Group C Preview: United States

United States (#1)
Region: Concacaf
Coach: Pia Sundhage
How They Qualified: Finished 3rd in Concacaf Region Qualifying, then defeated Italy in playoff.
Prior Cups:
2007: 3rd Place
2003: 3rd Place
1999: Champions
1995: 3rd Place
1991: Champions
Returnees from 2007 WWC: (8) Barnhart, Solo, Cox, Rampone, Boxx, Lloyd, O’Reilly, Wambach.

Roster (Average Age: 27.71)

Name	Pos	Club	Age	Caps/Goals
Nicole Barnhart	GK	Philadelphia Indep.	29	39/0
Jillian Loyden	GK	magicJack	26	1/0
Hope Solo	GK	magicJack	29	94/0
Rachel Buehler	DF	Boston Breakers	25	58/1
Stephanie Cox	DF	Boston Breakers	25	73/0
Alex Krieger	DF	None	26	17/0
Amy LePeilbet	DF	Boston Breakers	29	48/0
Heather Mitts	DF	Atlanta Beat	33	115/2
Christie Rampone	DF	magicJack	36	234/4
Becky Sauerbrunn	DF	magicJack	26	10/0
Shannon Boxx	MF	magicJack	33	145/22
Tobin Heath	MF	Sky Blue FC	23	27/2
Lori Lindsey	MF	Philadelphia Indep.	31	21/0
Carli Lloyd	MF	Atlanta Beat	28	110/27
Kelley O’Hara	MF	Boston Breakers	22	5/0
Heather O’Reilly	MF	Sky Blue FC	26	143/29
Megan Rapinoe	MF	magicJack	25	30/10
Lauren Cheney	FW	Boston Breakers	23	41/13
Alex Morgan	FW	WNY Flash	22	18/7
Amy Rodriguez	FW	Philadelphia Indep.	24	64/17
Abby Wambach	FW	magicJack	31	156/118

Recent Matches:

Date	Opponent	Competition	Result
6/5/11	Mexico	Friendly	W 1-0
5/18/11	Japan	Friendly	W 2-0
5/14/11	Japan	Friendly	W 2-0
4/2/11	England	Friendly	L 1-2
3/9/11	Iceland	Algarve	W 4-2
3/7/11	Finland	Algarve	W 4-0
3/4/11	Norway	Algarve	W 2-0
3/2/11	Japan	Algarve	W 2-1
1/25/11	China	Four Nations	W 2-0
1/23/11	Canada	Four Nations	W 2-1
1/21/11	Sweden	Four Nations	L 1-2
11/27/10	Italy	World Cup Playoff	W 1-0
11/20/10	Italy	World Cup Playoff	W 1-0
11/8/10	Costa Rica	Concacaf	W 3-0
11/5/10	Mexico	Concacaf	L 1-2
11/1/10	Costa Rica	Concacaf	W 4-0
10/30/10	Guatemala	Concacaf	W 9-0
10/28/10	Haiti	Concacaf	W 5-0
10/6/10	China	Friendly	T 1-1
10/2/10	China	Friendly	W 2-1
7/17/10	Sweden	Friendly	W 3-0
7/13/10	Sweden	Friendly	T 1-1
5/22/10	Germany	Friendly	W 4-0

They are the number team in the world according to FIFA rankings. They have won the World Cup twice in their history and finished third three times. They might be the most experienced team at the World Cup. They are definitely the oldest team at the World Cup and it’s not even close. They are the United States.

And they have been criticized recently as too old, too slow, too this, too that. Some of the criticism is valid, some a little over-the-top. Whether this will give them a chip-on-the-shoulder, it’s us against the world mentality for this Cup, I don’t know.

The United States appeared to reach their pinnacle in May of 2010 when they easily defeated Germany by a 4-0 margin in Cleveland, Ohio. Truth be told, they haven’t looked nearly so dominating since. Their long unbeaten streak extended into November, when it looked like they were cruising to another easy qualification for yet another World Cup. And then, the unthinkable happened. They lost to Mexico.

For a short time, there was a possibility that they would not even qualify. They went on to defeat Costa Rica in the Concacaf third place match and then defeated Italy twice by 1-0 to become the 16th and final qualifier for the 2011 World Cup.

This year has brought mixed results. They won the Four Nations and the Algarve Cup, defeating Canada, Japan, and Norway in the process. However, they also dropped a match to Sweden at the Four Nations and were outplayed in a 2-1 defeat at the hands of England in April. So where will they finish in Germany?

One good sign is the return of Hope Solo, arguably the best goalkeeper in the world. Shoulder surgery last fall put this World Cup in doubt, but she appeared to be 100% in recent friendlies. She’s only been scored upon in one game out of her last 13 appearances dating back to early 2009.

Abby Wambach is the focal point of the US attack. One of the best target forwards in the world, she has no peers in the air. Joining her at forward will be the relatively young trio of Amy Rodriguez, Lauren Cheney, and Alex Morgan. Morgan has become the “supersub” of the United States, scoring several important goals late in contests.

The midfield is very experienced with Carli Lloyd, Shannon Boxx, Heather O’Reilly, and Megan Rapinoe. They did receive a blow when Lindsay Tarpley went down with an injury just a month before the World Cup. It is the central midfield that will be one of the keys for the United States. Lloyd and Boxx need to be at the top of their game if the United States are to have a good tournament. They have started nearly every game over the last several years when they have been healthy.

Defense may be the biggest question mark. First, there are the injuries. Christie Rampone, Amy LePeilbet, and Heather Mitts have all been nursing injuries this year, with Mitts just barely making fitness under the deadline for Germany. Second, there is age. This is a fairly old group and they have been exposed in some matches recently, certainly in the loss to Mexico in November. Finally, there is left back, where Pia Sunhage has tried several players. Right now, it appears she will opt for either center back LePeilbet or natural outside back Stephanie Cox.

This will be a critical World Cup for the future of this team. A bad showing may signal a changing of the guard and the need for a substantial turnover in personnel. A good tournament would prove that Sundhage’s quiet confidence in her team was more than warranted.

Note: Some information for this article was obtained at www.fifa.com and www.ussoccer.com.

Sundhage Names 24 to Algarve Roster

USWNT coach Pia Sundhage has named 24 players to make the trip to Portugal for the 2011 Algarve Cup. While there will be friendlies played between Algarve and the World Cup, this will probably be the last major competition before the team heads to Germany in June.

There are not many surprises on the roster. Of the 24 players that have played at least 100 minutes for the team dating back to last May, 21 of those players will be making this trip. Kristine Lilly and Kate Markgraf have recently announced their retirement, leaving Heather Mitts as the only omission from that group players that is still active. Mitts is nursing an injury.

Of the three players making the trip that have logged less than 100 minutes over the past year, two are backup keepers, Ashlyn Harris and Alyssa Naeher. The only non-keeper in that group is former North Carolina star Whitney Engen who was signed this off-season by Western New York after a fine rookie season with the Chicago Red Stars in 2010. Engen is looking for her first USWNT cap.

Hope Solo will be making the trip, but for training purposes only. She has not yet been cleared for game competition following her shoulder surgery last fall. Abby Wambach will be with the team after missing the Four Nations Tournament due to injury.

The US will face two other World Cup-bound teams, Japan and Norway, before finishing the group stage of the competition against Finland. Group B includes World Cup qualifier Sweden, plus Iceland, China, and Denmark. Group C is comprised of Chile, Wales, Romania, and the host country, Portugal. The competition is played on March 2nd, 4th, and 7th, with the final playoff stage being played on March 9th.

USWNT Roster

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)

US Qualifies for World Cup with 1-0 Victory

The United States were able to overcome a poor start and defeat Italy 1-0 to become the 16th and final qualifier for the 2011 World Cup. The US took the aggregate by a 2-0 margin in the home-and-home series against the 5th place UEFA team.

It wasn't always easy as the Italians, who seemed content to defend and counterattack in the first leg, came out as the aggressor in the opening minutes of this match. They created several great chances early on. Meanwhile, Coach Pia Sundhage described her team's first 20 minutes as "crap". Indeed, the Italians came close several times as the United States played very sloppily throughout the early stages of the opening stanza.

The first chance came in just the 3rd minute of the match as a Patrizia Panico cross to Carolina Pini was broken up at the last second on a great defensive play by Rachel Buehler. Panico had a golden opportunity just a few minutes later as Elisa Camporese played a square ball to her and she was unmarked 12 yards from the goal. Panico's low shot went right to US goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart. A US turnover in their own end gave Panico yet another chance in the 17th minute, but again, her shot from 10 yards on the left side went straight to Barnhart.

An apparent miscommunication almost led to a goal for Italy in the 32nd minute as the ball was rolling towards the US penalty area. Buehler was trying to shield Giulia Domenichetti off the ball, thinking that Barnhart would handle it. The ball had not yet reached the box as Barnhart, Buehler, and Domenichetti all came together at the same time. With Barnhart unable to handle the ball with her hands, a scramble ensued, but Italy was unable to get a shot at the open net and the ball was finally cleared.

While the Italians were unable to take advantage of their chances, the US made good on one of theirs in the 40th minute. Abby Wambach sent the ball outside left to Megan Rapinoe. Rapinoe made a move to the goal, beating defender Roberta D'Adda, and hit a hard low shot from the side of the penalty area. Italian keeper Anna Maria Picarelli made the save, but was unable to control the rebound as it rolled a few feet away. Amy Rodriguez beat a defender to the loose ball and was able to send it into the empty net putting the US on top 1-0.

Wambach nearly got on the board just before intermission, as she got behind the Italian defense. While being hounded by defender Elisabetta Tona, she was able to get a shot off from the 18 but an onrushing Picarelli was able to make the save and deflect the ball wide.

Italian coach Pietro Ghedin went to his bench much earlier in this match, substituting Alia Guagni for D'Adda at the half and Silvia Fuselli for Pini just minutes into the second half.

But if anybody thought the US would be content to sit on their lead, they were mistaken. The United States dominated the 2nd half, controlling possession and creating chance after chance as the Italians were unable to get anything going themselves. Italy spent a good deal of the 2nd half back on their heels as the US threw numbers forward in a menacing fashion.

Just a couple minutes into the half, Rodriguez sent a beautiful cross onto the head of a diving Wambach, but Picarelli made the save at point blank range, perhaps her best of the match.

Lauren Cheney entered the game for Rapinoe in the 59th minute and her first touch of the match was a shot off the crossbar which just missed putting the US up 2-0. Midway through the 2nd half, there was a scramble off of a US corner kick with Amy LePeilbet getting off a shot from inside the box, but Alessia Tuttino blocked the shot just a few feet in front of the goal to keep the margin at one.

As the second half wore on, the Italians mounted a few brief spurts of offense, but nothing particularly dangerous. It was obvious that they were tiring, probably the result of the constant US pressure, the physical nature of this contest, and the long qualifying schedule which they had to endure. In addition, they were playing without forward Melania Gabbiadini for the second consecutive game.

The final whistle led to a US celebration...and probably a sigh of relief...as they became the final team to qualify for next year's World Cup. The United States outshot the Italians by a 17-5 margin for the match, in front of a crowd of 9508 at Toyota Park.

The draw for the World Cup will be held on Monday. The 16 qualifiers are:

CONCACAF: Canada, Mexico, United States
CONMEBOL: Brazil, Columbia
UEFA: Germany (host nation), Sweden, Norway, England, France
AFC: Australia, Japan, North Korea
CAF: Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea
OFC: New Zealand

US Algarve Cup Team Announced; Chalupny Out Indefinitely

Pia Sundhage has named a 19 player roster for the upcoming Algarve Cup to be played in Portugal. The roster includes a nice mixture of young players and veterans. Three recent draftees made the roster, Tobin Heath, Lauren Cheney, and Casey Nogueira. It also includes two players looking for their first cap, goalkeeper Jill Loyden and defender/midfielder Meghan Schnur. Those two players, along with Lori Lindsey and Yael Averbuch, had solid WPS seasons last year which probably influenced Sundhage to give them a look for the national team.

Missing from the team will be Lori Chalupny, who had been the team's captain and co-captain during 2009. Chalupny is suffering concussion symptoms and will be out indefinitely.

The US is in Group B with Norway, Iceland, and Sweden. Norway defeated the US in the group stage of the 2008 Olympics, but US defeated them at the 2009 Algarve Cup. Sweden defeated the US in the 2009 Algarve Championship Game.

GOALKEEPERS (3): Nicole Barnhart (FC Gold Pride), Jill Loyden (Chicago Red Stars), Hope Solo (St. Louis Athletica)

DEFENDERS (6): Rachel Buehler (FC Gold Pride), Stephanie Cox (Boston Breakers), Amy LePeilbet (Boston Breakers), Heather Mitts (Philadelphia Independence), Meghan Schnur (Sky Blue FC), Cat Whitehill (Washington Freedom)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Yael Averbuch (Sky Blue FC), Shannon Boxx (St. Louis Athletica), Tobin Heath (Atlanta Beat), Lori Lindsey (Philadelphia Independence), Carli Lloyd (Sky Blue FC), Heather O’Reilly (Sky Blue FC)

FORWARDS (4): Lauren Cheney (Boston Breakers), Casey Nogueira (Chicago Red Stars), Amy Rodriguez (Philadelphia Independence), Abby Wambach (Washington Freedom)

Pia Sundhage keeping tabs on WPS

The National Team head coach has focused a good deal of her attention towards the WPS. Read Dan Lauletta's article for more insight...

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