WPS and USWNT
USWNT Escape Texas With a Victory, Defeat New Zealand 2-1
On a cold Friday in front of a sold out FC Dallas Stadium, the USWNT gave the fans something to go home happy about, even if took until the 88th minute to do so. After the US gave up an early second half goal against a strong willed New Zealand team, it did not look as if this game was going to go USA's way. That was until Alex Morgan, who had been taking shots on net all match long, got a header on goal that tied the game at 1-1. At this point, another goal was unlikely, but with just seconds left in stoppage time, Morgan bravely jumped over a New Zealand defender and headed the ball into the corner of the net for the winner.
Despite the victory, it was a sloppy performance from the USWNT. Maybe this can be blamed on the cold weather or maybe they just didn't have as much drive after qualifying for the Olympics a couple of weeks ago. New Zealand is a good team unlike most of the squads the US played during the Qualifying Tournament, but the fact of the matter is that this game should have been put away as early as the 10th minute. Early on, Alex Morgan was tripped up making a run on goal in the box leading to a penalty kick. Abby Wambach took the shot, but amazingly missed wide. While penalty kicks are never a guaranteed goal, this was one the weakest shots Abby Wambach has ever taken. It almost looked as if she was trying to miss.
Alex Morgan, despite having both the equalizing and winning goals of the game, could have done a lot better and put the game away in the first half. The USWNT took a total of 15 shots, with nine of them being on goal. Morgan probably took half of those, but failed to hit the target, going just wide or skimming the top bar. Having said that, it's obvious that Morgan has been taking heading lessons. While the two headers she scored may not have been pretty, they were on target and went into the net, which is all that matters at the end of the day. Even though some of her shots missed, Morgan played with a lot of confidence this past Friday as she continues to make a strong name for herself.
On a goalkeeping note, Hope Solo played the first half the game, increasing her scoreless streak to 495 minutes. Philadelphia Independence's own Nicole Barnhart played the second half of the game, giving up New Zealand's lone goal of the day. This was Barnhart's 42nd career appearance for the USWNT and just her first game played of 2012.
Pia Sundhage Names 28 Players for Upcoming USWNT Training Camp
Now that The USWNT team has qualified for the Summer Olympics after a superb tournament in Canada, Head Coach Pia Sundhage can now turn her focus onto her squads first friendly match of the new year against New Zealand. The match will be played at FC Dallas Stadium in Frisco, Texas, marking the eighth time the USWNT will play in the Lone Star State.
The team will have practice for one week before the game, culminating in Coach Sundhage choosing 18 of the 28 women invited to camp to take the field against New Zealand on February 11th. "It is always good to play a World Cup team," Sundhage told ussoccer.com, "There were many positives to take out of Olympic Qualifying in Canada and one of those was the depth of the team."
Of the 28 players invited, 19 of the them are players who took to the field during the Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Players like Hope Solo, Abby Wambach, Amy Rodriguez, Alex Morgan and Carli Lloyd will all be returning.The one major name not on the list is defender Ali Krieger, who underwent successful surgery today on a torn ACL/MCL after picking up an injury during the first game of the qualifying tournament against the Dominican Republic.
The other nine players invited to camp by Coach Sundhage include goalkeepers Ashlyn Harris and Jill Loyden, defenders Stephanie Cox and Whitney Engen, and midfielders Yael Averbuch, Meghan Klingenberg, Kristie Mewis, Christine Nairn and Keelin Winters.
The USWNT's game against New Zealand is set for a 3 p.m. start time on Saturday February 11th. As of right now, a television network has not been listed. Stay tuned to Brotherly Game for more information closer to game day. A full list of players called up for training camp can be viewed after the jump.
WPS Suspends Operations, Cancels 2012 Season
There will be no Women's Professional Soccer in 2012. Earlier today, the league's Board of Governors voted to suspend operations until the 2013 season, with the hope of play resuming then.
This past October, WPS decided to drop its franchise in South Florida amid constant issues with former owner Dan Borislow. These issues included mistreatment of players and overdue bills. The situation had become so complicated last season, that USWNT star Abby Wambach ended up running the squad until its termination.
Earlier this past month, WPS was ruled against when a judge told them that when terminating the squad, they had not followed the correct procedures if a dispute had been made. Now, WPS is set for another court hearing on the first of February. This legal dispute has not only been painting the League in a negative light, but now have a direct effect on the time and energy needed to start a fresh season.
"We are proud of what the League has accomplished in the first three seasons, but we do recognize the necessity to resolve our existing legal and operational issues so that we can continue to support and grow WPS the right way," Sky Blue FC owner Thomas Hofstetter told to the official WPS website. Team owners decided that instead of ever having to work with Borislow again, they would cancel the season so they could put all their focus on resolving the legal battle so play could resume in 2013.
USWNT Shutout Overconfident Canada, Win Olympic Qualifying Tournament
Having already qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics by winning Friday's game versus Costa Rica, the USWNT's win over Canada in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament was the icing on the cake. The Canadian side came into tonight's match with a lot of confidence, but when it came time to perform, fell quite short. Instead, the US women ran all over Canada, defeating their rivals 4-0 and bringing home the tournament trophy. What is even more remarkable is the fact that the US did not give up a single goal of the entirety of the tournament.
The night belonged to rising star forward Alex Morgan. Despite the fact that this was the only match that she started in the tournament, she made it worthwhile, scoring two goals with one assist. Morgan played with a lot of heart tonight, not to mention blazing speed. The first of her two goals came in only the fifth minute of the match, where she made a fantastic run on a breakaway with an even better finish on the ball. Later in the match, Morgan would make a great cross from the end line of the pitch to Abby Wambach, putting it right on the veteran forward's head to score the second goal of the match, and the first of two for Wambach. It does not come as a surprise that Alex Morgan is being toted as the next Abby Wambach. The 22-year old has great speed and agility and can also put a pretty good head on the ball.
Despite the lack of goals from Canada, the tournament runner-up did challenge goalkeeper Hope Solo throughout the night. Despite a quad pull that almost sidelined her for the USWNT's qualifying match against Costa Rica, Solo seemed more than up to the challenge, making important saves when she needed to. While some of those saves may have lacked a certain finesse, she got the job done when she needed to. In fact, not one goal got past Solo the entire tournament, a feat she can surely be proud of.
Independence Set to Play Up to Four Home Games at PPL Park
It seems the Philadelphia Independence will once again take to the pitch at PPL Park for their upcoming season. Philly Soccer News reported yesterday that the Independence could play up to four home games in 2012 at PPL, including its home opener on April 15th.
During the WPS playoffs last season, PPL Park hosted the Independence's semifinal match against disbanded squad magicJack, drawing 5,410 fans, the teams largest crowd in 2011.
"We're very excited about that," Independence owner David Halstead told Jonathan Tannenwald of Philly.com soccer blog, The Goalkeeper. Halstead also noted that Philadelphia Union owner Nick Sakieiwicz has been "fantastic" about letting the Independence play at PPL.
While the full WPS schedule has yet to be released, four looks like the maximum number of games PPL Park will play host to the Independence, with that number possibly going down to three if any conflicts come up throughout the course of the Union season.
These types of situations are always subject to change, so the number could easily go up or down at anytime. The remainder of the Independence's home matches will be played at Quick Stadium, on the Widener University campus.
USWNT Qualify For Their Fifth Straight Olympic Games, Defeat Costa Rica 3-0
If Costa Rica had any hope of qualifying for the Olympics this summer, it was extinguished in the second half of tonight's match against the USWNT. While Costa Rica played hard all match long, it wasn't enough, as the US scored two late goals to secure their fifth straight Olympic appearance.
The US Women's National Team now awaits the 2012 Olympic Summer Games in London, where they will defend their 2008 gold medal from Beijing.
The Costa Ricans had opportunity to score during the first half of the match, with one shot just missing the net and bouncing off the bar. Even goalkeeper Hope Solo, who ended up starting the match despite nursing a quad pull, was challenged during the first half.
That was until Tobin Heath scored a marvelous header goal off of Lauren Cheney's corner kick. Despite a determined Costa Rican squad that wouldn't quit, it was all USA for the rest of the night with Carli Lloyd and young up-and-comer Alex Morgan scoring late second half goals to seal the USWNT's Olympic berth.
The USWNT will go on to play the winner of tonight's Mexico/Canada match in the tournament final Sunday night. With the final match not having any effect on qualifying, head coach Pia Sundhage will probably rest her top players, especially after losing Ali Krieger in the first game of the tournament.
8:00 p.m. is the scheduled start time for this Sunday's final match and will be available via the Universal Sports Network and concacaf.com.
The Independence Sign a Pair of Icelandic Midfielders
Former Independence fan favorite Holmfridur Magnusdottir and her fellow countrywoman, Katrin Omarsdottir signed contracts with the Independence last week, adding more depth to a team looking to make another trip to the WPS Final. Both Magnusdottir and Omarsdottir are midfielders, bringing even more experience to an already strong Independence midfield. These two women also bring international experience to Philadelphia, having numerous appearances for the Icelandic Women's National Team. Both Magundottir and Omarsdottir were members of the 2009 UEFA Championship team.
Magnusdottir will be coming back to Philadelphia for her second season, having been named fan favorite during the 2010 season. During the 2010 campaign, the Icelandic midfielder (she also can play as a forward), played in 12 games in which she started six, scoring one goal and one assist before going back to Iceland. "I love being in Philadelphia," Magnusdottir told the official Independence website.
Unlike Magnusdottir, Katrin Omarsdottir will be entering her first season in WPS, formally playing in the WPSL in Walnut Creek, CA. Omarsdottir played her college career at UC Berkeley, scoring five goals in her sophomore year, followed by two goals and four assists in 2010. "Kat [Omarsdottir] is a smooth operator with elegance, class and soccer acumen," said head coach Paul Riley, "she's has the ability to be a WPS regular."
Hope Solo Questionable for Semifinal Against Costa Rica Tomorrow Night
Hope Solo could potentially miss tomorrow nights all important semifinal match against Costa Rica with a lingering quad injury. The timing could not be any worse as whoever loses the match tomorrow will not qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Solo was seen clutching her right knee during the game against Mexico this past Tuesday night. Despite whatever pain she may have been feeling, the star keeper for the USWNT completed the game saying afterwards that it was, "a little quad pull."
This past Fall, Solo took time off from soccer to appear on the hit ABC series, Dancing with the Stars, which she says may have resulted in some loss of muscle. Since being back, Solo has been doubling her workouts and pre-game warmups, but it appears all her hard work may have backfired. While she is not 100% ruled out for tomorrow nights game, head coach Pia Sundhage is confident in her team even if Solo ends up sitting. "We have to make a decision whether she is 100% to go or not," Sundhage told ESPN, "And if she isn't, we have a tremendous backup goalkeeper (Nicole Barnhart)."
Kickoff for tomorrow nights Olympic qualifying semifinal is set for 8:00 p.m. Obviously if Solo is not able to play in the match, Nicole Barnhart will start in net. Even without Solo, the USWNT should not run into any trouble against Costa Rica. Stay tuned to Brotherly Game tomorrow as more information on Solo's status becomes available.
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