The Women's Game

Great Start for U.S. Women

DRESDEN, GERMANY - June 28, 2011 - Lauren Cheney and Rachel Buehler scored second-half goals in their FIFA Women’s World Cup debuts as the U.S. Women’s National Team defeated Korea DPR 2-0 to open Group C play on a hot evening in eastern Germany.

After a scoreless first half that saw a number of shots on goal from both sides, the U.S. got on the board in the 54th minute when Cheney headed home an Abby Wambach service from the left side, sending it back across the goal and into the lower left corner. The U.S. controlled the majority of the second half and Buehler clinched the game when she finished an opportunistic chance that skipped through traffic in the penalty area before finding the back of the net in the 76th minute. After all was said and done, the USA out-shot North Korea 19-13 and put 12 of those shots on goal.

After one set of first round games, the U.S. sits in first place in Group C after Sweden defeated Colombia in the other group match by a 1-0 score. Group C action resumes with the U.S. facing Colombia at what could be a sold-out Rhein-Neckar Arena in Sinsheim on Saturday, July 2, at 11:30 a.m. ET live on ESPN, ESPN3.com and Galavision. North Korea and Sweden will square off at 7:45 a.m. ET live on ESPN2 from Augsburg.

"It feels great to have been playing the first 45 minutes, make some changes at halftime and come out even stronger than the first half against a very strong team in North Korea,” U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage said. “I'm very happy with the way we scored the goals but not only that, the way we played, being so sharp defending. It's a good start to the World Cup."

Sundhage inserted Cheney as a starter on the left side of midfield for the first time in 16 career starts and even before the goal the move paid off with the 24-year-old getting several dangerous opportunities. The first scoring chance of the game came in the 11th minute when the ball found Cheney in a space similar to where she scored during the USA’s send-off match against Mexico. This time her right-footed rocket went right into the gloves of North Korea goalkeeper Hong Myong Hui, as did her next three shots on goal.

Cheney’s chances, along with a 36th-minute effort from Carli Lloyd, were the best for the U.S. during the first half, while the North Koreans also proved to be dangerous, particularly when attacking the right wing using 18-year-old Kim Su Gyong to trouble the left side of the U.S. defense where Amy LePeilbet proved to be extremely tough to beat.

U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo, who made seven saves overall, had her two most difficult stops come during a 10-minute span in the first half. The first came in the 34th minute when Kim turned the corner around LePeibet and sent in a hard, low cross. Shannon Boxx tracked a runner into the penalty area and stuck a foot out to stop the cross, but it sat nicely for Kim to shoot hard at the near post where Solo dove left to push it around the post.

Nine minutes later, Kim made a similar move to get to the end line where she sent a hard cross that deflected off the inside of LePeilbet’s right leg and connected with Jo Yun Mi at the top of the six-yard box. The North Korean playmaker flicked a shot with the outside of her foot that Solo came out to knock down with her body.

The U.S. came out in the second half with a renewed focus and troubled North Korea’s defense with some excellent possession soccer that often found the width and then proceeded to bombard Hong’s goal. A pair of shots from Cheney along with an over-cooked volley by Boxx and another shot over the crossbar from Wambach all stated the U.S. intentions in the first six minutes of the second half. On the defensive side, with the jitters of their first half of Women’s World Cup play out of the way for the three defenders making their tournament debut, the U.S. virtually shut down North Korea.

The U.S. got on the board with Cheney’s first Women’s World Cup goal and the 15th of her career nine minutes into the half. Lloyd set things up, finding Wambach with a perfect long ball down the left wing that bounced twice before Wambach took a touch forward into the left corner. Known for her goal scoring, Wambach turned provider when she cut the ball back to her right foot before crossing toward the far post. Cheney faded slightly away from the goal as she sent the header back across the goal past the wrong-footed Hong’s right arm and into lower left corner. The assist was the 52nd for Wambach.

Immediately North Korea looked to respond with a pair of attacks, the second against the run of play when Ri Ye Gyong hit a hard 25-yard shot that nicked the top of the cross bar to Solo’s left. From then on, the U.S. wore down the Koreans mentally and physically with Wambach forcing Hong to make a reaction save on a header that bounced off the crossbar in the 64th minute. Nine minutes later Amy Rodriguez forced another save before giving way to Alex Morgan who made her Women’s World Cup debut as a substitute in the 75th minute.

The second U.S. goal came one minute later and sealed the victory. Cheney, assigned to take the U.S. corners as part of her starting role, played in a corner from the left side that sailed high over Shannon Boxx at the back post, but right back Ali Kreiger alertly came forward to collect the loose ball and used her speed to get free toward the end line to play in a hard cross.

Her effort was a little too strong, but perfectly so, as it skimmed off the front of the cross bar and bounced in the area. Buehler got her head on the loose ball and played it in the direction of Lloyd, who held up against pressure from a defender before tapping the ball backward to Buehler who had dropped off to the top of the penalty area. Buehler, who scored her first career goal during the Women’s World Cup qualifying tournament last November, netted her second with a low, lunging shot that saw its way past three defenders and the goalkeeper before crossing the line just inside the left post.

Sundhage made her second and final change in the 79th minute as Heather O’Reilly made way for Megan Rapinoe who joined Buehler, Cheney, Kreiger, Morgan, LePeilbet and Rodriguez in making their Women’s World Cup debuts.

U.S. Women Down Mexico

HARRISON, NJ - 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.

It was not for a lack of effort. Abby Wambach had four excellent chances inside the first 25 minutes. She struck a left footer just wide from a sharp angle in the sixth minute, sent a diving header wide of the right post in the 13th, saw her one-on-one chance swept away by the feet of Santiago in the 18th and rounded the ‘keeper in the 25th after picking off a back-pass, only to hit side-netting.

A few minutes later, Santiago made a great save on Megan Rapinoe’s driven shot from the left side of the box, tipping away the chance after the U.S. midfielder had weaved through penalty box traffic.

One of the USA’s best chances of the first half came in the 37th minute when Rodriguez fired over the top from eight yards after Carli Lloyd had made a nice run into the penalty area from the right side and set her up well with a pass into the slot.

In the 41st minute, Shannon Boxx pounded a header at goal off a Heather O’Reilly cross that came from a short corner kick, but Santiago once again rose to bat the ball up in the air before it was cleared.

Right before halftime, Rodriguez got behind the defense to bring a long ball down on her chest, but her half-volley from near the top of the penalty area sailed over the goal.

Just three minutes into the second half, Wambach challenged Santiago on a cross from the right side. The ball was knocked down inside the penalty area where Lloyd latched on, took a touch to her left and fired straight at the goal, only to see her shot deflected away off the goal line by a scrambling defender.

As the second half wore on the shots kept coming. The Americans produced a powerful left-footer from O’Reilly inside the penalty box that just missed the left post, a Rapinoe header that went over the crossbar and a brilliant save from Santiago at the left post after Lloyd had dribbled through the Mexican defense to get to the left corner of the six-yard box.

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.

O'Reilly and A-Rod Score in U.S. Victory

CARY, NC - 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.

Photo Credit: Gary L. Moody Jr.

A Dream Game for the USWNT

COLUMBUS, OH - May 14, 2011 - The U.S. Women's National Team put on quite a show for the 5,234 fans at Crew Stadium as they rolled to a 2-0 victory over #4 ranked Japan. Abby Wambach and Amy Rodriguez both contributed a first half goal behind a potent attack and a stout defense. The speed of Japan was no match for Wambach and goalkeeper Hope Solo, who were intimidating characters for the U.S.

The match started at a trickle for the Americans as Japan's possession game dominated the first 25 minutes of play. "Japan is a great possession-oriented team team," Solo stated in a postgame interview with International Soccer Network. "And they make us think and they make us defend."

The U.S. struggled to put together strings of passes and seemed to be lacking the tenacity normally exhibited by one of the world's best national teams.

However, Japan awoke a sleeping giant and had their hands full for the next 65+ minutes. The U.S. women got the attack rolling in the 29th minute with a powerful header from Wambach. Defender Ali Krieger got credit for the assist after crafting a perfect cross to Wambach, who connected with the ball from about seven yards out before taking a knock from Japan's goalkeeper.

The floodgates appeared to be opened in the 37th minute as Amy Rodriguez hammered in another goal, knocking a shot off the post before going in. Wambach would get the assist, but hard work from Heather O'Reilly set up the play to start with.

Sensing a rout, Japan battened down the hatches and pushed forward in the attack after a 2-0 deficit at halftime. The Japanese had their best opportunity of the night in the 81st minute when U.S. defender Becky Sauerbrunn saved a goal with a brilliant clearance of yet another surge by the speedy attack of Japan.

Solo never seemed too threatened, registering 3 saves from 9 shots. She was calm and collected, never missing a step as she directed the U.S. defense. It was her first start for the national team and only her second appearance since major shoulder surgery in September.

"Personally for me it was just great to get back on the field," Solo continued. "It was a great opportunity for Pia to get some experience for some of our younger players."

Saturday was a night of milestones for the USWNT. Wambach scored her 118th international goal, while defender Carli Lloyd wore the captain's armband in honor of her 100th cap. The team also celebrated an unbelievable 49 game unbeaten streak in domestic matches.

It was also a night of affirmation for soccer fans. We remembered that Solo is one of the best goalkeepers on the planet and that Wambach is a super striker that puts the fear of God into defenders. We remembered that the U.S. women's national team has an even better shot at winning it all at the World Cup this summer in Germany.

Most of all we saw what the game was all about: sharing passion and love for the beautiful game to others. Young girls in their soccer jerseys yelled out "Abby" and "Hope" and "Megan" and were thrilled, often speechless when they got autographs and photos with their idols. The game will continue to grow because of these young women, who are professional and world-class. Will Abby Wambach and Hope Solo be the next Mia Hamm or the next Marta? Well we have to say Abby and Hope are great enough on their own and have set a new standard for women's soccer across the globe.

Flickr Match Photos

Facebook Match Photos

USA vs. Japan (Women's Soccer)

Sundhage Names 2011 U.S. Women's World Cup Squad

CHICAGO, IL - May 9, 2011 - With 50 days until the USA’s opening match of the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup, U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Pia Sundhage has named the 21 players who will represent the United States on women’s soccer’s grandest stage.

Leading the way is U.S. captain Christie Rampone who will be playing in her fourth Women’s World Cup and is the last remaining player from the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup championship team.

“We went to China for the Olympics in 2008 with Christie Rampone as our captain and the way she is stepping up and the way she handles herself on and off the field, she is the best captain I’ve ever worked with or played with or been around,” said Sundhage. “She brings out good things from the team.”

Midfielder Shannon Boxx and forward Abby Wambach will be playing in their third World Cups. Sundhage named 12 players who will be participating for the first time and six who will be participating for the second time.

The roster, which features three goalkeepers, seven defenders, seven midfielders and four forwards, is a product of nearly three years of player evaluation during which Sundhage and her staff saw the U.S. Women play 34 international matches in 2009, 2010 and 2011, conduct numerous training camps around the country and the world, and watch dozens of WPS matches. Since the 2008 Olympics, Sundhage has called up approximately 50 players for training camps and international games before settling on her final roster.

“It’s a great feeling to have the roster chosen,” said Sundhage. “Now that we have named the roster and are moving forward, we can’t wait for the World Cup. Everybody is healthy and we have great players to choose from. You have all kinds of players that have different qualities on this roster, but all in all, they make up a good team. We have people that organize defensively, people that can step up when it really matters, people that are good in the air, people that are fighters and tricky ones as well.”

Sundhage selected 14 players who were part of the 2008 Olympic gold medal-winning team in Beijing, but just nine players on the roster have previous Women’s World Cup experience.

The 2011 U.S. Women’s World Cup Team finished a three-week training camp in Florida last Friday and will arrive in Columbus, Ohio, on Monday to begin training for a two-game series against fellow Women’s World Cup qualifier Japan taking place on May 14 at Columbus Crew Stadium (6:30 p.m. ET on FOX Soccer and FOX Deportes) and May 18 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. (7 p.m. ET on ESPN2).

The USA will play its Women’s World Cup Send-Off Match on June 5 at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J. (2 p.m. ET on ESPN2) before the players go on a break. The U.S. team will leave for Austria in mid-June for a pre-Women’s World Cup training camp.

The USA, which has been drawn into Group C with Korea DPR, Colombia and Sweden, opens its tournament on June 28 in Dresden against the Koreans in a match that will be broadcast live on ESPN at 11:45 a.m. ET.

“We need to continue to work on fitness and other things so we sharpen up a little bit and make sure everyone is healthy,” said Sundhage. “But the biggest thing for these days in front of us will be balancing how much we should work on defending and how much we work on the attack. If I look back in 2008, we did a great job in our preparation for the Olympics, and while it’s important to give them a little bit of everything, we also must stick with the game plan as we move toward our group games.”

U.S. Women’s National Team Roster by Position

GOALKEEPERS (3): Nicole Barnhart (Philadelphia Independence), Jill Loyden (magicJack), Hope Solo (magicJack)

DEFENDERS (7): Rachel Buehler (Boston Breakers), Stephanie Cox (Boston Breakers), Ali Krieger (out of contract), Amy LePeilbet (Boston Breakers), Heather Mitts (Atlanta Beat), Christie Rampone (magicJack), Becky Sauerbrunn (magicJack)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Shannon Boxx (magicJack), Tobin Heath (Sky Blue FC), Lori Lindsey (Philadelphia Independence), Carli Lloyd (Atlanta Beat), Heather O’Reilly (Sky Blue FC), Megan Rapinoe (Philadelphia Independence), Lindsay Tarpley (magicJack)

FORWARDS (4): Lauren Cheney (Boston Breakers), Alex Morgan (Western New York Flash), Amy Rodriguez (Philadelphia Independence), Abby Wambach (magicJack)

Robert Ivory

Decisive Victory for U.S. Women

CLEVELAND, OH - May 22, 2010 - 10,321 strong saw the number one ranked U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) beat up on number two ranked Germany 4-0 Saturday night at Cleveland Browns Stadium. The U.S. got two goals from Abby Wambach and tallies from Heather O’Reilly and Kristine Lilly. U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo looked strong as she had six saves included in her clean sheet.

The Americans had a difficult time in the first 15 minutes and the team could not get the right passing combinations to get down field. Germany held tight and the game settled into a midfield battle.

However, the U.S. started the scoring off less than a half an hour into the game when U.S. forward Abby Wambach was brought down inside the box and was awarded the penalty kick. The Germans argued that Wambach fell down too quickly as it seemed that not much contact was made, but the U.S .got the penalty. Wambach then slid the ball to the left corner on the PK and the Americans led 1-0 just 29 minutes in.

“When we struggled, she was the one to step up,” USWNT head coach Pia Sundhage said after the match. “Today she showed what a skillful player she is.”

“I think that throughout the entire game we kept getting better,” Wambach said. “I’m really proud of us scoring four goals against a great team.”

Wambach’s goal (career number 106) passed Michelle Akers and is now the third highest scorer in U.S. Women’s National Team history. “I think that Michelle is a player I always looked up to and to be in the same sentence as her is probably one of the greatest honors I’ll ever have,” the striker said of her achievement.

Germany had a spell of possession after the goal, but the U.S. would press for their second goal and teamwork would help them find it. Heather O’ Reilly would put in a tapper less than three yards out as Amy Rodriguez passed the ball along the mouth of the goal to O’Reilly.

Solo had little work to contend with, but came up big when she needed to. In the 58th minute, German midfielder Kerstin Garefrekes took a right footed shot inside the box. Solo dove to her left and if not for a stellar save, Germany would have closed the gap. Instead the Americans kept the 2-0 lead.

“I think she’s the best goalkeeper in the world,” Sundhage said of her keeper.

“It feels really good,” Solo said after the game. “I haven’t been at the top of the game for awhile and I haven’t seen a zero either.”

Despite four getting into the German net, goalie Nadie Anderer had several minutes of brilliance as she denied a point-blank shot by U.S. captain Shannon Boxx. If not for her ability to stop the difficult stops, the Germans could have conceded twice as many goals.

Abby Wambach was not done being an offensive threat as she had a hand in the final two goals of the game. She first played a ball in from the corner, dribbled down the goal line and passed it to a waiting Kristine Lilly. The wide-open Lilly put the easy goal away off the inside of the goal post and the States were comfortably ahead, 3-0. It was Lilly’s 130th career goal and her first since Oct 17th, 2007.

“It’s fun to play at the highest level with great players,” Lilly exclaimed after the game. “I was happy, it felt really good to score.”

The U.S. would finish with another Wombach goal in the 63rd minute when she tapped in a perfectly placed cross from Amy Rodriguez.

Next up for the women are two friendlies against Sweden in July. The next installment of the FIFA Women’s World Cup starts June 26, 2011 in Germany.

U.S. Women's Soccer Dismantles Germany

CLEVELAND, OH - May 22, 2010 - The United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) beat Germany 4-0 at Cleveland Browns Stadium Saturday night in front of 10,321 fans.

Abby Wambach scored two goals, and Heather O’Reilly and Kristine Lilly each added a goal of their own in the rout. Wambach’s first goal, a penalty kick, moved her to third on the all-time career scoring list, behind only Lilly and Mia Hamm.

U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo recorded her 49th career shutout with six saves, while Cincinnati native Heather Mitts got the start and received her 108th cap.

Robert Ivory

Soccertown USA

For one day Cleveland, Ohio will be the center of the soccer universe. Two of the world's top women's soccer nations meet tomorrow at 6 p.m. ET at Cleveland Browns Stadium in a match televised live on ESPN2. The clash between the USA and Germany marks the first meeting in the United States between the two perennial powers since the Germans took down the USA in the semifinal of the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The match will be the seventh international for the U.S. women this year (tickets) as preparations continue for the CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup, which will serve as Women’s World Cup qualifying, to be held in late October/early November with dates and venues still to be determined.

While the USA is without several key players due to injuries – Carli Lloyd (ankle), Tobin Heath (ankle), Kelley O’Hara (foot) as well as missing Lauren Cheney (personal commitment). Germany is also without several of their top players – most notably Fatmire Bajramaj, Babett Peter and Anja Mittag -- due to the UEFA Women’s Champions League Final that pitted Turbine Potsdam against Olympic Lyon of France on May 20.

Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) will be taking the weekend off from competition so none of the players will be missing any club matches. While U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage has called in 22 players for the match, she will name 18 to suit up against the Germans. Since coaching her first game for the United States in January of 2008, Pia Sundhage has compiled an overall record of 46-1-3 with the only loss in regulation time coming in the first game of the 2008 Olympics. She coached her 50th match for the USA in Sandy, Utah, on March 31 against Mexico, a wild 1-0 win played in ankle-deep snow.

National Team Coverage Home