was playing in just her second international
game since the injury.
Christine Sinclair earned her 150th career cap for Canada on
the night and almost all of the Canadian danger came from her dribbling,
passing or shooting, including a golden chance in stoppage.
The victory for the USA ended Canada’s team record 11-game unbeaten
streak in what was the first meeting between the long-time rivals since
the summer of 2009. For the second game in a row, Sundhage used all five
substitutes, also sending on Rachel Buehler at halftime
for Rampone.
The USA is at the start of six months of preparation for the 2011 FIFA
Women’s World Cup that will take place from June 26-July 17 in nine
venues across Germany.
- U.S. Women’s National Team Match Report -
Match: U.S. Women’s National Team vs. Canada
Date: Jan. 23, 2011
Competition: 2011 Four Nations Tournament
Venue: Yongchuan Sports Centre Stadium; Chongqing, China
Kickoff: 7:05 p.m. local / 6:05 a.m. ET
Attendance: 7,000
Weather: Cold, haze – 39 degrees
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 0 2 2
CAN 0 1 1
USA – Lauren Cheney (Lindsay Tarpley) 54th minute
CAN – Melissa Tancredi (Kaylyn Kyle) 56
USA – Lindsay Tarpley (Lauren Cheney) 70
Lineups:
USA: 18-Nicole Barnhart; 25-Brittany Taylor, 22-Becky Sauerbrunn, 3-Christie
Rampone (capt.) (19-Rachel Buehler, 46), 14-Stephanie Cox; 21-Kelley O’Hara
(27-Meghan Klingenberg, 78) 16-Lori Lindsey, 10-Carli Lloyd (4-Yael Averbuch,
66), 15-Megan Rapinoe (5-Lindsay Tarpley, 31); 8-Amy Rodriguez (12-Lauren
Cheney, 46), 13-Alex Morgan
Subs not used: 9-Heather O’Reilly, 11-Tobin Heath, 24-Ashlyn Harris,
26-Sydney Leroux
Head Coach: Pia Sundhage
CAN: 1-Karina LeBlanc; 7-Rhian Wilkinson, 9-Candace Chapman (4-Carmelina
Moscato, 64), 13-Sophie Schmidt (19-Desiree Scott, 73), 20-Marie-Eve Nault;
6-Kaylyn Kyle, 82-Emily Zurrer, 8-Diana Matheson, 16-Jonelle Filigno (23-Jodi-Ann
Robinson, 81); 14-Melissa Tancredi (10-Christina Julien, 67), 12-Christine
Sinclair (capt.)
Subs not used: 3-Melanie Booth, 5-Robyn Gayle, 17-Brittany Timko, 21-Laura
Chénard, 22-Stephanie Labbé
Head Coach: Carolina Morace
Statistical Summary: USA / CAN
Shots: 12 / 8
Shots on Goal: 8 / 5
Saves: 4 / 3
Corner Kicks: 8 / 10
Fouls: 11 / 5
Offside: 7 / 5
Misconduct Summary:
CAN -- Candace Chapman (caution) 61st minute
CAN – Carmelina Moscato (caution) 85
USA – Lauren Cheney (caution) 94
Officials:
Referee: He Jin (CHN)
Assistant Referee 1: Fang Yan (CHN)
Assistant Referee 2: Wu Chun (CHN)
Fourth Official: Qin Liang (CHN)
Top of Page
U.S.
Women Lose To Sweden 2-1
In a clash between two of the world’s top teams, the
U.S. Women’s National Team lost its first game of the year and opening
match of the Four Nations Tournament 2-1 to Sweden on a cold afternoon
at China’s Yongchuan Sports Centre Stadium.
U.S. midfielder Carli Lloyd headed home a corner kick
in the 11th minute, but Swedish defender Stina Segerstrom
answered back six minutes later with an equalizer, also off a corner.
Midfielder Kosovare Asllani, who played for the Chicago
Red Stars in WPS last season, tallied the winning goal for Sweden with
about 30 minutes remaining.
“Our speed of play wasn’t good enough,” said U.S. head
coach Pia Sundhage. “One thing as a team that we
need to get much better at is moving without the ball. This game today
tells us many things that we need to work on, but I am confident that
we have enough time and enough games to prepare for the World Cup. This
was just the first one.
The U.S. team played with better rhythm that it displayed in the latter
matches of 2010, and perhaps had more possession than the Swedes, but
the attack broke down too often allowing the Europeans to repeatedly unleash
dangerous counters which put pressure on the U.S. backline throughout
the game. The U.S. also struggled to create chances in the attacking third
and put just four shots on goal. In a rare occurrence, the USA was out-shot
as Sweden accrued 11 total shots to the USA’s seven.
The USA took the lead on its first corner kick of the game as Megan
Rapinoe struck a beautifully driven ball to the near post that
was flicked on by Lauren Cheney to Lloyd, who powered
a header into the upper corner from five years out. It was Lloyd’s
23rd international goal.
The match marked just the seventh time since the end of the 1995 FIFA
Women’s World Cup that the U.S. women have lost a match in which
they have taken a lead. The USA had not lost a match in which it took
a lead in more than seven years.
The 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup will take place from June 26-July
17 in nine venues across Germany: Berlin, Frankfurt, Mönchengladbach,
Sinsheim, Wolfsburg, Augsburg, Bochum, Dresden and Leverkusen.
- U.S. Women's National Team Match Report -
Match: U.S. Women’s National Team vs. Sweden
Date: Jan. 21, 2011
Competition: 2011 Four Nations Tournament
Venue: Yongchuan Sports Centre Stadium; Chongqing, China
Kickoff: 3:35 p.m. local / 2:35 a.m. ET
Attendance: 16,000
Weather: Cold, haze – 40 degrees
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 1 0 1
SWE 1 1 2
USA – Carli Lloyd (Lauren Cheney) 11th minute
SWE -- Stina Segerström (Therese Sjögran) 16
SWE – Kosovare Asllani (Lina Nilsson) 61
Lineups:
USA: 18-Nicole Barnhart; 2-Heather Mitts, 6-Amy LePeilbet, 3-Christie
Rampone (capt.), 19-Rachel Buehler; 9-Heather O’Reilly (26-Sydney
Leroux, 86), 7-Shannon Boxx (4-Yael Averbuch, 46), 10-Carli Lloyd (16-Lori
Lindsey, 46), 15-Megan Rapinoe (11-Tobin Heath, 71); 12-Lauren Cheney,
8-Amy Rodriguez (13-Alex Morgan, 72)
Subs not used: 14-Stephanie Cox, 21-Kelley O’Hara, 22-Becky Sauerbrunn,
24-Ashlyn Harris
Head Coach: Pia Sundhage
SWE: 1-Hedvig Lindahl; 13-Lina Nilsson, 2-Charlotte
Rohlin (capt.), 3-Stina Segerström, 4-Annica Svensson; 10-Kosovare
Asllani (19-Johanna Almgren, 61), 17-Lisa Dahlkvist (18-Louise Fors, 78),
16-Linda Forsberg (6-Linda Sembrant, 81), 15-Therese Sjögran; 9-Antonia
Göransson (5-Marie Hammarström, 62), 14-Josefine Öqvist
(8-Madelaine Edlund, 73)
Subs not used: 12-Kristin Hammarström, 20-Johanna Frisk, 31-Tilda
Heimerson
Head Coach: Thomas Dennerby
Statistical Summary: USA / SWE
Shots: 7 / 12
Shots on Goal: 4 / 8
Saves: 6 / 2
Corner Kicks: 6 / 9
Fouls: 6 / 9
Offside: 3 / 6
Misconduct Summary:
None
Officials:
Referee: Qin Liang (CHN)
Assistant Referee 1: Zhang Lingling (CHN)
Assistant Referee 2: Wu Chun (CHN )
Fourth Official: He Jin (CHN)
ussoccer.com Woman of the Match:
Rachel Buehler
Top of Page
U.S.
Women To Open Against Sweden
The U.S. Women’s National Team wsill open the 2011
Four Nations Cup in China on Friday, Jan. 21 against Sweden.
U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Pia Sundhage
has named 23 players to the roster for the 2011 Four Nations Tournament
and will play Canada on Sunday, Jan. 21, and the host team on Tuesday,
Jan. 15. Fans can follow all three of the USA’s matches from China
on Twitter @ussoccer_wnt.
With the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup commencing in late June, the
tournament will be a key part of Sundhage’s crafting of the eventual
Women’s World Cup roster as the USA takes on three strong nations,
including Sweden, which is the USA’s third Group C opponent at the
Women’s World Cup in Germany.
The USA is coming off a six-day training camp at The Home Depot Center
in Carson, Calif., which was not attended by eight veterans and defender
Ali Krieger (who is fulfilling club commitments in Germany).
Seven of those veterans are on the roster for China with the exception
of striker Abby Wambach who has a lingering heel injury
that will require more rest.
The veterans named were Shannon Boxx, Rachel Buehler, Amy LePeilbet,
Carli Lloyd, Heather Mitts, Heather O’Reilly and Christie Rampone,
all of whom were given extended time off during the recently completed
camp after a long 2010 schedule.
Sixteen players from the squad that qualified for the 2011 FIFA Women’s
World Cup by winning a two-leg playoff series against Italy were named
to the roster, including goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart,
midfielders Lori Lindsey, Yael Averbuch and Megan Rapinoe,
defenders Stephanie Cox and Becky Sauerbrunn, and forwards
Lauren Cheney, Alex Morgan and Amy Rodriguez, who was
the scorer of the winning goal in the second leg against the Italians.
Sundhage chose 16 of the 25 players from the training camp. Included
in that number are two players making their first tournament rosters with
the full team in forward Sydney Leroux and midfielder
Megan Klingenberg. Both were members of the U.S. team
that won the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Chile while Leroux
was also the USA’s leadings scorer at the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women’s
World Cup in Germany. Klingenberg makes the roster after her very first
WNT camp.
Midfielder Tobin Heath returns to a tournament roster
for the first time in 18 months after recovering from reconstructive ankle
surgery that limited her to three WPS matches in her rookie year. She
earned her first caps at the Four Nations Tournament in 2008. Midfielder
Kelley O’Hara, the 2009 MAC Hermann Trophy winner
for Stanford, played in just three matches off the bench in 2010, but
after a fine rookie season in WPS, makes the roster for her first Four
Nations Tournament.
Lindsey Tarpley, a veteran with 120 caps and 30 goals,
was in just her third training camp since completely recovering from ACL
surgery. She earned just one cap in 2010, but makes this roster looking
for a return to form that has saw her earn a place on the USA’s
last two Olympic Teams and the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup Team.
Defender Brittany Taylor, who earned her lone cap in
the snow against Mexico in last March, will be looking for her second
appearance in China. The USA lost back-up goalkeeper Jill Loyden
to a broken hand during training camp and with Hope Solo
not yet ready for game action, Ashlyn Harris makes the
roster to back-up Barnhart.
This will be the USA’s eighth trip to the Four Nations Tournament,
but first since 2008 after skipping the competition in 2009 and 2010.
The USA has won the tournament six times, failing to take top honors only
in 2002. During its 21 all-time matches in the tournament, the USA is
13-2-6, with one loss each to China and Norway.
U.S. Women’s National Team Roster
2011 Four Nations Tournament
Chongqing, China
Jan. 21-25, 2011
GOALKEEPERS (2): Nicole Barnhart (out of contract), Ashlyn
Harris (Western New York Flash)
DEFENDERS (7): Rachel Buehler (Boston Breakers), Stephanie
Cox (Boston Breakers), Amy LePeilbet (Boston Breakers), Heather Mitts
(out of contract), Christie Rampone (out of contract) Becky Sauerbrunn
(Washington Freedom), Brittany Taylor (Sky Blue FC)
MIDFIELDERS (10): Yael Averbuch (Western New York Flash),
Shannon Boxx (out of contract), Tobin Heath (Sky Blue FC), Meghan Klingenberg
(North Carolina), Lori Lindsey (Philadelphia Independence), Carli Lloyd
(Atlanta Beat), Kelley O’Hara (Boston Breakers), Heather O’Reilly
(Sky Blue FC), Megan Rapinoe (Philadelphia Independence), Lindsay Tarpley
(out of contract)
FORWARDS (4): Lauren Cheney (Boston Breakers), Sydney
Leroux (UCLA), Alex Morgan (California), Amy Rodriguez (Philadelphia Independence)
Top of Page
U.S.
Opens World Cup Against North Korea
The U.S. had to work overtime to earn the 16th and final
spot in the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup, winning a home-and-home
series against Italy, 2-0 on aggregate.
If the U.S. is to win the world championship for the first time since
1999, they will have to advance out of a group in Germany that includes
North Korea, Colombia and Sweden. The draw was announced Monday in Frankfurt,
Germany.
The tournament, which will be played in nine cities around Germany, will
open on June 26 in Berlin with the hosts playing Canada. The United States
begins play in Dresden, in the eastern part of the country, against North
Korea on June 28, then travels west to play Colombia in Sinsheim on July
2. It finally heads north to face Sweden in Wolfsburg on July 6.
The teams in the Women’s World Cup were drawn into four groups of
four teams each, with the top two finishers in each group advancing to
the first knockout stage, the quarterfinals, which begin July 9 and 10.
The semifinals will be played in Frankfurt and Mönchengladbach on
July 13, with the final in Frankfurt on July 17.
The U.S., ranked #1 in FIFA’s World Rankings, was one of four seeded
nations — joining host Germany, Japan and Brazil — and was
placed in Group C before the formal draft.
Germany is a two-time defending champion. The United States, which is
the defending Olympic champion but has not won the World Cup since hosting
in 1999, was forced into a home-and-home playoff against Italy to reach
the final draw. The American team scored consecutive 1-0 wins against
the Italian team, Nov. 20 in Padua and last Saturday in suburban Chicago.
The Americans needed the playoff after losing to Mexico, 2-1, in the semifinals
of regional qualifying. Canada is the other CONCACAF nation that qualified
directly for the finals.
After last Saturday’s win over Italy at Toyota Park in Bridgeview,
Ill., United States Coach Pia Sundhage warned that a
dynamic women’s game will put increasing pressure on the American
players.
“Since FIFA put in the U-17 and U-20 Women’s World Cup, so
many things have happened in different countries,” Sundhage said.
“Going back to the qualification in Mexico, we’re playing
against Costa Rica, Guatemala and they’re technical. That’s
the important thing about the future of the women’s game, it’s
technical and that’s something this country needs, technical players.
“They need to touch the ball quit a bit when they’re young,
very young, and spend time with the ball. I would say the world’s
catching up and on top of rank # 1, it’s hard to stay there, but
we’re doing what we can.”
First-round groups:
A: Germany, Canada, Nigeria, France
B: Japan, New Zealand, Mexico, England
C: U.S., North Korea, Colombia, Sweden
D: Brazil, Australia, Equatorial Guinea, Norway
Top of Page
U.S.
Women Defeat Costa Rica
The U.S. Women’s National Team earned its third consecutive
shutout defeating Costa Rica 4-0 to win Group B at the 2010 CONCACAF Women’s
World Cup Qualifying tournament.
Abby Wambach nailed a first half penalty kick, upping
her tournament total to six and her career total to 115, while Lauren
Cheney, Yael Averbuch and Alex Morgan scored
in the second half. The USA scored 18 goals over the three group games
while allowing zero.
The victory earns the Americans the right to face Mexico in the semifinal
on Nov. 5 at 8 p.m. local / 10 p.m. ET for a berth to the 2011 FIFA Women’s
World Cup in Germany. Fans can watch live on CONCACAF.com and follow on
ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker.
Canada beat Mexico to finish first in Group A, and will play Costa Rica
in the other semifinal game.
U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage gave three players the starting
nod for the first time in the tournament, inserting Ali Krieger
at right back, Kristine Lilly at left midfield and Lauren
Cheney at forward.
Amazingly, Costa Rica actually had three scoring chances before the USA
created any of its own. The first opportunity came just two minutes into
the game after the USA gave the ball away in midfield. That led to a wide
open shot for Wendy Acosta in the left side of penalty
area, but she struck it wide right.
The USA got down the flanks repeatedly in the first half, especially on
the right side, but virtually every cross sailed behind the goal. After
its initial flurry that produced those three chances for Costa Rica, the
Central Americans settled back behind the ball and looked to counter,
but nothing troubled U.S. goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart
for the rest of the half. Barnhart did have to make a tough save off a
free kick in the dying minutes though, pushing a well-struck shot over
the crossbar.
The U.S. pressure finally produced a goal when Cheney was taken down in
the penalty box in the 31st minute after she had settled a long free kick
from Amy LePeilbet. Wambach stepped up and finished coolly
into the left corner to give the USA a 1-0 lead. It was the USA’s
first shot on goal of the half.
Sundhage sent on Lori Lindsey in the 37th minute to give
Lloyd a rest in advance of the important semifinal match in four days.
The USA’s attacking midfielder had played every minute of the tournament
thus far.
The first half was a bit disjointed due to the 21 fouls called, 13 on
the USA, but the Americans finally settled down in the second half and
found the net three times.
Cheney finally got her goal in the 68th minute off a right side corner
kick from Averbuch. The ball bounced around in the box for a moment before
Cheney struck a blistering volley over and through goalmouth traffic and
into the roof of the net from about eight yards out.
In the 73rd minute, Morgan was taken down about 27 yards from the goal
and a shade to the left. Lilly touched a short square pass to the right
and Averbuch drilled a world class swerving shot that flew past the cold
‘keeper and into the net. It was Averbuch’s first career goal
for the national team.
Morgan, who entered the match in the 62nd minute for Wambach, added a
definite spark to the attack with her speed and then tallied the final
goal, her third in just five caps for the USA.
The final goal was also perhaps the best, coming after two huge switch
passes. The first was from Averbuch to Lilly on the left wing and Lilly
then played it back to 75th minute substitute Heather O’Reilly
on the right flank. O’Reilly skinned her defender and drove
to the end line before playing a ball to Morgan at the near post. It got
stuck under her feet for a moment as she spun toward goal, but she dug
it out and then tapped a shot through three defenders and past the Tapia
from three yards out.
The 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup will take place from June 26-July
17 in nine venues across Germany: Berlin, Frankfurt, Mönchengladbach,
Sinsheim, Wolfsburg, Augsburg, Bochum, Dresden and Leverkusen.
Match: U.S. Women’s National Team vs. Costa Rica
Date: Nov. 1, 2010
Competition: 2010 CONCACAF Women’s World Cup Qualifying
Tournament – Group B
Venue: Estadio Quintana Roo; Cancun, Mexico
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. Local (9:30 p.m. ET)
Attendance: 502
Weather: Warm, breezy – 67 degrees
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 1 3 4
CRC 0 0 0
USA – Abby Wambach (penalty kick) 32 minute
USA – Lauren Cheney 68
USA – Yael Averbuch (Kristine Lilly) 73
USA – Alex Morgan (Heather O’Reilly) 81
Lineups:
USA: 18-Nicole Barnhart; 16-Ali Krieger, 6-Amy LePeilbet, 3-Christie Rampone
(capt.), 19-Rachel Buehler; 4-Yael Averbuch, 7-Shannon Boxx (9-Heather
O’Reilly, 75), 10-Carli Lloyd (11-Lori Lindsey, 37), 13-Kristine
Lilly; 12-Lauren Cheney, 20-Abby Wambach (5-Alex Morgan, 62)
Subs not used: 1-Jill Loyden, 14-Stephanie Cox, 15-Megan Rapinoe, 17-Becky
Sauerbrunn
Head Coach: Pia Sundhage
CRC: 1-Dinnia Diaz (18-Priscila Tapia, 72); 20-Wendy Acosta, 3-Hazel
Quiros, 6-Carol Sanchez, 2-Silvia Flores; 5-Ivonne Rodriguez, 10-Shirley
Cruz (capt.), 16-Katherine Alvardo, 12-Laura Sanchez; 15-Monica Malvassi
(7-Maria Barrantes, 79), 19-Adriana Venegas (9-Carolina Venegas, 59)
Subs not used: 4-Yahaira Aguilar, 13-Yuliana Rodriguez, 14-Cristin Granados,
17-Jacqueline Alvarez
Head Coach: Randal Chacon
Statistical Summary: USA / CRC
Shots: 13 / 5
Shots on Goal: 8 / 2
Saves: 2 / 4
Corner Kicks: 6 / 3
Fouls: 22 / 9
Offside: 1 / 2
Misconduct Summary:
CRC – Shirley Cruz (caution) 31st minute
USA – Lauren Cheney (caution) 61
Top of Page
U.S.
Meets Costa Rica In World Cup Qualifier
The U.S, WNT will face Costa Rica in the third and final
group game in the CONCACAF Women’s World Cup Qualifying tournament
played in Cancún, Mexico. Both countries have qualified for the
all-important semifinals from which the winners will qualify for the 2011
FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany.
The USA vs. Costa Rica game will be played on Nov. 2 with a 9:30 pm ET
kickoff. There is no live television for the games in the U.S., but they
can been seen via a free video web stream on CONCACAF.com.
The U.S. opened the tournament with a 5-0 victory over Haiti behind three
goals from Abby Wambach. The Americans’ second
dominating win came in their second game, a 9-0 shutouit of Guatemala.
Amy Rodriguez recorded a hat trick against Guatemala,
while Wambach and Megan Rapinoe scored twice each.
Wambach’s two goals upped her career total to 114, tying her with
Scotland’s Julie Fleeting for fourth best all-time
in women’s soccer history. She has scored 13 goals this season.
The top two finishers in each group will cross over in the semifinals
with the winners of those matches earning berths to the 2011 FIFA Women’s
World Cup in Germany. The winner of the third-place match will compete
in a two-game playoff against Italy, which won the playoff for fifth place
in Europe, for the final berth to the Germany.
Kristine Lilly entered the game with Haiti as a second
half substitute in the 46th minute, and earned her 350th international
cap. No other player has ever achieved that.
Top of Page
U.S.
Rallies To Tie China 1-1
The U.S. Women’s National Team came from behind to
tie China 1-1 on a chilly night at PPL Park in Chester, PA, as 21-year-old
forward Alex Morgan scored her first international goal.
The draw preserved a 48-game unbeaten streak on home soil for the U.S.
Women.
The USA was behind for a large part of the match after Ma Jun
finished a tremendous 12-yard full volley off a left wing cross from Zhou
Gaoping to put the Chinese ahead in the 37th minute. The Americans
picked up the intensity during the last 30 minutes and were justly rewarded
with an equalizer courtesy of the fresh legs of Morgan, who came into
the match in the 71st minute to earn just her third cap.
Yael Averbuch, who also came off the bench in the 71st
minute and looked very sharp in the midfield, started the sequence by
winning a ball that popped over to Heather Mitts on the
right wing. The USA’s right back drove a long ball over the Chinese
back line to the sprinting Abby Wambach, who nodded a
header into the path of Morgan.
The athletic striker ran onto the bouncing ball a few yards to the right
of the penalty spot and curled a perfect 10-yard shot into the left corner
with her favored left foot to tie the game. Morgan, a senior at California,
is the only player on the U.S. roster still in college and was a star
on the U.S. team that won the 2008 U-20 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
She scored the winning goal in the U-20 World Cup Final, but this was
her first for the senior side.
“I think we got some good answers today and I’m very happy,”
said U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage. “If you look
at the first half, I thought we couldn’t connect and China made
us look not so good. We struggled a little bit, but even a goal down,
the attitude was to come back. Having players come of the bench and change
the game like Yael Averbuch and Alex Morgan was a good thing and that
was a big goal to tie the game late.”
Sundhage made two changes at halftime, replacing both flank midfielders
as Kristine Lilly came on for Megan Rapinoe
and Lindsay Tarpley replaced Heather O’Reilly.
It was the 120th cap for Tarpley, but first with the national team since
she tore an ACL at the end of the 2009 WPS season.
Ma’s goal marked the first time USA has been behind in a match since
the 2009 Algarve Cup Final on March 11 of that year, when U.S. women went
behind 1-0 to Sweden in a match that was eventually tied before the USA
fell in penalty kicks.
The match against China was the final exhibition for the USA before entering
the 2010 CONCACAF Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament to be
held from Oct. 28-Nov. 8 in Cancun, Mexico. The United States will open
on Oct. 28 against Haiti, face Guatemala on Oct. 30 and finish Group B
play against Costa Rica on Nov. 1.
The top two teams in each group advance to the all-important semifinals
as the two finalists will automatically qualify for the 2011 FIFA Women’s
World Cup in Germany. The third-place team will compete in a playoff against
the fifth-place finisher from Europe for the final berth to the Germany.
The 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup will take place from June 26-July
17 in nine venues across Germany: Berlin, Frankfurt, Mönchengladbach,
Sinsheim, Wolfsburg, Augsburg, Bochum, Dresden and Leverkusen.
U.S. Women’s National Team Match Report
Match: U.S. Women’s National Team
vs. China
Date: Oct. 6, 2010
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: PPL Park; Chester, Pa. ?
Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET ?
Attendance: 2,505
Weather: Clear, cool – 57 degrees
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 0 1 1
CHN 1 0 1
USA – Ma Jun (Zhou Gaoping) 37th minute ?USA – Alex Morgan
(Abby Wambach) 83 ??Lineups: ?USA: 18-Nicole Barnhart; 2-Heather Mitts,
6-Amy LePeilbet, 3-Christie Rampone (capt.), 26-Rachel Buehler (12-Lauren
Cheney, 87); 9-Heather O’Reilly (5-Lindsay Tarpley, 46), 7-Shannon
Boxx (4-Yael Averbuch, 71), 10-Carli Lloyd, 15-Megan Rapinoe (13-Kristine
Lilly, 46); 8-Amy Rodriguez (21-Alex Morgan, 71), 20-Abby Wambach Subs
not used: 23-Becky Sauerbrunn, 24-Jill Loyden ?Head Coach: Pia Sundhage
CHINA: 28-Zhang Yue (1-Zhang Yanru, 46); 2-Liu Huana (capt.), 5-Weng Xinzhi
(11-You Jia, 90), 14-Li Danyang, 20-Zhou Gaoping; 15-Sun Ling (17-Pang
Fengyue, 80), 6-Zhang Na, 19-Qu Shanshan (7-Sun Lisha, 63), 24-Gu Yasha
(3-Yu Fan, 46); 9-Wang Yihang (8-Xu Yuan, 46), 13-Ma Jun ?Subs not used:
4-Xu Wenjia, 12-Zhang Jieli, 16-Wang Dongni, 18-Huang Luna, 26-Zhang Nan,
35-Hou Xuecheng ?Head Coach: Li Xiaopeng
Statistical Summary:
USA / CHN
Shots: 16 / 8
Shots on Goal: 3 / 3
Saves: 2 / 2
Corner Kicks: 9 / 4
Fouls: 6 / 13
Offside: 5 / 2
Misconduct Summary:
CHN – Zhang Na (caution) 46+ minute
CHN – Yu Fan (caution) 65
CHN – Zhou Gaoping (caution) 80
Officials:
Referee: Margaret Domka (USA) ussoccer.com
Woman of the Match: Alex Morgan
Top of Page
O’Reilly
Leads U.S. Over China, 2-1
KENNESAW, Ga. (Oct. 2, 2010) – The U.S. Women’s
National Team opened its two-game series with China at the beautiful Kennesaw
Soccer Stadium as Heather O’Reilly assisted on
Megan Rapinoe’s opening goal and later scored the
game-winner.
The United States dominated the match territorially and out-shot the
Chinese 20-6 for the game, but couldn’t get a consistent attacking
rhythm going and some sub-par finishing kept the contest close.
Still, the Americans created quite a few scoring chances throughout the
match, with set plays being particularly dangerous, but couldn’t
add to its first half total of two goals.
Lauren Cheney almost scored twice on headers in the
first five minutes with the first pushed away by Chinese goalkeeper Huang
Luna and the second crashing off the right post. Right back Ali
Krieger almost saw her cross dip under the crossbar as well,
only to be tipped away by the six-foot Chinese ‘keeper.
Rapinoe foreshadowed her goal when she stripped a Chinese back in the
13th minute and had an open shot from the top of the box. She tried to
spin it into the upper right corner but Huang punched it away. On the
ensuing corner kick, Shannon Boxx got a solid head on
the ball, but somehow bounced it off the ground and over the goal.
The U.S. goal finally came in the 21st minute after Huang came out of
the penalty box to clear with her feet while under pressure from Cheney.
The ball spun out to the right flank where O’Reilly latched on and
sent a low, driven cross back into the box. Huang came out hard and got
a hand to the ball, but it ricocheted to the top of the penalty area.
With the ’keeper down after making a play on the cross, Rapinoe
had an open goal and did well to strike her first-time shot low and hard
straight into the goal.
China tied the game in the 33rd minute during a sequence that produced
its first two shots of the game. Wang Yihang managed
to burst behind the U.S. defense, but goalkeeper Jill Loyden
made a great save, throwing her body to block the breakaway chance. Unfortunately,
the ball rebound straight back to Qu Shanshan and she
volleyed a dipping shot into the upper left corner from the top of the
penalty area.
The match marked the first career cap for the 25-year-old Loyden, who
played well while making two saves. Loyden, who plays in WPS for the Chicago
Red Stars, is the first goalkeeper to play for the USA since March of
2006 besides injured starter Hope Solo, veteran Nicole Barnhart
and the now retired Briana Scurry.
The USA wasted little time in taking back the lead. In the 37th minute,
Rapinoe sent a ball over the back line to Abby Wambach
into the left side of the penalty box. Wambach struck a hard cross on
the ground to the far post where O’Reilly was crashing. O’Reilly’s
first attempt from close range hit the right post. The ball bounced back
and hit her in the chest before the speedy flank midfielder managed to
stuff it home from just inches off the goal line.
The ball looked like it might have hit O'Reilly on the arm, and the Chinese
players howled for a handball, but referee Meredith Hackett
ruled it hit her chest and the goal stood.
The USA pounded away at China in the second half as both teams made multiple
changes.
Kristine Lilly’s appearance as a second half substitute
marked her 348th career cap as she continues to extend her world record
for international appearances.
The match also marked the first start for U.S. captain Christie
Rampone since July 25, 2009, after which she took time off to
have her second daughter, who was born in March of this year. Rampone
played 20 minutes against Sweden on July 17 in her return to the field
for the national team, but this time she played 90 minutes and along with
center-back partner Amy LePeilbet, ran down almost every
long ball.
Krieger, who plays her club soccer for FFC Frankfurt in Germany, went
the entire distance at right back to earn her sixth cap.
The U.S. team is currently preparing for the 2010 CONCACAF Women’s
World Cup Qualifying Tournament to be held from Oct. 28-Nov. 8 in Mexico.
The United States will open on Oct. 28 against Haiti, face Guatemala on
Oct. 30 and finish Group B play against Costa Rica on Nov. 1.
The top two teams in each group advance to the all-important semifinals
as the two semifinal winners will automatically qualify for the 2011 FIFA
Women’s World Cup in Germany. The third-place team will compete
in a playoff against the fifth-place finisher from the European zone for
the final berth to the Germany.
The 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup will take place from June 26-July
17 in nine venues across Germany: Berlin, Frankfurt, Mönchengladbach,
Sinsheim, Wolfsburg, Augsburg, Bochum, Dresden and Leverkusen.
The U.S. team will travel to Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon to prepare
for the second leg of this series taking place on Oct. 6 at PPL Park in
Chester, Pa. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. ET and the match will be broadcast live
on ESPN2. Sundhage will take 24 players to Philadelphia from which she
will chose 18 to suit up for the game.
U.S. Women’s National Team Match Report
Match: U.S. Women’s National Team vs. China
Date: Oct. 2, 2010
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: Kennesaw State University Soccer Stadium; Kennesaw,
Ga.
Kickoff: 6 p.m. ET
Attendance: 4,759
Weather: Clear, sunny – 75 degrees
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 2 0 2
CHN 1 0 1
USA – Megan Rapinoe (Heather O’Reilly) 21st minute
CHN – Qu Shanshan (Wang Yihang) 33
USA – Heather O’Reilly 37
Lineups:
USA: 24-Jill Loyden; 16-Ali Krieger, 6-Amy LePeilbet, 3-Christie Rampone
(capt.), 26-Rachel Buehler (14-Stephanie Cox, 46); 9-Heather O’Reilly
(13-Kristine Lilly, 62), 7-Shannon Boxx (11-Lori Lindsey, 46), 10-Carli
Lloyd (4-Yael Averbuch, 62), 15-MeganRapinoe; 12-Lauren Cheney (8-Amy
Rodriguez, 56), 20-Abby Wambach
Subs not used: 2-Heather Mitts, 18-Nicole Barnhart
Head Coach: Pia Sundhage
CHN: 18-Huang Luna; 3-Yu Fan, 5-Weng Xinzhi (14-Li Danyang, 46), 20-Zhou
Gaoping, 26-Zhang Nan; 4-Xu Wenjia (17-Pang Fengyue, 46), 7-Sun Lisha
(6-Zhang Na, 82), 19-Qu Shanshan, 24-Gu Yasha (15-Sun Ling, 61); 9-Wang
Yihang (8-Xu Yuan, 53), 11-You Jia (13-Ma Jun, 46)
Subs not used: 1-Zhang Yanru, 2-Liu Huana, 12-Zhang Jieli, 16-Wang Dongni,
28-Zhang Yue, 35-Hou Xuecheng
Head Coach: Li Xiaopeng
Statistical Summary: USA / CHN
Shots: 20 / 6
Shots on Goal: 13 / 3
Saves: 3 / 11
Corner Kicks: 9 / 6
Fouls: 3 / 4
Offsides: 5 / 5
Misconduct Summary:
None
Officials:
Referee: Meredith Hackett (USA)
Assistant Referee: Melanie Johnson (USA)
Assistant Referee: Patrick Baker (USA)
Fourth Official: Amy Mahan (USA)
Top of Page
U.S.
WNT Draws 1-1 With Sweden
The U.S. Women’s National Team tied Sweden 1-1 in
front of a record crowd at Morrison Stadium on a hot and muggy evening
in Omaha, Neb.
Amy Rodriguez scored her eighth career international
goal just one minute before halftime, but Sweden answered in the 57th
minute on a Linda Forsberg goal before 6,493 fans, the
most ever to see a soccer game at the Creighton University soccer stadium
in the USA’s first visit to Nebraska.
The goal scored by Sweden was the first allowed by the U.S. at home in
884 minutes dating back to a Nov. 1, 2008, win against Korea Republic
in Richmond, Va. The tie ended an eight-game winning streak for the U.S.
at home.
The two-game series against Sweden concludes on Saturday, July 17, in
East Hartford, Conn., with a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff live on Fox Soccer Channel.
“It was a great crowd to begin with,” said U.S. Women’s
National Team head coach Pia Sundhage. “We scored
a great goal, and I thought in our first half we did well. Then we made
some changes that were decided before the game, and I think it wasn’t
as good in the second half.
“We lost a little bit when we decided to go 4-3-3, and we lost too
much in the midfield and that’s how they created chances. We had
a chance to score to make it 2-0, and they scored to make it 1-1. It’s
good to have another game coming up, and we can try again.”
The U.S. forward duo of Abby Wambach and Rodriguez accounted
for the goal (Rodriguez), assist (Wambach) and all seven of the USA’s
shots on goal. All told, 14 of the 18 total shots came from the pair that
each played 90 minutes.
Kate Markgraf, who wore the captain’s armband in
recognition of her 200th cap (the seventh U.S. player in history to reach
that mark)
Top of Page
U.S.
Women Rip Germany 4-0
Abby Wambach scored two goals and assisted
on another to lead the #1 ranked U.S. Women’s National Team to a
4-0 victory over Germany in an international friendly in Cleveland, Ohio.
It was a match between the top two teams in the FIFA World rankings.
North Carolina alums Heather O’Reilly and Kristine
Lilly also scored for the U.S., winners of the past two Olympic
gold medals. Second-ranked Germany is the two-time defending World Cup
champions.
“This is great, this is perfect and look at the pitch too, I can
even play here,” said U.S. coach Pia Sundhage.
“This is all fantastic.”
Wambach scored a goal off a penalty kick in the 29th minute and O’Reilly
netted her goal in the 35th minute. Lilly’s goal came in the 62nd
minute off an assist from Wambach. Wambach’s two goals ran her career
total to 107.
This was a great win for us,” Lilly said. “I was happy (when
I scored). It felt really good. That was a great ball by Abby.”
Lilly is the oldest U.S. player to score a goal, at age 38. She played
in her 345th international game for the USA, and it was her first goal
in a U.S. uniform since Oct. 17, 2007, against Mexico and the 130th of
her historic career.
Hope Solo earned her 49th career shutout. Solo displayed
her athleticism by making six saves.
The U.S. held an advantage in shots on goal (12-6), corner kicks (6-3)
and frustrated a German offense that includes Birgit Prinz, Kerstin
Garefrekes and Inka Grings.
Top of Page
USA
Beats Mexico 3-0 In First Home Match Of 2010
SAN DIEGO (March 28, 2010) – The U.S. Women’s
National Team opened its 2010 domestic schedule with a convincing 3-0
win against Mexico at the University of San Diego’s Torero Stadium.
Forward Amy Rodriguez opened the scoring in the 12th
minute with her first goal since scoring against New Zealand in the 2008
Olympics, while Shannon Boxx and Lauren Cheney
added goals on either side of halftime. For Cheney, it was her team-leading
fifth goal of 2010 and ninth of her international career.
Playing for the first time since a 3-2 victory against Germany in the
championship game of the 2010 Algarve Cup on March 3, the U.S. team, led
by ussoccer.com Woman of the Match Amy LePeilbet held
Mexico to a single shot in each half. The U.S. outshot Mexico 21-2, including
a 10-0 advantage in shots on goal as U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo
did not need to make a save while recording her third shutout of the year.
“The game today showed that we need to change the point of attack
more often and be more dangerous,” said U.S. head coach Pia
Sundhage. “I think we did a better job in the second half.
We made a change in the second half and I thought when we had Lori
Lindsey in the midfield and Cheney keeping the ball up top that
gives us options. That’s good and fun to coach because I have different
qualities on the bench that can bring out something different on the field.”
The U.S. concludes the two-game series against Mexico on Wednesday night
at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. The match kicks off at 7 p.m. MT
and will be broadcast live on ESPN2. Tickets are available at ussoccer.com,
by calling 888-477-5849 and at the Rio Tinto Stadium box office.
The match marked the return of U.S. legend Kristine Lilly to
the U.S. team. The most-capped player in soccer history extended her world
record for international games played to 343 when she came on for Yael
Averbuch in the 32nd minute and then did some nice work on the
left flank. Lilly becomes the first player in U.S. history, and likely
in world history, to play for her country in four different decades.
Lilly earned 15 caps in 1980s, 176 in the 1990s, 151 from 2000-2009 and
now one in 2010. The former U.S. captain is the world’s second all-time
leading scorer with 129 goals and has played in five FIFA Women’s
World Cup tournaments, the most of any female player.
The win pushes the all-time record for the U.S. against Mexico to 23-0-1.
The USA moved to 5-0-0 in 2010 and extended its unbeaten streak in domestic
matches to 42 games.
- U.S. WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM GAME REPORT
Match: U.S. Women’s National Team vs. Mexico
Date: March 28, 2010
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: Torero Stadium; San Diego, Calif.
Kickoff: 2 p.m. PT
Attendance: 3,069
Weather: Sunny, light breeze – 79 degrees
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 2 1 3
MEX 0 0 0
USA – Amy Rodriguez (Heather O’Reilly) 12th minute
USA – Shannon Boxx 43
USA – Lauren Cheney (Shannon Boxx) 72.
Lineups:
USA: 1-Hope Solo; 4-Cat Whitehill, 26-Rachel Buehler, 6-Amy LePeilbet,
17-Meghan Schnur (14-Stephanie Cox, 77); 9-Heather O’Reilly (19-Kelley
O’Hara, 63), 7-Shannon Boxx (Capt.), 10-Carli Lloyd (5-Lori Lindsey,
46), 12-Yael Averbuch (13-Kristine Lilly, 32), 8-Amy Rodriguez (11-Lauren
Cheney, 46); 20-Abby Wambach
Subs not used: 18-Nicole Barnhart, 21-Alex Morgan.
Head Coach: Pia Sundhage
MEX: 12-Pamela Tajonar; 2-Leticia Villalpando, 22-Alina
Garciamendez, 4-Marylin Diaz, 15-Luz Saucedo (6-Monica Vergara, 78); 8-Lupita
Worbis (Capt.) (18-Natalie Vinti, 84), 11-Nayeli Rangel (16-Renae Cuellar,
46), 20-Lili Godoy (9-Monica Ocampo, 38); 10-Maribel Dominguez (5-Maria
Castillo, 58), 17-Veronica Perez, 19-Dinora Garza (21-Kaylie Garcia, 80).
Subs not used: 1-Erika Vanegas, 3-Rubi Sandoval, 7-Evelyn Lopez, 13-Lulu
Gordillo,
Head Coach: Leo Cuellar
Statistical Summary: USA / MEX
Shots: 21 / 2
Shots on Goal: 10 / 0
Saves: 0 / 6
Corner Kicks: 8 / 2
Fouls: 7 / 8
Offside: 9 / 1
Misconduct Summary:
USA – Abby Wambach (caution) 71st minute
Officials
Referee: Kari Seitz (USA)
Asst. Referee: Marlene Duffy (USA)
Asst. Referee: Shelley Finger (USA)
Fourth Official: Felisha Mariscal (USA)
ussoccer.com Woman of the Match:
Amy LePeilbet
Top of Page
U.S.
Women Beat Germany For Title
FARO, Portugal (March 3, 2010) – The U.S. Women’s
National Team scored twice in the first half and once in the second to
defeat Germany 3-2 in the championship game of the 2010 Algarve Cup.
Carli Lloyd’s goal in the 18th minute
was followed by a powerful header from Abby Wambach four
minutes later, staking the U.S. to a 2-0 lead. German forward Inka
Grings pulled a goal back five minutes before halftime, but a
goalkeeper mistake from Germany’s Nadine Angerer
allowed Lauren Cheney to make it 3-1 in the 69th. Grings
finished her second score with a goal in 74th minute to make the end of
the game tension-filled, but some tremendous ball-winning in the back
by central defenders Amy LePeilbet and Rachel
Buehler helped the U.S. hold on to the victory.
The win marked the seventh time the USA has won this annual
tournament in southern Portugal and the third time it has faced Germany
in the final. The USA defeated Germany 1-0 in 2005 and lost the 2006 championship
game to the Germans in penalty kicks. The match also marked USA’s
eighth consecutive trip to Algarve Cup championship game.
In the clash between the world’s top two teams according
to the most recent FIFA rankings, the Americans attacked remarkably well
despite terrible field conditions and could have built a much bigger lead
heading into the break.
The most recent meeting between these teams before today’s
championship game took place in Augsburg, Germany, last Oct. 29. During
that match, Germany clearly took the match to the Americans although the
U.S. came out victorious 1-0. Still, the USA was out-shot by a large margin
and the Germans put tremendous pressure on the U.S. goal for 90 minutes.
Today, the Americans flipped the momentum and had far more of the dangerous
attacking chances.
Wambach’s goal was not only her 104th career score, but it gave
her 15 all-time in the Algarve Cup, tying her with Swedish legend Hanna
Ljungberg as the top scorer in the 17-year history of the tournament.
Lloyd’s goal, her 20th international score, broke
a long scoreless streak for the midfielder who had an excellent overall
tournament and was crucial to the U.S. attack during the final. Lloyd’s
ball-winning with the always rugged Boxx in the middle was also impressive.
The goal was the first for Lloyd since the 2008 Olympic gold medal game
when she scored the winner in overtime against Brazil.
The USA has made the championship game of the Algarve Cup
every year since 2003, winning the tournament five times during that span
and seven times overall, in 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2010.
In the other placement matches, Sweden defeated China, 2-0,
for third place, Denmark downed Norway, 2-1 for fifth, Romania upset Iceland,
1-0 for seventh, Iceland hammered Portugal 3-0 for ninth and Austria ran
rough-shod over the Faroe Islands, 6-0.
The U.S. players will now return home and report soon to
their WPS clubs for pre-season training. The team will come together again
at the end of March for two matches against Mexico, on March 28 at Torero
Stadium on the campus of the University of San Diego and on March 31 at
Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah, home of the reigning MLS champions Real
Salt Lake.
U.S. Women's National Team Match Report
Match: U.S. Women’s National Team vs. Germany
Date: March 3, 2010
Competition: 2010 Algarve Cup; Championship Game
Venue: Estadio Algarve; Faro, Portugal
Kickoff: 4 p.m. (11 a.m. ET)
Attendance: 1,200
Weather: 63 degrees; cloudy, windy
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 2 1 3
GER 1 1 2
USA – Carli Lloyd 18th minute
USA – Abby Wambach (Heather O’Reilly) 22
GER – Inka Grings (Brigit Prinz) 40
USA – Lauren Cheney 69
GER – Inka Grings (Melanie Behringer) 74
Lineups:
USA: 1-Hope Solo; 2-Heather Mitts, 26-Rachel Buehler, 6-Amy LePeilbet,
17-Meghan Schnur; 9-Heather O’Reilly, 7-Shannon Boxx (Capt.), 10-Carli
Lloyd, 8-Amy Rodriguez (5-Lori Lindsey, 59); 11-Lauren Cheney (15-Casey
Nogueira, 84), 20-Abby Wambach
Subs not used: 4-Cat Whitehill, 12-Yael Averbuch, 13-Megan Rapinoe, 14-Stephanie
Cox, 18-Nicole Barnhart, 24-Jill Loyden
Head Coach: Pia Sundhage
GER: 1-Nadine Angerer; 4-Babett Peter,
15-Sonja Fuss, 22-Bianca Schmidt, 29-Lena Goebling (20-Jennifer Zietz,
29); 7-Melanie Behringer (16-Martina Müller, 87), 9-Birgit Prinz
(Capt.), 11-Anja Mittag (27-Alexandra Popp, 70), 18-Kerstin Garefrekes,
19-Fatmire Bajramaj (13-Célia Okoyino da Mbabi, 46), 8-Inka Grings
Subs not used: 12-Ursula Holl, 14-Kim Kulig, 28-Nadine Kessler
Head Coach: Silvia Neid
Statistical Summary: USA / GER
Shots: 15 / 11
Shots on Goal: 5 / 6
Saves: 4 / 3
Corner Kicks: 5 / 3
Fouls: 13 / 7
Offside: 2 / 2
Misconduct Summary:
USA – Heather Mitts (caution) 41st minute
USA – Carli Lloyd (caution) 46
Top of Page
U.S.
WNT Blanks Sweden
The U.S. women’s national team advanced to the Algarve
Cup championship for the eighth straight time with a 2-0 victory over
Sweden in the third and final group game. Both goals were scored by Lauren
Cheney.
Both were scored in the second half with the first coming
in the 57th minutes off an assistant from Casey Nogueira.
Cheney, a halftime substitute for starter Amy Rodriguez,
clinched the win in the 87th minute when she scored off an assist from
Lori Lindsey.
Cheney scored a goal in the USA’s 2-0 opening win
over Iceland. Abby Wambach scored both goals in a 2-1
victory over Norway, which set up the game against Sweden. Wambach got
the game-winner in the 92nd minute, two minutes into stoppage time.
The U.S. will likely play Germany for the champonship of
the tournament which is being played in Ferreiras, Portugal. Germany,
unbeaten at 2-0-0, is favored in its third group game against China.
The title game will be played on March 3 with kickoff set
for ?
The U.S. and Sweden were tied on shots taken with seven
each, while the Americans put four on goal, two more than the Swedes.
Sweden held a 6-5 advantage on corner kicks.
Top of Page
Solo
Saves Two PKs In 2-0 Algarve Cup Win
VILA REAL de SAN ANTONIO, Portugal (Feb. 24, 2010) –
The U.S. Women’s National Team scored two goals in two minutes during
the second half and U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo saved a
penalty kick in both halves during a 2-0 victory against Iceland in its
opening match of the 2010 Algarve Cup.
The U.S. women will face Norway in their second Group B
contest on Feb. 26 in Olhão (10 a.m. ET on ussoccer.com’s
MatchTracker) as the USA tries to take another step toward a berth in
the Algarve Cup championship game.
Playing in its first international match since the Oct.
29 victory against Germany, the U.S. put together some beautiful attacking
sequences, but also looked a bit rusty at times. Before scoring twice,
the Americans had certainly been the aggressor through the first two-thirds
of the game but were having troubling turning some good rhythm into quality
shots. In the first half, the USA took nine shots, including the first
shot of the game from Lauren Cheney that clipped the
outside of the right post in the fourth minute.
The USA started the second half on a roll, drawing three
quick fouls from Iceland and producing two excellent chances early on.
In the 48th minute, Cheney got behind the Iceland defense after a poor
clearance was nodded on by Abby Wambach. Cheney raced
in on goalkeeper Gudbjörg Gunnarsdóttir and
rounded her to the left, but in doing so cut off her shooting angle. She
still managed a shot from close to the end line but it clanged off the
left post.
In the 53rd minute, Cheney burst into the penalty area on
the left side and spun a hard cross to Wambach who beat the ‘keeper
to the ball but somehow sent it over the net from close range.
When the U.S. women met Iceland last year at the Algarve
Cup, they had to wait until the 90th minute for a goal by Natasha
Kai in a 1-0 victory, but this year the first score came in the
60th.
When the USA finally broke through it came on, of all things,
an own goal. But credit goes to left back Meghan Schnur
for setting it up. Playing in her first ever full international match
for the USA, Schnur created the goal on one of her only runs into the
attacking third on the day, but it was a spectacular play. She took on
an Iceland defender in the left side of the penalty area, touched it around
her to the inside, ran around her to the outside and as the ball was about
the roll over the end line, whipped a hard left-footed cross into the
goal mouth.
Iceland defender Sif Atladóttir
came charging back to her net and tried to clear, but instead got a head
on the ball and knocked it just inside her own goalkeeper at the near
post and into the net.
After four excellent scoring chances during the match, Cheney
finally bagged her goal one minute after Atladóttir’s mistake.
On her goal she showed some sophisticated finishing technique
after substitute Lori Lindsey, who was playing in just
her second game for the USA, slipped a pass behind the Iceland defense.
Cheney roared toward goal on a breakaway and spun her shot into the right
corner of the net from 14 yards out.
At that time, the USA’s two-goal lead with less than
30 minutes left looked secure, but the match had almost taken a turn for
the worst in the 12th minute when Whitehill swept the feet of Iceland’s
star striker Margret Vidarsdóttir, who had her back to the field
near the end line in the right side of the penalty area. German referee
Christine Beck did not hesitate in pointing the penalty
spot and Vidarsdóttir, Iceland’s top scorer in the Algarve
Cup with 10 goals, stepped up to take the kick herself.
She hit it hard, but not that accurately, and Solo dove
to her right, stabbing her right hand down to turn the ball away. Amazingly,
Solo would have to save another penalty kick before the day was over.
Solo’s two saves marked the first time in U.S. history that a goalkeeper
has saved two penalty kicks in one match.
- U.S. Soccer Match Report -
Match: U.S. Women’s National Team vs. Iceland
Date: Feb. 24, 2010
Competition: 2010 Algarve Cup; Group B
Venue: Municipal Stadium; Vila Real de San Antonio, Portugal
Kickoff: 3 p.m. (10 a.m. ET)
Attendance: 250
Weather: Partly cloudy, breezy – 66 degrees
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 0 2 2
ISL 0 0 0
USA – Own Goal (Sif Atladóttir) 60th minute
USA – Lauren Cheney (Lori Lindsey) 61
Lineups:
USA: 1-Hope Solo; 4-Cat Whitehill, 26-Rachel Buehler, 6-Amy LePeilbet,
17-Meghan Schnur (14-Stephanie Cox, 75); 9-Heather O’Reilly, 7-Shannon
Boxx – Capt. (15-Casey Nogueira, 75), 10-Carli Lloyd, 12-Yael Averbuch
(5-Lori Lindsey, 58); 11-Lauren Cheney (8-Amy Rodriguez, 66), 20-Abby
Wambach
Subs not used: 2-Heather Mitts, 13-Megan Rapinoe, 18-Nicole Barnhart,
24-Jill Loyden.
Head Coach: Pia Sundhage
ISL: 12-Gudbjörg Gunnarsdóttir;
2-Sif Atladóttir, 3-Ólína Gudbjörg Vidarsdóttir,
8-Katrín Jónsdóttir – Capt., 4-Rakel Hönnudóttir,
6-Hólmfrídur Magnúsdóttir (15-Fanndís
Fridriksdóttir, 89), 7-Katrín Ómarsdóttir
(18-Elínborg Ingvarsdóttir, 85), 10-Dóra María
Lárusdóttir (14-Rakel Logadóttir, 64), 11-Sara Björk
Gunnarsdóttir (5-Erna Björk Sigurdardóttir, 81), 17-Dagný
Brynjarsdóttir (13-Gudný Björk Ódinsdóttir,
73), 9-Margrét Lára Vidarsdóttir (16-Berglind Björg
Thorvaldsdóttir, 63).
Subs not used: 1-Thóra Helgadóttir, 19-Mist Edvardsdóttir,
20-Thelma Björk Einarsdóttir.
Head Coach: Siggi Eyolfsson
Statistical Summary: USA / ISL
Shots: 17 / 7
Shots on Goal: 4 / 3
Saves: 3 / 3
Corner Kicks: 4 / 5
Fouls: 9 / 13
Offside: 4 / 3
Misconduct Summary:
USA – Cat Whitehill (caution) 29th minute.
USA – Rachel Buehler (caution) 90+3
Top of Page
U.S.
Women Blank Germany
For the first time since 2007, the U.S. WNT squared off
on October 29 against Germany in a meeting between the #1 and #2 ranked
teams in the world, respectively.
Before a sellout crowd of 28,377 singing and chanting fans
in Impuls Arena in Augsburg, Germany, the U.S. got a goal from Abby
Wambach in the first half, and made it stand up for the victory.
The game, played in one of the stadiums that will be used
in the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup, was in doubt throughout, as
Germany outshot the Americans 17-7. It was the first international match
in the stadium.
However, a young defense in front of veteran goalkeeper
Hope Solo, kept the Germans off the scoreboard and their
all-time leading scorer, Birgit Prinz, in check.
Heather Mitts and captain Lori
Chalupny manned the wings of the defense, while youngsters Amy
LePeilbert and Rachel Buehler anchored the middle.
Germany had only three shots on goal and six corner kicks, and Solo was
called on to make three saves.
“I said before the game that we would be winners regardless
of the outcome,” said U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage.
“But I am very happy about the Abby Wambach goal, and we did some
good defending today. So we go back to the USA, and we know what to work
on.”
The winning goal came clearly against the run of play and
it stunned the sell-out crowd. Midfielder Yael Averbuch,
who was making her first start in just her third cap, looped a cross in
from the left wing to start the scoring sequence.
German defender Saskia Bartusiak got a
foot on it, but cleared poorly and the ball spun up in the air. Wambach
got good position under the falling ball and brat charging German goalkeeper
Nadine Angerer to nod the header from near the penalty
spot.
The goal was the 101th in Wambach’s international
career, moving her into fourth place on the USA’s all-time goal
scoring list behind Mia Hamm (158), who attended the
match, Kristine Lilly (129) and Michelle Akers
(105).
Sundhage, a Swede, who led the U.S. to the 2008 Olympic
gold medal, spoke glowingly of the American spirit in the win over the
defending world champion Germans.
“The Germans are very good,” said Sundhage.
“I give credit to the back four and Hope Solo in the goal and team
defending. I am Swedish, but there is something to be said about the Americans.
They are winners.
“Their attitude is fantastic and that is one of the
reasons why we won today. Playing in front of this big crowd is unique,
and it’s good for me personally and all the players. So today, I
am very happy.”
The U.S. players will have a month off before returning
to The Home Depot Center in Carson, CA, in December for a training camp.
- U.S. Women’s National Team Match Report
-
Match: U.S. Women’s National Team vs. Germany
Date: Oct. 29, 2009
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: Impuls Arena; Augsburg, Germany
Kickoff: 6 p.m. Local / 1 p.m. ET
Attendance: 28,377 (Sell Out)
Weather: 48 degrees; cold, clear
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 1 0 1
GER 0 0 0
USA – Abby Wambach 34th minute
Lineups:
USA: 1-Hope Solo; 2-Heather Mitts, 6-Amy LePeilbet, 26-Rachel Buehler,
17-Lori Chalupny (capt.); 9-Heather O’Reilly, 7-Shannon Boxx, 10-Carli
Lloyd, 12-Yael Averbuch (15-Kacey White, 60); 8-Amy Rodriguez (16-Ella
Masar, 73), 20-Abby Wambach
Subs not used: 3-Brittany Bock, 4-Cat Whitehill, 5-Lori Lindsey, 13-Tobin
Heath, 18-Nicole Barnhart
Head Coach: Pia Sundhage
GER: 1-Nadine Angerer; 3-Saskia Bartusiak, 4-Babett Peter,
5-Annike Krahn, 6-Simone Laudehr, 10-Linda Bresonik, 14-Kim Kulig, 18-Kerstin
Garefrekes (22-Bianca Schmidt, 83), 8-Inka Grings (11-Anja Mittag, 67),
9-Birgit Prinz (16-Martina Müller, 89), 19-Fatmire Bajramaj (13-Célia
Okoyino da Mbabi, 67)
Subs not used: 12-Ursula Holl, 15-Sonja Fuss, 20-Jennifer Zietz
Head Coach: Silvia Neid
Statistical Summary: USA / GER
Shots: 7 / 17
Shots on Goal: 3 / 3
Saves: 3 / 2
Corner Kicks: 4 / 6
Fouls: 10 / 6
Offside: 0 / 1
Top of Page
Sundhage
Names Training Camp Roster
U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Pia
Sundhage has called in 26 players for a 12-day training camp
at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., running from Sept. 21-Oct.
2. This will be the first U.S. Women’s National Team event since
the end of the inaugural Women’s Professional Soccer season.
Twenty-three of the players on the roster come from WPS clubs while three
are currently seniors for their college teams in UCLA forward Lauren
Cheney and a pair of North Carolina Tar Heels in midfielder Tobin
Heath and goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris.
Sundhage named 18 players from the roster that defeated Canada twice in
mid-July, but is also giving looks to several players who put in some
quality work during the WPS season. Los Angeles Sol utility woman Brittany
Bock gets her second call-up of the year after also making the
U.S. roster for the match against Canada in Toronto on May 25. She was
denied the opportunity to earn her first cap due to a heel injury suffered
in training the day before the match.
Sundhage also named FC Gold Pride midfielder Tina DiMartino
(5 caps/1 goal), Washington Freedom midfielder Lori Lindsey
(1/0), and Sky Blue FC midfielder Yael Averbuch (2/0),
as well as uncapped Chicago Red Stars midfielder Brittany Klein
and Sky Blue FC defender Meghan Schnur. All five are
veterans of the USA’s youth Women’s National Teams. The roster
also features the return of Sky Blue FC midfielder Kacey White
(17/0), who has not been called up since the Algarve Cup last
March.
The camp marks a long awaited first call-up for Harris, who was the starter
for the USA at both the 2002 and 2004 FIFA U-19 Women’s World Cups,
playing every minute of all 12 games during those tournaments. The 5-foot-9
inch Harris, who played a key role in helping the USA win the 2002 FIFA
U-19 WWC when she was just 16 years old, was on the fast-track to the
full national team before a series of major injuries – including
two ACL surgeries – set her back. The 23-year-old Harris will train
alongside regulars Hope Solo and Nicole Barnhart.
Veteran U.S. midfielder Lindsay Tarpley will miss her
first camp in years as she is out 8-10 months after suffering an ACL tear
during training with the Red Stars at the end of the WPS season. U.S.
captain Christie Rampone is pregnant and will miss her
first camp since her last pregnancy in 2005. With Rampone out, forward
Abby Wambach and defender Cat Whitehill
are the most capped players in camp with 130 each.
Sundhage will use this camp to select a roster for the USA’s trip
to Germany in October when the Americans will face the reigning Women’s
World Cup champions on Oct. 29 at Impuls Arena in Augsburg, one of the
nine venues that will host matches at the 2011 FIFA Women’s World
Cup.
The U.S. women currently sit atop of the FIFA Women’s World Rankings
and have compiled a record of 6-0-1 in 2009, having scored 11 goals while
allowing just one, that coming in the championship game of the Algarve
Cup where the USA eventually succumbed to Sweden in penalty kicks.
UNITED STATES WOMEN’S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM
Training Camp Roster
Sept. 21-Oct. 2
The Home Depot Center – Carson, Calif.
GOALKEEPERS (3): Nicole Barnhart (FC Gold Pride), Ashlyn Harris (North
Carolina), Hope Solo (St. Louis Athletica);
DEFENDERS (8): Brittany Bock (Los Angeles Sol), Rachel Buehler (FC Gold
Pride), Lori Chalupny (St. Louis Athletica), Stephanie Cox (Los Angeles
Sol), Amy LePeilbet (Boston Breakers), Heather Mitts (Boston Breakers),
Megan Schnur (Sky Blue FC), Cat Whitehill (Washington Freedom)
MIDFIELDERS (12): Yael Averbuch (Sky Blue FC), Shannon Boxx (Los Angeles
Sol), Tina DiMartino (FC Gold Pride), Tobin Heath (UNC), Angela Hucles
(Boston Breakers), Brittany Klein (Chicago Red Stars), Lori Lindsey (Washington
Freedom), Carli Lloyd (Chicago Red Stars), Heather O’Reilly (Sky
Blue FC), Leslie Osborne (FC Gold Pride), Megan Rapinoe (Chicago Red Stars),
Kacey White (Sky Blue FC)
FORWARDS (3): Lauren Cheney (UCLA), Amy Rodriguez (Boston Breakers), Abby
Wambach (Washington Freedom)
Top of Page
Late
U.S. Goal Edges Canada
Charleston, SC -- Christine Nairn, the
youngest player on the U.S. roster at 18-years-old, scored a dramatic
winning goal in the 89th minute as the U.S. Women’s National Team
defeated Canada 1-0 on a humid night at Blackbaud Stadium.
Nairn entered the game in the 81st minute to earn just her
second career cap and tallied on a wild scramble in front of the Canadian
net. With the U.S. pushing for a winning goal, midfielder Angela
Hucles spun a hard cross from the wing to the near post where
Abby Wambach jumped high to flick the ball in the air
as Canadian goalkeeper Erin McLeod, her teammate on the
WPS’ Washington Freedom, plowed into her from behind.
The ball bounced up in the air and back toward the goal
where U.S. forward Lauren Cheney kept it alive, jumping
over a Canadian defender to head the ball toward the net. McLeod recovered
to get a slap at the ball, but Nairn was crashing the goal and knocked
it into the net from close range with her hip. It was Cheney’s second
assist in as many games after also setting up Wambach’s 100th career
goal in the 1-0 victory against Canada on July 19th in Rochester.
Nairn, who turns 19 on Sept. 25, becomes the youngest player
to score for the USA since Heather O’Reilly tallied
her first career goal in a 4-0 win against Italy on Oct. 6, 2002, when
she was 17 years and 277 days old.
Nairn was a member of the U.S. team that won the 2008 FIFA
U-20 Women’s World Cup last fall and is age-eligible for the 2010
FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Germany. She enrolled at Penn State
in the middle of the last academic term due to her commitment to the U-20s
and will play her first college match this August as a freshman.
“I was first of all excited to get in the game, but
Cheney did all the hard work and I was just there to make sure it went
in the goal,” said Nairn, who debuted for the USA in its 4-0 victory
against Canada on May 25. “I’ll take it if I can. If Abby
didn’t make that run and that touch, and Cheney didn’t follow
it up, I wouldn’t have made it. It’s awesome. I can’t
even explain how I feel right now its awesome to even be on this team
and be considered for this team so to put one away like that and win the
game is a great feeling.”
U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage made five
changes to the lineup that defeated Canada in Rochester, inserting Heather
Mitts at right back and Stephanie Cox at left
back, giving Carli Lloyd the start in center midfield
and putting Lindsay Tarpley up top with Abby Wambach.
Hope Solo got the start in goal and picked up her 44th
career shutout.
“I think this game was very important because of
the way we have been playing and working on the attacking third,”
said Sundhage. “We didn’t score that many goals, but we scored
a goal. And we gained some confidence by that and we will continue to
work on the attack, especially in the attacking third.”
- U.S. Women’s National Team Match Report -
Match: U.S. Women’s National Team vs. Canada
Date: July 22, 2009
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: Blackbaud Stadium; Charleston, S.C.
Kickoff: 8 p.m. ET
Attendance: 4,041
Weather: Hot, humid – 81 degrees
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 0 1 1
CAN 0 0 0
USA – Christine Nairn (Lauren Cheney) 89th minute
Lineups:
USA: 1-Hope Solo; 2-Heather Mitts, 6-Amy LePeilbet, 21-Rachel Buehler,
14-Stephanie Cox; 9-Heather O’Reilly (12-Leslie Osborne, 62), 7-Shannon
Boxx (capt.) (16-Angela Hucles, 46), 10-Carli Lloyd (11-Christine Nairn,
81), 15-Megan Rapinoe (13-Tobin Heath, 46); 5-Lindsay Tarpley (19-Lauren
Cheney, 46), 20-Abby Wambach
Subs not used: 4-Cat Whitehill, 8-Amy Rodriguez, 18-Nicole Barnhart
Head Coach: Pia Sundhage
CAN: 18-Erin McLeod; 5-Robyn Gayle (21-Chelsea Stewart,
26), 9-Candace Chapman, 2-Emily Zurrer, 13-Marie-Eve Nault (19-Shannon
Woeller, 67); 14-Carmelina Moscato (20-Alyssa Lagonia, 80), 8-Diana Matheson,
4-Kelly Parker (10-Jodi-Ann Robinson, 64), 15-Kara Lang; 16-Jonelle Filigno
(11-Christina Julien, 73), 12-Christine Sinclair (capt.)
Subs not used: 1-Karina LeBlanc, 3-Gina Pacheco, 6-Kaylyn Kyle, 7-Rhian
Wilkinson, 17-Brittany Timko, 22-Stephanie Labbe, 23-Sansar Bahar, 24-Karli
Hedlund
Head Coach: Carolina Morace
Statistical Summary: USA / CAN
Shots: 18 / 8
Shots on Goal: 7 / 4
Saves: 4 / 6
Corner Kicks: 4 / 2
Fouls: 3 / 5
Offside: 1 / 2
Misconduct Summary:
CAN – Chelsea Stewart (caution) 42nd minute
Top of Page
Wambach
Scores 100th Career Goal
ROCHESTER, New York (July 19, 2009) – Abby
Wambach scored her 100th career goal in her hometown to lead
the U.S. Women’s National Team to a 1-0 victory against Canada in
front of 8,443 at Marina Auto Stadium.
Wambach, who was a high school All-American at Our Lady
of Mercy in Rochester, becomes the ninth woman in soccer history to score
100 career international goals, and the fifth American, joining Mia
Hamm (158), Kristine Lilly (129), Michelle
Akers (105) and Tiffeny Milbrett (100). Wambach’s
100th goal comes in just her 129th career match, giving her the best goals-to-games
ratio in U.S. history.
The milestone comes one year and three days after Wambach
broke her left leg in the USA’s final tune up for the 2008 Olympics.
It was Wambach’s first international goal since the injury and makes
her the second U.S. players to score her 100th goal in Rochester after
Hamm became the first in 1998.
Twenty-one-year-old forward Lauren Cheney,
who replaced Wambach on the Olympic roster, came into the game in the
63rd minute and 15 minutes later set up the historic goal.
“I think it’s pretty fitting that Lauren Cheney,
the girl that replaced me going to the Olympics after my leg breaking,
played me an amazing ball,” said Wambach.
“I took a great first touch, and just hit it far post.
Thankfully, it didn’t go wide. I was peeling out, truckin’
to the sideline because I thought it was going in. I can’t really
describe the emotion. I don’t think it’s really set in quite
yet. It’s been a long year and to come home to score the 100th goal
here in Rochester couldn’t be more of a picture perfect ending.”
“I’m happy to be here right now, sitting on
the bench to see that goal happen,” said U.S. head coach Pia
Sundhage, who scored 71 international goals herself for Sweden.
“Cheney coming off the bench playing that great ball through and
you just hear the sound of it and it’s fantastic. This is awesome.”
The U.S. team now travels to Charleston, S.C., to face
Canada again, this one at Blackbaud Stadium on Wednesday, July 22 at 8
p.m. ET. The match will be televised live on Fox Soccer Channel and Fox
Sports en Espanol. Fans can also follow the match online via ussoccer.com’s
MatchTracker.
- U.S. Women’s National Team Match Report -
Match: U.S. Women’s National Team vs. Canada
Date: July 19, 2009
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: Marina Auto Stadium; Rochester, N.Y.
Kickoff: 3 p.m. ET
Attendance: 8,433
Weather: Overcast, breezy – 67 degrees
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 0 1 1
CAN 0 0 0
USA – Abby Wambach (Lauren Cheney) 78th minute
Lineups:
USA: 18-Nicole Barnhart; 4-Cat Whitehill (2-Heather Mitts, 46), 6-Amy
LePeilbet, 21-Rachel Buehler, 17-Lori Chalupny (capt.); 9-Heather O’Reilly
(13-Tobin Heath, 75), 16-Angela Hucles, 7-Shannon Boxx, 15-Megan Rapinoe;
8-Amy Rodriguez (19-Lauren Cheney, 63), 20-Abby Wambach
Subs not used: 1-Hope Solo, 5-Lindsay Tarpley, 10-Carli Lloyd, 11-Christine
Nairn, 12-Leslie Osborne, 14-Stephanie Cox
Head Coach: Pia Sundhage
CAN: 1-Karina LeBlanc; 9-Candace Chapman, 2-Emily Zurrer,
7-Rhian Wilkinson (5-Robyn Gayle, 89), 17-Brittany Timko (13-Marie-Eve
Nault, 58); 8-Diana Matheson, 4-Kelly Parker (14-Carmelina Moscato, 85),
10-Jodi-Ann Robinson (21-Chelsea Stewart, 46), 15-Kara Lang (3-Gina Pacheco,
80); 16-Jonelle Filigno (6-Kaylyn Kyle, 75), 12-Christine Sinclair (capt.)
Subs not used: 11-Christina Julien, 18-Erin McLeod, 19-Shannon Woeller,
20-Alyssa Lagonia, 22-Stephanie Labbe, 23-Sansar Bahar, 24-Karli Hedlund
Head Coach: Carolina Morace
Statistical Summary: USA / CAN
Shots: 21 / 3
Shots on Goal: 9 / 1
Saves: 1 / 8
Corner Kicks: 10 / 2
Fouls: 10 / 12
Offside: 1 / 3
Top of Page
U.S.
Women Rip Canada 4-0
The U.S. Women’s National Team scored twice in each
half, getting goals from four different players to defeat Canada 4-0 in
front of 10,255 fans at BMO Field. It was the USA’s first match
in Canada since 2001.
Midfielder Shannon Boxx opened the scoring
just 93 seconds into the match and midfielder Megan Rapinoe
added a second just before the halftime. The USA put two more in the net
during a four-minute span late in the game. Both second-half goals came
from substitutes, as Lindsay Tarpley scored her 30th
career goal in the 77th minute and 21-year-old Lauren Cheney
knocked in a fantastic header in the 80th minute.
"I am happy about the performance and I am happy that
we scored a goal on a corner kick,” said U.S. WNT head coach Pia
Sundhage. “That's something we are starting to work on
and I believe that come 2011, when the games are so tight, that set plays
will be very, very important. So, four nice goals and a pretty good game
on turf.”
Boxx’s strike, which was the USA’s first shot
of the game, was her second goal of the year after scoring just once in
2008 and it came against her club teammate on the Los Angeles Sol in Canadian
goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc. It was also Boxx’s 20th
international goal as she became the 16th female player in U.S. history
to score 20 or more goals in her career.
Abby Wambach, who came into the match with 99 goals,
will now have the chance to bag her historic 100th goal in her hometown
of Rochester, N.Y., where the USA will play Canada in its next match on
July 19. Canadian forward Christine Sinclair, who also
came into the game with 99 goals, failed to hit the century mark as the
U.S. defense did a fine job of keeping the star striker out of dangerous
positions.
Eighteen-year-old midfielder Christine Nairn became the
first member of the USA’s 2008 U-20 Women’s World Cup championship
team to earn a senior team cap, coming on for Angela Hucles in the 83rd
minute. Nairn was the eighth player to be given her first cap by U.S.
head coach Pia Sundhage.
The U.S. players now head back to join their WPS clubs and
will not coming together against until mid-July for two more matches against
Canada, on Sunday, July 19, at Rochester Rhinos Stadium in Rochester,
N.Y., and then again three days later on Wednesday, July 22, at Blackbaud
Stadium in Charleston, S.C. These will be the USA’s first domestic
matches of the year after playing the first five on the road and compiling
a record of 4-0-1.
The game in Rochester kicks off at 3 p.m. ET and will be
broadcast live on ESPN. The match in Charleston kicks off at 8 p.m. ET
and will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Sports en Español.
Both matches will be available online via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker.
Match: U.S. Women’s National Team vs. Canada
Date: May 25, 2009
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: BMO Field; Toronto, Canada
Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET
Attendance: 10,255
Weather: 61 degrees, breezy, party cloudy
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 2 2 4
CAN 0 0 0
USA – Shannon Boxx (Heather Mitts) 2nd minute
USA – Megan Rapinoe (Heather O’Reilly) 46
USA – Lindsay Tarpley 77
USA – Lauren Cheney (Heather O’Reilly) 80
Lineups:
USA: 1-Hope Solo (18-Nicole Barnhart, 46); 2-Heather Mitts (19-Marian
Dalmy, 61), 3-Christie Rampone – Capt., 6-Amy LePeilbet (4-Rachel
Buehler, 46), 17-Lori Chalupny, 9-Heather O’Reilly, 16-Angela Hucles
(13-Christine Nairn, 83), 7-Shannon Boxx, 15-Megan Rapinoe (5-Lindsay
Tarpley, 61), 8-Amy Rodriguez (12-Lauren Cheney, 77), 20-Abby Wambach
Subs not used: 11-Casey Nogueira, 14-Brittany Bock, 24-Kelsey Davis
Injured: 10-Carli Lloyd
Head Coach: Pia Sundhage
CAN: 1-Karina LeBlanc; 3-Melanie Booth (14-Melissa Tancredi,
46), 9-Candace Chapman (23-Carmelina Moscato 84), 10-Martina Franko, 17-Brittany
Timko (20-Marie-Eve Nault, 64); 15-Kara Lang, 19-Kelly Parker, 8-Diana
Matheson, 7-Rhian Wilkinson, 21-Jodi-Ann Robinson (4-Alyssa Lagonia, 83),
12-Christine Sinclair – Capt.
Subs not used: 2-Emily Zurrer, 5-Chelsea Stewart, 6-Kaylyn Kyle, 11-Christina
Julien, 16-Jonelle Filigno, 22-Stephanie Labbé
Head Coach: Carolina Morace
Statistical Summary: USA / CAN
Shots: 19 / 6
Shots on Goal: 7 / 1
Saves: 1 / 3
Corner Kicks: 8 / 3
Fouls: 6 / 10
Offside: 1 / 5
Misconduct Summary:
CAN – Candace Chapman (caution) 57th minute
Official:
Referee: Darci Kruse (CAN)
Asst. Referee: Suzanne Morisset (CAN)
Asst. Referee: Shauna Poirer (CAN)
Fourth Official: Carol Anne Chenard (CAN)
ussoccer.com Woman of the Match:
Shannon Boxx
Top of Page
Japan
Cancels, Game With Canada Added
The U.S. Women's National Team has added a May 25 friendly
against Canada in Toronto to replace two previously canceled matches against
Japan. The match will kick off at 7 p.m. ET at BMO Field, Canada’s
national stadium and home to Toronto FC of Major League Soccer.
The game will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel.
Canada was previously to play host to Japan on May 25, but
after the Japanese pulled out of their North American tour, the U.S. will
now travel to Canada for the first time since 2001 when the two teams
also met in Toronto. That match was played at the old Varsity Stadium
and ended in a 2-2 draw in front of 9,023 fans, which at the time was
the largest crowd ever to watch the Canadian women’s team in Canada.
"I am grateful that we could put together a game on
such short notice and want to thank the WPS teams and officials for their
flexibility in this unique situation," said U.S. head coach Pia
Sundhage. “We’ve been watching a lot of WPS games
and it will be so nice to have all the players together who have performed
well in the league. I am very happy that the USA and Canada could get
together to organize this match.”
The quick arrangement of the match in Toronto means that
the USA and Canada will play three times this summer as the two countries
were already scheduled to meet twice in July in the United States, on
July 19 in Rochester, N.Y., and on July 22 in Charleston, S.C.
The game is Rochester is a homecoming of sorts for Rochester
native Abby Wambach, who will be seeking her 100th career goal. It will
also mark her first appearance with the U.S. WNT since July, 2008, when
she suffered a broken leg in a pre-Olympic exhibition against Brazil.
Tickets are available for both games through ussoccer.com,
by phone at 1-800-745-3000 and at all Ticketmaster ticket centers throughout
the Rochester and Charleston areas. Groups of 20 or more can obtain an
order form at ussoccer.com or call 312-528-1290.
Top of Page
Sundhage
Names Squad For Japan Friendlies
U.S. women's national team coach Pia Sundhage
has called in 21 players for training camp prior to facing in friendly
matches on May 20 at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas and on May 23 at
Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.
Seventeen of those called in are currently playing in Women’s
Professional Soccer. The other four, UNC’s Casey Nogueira,
Penn State’s Christine Nairn, UCLA’s Lauren
Cheney, and Portland goalkeeper Kelsey Davis,
are still in college.
Washington Freedom striker Abby Wambach
returns to internantional play for the first time since suffering a broken
leg on July 16, 2008 in an international friendly against Brazil. That
came in the final tuneup before the 2008 Olympic Games. Thirteen players
on the roster for the games against Japan played on last year’s
gold medal team.
Wambach needs one more goal to reach the 100-goal milestone.
Only four other players, Mia Hamm (158), Kristine
Lilly (129), Michelle Akers (105) and Tiffeny
Milbrett (100) have scored 11 goals.
Thirteen of the players won the Olympic gold medal in Beijing
last August, but Sundhage has also named several young players who have
performed well in WPS.
Sundhage called up at least one player from each of the
WPS clubs, including four from both the Boston Breakers and Chicago Red
Stars.
The four collegiate players included Penn State's Christine
Nairn, who was a member of the 2008 U-20 Women's World Cup championship
team last fall in Chile and red-shirted as a freshman. She has trained
with the full national team during the last year and will be looking for
her first career senior team cap.
"Now is the time to start investing in 2011,"
Sundhage said. "We are bringing in an interesting mix of some newer
players and players with experience, as well as some college players.
The WPS has given us the chance to look at some new players, and it's
fantastic that Abby is back in business."
U.S. Women’s National Team Roster
GOALKEEPERS: Nicole Barnhart (FC Gold Pride), Kelsey
Davis (Univ. of Portland), Hope Solo (St. Louis Athletica).
DEFENDERS: Brittany Bock (Los Angeles Sol), Rachel Buehler
(FC Gold Pride), Lori Chalupny (St. Louis Athletica), Marian Dalmy (Chicago
Red Stars), Amy LePeilbet (Boston Breakers), Heather Mitts (Boston Breakers),
Christie Rampone (Sky Blue FC).
MIDFIELDERS: Shannon Boxx (Los Angeles Sol), Angela Hucles
(Boston Breakers), Carli Lloyd (Chicago Red Stars), Christine Nairn (Penn
State Univ.), Heather O'Reilly (Sky Blue FC), Megan Rapinoe (Chicago Red
Stars), Lindsay Tarpley (Chicago Red Stars).
FORWARDS: Lauren Cheney (UCLA), Casey Nogueira (Univ.
of North Carolina), Amy Rodriguez (Boston Breakers), Abby Wambach (Washington
Freedom)
Top of Page
WNT
Faces Canada Twice In July
The U.S. Women’s National Team will play Canada twice
in July facing its familiar foe on Sunday, July 19, at Rochester Rhinos
Stadium in Rochester, N.Y., and then again three days later on Wednesday,
July 22, at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, S.C.
The matches mark the first meetings between the teams since Natasha
Kai scored an overtime game-winner in a 2-1 quarterfinal victory
for the U.S. at the 2008 Olympics in Shanghai, China, on Aug. 15, 2008.
The game in Rochester kicks off at 3 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live
on ESPN. The match in Charleston kicks off at 8 p.m. ET and will be broadcast
live on Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Sports en Espanol. Both matches will
be available online via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker.
The U.S. women are scheduled to play Japan, the 2008 Olympic semifinalists,
on Wednesday, May 20, at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, TX, and Saturday, May
23 at Tio Tiinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.
The game in Texas kicks off a 8:30 p.m. ET and will not be televised.
Fans may follow the actioin live via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker.
The game in Utah wil kick off at 6:00 p.m. ET and will be televised live
on Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Sports en Español.
Top of Page
U.S.
WNT Plays Sweden In Algarve Final
Forward Megan Rapinoe scored in the 21st
minute to give the U.S. Women’s National Team a 1-0 victory against
Norway in the final group game for both teams at the 2009 Algarve Cup
in Portugal.
The U.S. will face Sweden in the Algarve Cup championship
game on Wednesday, March 11, at the Stadium Algarve in Faro. Kickoff is
at 4 p.m. local / 12 p.m. ET and fans can follow live on ussoccer.com’s
MatchTracker.
Sweden won Group A by defeating Germany 3-2 after going
up 3-0 at halftime, in a game the Scandinavians had to win to make the
title match. The championship game match-up pits U.S. head coach Pia
Sundhage against her home country.
Coming into the Norway game, the USA had already qualified
for the championship by virtue of earlier victories over Denmark (2-0)
and Iceland (1-0), but the U.S. put a positive capper on group play with
its third straight shutout in a contest that at times turned into a track
meet of counter attacks.
Norway fielded a squad with several young players and battled
gamely for the entire match with the U.S. goal coming slightly against
the run of play. It originated from the left wing as midfielder Kacey
White took a hard dribble down the flank before playing a threaded
pass to Amy Rodriguez at the top of the penalty area.
With her back to the goal, Rodriguez spun a first-time pass
to Rapinoe, who took a touch to the inside to beat a player, continued
for a few more yards and then smashed her skimming shot across the face
of the goal, off the left post and into the net. Norwegian goalkeeper
Caroline Knutsen almost got a glove to the ball, but
the pace of the shot was enough to beat her.
It was Rapinoe’s third international goal in just
her second start after scoring twice off the bench against Chinese Taipei
in 2006.
The U.S. opened the tournament beating Denmark 2-0 on goals
by Angie Woznuk and Tina DiMartino.
They got a 90th minute goal from Natasha Kai to beat
Iceland 1-0.
In the third group game, Norway put excellent defensive
pressure on the U.S. backs and midfielders, making it very difficult for
the Americans to find an attacking rhythm. The U.S. backs were stellar,
matching Norway’s physical play for 90 minutes. On the back line,
Sundhage gave a first cap to Kendall Fletcher (UNC),
who also picked up her first yellow card, while Rachel Buehler,
Heather Mitts and Christie Rampone ran
down every counter attack and battled for every air ball. Shannon
Boxx came into the game in the 62nd minute for Mitts as Fletcher
moved to right back and helped keep the Norwegian attack at bay.
The USA is the only country in the 12-team tournament that
has yet to allow a goal.
The USA will be playing in its seventh straight Algarve
Cup championship game, having won the tournament in 2003, 2004, 2005,
2007 and 2008. The USA fell in penalty kicks to Germany in the 2006 final.
The USA won the Algarve Cup for the first time in 2000 and will be going
for its sixth overall title.
- U.S. WOMEN'S NATIONAL TEAM MATCH REPORT -
Match: U.S. Women’s National Team vs. Norway
Date: March 9, 2009
Competition: 2009 Algarve Cup; Group B
Venue: Parque Desportiva da Nora; Ferreiras, Portugal
Kickoff: 3 p.m. (11 a.m. ET)
Attendance: 400
Weather: 66 degrees, sunny, breezy
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 1 0 1
NOR 0 0 0
USA – Megan Rapinoe (Amy Rodriguez) 21st minute
Lineups:
USA: 1-Hope Solo; 2-Heather Mitts (7-Shannon Boxx, 62), 3-Christie Rampone
– Capt., 13-Kendall Fletcher, 4-Rachel Buehler; 9-Heather O’Reilly
(12-Angie Woznuk, 83), 16-Angela Hucles (10-Carli Lloyd, 46), 5-Lindsay
Tarpley, 21-Kacey White, 15-Megan Rapinoe (19-Tina DiMartino, 70), 8-Amy
Rodriguez (6-Natasha Kai, 46)
Subs not used: 17-Lori Chalupny, 18-Nicole Barnhart
Head Coach: Pia Sundhage
NOR: 12-Caroline Knutsen; 6-Camilla Huse (10-Lindy Melissa
Wiik, 60), 7-Trine Rønning, 15-Hedda Strand Gardsjord, 18-Toril
Akerhaugen; 4-Ingvild Stensland, 5-Anneli Giske, 17-Maren Mjelde, 21-Lena
Storløkken (13-Siri Nordeide Grønli, 80); 19-Ingvild Isaksen
(11-Leni Larsen Kaurin, 60), 20-Kristin Lie
Subs not used: 1-Ingrid Hjelmseth, 2-Solfrid Andersen, 3-Marita Skammelsrud
Lund, 8-Solveig Gulbrandsen, 14-Marthe Johansen, 16-Ingrid Schjelderup
Head Coach: Bjarne Berntsen
Statistical Summary: USA / NOR
Shots: 12 / 9
Shots on Goal: 5 / 5
Saves: 3 / 4
Corner Kicks: 2 / 6
Fouls: 12 / 10
Offside: 5 / 7
Misconduct Summary:
USA – Kendall Fletcher (caution) 45th minute
NOR – Trine Ronning (caution) 75
Top of Page
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