Vote for U.S. Soccer Awards

U.S. Soccer has announced the finalists for the 2009 Best of U.S. Soccer awards and there’s only one week left to vote for the 12 categories  on USSoccer.com.

The eighth annual series gives fans the opportunity to make their selections for the best in soccer in the United States. The 12 categories recap a busy 2009 crammed full of action, which included FIFA World Cup qualifying, the FIFA Confederations Cup, Abby Wambach’s 100th goal, another Development Academy Season and the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Female Athlete of the Year nominees include national team players Shannon Boxx (Sol), Heather O’Reilly, Christine Rampone (Sky Blue), Hope Solo (Athletica) and Abby Wambach (Freedom).

The Young Female Athletes of the Year are nominees Tobin Heath (UNC), Sydney Leroux (UCLA), Christine Nairn, Kelly O’Hara (Stanford) and Katie Schoepfer.

Fans can vote once a day from now until Sunday, Dec. 13, in the Community section of ussoccer.com. For certain categories, voters will be able to watch videos and view photos as they relive some of the best moments of 2009.

Go make your vote count.

Are you the one? Sister One giveaway

To celebrate the amazing achievements in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Nike has created a series of one-of-a- kind training shoes inspired by the successes of their female athletes. This fresh campaign is for a line of trainers called Sister One +. Pledge to one of the Nike Olympians to train your best and you could win her shoe!

• Jessica Mendoza (Softball)
• Hope Solo (Soccer)
• Sanya Richardson (Track)
• Diana Taurasi (Basketball)

The truly unique shoes each feature a piece of fabric from the athlete’s authentic Olympic uniform stitched onto the shoe’s tongue. 

Girls (13 and older) can log-onto nike.com  and enter to win their own pair of these inspirational shoes by pledging to train as hard as the featured Olympians. 

A panel of judges will review each pledge and the most inspirational will win the beautiful shoes and have them presented in person by the athlete.  The contest ends March 31, 2009.

Cool, huh?

U.S. Women defeat China PR 1-0 on Achieve Your Gold Tour

December 14, 2008 – The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team defeated China PR 1-0 in an entertaining match on a cool night at The Home Depot Center in Los Angeles as Tina Ellertson scored her first international goal in the 61st minute.

Ellertson, a defender in her previous 32 caps for the USA, was a forward in college at the University of Washington and started at striker for the first time in her national team career.

Assisting on the goal was forward Amy Rodriguez, who returned to the U.S. team for the first time since the Olympics after completing her senior season at the University of Southern California. After coming on at halftime, Rodriguez’ trademark speed caused problems for the Chinese during the entire second half and it was her blistering pace that created the winning goal.

“I’m so excited, I’m grinning from ear to ear,” said Ellertson, who was out for most of 2008 after having her second child. “I wanted to be back playing and being out there. Today was so awesome. It’s been a while since I played up top but it felt great.”

Goalkeeper Hope Solo made four saves for her 13th shutout of the year and the 41st of her international career.

Veteran Kristine Lilly returned from a nearly 14-month hiatus after taking time off to have her first child and earned her 341st cap when she came on in the 55th minute. The Queen of Caps showed well in her 35 minutes of action, just missing wide at the near post in the 59th minute, and in the 76th minute forced Zhang to make the best save on the night as she dove right to block a low, line drive from 12 yards out.

Midfielder Shannon Boxx,  a SoCal local who grew up near the Home Depot Center, talked to the LA Times before the game. The 31-year-old was feeling burned out last year and credits her re-energized take on the game to U.S. Coach Pia Sundhage.

“I’ve just been enjoying myself so much,” Boxx said after a recent practice. “I’m having fun, I’m laughing, and all of a sudden my game is getting better.”

Nominated again this year for FIFA world player of the year, Boxx will be playing with the Los Angeles Sol when the Women’s Professional Soccer league launches next spring.

Last night’s victory was the USA’s third of 2008 over China after also winning 1-0 in January in Guangzhou and 4-0 in March at the Algarve Cup in Portugal.

With the win, the U.S. extended their record number of wins in a year to 32, with just one loss and one tie. The Achieve Your Gold Tour wraps up on Wednesday, Dec. 17, at Ford Field in Detroit as the U.S. hosts China again and Lindsay Tarpley and Kate Markgraf return to play in their home state.

Who’s that Girl?

December 12, 2008 -  U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo showed up at training camp this week with a bit of a different look. Seems the former blond has changed teams to the brunettes. Since Hope always has fun whether she’s blond or brunette, we’ll put that old adage to rest. The WNT Blog thinks it’s a good look for the USA’s #1 and perhaps even makes her more intimidating in the nets?

What do you think?

Best of 2008 Soccer Awards

November 22, 2008 – It’s that time of year again. Time to vote for your favorites of 2008.

If you’re a soccer fan, you’ll want to take part in the on-line voting for U.S. Soccer’s “Best of” awards honoring standout performances on and off the field during the year.

Female Athlete of the Year: With the finalists announced for the U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year Awards,  fans collectively decide 50 percent of the final vote, with media and U.S. Soccer officials getting the other 50 percent of the vote.

Nominees:
Shannon Boxx – Midfielder
Lori Chalupny – Midfielder
Angela Hucles – Midfielder/Forward
Carli Lloyd – Midfielder
Christie Rampone – Defender
Hope Solo – Keeper
Vote

Best Goal - WNT: Best thing in soccer? Goals, goals, goals. This award crowns the top strike by a U.S. Women’s National Team player during 2008.

Nominees:
Carli Lloyd vs. BRA – Aug. 21
Carli Lloyd vs. JPN – Aug. 9
Lori Chalupny vs. JPN – Aug. 18
Amy Rodriguez vs. BRA – July 13
Kate Markgraf vs. IRL – Sept. 20
Heather O’Reilly vs. NZL – Aug. 12
Angela Hucles vs. AUS – May 3
Becky Edwards vs. CUB – June 20
Vote

In all, the “Best of” series has handed out 54 awards out to soccer players, bars, stores and even fans in the United States over the past five years check out the list of winner’s here.

Fans can vote once a day until Dec. 8th.

Soccer: 2008 FIFA Player of the Year

October 30, 2008 – A 10-name shortlist for the FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year award has been published, including Arsenal’s Kelly Smith and Brazil’s Marta, who is aiming to win the award for the third year running.

Other female nominees include Canadian Christine Sinclair, Birgit Prinz of Germany and Americans Hope Solo and Shannon Boxx.

On the men’s side 23 players are in the running for the accolade including front-runner Cristiano Ronaldo.

Three finalists for each award will be named in December, before the winners are announced at a gala event Jan. 12 at the Zurich Opera House. Voting is done by head coaches and captains of men’s and women’s national teams.

Full Women’s List: Nadine Angerer (Germany), Shannon Boxx (United States), Cristiane (Brazil), Daniela (Brazil), Marta (Brazil), Birgit Prinz (Germany), Christine Sinclair (Burnaby, B.C.), Kelly Smith (England), Hope Solo (U.S.), Ingvild Stensland (Norway).

Golden Girls: USA Women’s Soccer

August 21, 2008 – USA soccer clinched the gold medal today in Beijing, as Carli Lloyd scored the game-winner in 1-0 overtime thriller against Brazil.

By most accounts goalkeeper Hope Solo, who made six saves to earn the shutout victory, was the star of the game but let’s not forget the other 17 members of the team who all contributed whether on the field or on the bench. This was USA’s third gold medal since women’s soccer was added in 1996.

Hopefully injured striker Amy Wambach, as well as Leslie Osborne and Cat Whitehill who are out with ACL tears, were able to celebrate some of that much-deserved glory.

Source: US Soccer

Keepers Solo and Scurry named to U.S. women’s roster

CARSON, CALIF. Dec. 6, 2007   — The first training camp under new coach Pia Sundhage begins this Saturday at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles. Sundhage invited 24 players to the “mini-camp” Dec. 8-12 including goalkeepers Briana Scurry and Hope Solo, who were at the center of a World Cup firestorm.

The camp, which marks the beginning of the run to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, includes 16 players from the 2007 U.S. Women’s World Cup Team, along with seven newcomers from college teams, and veteran Heather Mitts, who is returning from an injury. Former captain Kristine Lilly is not on the list and is still debating whether she will retire this year.

GOALKEEPERS: Nicole Barnhart, Briana Scurry, Hope Solo.
DEFENDERS: Rachel Buehler, Marian Dalmy, Kate Markgraf, Heather Mitts, Christie Rampone, Cat Whitehill.
MIDFIELDERS: Yael Averbuch, Shannon Boxx, Lori Chalupny, Tobin Heath, Carli Lloyd, Leslie Osborne, Aly Wagner, Nikki Washington, Angie Woznuk.
FORWARDS: Michelle Enyeart, Natasha Kai, Casey Nogueira, Heather O’Reilly, Lindsay Tarpley, Abby Wambach.