Soccer: US women beat Denmark 2-0 in Algarve opener

The U.S. Women’s National Team got its 2009 Algarve Cup campaign off to a rousing start, defeating Denmark 2-0 in nasty weather conditions as midfielders Angie Wonzuk and Tina DiMartino scored in the first half. 

With the wind whipping through the stadium and a drizzling rain falling almost the entire match, the opening 20 minutes were evenly played but then the Americans grew dominant.

The first U.S. score came in the 22nd minute on the USA’s first shot on goal as Woznuk scored her second career goal in just her seventh career cap and second start. She controlled a cross and blasted a sizzling half-volley into the top right corner of the net over the Danish goalkeeper.

The goal energized the U.S. team, which started connecting passes and getting numbers into the attack. Thirteen minutes after the first score, the Americans got another.

The 22 year old DiMartino, making only her second appearance with the team,  scored her first international goal by knocking the ball from short range in the 35th minute after Natasha Kai’s header rebounded off the post.

Goalie Hope Solo made a string of tough saves, including two from Johanna Rasmussen in a 10-minute span.

The United States beat Denmark in the invitational tournament’s last two finals and has won the title six times in the past eight years.

Also in Group B, Iceland upset four-time Algarve champion Norway 3-1. Fara Bjor Gunnars scored twice and Edda Gardar added another for the Icelanders, while Kersten Lie scored for Norway.

Two-time world champion Germany went to the top of Group A by beating Finland 2-0 on goals from Naid Berringer and Kerstin Garefrekes. In the group’s other match, two-time Algarve champion China drew 0-0 with Sweden.

The winners of each group will meet in the final March 11.

For players not in Portugal this week the Women’s Professional Soccer preseason got underway as Team Training Camps opened across the country in preparation for the  WPS season openers later this month.

Play on…

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?

Soccer: Peace Queen Cup begins this weekend

June 10, 2008 – Get Ready! On June 14, 2008 South Korea will host the second annual Peace Queen Cup.

The Peace Queen Cup is a women’s soccer tournament  created after the success of the Men’s Peace Cup. The goal of the Peace Cup is “to harness the splendor and energy of football, the most popular international sport, to promote the unity of mankind and help realize a World of Peace.” Cool mission.

Eight different teams from around the world compete with the hopes of becoming number one. This year participating teams include: Korea Republic USA, Brazil, Korea DPR, Canada, Australia, Italy, and Argentina (tough competition)!

Last year the US had a tough time playing against Denmark, where they tied 1-1. Luckily this year Denmark isn’t competing, so this could give US an edge. During the Peace Queen Cup of 2006, the final came down to Canada v. USA, with USA barely taking the win, 1-0.

USA’s first game takes places on June 15, 2008 against Australia. The second game will take place on June 17 against Brazil and the third game will take place on June 19 against Italy. New coach Pia Sundhage has chosen a roster consisting of three goalkeepers, six defenders, eight midfielders, and four forwards.

The Goalkeepers include: Hope Solo, Nicole Barnhart, and Briana Scurry. The Defenders are: Christie Rampone, Kate Markgraf, Cat Whitehill, Heather Mitts, Lori Chalupny, Rachel Buehler. Midfielders are: Aly Wagner, Angela Hucles, Shannon Boxx, Carli Lloyd, Heather O’Reilly, Lindsay Tarpley, Tobin Heath, Kacey White. Last but not least the Forwards for this tournament are: Abby Wambach, Natasha Kai, Amy Rodriguez, and Lauren Cheney.

This year’s team has a very strong line up, with a solid midfield. They are the defending champs, so lets hope this is a good tune-up for the Olympics and they can bring home another gold medal.

For more information visit: Peace Queen Cup

U.S. WNT wins 2008 Four Nations Tournament with 1-0 victory against China

GUANGZHOU, China; Jan. 20, 2008 – The U.S. Women’s National Team scored a 77th minute goal off a header from midfielder Shannon Boxx to earn a 1-0 victory over China and win the 2008 Four Nations Tournament. It was the first tournament title for new U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage.

The U.S. team swept almost all of the tournament awards as midfielder Lindsay Tarpley scored four times to earn the Top Scorer award, forward Heather O’Reilly was named Tournament MVP, Sundhage was named Best Coach and the USA also won the Fair Play Award, going three games without getting a yellow card. Chinese net-minder Zhang Yanru was named Best Goalkeeper.

Full story at US Soccer

Defender Christie Rampone named Captain of U.S. Women’s National Team

January 16, 2008  – The U.S. Women’s Soccer Team started the year 2008 with a new Captain.  Head coach Pia Sundhage has named defender Christie Rampone as the team’s new leader. 

Rampone, the most capped player on the USA’s roster for the 2008 Four Nations Tournament in China, has played 176 games for the USA. She succeeds Kristine Lilly, who has stepped away from soccer to have a baby.

Rampone has quietly built one of the most impressive international careers in U.S. history, starting 148 of the 176 games she has played while appearing in the past three Women’s World Cups and two Olympic Games. She remains the only player in history to make an impact on the National Team after coming out of a small soccer school, that being Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey.

Rampone becomes just the ninth official captain of the U.S. National Team in the 23-year history of the program, joining Denise Bender, April Heinrichs, Lori Henry, Michelle Akers, Carla Overbeck, Julie Foudy, Joy Fawcett and Lilly.

With Christie wearing the captain’s band, the team started the new year in style, scoring four goals in a 28-minute span during the second half – two each from forward Amy Rodriguez and midfielder Lindsay Tarpley – to defeat regional rival Canada, 4-0, in the opening match of the 2008 Four Nations Tournament in Guangzhou, China.

WNT: Squad announced for Four Nations Tournament

Jan. 11, 2008 – The US Women’s National team will return to China for their first competition under head coach Pia Sundhage and their seventh appearance in the annual Four Nations Tournament. The Americans will play Canada, Finland, and China at the round-robin competition, which runs Jan. 16-20 in Foshan, China.

The squad includes most of the starters from last year’s World Cup except Kristine Lilly, who announced her pregnancy earlier this week. There is also room for four uncapped players who will be hoping to earn a place in the Olympic squad: defender Becky Sauerbrunn (Virginia) and midfielders Tina DiMartino (UCLA), Tobin Heath (North Carolina), and Ali Krieger (Penn State).

The Four Nations matches will be the first of 2008 for the U.S. women and first under Sundhage, who was hired in November.

USA Softball to be featured on Bravo

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. Dec. 17, 2007 – Check out highlights of the KFC World Cup of Softball, held this past July, as it will be featured as part of Episode 7 of “The Real Housewives of Orange County”. The reality show will feature a segment of the game between Japan and the USA, a 4-1 USA win in which Sophie, daughter of one of the main characters Laurie Waring, served as a bat girl for the USA Softball Women’s National Team.

The episode airs, Dec. 18, at 10 p.m./ET on Bravo. Be sure to check out local programming for channel information.

Bravo TV

Following the World Cup…a Roman Holiday

When in Rome … don’t play futbol. For 10 days in early November, Heather O’Reilly, Lindsay Tarpley and midfielder Leslie Osborne relinquished their U.S. women’s national team jerseys for Roma’s maroon and orange kit. But don’t think the trio will become devoted to fandom anytime soon — they would rather stick to the pitch.

After coaching decisions left the U.S. women polarized following a third-place finish in China, a Roman holiday was in order. Michelangelo’s statue of David might not be the FIFA World Cup trophy, but it wasn’t a bad substitute for Ozzy, Tarp and Heo.

Breakaway goals and flanking runs are no match for backpacking in Italy; These gals endured soccer riots, while surviving midnight swims, enigmatic bike tours, endless pasta and vast quantities of espresso. A few days fresh off their trip, the three travelers gave ESPNsoccernet the lowdown. 

Full story at ESPNsoccernet  

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.

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