Philadelphia Advances to Final with 2-0 Win

The Philadelphia Independence battled to a 2-0 victory over magicJack on goals by Tasha Kai and Amy Rodriguez to advance to the WPS Final. The Independence will face the Western New York Flash next Saturday for the championship.

The return to the final was accomplished in typical fashion by Philadelphia...solid defense, good goalkeeping, hard work, and some timely finishing, a team effort to be sure. Starting just two USWNT players, plus Spanish international Vero Boquete, they were able to outplay and defeat the heavily national team-laden magicJack side.

Paul Riley's starting lineup saw only a few changes from what we saw late in the season. Sinead Farrelly returned to a starter's role after sitting out the last three matches with nagging injuries. Philly started Barnhart in goal, Johnson, McNeill, Krzysik, and Robinson across the back, with Buczkowski, DiMartino, Farrelly, and Boquete in the midfield. Kai and Rodriguez were the two Independence strikers.

Abby Wambach was forced to make one change to her lineup from Wednesday. Tina Ellertson was unable to make the start due to a hamstring injury, so Lydia Vandenbergh started at left back. Their starters were Loyden in goal, Dalmy, Rampone, Sauerbrunn, and Vandenbergh in back. The midfield consisted of Boxx, Schmidt, Huffman, and Rapinoe, with Wambach and Press as the starting forwards.

Philadelphia had the first good scoring opportunity, as WPS MVP Veronica Boquete nearly caught Jill Loyden flatfooted with her shot from 20 yards, but the ball went just wide of the left post in the fifth minute. Christie Rampone earned the first booking of the match, as she was nabbed for tugging on Rodriguez' shoulder in the 12th minute.

The first half hour saw both teams working the ball up the field well, but both sides were unconvincing in the final third and there were very few good scoring opportunities. However, the final 15 minutes of the half saw end-to-end action with multiple chances.

magicJack's first good opportunity came in the 31st minute. Christen Press was able to get free to get off a shot from 28 yards, but her blast was tipped over the net by Nicole Barnhart.

Philadelphia then had a procession of chances over the next few minutes. Rodriguez' shot from the top of the box forced Loyden to slide over to make a save in the 32nd minute. Farrelly sent Kai into the right side of the box in the 34th, but the Hawaiian striker's chip over Loyden wound up on top of the netting. Next, it was Farrelly's turn but her shot from 20 yards went straight into Loyden's hands.

magicJack nearly jumped on top in the 36th minute. Marian Dalmy crossed the ball from the right side to Christen Press, who was waiting just outside the six. She turned on her defender, but her shot hit the outside of the left post. The rebound fell directly to Wambach, whose shot dribbled wide of the right post. Two minutes later, a Sarah Huffman cross gave Philly's defense problems with the ball coming to Press, whose shot from eight yards was blocked by Farrelly.

Philadelphia came right back in the 39th minute with Boquete setting up Tina DiMartino on the left side of the penalty area, but the shot from the diminutive midfielder found nothing but Loyden's hands. In the final minutes of the half, Kai sent a shot right at Loyden from 16 yards and Boquete set up Rodriguez on the right side, but her shot went just wide of the left post.

The half ended scoreless. But this was nothing new for the Independence who were shut out nine times in the first half during the regular season, but were still able to post a 5-2-2 record in those matches. Philadelphia had outscored their opponents 18-7 in the 2nd half during the season. Meanwhile, magicJack had not won a match all year when they didn't score in the opening stanza. One halftime substitution was made as Lisa De Vanna came on for Press.

It took just 24 seconds of the second half for Philadelphia to break on top. Farrelly's serve from the right side was headed by magicJack defender Marian Dalmy to the outside of the box. Kai beat Megan Rapinoe to the ball, burst into the penalty area, deked Rampone, and finished with a curling shot from 12 yards out just inside the left post to make it 1-0. It was brilliant effort by the Independence striker.

Wambach tried to even the match just three minutes later as she settled a Rampone cross in the penalty area, but her first shot was blocked by Leigh Ann Robinson and then Barnhart made perhaps the save of the match with a sprawling effort to send the ball over the crossbar on Wambach's rebound attempt.

Philadelphia made their first substitution in the 56th minute, sending Joanna Lohman in for DiMartino. In the 65th minute, Danesha Adams came on for Kai.

Wambach once again came knocking at the door at the midway point of the 2nd half. Vandenbergh sent in a cross from the left side, with Wambach's header from in close going off the crossbar after Barnhart was able to get her fingertips on the ball. Wambach made her second substitution in the 72nd minute, with Ella Masar entering the contest for Vandenbergh.

Philadelphia continued to pressure the magicJack net. In the 73rd minute, Rodriguez sent one just wide of the right post. In the 75th minute, a Lohman cross was settled by Adams in front of the goal, with her shot glancing off the crossbar.

The Independence iced the match in the 81st minute. Jen Buczkowski passed the ball to Adams, who outfought Sophie Schmidt to win possession. Adams hit Rodriguez in stride and the USWNT striker, glimpsing Loyden off her line, chipped the ball from 22 yards neatly into the upper right hand corner of the net to make it 2-0.

Both teams made their final substitutions in the closing minutes. Philadelphia sent Laura del Rio on for Rodriguez, while magicJack subbed in Nikki Washington for Sarah Huffman.

magicJack had two final chances as the final minutes ticked away. Schmidt was able to get around Barnhart to the end line just left of the goal, but with Ella Masar unmarked in front of the net, the magicJack midfielder got twisted and whiffed on the attempted cross, with the ball rolling harmlessly out of play. In stoppage, Shannon Boxx' attempt from 22 yards was parried wide by Barnhart.

It was a well-deserved victory for Philadelphia. While the two scoring plays were well done, it was very good goalkeeping from Nicole Barnhart and excellent defending, especially from Kia McNeill, Jen Buczkowski, and Sinead Farrelly, that won the day. McNeill was superb in marking Wambach throughout the contest. This was a great team effort to be sure.

For magicJack, after suffering through a controversial year off the field, the players managed to rise up and give a very good account for themselves. They earned their way into the playoffs with solid play over the final few weeks and posted the franchise's first playoff victory. One has to wonder just how much playing two matches a week over the final four weeks of the season took their toll.

Philadelphia will now meet Western New York in the WPS Championship match next Saturday at 4 pm eastern time. Philadelphia is making their second consecutive trip to the final, losing last season to Gold Pride. It is obviously the first trip to the finals for the expansion Flash. The two teams met three times during the regular season, with Philadelphia winning two of the three. All were one goal matches.

Philadelphia 2, magicJack 0

Phi-Tasha Kai (unassisted) 46'
Phi-Amy Rodriguez (Danesha Adams) 81'

Philadelphia - Nicole Barnhart, Estelle Johnson, Kia McNeill, Nikki Krzysik, Leigh Ann Robinson, Jen Buczkowski, Sinead Farrelly, Tina DiMartino (Joanna Lohman 56), Veronica Boquete, Tasha Kai (Danesha Adams 63), Amy Rodriguez (Laura del Rio 85).

magicJack - Jill Loyden, Marian Dalmy, Christie Rampone, Becky Sauerbrunn, Lydia Vandenbergh (Ella Masar 72), Shannon Boxx, Sophie Schmidt, Sarah Huffman (Nikki Washington 85), Megan Rapinoe, Abby Wambach, Christen Press (Lisa De Vanna 46).

YC - Rampone (mJ) 12, Wambach (mJ) 86.
Shots - Philadelphia 20, magicJack 17
SOG - Philadelphia 13, magicJack 9.

magicJack Advances to Semifinals

In a very strong performance, magicJack defeated the Boston Breakers 3-1 on Wednesday evening to advance to the WPS semifinal on Saturday. magicJack will meet the Philadelphia Independence in Chester, Pennsylvania.

There were no surprises in the magicJack lineup for the match. Tony DiCicco elected to start Taryn Hemmings instead of Stephanie Cox on the back line, with Amy LePeilbet playing left back.

magicJack came out of the blocks fast, putting pressure on the Breakers' net from the opening whistle. Sophie Schmidt's shot from 25 yards sailed over the crossbar in just the second minute of action.

magicJack broke on top just a few minutes later. Sarah Huffman hit a cross from the far right side. The ball curved away from Boston goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, eluding her and finding a wide open Abby Wambach just eight yards out on the back post. She easily finished into the open net and magicJack was up 1-0 in just the sixth minute.

magicJack continued to pressure the Breakers' defense. Shannon Boxx put one just over the crossbar from 20 yards in the 8th minute. Later, Christen Press' shot from 18 yards was deflected wide by Naeher.

Boston's first good chance came in the 29th minute as Amy LePeilbet's pass found Lauren Cheney cutting across the box, but her shot went just wide of the left post.

Both teams suffered injuries in the first half. Meghan Klingenberg took an awkward fall landing on her arm in the 15th minute. She came off with what appeared to be an arm or wrist injury and was replaced by Elli Reed. Tina Ellertson suffered a hamstring injury later in the half. It was while Ellertson was off the field that Boston evened the score.

LePeilbet took a free kick from 40 yards out, sending it to the center of the penalty area. magicJack managed to head the ball clear but not out. Leslie Osborne nodded the ball back to the center where Keelin Winters volleyed it one-time inside the right post from nine yards out to tie the score. Ellertson was quickly subbed out for Lydia Vandenbergh after the goal.

magicJack nearly retook the lead in the 37th minute as Megan Rapinoe's shot from the left side beat Naeher, but struck the left post and was cleared by Boston. Just a minute later, Rapinoe had another chance as Huffman sent a pass to Press who headed it to Rapinoe, but her shot rolled just wide of the right post.

Boston had a good opportunity right before intermission, with another LePeilbet free kick into the penalty area. But Winters couldn't quite get into position to head the ball on goal and her attempt sailed well wide of the net. The match was tied at the half.

magicJack started the second half right where they left off as Rapinoe sent Press through the Boston defense, but her shot hooked just wide of the right post. But in the 56th minute, things began to fall apart for the Breakers.

Huffman received the ball just to the right edge of the penalty area and made a one-on-one move against Hemmings. Hemmings reached out her right foot and tripped the magicJack midfielder. A penalty was awarded and Abby Wambach scored her second goal of the match, with Naeher guessing wrong, to make it 2-1 for the home team.

Press had another chance just a minute later, but she skied a shot over the bar on a good opportunity from 18 yards out. Rapinoe set up Huffman just minutes later, but her shot also went well over the bar.

magicJack put the game away in the 61st minute as Press was making a run into the right side of the penalty area. She cut back on Hemmings and with Naeher bearing down on her, she hit a beautiful cross that caught Rapinoe in stride and USWNT midfielder headed the ball into the net from six yards to make it 3-1.

With their backs against the wall, the Breakers attempted to insert some offense into the match. Hobbled Kelly Smith came in for Hemmings in the 69th minute. Nikki Marshall subbed in for Aya Sameshima in the 79th minute. For awhile after Smith came in, Boston appeared to be dangerous and Smith definitely gave them a temporary spark, but the English striker is not nearly 100% healthy and her abilities were limited.

In 75th minute, Kelley O'Hara's shot from 22 yards was on frame, but easily handled by Jill Loyden. After that, Boston looked exhausted and really offered no significant threat.

magicJack outshot Boston 17-8 and led in shots on goal by an 8-2 margin. It was fairly dominating performance by the women from south Florida, who had been one of the toughest home teams in the league during the regular season.

magicJack will now travel to Philadelphia where they will meet the second place Independence at PPL Park in Chester at 4 pm on Saturday.

magicJack 3, Boston Breakers 1

mJ-Abby Wambach (Sarah Huffman) 6'
Bos-Keelin Winters (Leslie Osborne) 31'
mJ-Abby Wambach pk 57'
mJ-Megan Rapinoe (Christen Press) 61'

magicJack-Jill Loyden, Marian Dalmy, Christie Rampone, Tina Ellertson (Lydia Vandenbergh 33), Becky Sauerbrunn, Shannon Boxx, Sophie Schmidt (Omolyn Davis 86), Megan Rapinoe, Sarah Huffman (Nikki Washington 86), Abby Wambach, Christen Press.

Boston-Alyssa Naeher, Alex Scott, Rachel Buehler, Taryn Hemmings (Kelly Smith 69), Amy LePeilbet, Leslie Osborne, Keelin Winters, Meghan Klingenberg (Elli Reed 16), Aya Sameshima (Nikki Marshall 79), Lauren Cheney, Kelley O'Hara.

YC-Buehler (Bos) 17, Hemmings (Bos) 35, Winters (Bos) 81.
Shots-magicJack 17, Boston 8.
SOG-magicJack 8, Boston 2.

magicJack Clinches Playoff Berth

magicJack 2, Boston Breakers 0

For the third straight season, magicJack has clinched a playoff berth. They defeated the Boston Breakers 2-0 on Saturday evening on the strength of two goals by player/coach Abby Wambach. The franchise made the playoffs in 2009 and 2010 when known as the Washington Freedom.

The match was played before 7188 fans in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the second largest home crowd in Boston history.

The two teams battled without a goal for almost the entire first half. Not surprisingly, both of Wambach's goals came via the header, one in the 44th minute on a cross from Megan Rapinoe and the other in the 55th minute off a Sarah Huffman corner kick. The goals were the 8th and 9th of the season for Wambach, putting her in second in WPS behind Christine Sinclair.

Boston had a chance to cut the lead to one in the final ten minutes, but Lauren Cheney's penalty kick was stopped by Jill Loyden and magicJack was able to preserve the shutout.

The win moves magicJack's record to 8-6-2 for the season, good for 25 points (after the one point penalty deduction). They host the league's two top teams this week, Western New York on Wednesday and Philadelphia next Sunday.

Right now, they have a six point advantage on Sky Blue with both teams having two matches left. Sky Blue plays Philadelphia today. Either a magicjack tie or win, or a Sky Blue tie or loss, means that magicJack would clinch third place and host the first round playoff match. Sky Blue holds the tiebreaker edge based on head-to-head goals this season.

Boston drops to 4-9-4. The Breakers' playoff hopes are still alive, but just barely. They need Philadelphia to defeat Sky Blue today and then need to beat Sky Blue themselves when the two meet next Sunday.

Western New York Flash 2, Atlanta Beat 0

The Flash took over sole possession of first place as they defeated the Atlanta Beat 2-0 in Kennesaw, Georgia. Both Flash goals were scored by Marta. The match was played before 7,112 fans at KSU Soccer Stadium.

It didn't take long for the visitors to jump on top. The Flash scored in just the 9th minute of the match as Yael Averbuch sent a low cross to the feet of Marta who finished into the right side netting.

Western New York doubled their lead in the 41st minute. This time it was Christine Sinclair setting up Marta to make it 2-0. It was Marta's 7th goal of the season.

The Flash defense managed to hold Atlanta without a shot on goal for the entire match. Ashlyn Harris earned the shutout for WNY. The Beat suffered their seventh straight shutout and have now gone scoreless for 667 consecutive minutes. Their record falls to 1-12-4.

The Flash improved their record to 11-2-3. Western New York is now three points ahead of Philadelphia, pending the outcome of Philly's match with Sky Blue this afternoon. They travel to Florida to play magicJack on Wedensday and then finish the season at home against Atlanta.

Flash and magicJack Post Victories

magicJack 3, Sky Blue FC 2

MagicJack took over sole possession of third place by defeating Sky Blue 3-2 tonight in Boca Raton. Abby Wambach scored twice and Megan Rapinoe got the game winner for magicJack.

Wambach opened the scoring in the 5th minute, assisted by Marian Dalmy. The hosts went into halftime with a 1-0 lead.

The floodgates opened in the second half, as both teams scored twice. Eni Aluko scored her second goal of the season, assisted by Heather O'Reilly in the 56th minute to tie the match for Sky Blue.

Wambach again gave magicJack the lead in the 77th minute, with the assist this time coming from Canadian National Team midfielder Sophie Schmidt. It was Wambach's 7th goal of the season.

Once again, Aluko was able to draw Sky Blue even as she scored in the 84th minute to tie the match at two, with Adriana assisting.

But midseason acquisition Megan Rapinoe scored the game winner in the 86th minute on an assist from Matilda's star Lisa De Vanna.

Jill Loyden got the victory in goal for magicJack, while Karen Bardsley took the loss for Sky Blue.

MagicJack improves to 7-6-2, good for 22 points after their point deduction suffered earlier in the campaign. They need just one more point to secure a playoff position. They will face the Breakers in Boston on Saturday evening.

Sky Blue falls to 5-7-4 and 19 points to their credit. They are still clinging to the fourth and final playoff berth, just three points ahead of Boston. Sky Blue travels to Philadelphia to play the Independence on Sunday, before facing the Breakers in their final regular season match in what could be a do or die game.

Western New York Flash 2, Boston Breakers 1

The Flash were able to pull even with league leading Philadelphia on Wednesday night, by defeating the Boston Breakers 2-1 at Sahlen Stadium. Christine Sinclair and Becky Edwards were able to net first half goals and then the Flash were able to withstand a Boston comeback to hold on for the victory.

Sinclair scored the game's first goal on an assist from Marta in the 21st minute. The tally pushes Sinclair's league-leading total to 10 goals.

The Flash made it 2-0 just seven minutes later. Becky Edwards headed in an Ali Riley cross and Western New York appeared to be on their way to victory.

Boston had other ideas, however, as they cut the lead in half in the opening minutes of the second half. Rookie Keelin Winters scored her third goal of the season, assisted by Kelley O'Hara to put the Breakers right back in the match.

Kelly Smith nearly tied the match in the 54th minute, but her shot from 30 yards hit the crossbar with Flash keeper Ashlyn Harris barely getting her hand on it. From then on, Western New York was able to hold on to capture three points.

The match saw two key Breakers players return to action. The aforementioned Smith came on at halftime, seeing her first action since the World Cup quarterfinals in Germany. Lauren Cheney made her first start since her ankle injury in the World Cup final for the United States.

Western New York is now in prime position to win the WPS regular season crown. They are tied with Philadelphia at 33 points and have a game in hand. They will face cellar dwelling Atlanta on Saturday at KSU Stadium.

Boston's situation is desperate at 4-8-4, but they do still control their own destiny. They will face magicJack in Cambridge on Saturday, before finishing the season at home against Sky Blue FC.

WPS STANDINGS
(1) Western New York 10-2-3, 33 pts; (1) Philadelphia 10-3-3, 33 pts; (3) magicJack 7-6-2, 22 pts; (4) Sky Blue FC 5-7-4, 19 pts; (5) Boston 4-8-4, 16 pts; (6) Atlanta 1-11-4, 7 pts.

Press Scores Hat Trick as magicJack Romps to Victory

Rookie Christen Press scored three times to lead magicJack to a 4-0 shutout over the Boston Breakers. The victory moves magicJack into a third place tie with Sky Blue. A good crowd of over 3000 saw the match in Boca Raton.

With both teams entering the contest in a tie for the fourth and final playoff berth, this was a key win for magicJack. The loss puts Boston in a desperate position, now three points behind both magicJack and Sky Blue.

Abby Wambach opened the scoring for the hosts. The magicJack player/coach scored her first goal since returning from the World Cup, assisted by fellow USWNT player Megan Rapinoe in the 16th minute.

From then on, it was the Christen Press show as she scored in the 36th, 76th, and 83rd minute, with Wambach, Marian Dalmy, and Nikki Washington assisting. It was the fourth hat trick in WPS history, the third of the 2011 season. Press now has eight goals, tied with Tasha Kai and just one behind league-leader Christine Sinclair.

Boston was credited with just one shot for the match, while magicJack attempted 16 shots. The Breakers were playing without two top forwards in Kelly Smith and Lauren Cheney, both of whom suffered injuries at the World Cup.

Jill Loyden earned the shutout for magicJack, who are now 6-6-2 and tied with Sky Blue at 19 points in third place. They will host Sky Blue for the second consecutive Wednesday night match in Boca Raton, in a game that will go a long way to deciding third place and home field advantage for the first round of the playoffs.

The Breakers fall to 4-7-4 for the season. Boston now has an uphill battle, trailing both Sky Blue and magicJack by three points in the standings, and having one less match remaining than magicJack. They face the unenviable task of traveling to Rochester to face Western New York on Wednesday evening.

Flash Sink magicJack in World Cup Homecoming

On a night when World Cup players from six different countries were honored before 15,404 fans, the Western New York Flash defeated magicJack 3-1 at Sahlen Stadium in Rochester, New York. Canadian National Team star Christine Sinclair scored two goals and assisted on the third to lead the Flash to victory. It was the largest single-game crowd in WPS history.

While all of the players that participated in the World Cup were honored, magicJack striker Abby Wambach clearly took center stage. The Rochester native received the key to the city and it was proclaimed Abby Wambach Day. Wambach was dressed in her magicJack uniform, but did not play in the game, still nursing an Achilles heel injury which has plagued her for much of the year.

The visitors from Florida nearly broke on top in the sixth minute. Christen Press had an open shot from 10 yards, but she put her shot too close to Ashlyn Harris and the save was made by the Flash keeper.

Western New York got the first goal of the match. Candace Chapman sent a long free kick forward from just outside her penalty area. Becky Edwards flicked the ball forward with a header and Sinclair timed her run perfectly getting behind the defense. Sinclair dribbled around magicJack goalkeeper Jill Loyden and rolled the ball into the net for a 1-0 lead.

MagicJack was able to draw even just before the intermission. In the 40th minute, Nikki Washington sent a long cross toward the box. With Flash defender Candace Chapman in front of her, Ella Masar elected to one-time it. She hit a left-footed shot over her shoulder, over Chapman, and finally over Harris to tie the match.

The Flash tried to regain the lead to start the second half. Marta's shot was blocked by defender Tina Ellertson, but Beverly Goebel was on the rebound and only a point-blank save by Loyden kept the score tied at one.

But magicJack wasn't so fortunate five minutes later. Marta sent the ball into space for Christine Sinclair, but Tina Ellertson was able to get there first. As the two battled for the ball, Ellertson fell down and Sinclair dribbled in alone on Loyden, shooting just inside the left post as a diving Loyden was only able to get a glove on it, but not stop it. It was Sinclair's eighth goal of the season, tying her with Tasha Kai for the league lead, and the Flash led 2-1.

The Flash closed the door on magicJack in the 69th minute. Goebel sent the ball ahead to Sinclair, who chased the ball down just to the left of the penalty area. She cut back to the inside, beating magicJack defender Nikki Marshall, and then sent a cross to the right edge of the six. McCall Zerboni was waiting there unmarked and she placed her header behind Loyden, who was rushing across to cut off the angle.

MagicJack again struggled with a three-back formation as the Flash found open lanes to play the ball in behind their defense. Ali Riley got in behind the defense later in the match and only another good save by Loyden kept the game reasonably close. Later, Loyden made a diving save on Alex Morgan's drive from just outside the eighteen. The final score was 3-1 for Western New York.

The Flash move to within one point of first place Philadelphia. They now sport a 8-2-2 record and they will now travel to Boston to meet the Breakers on Sunday. MagicJack falls to 5-5-1 and are in a fierce battle for the final two playoff berths. They will now head to Atlanta to play the Beat on Saturday evening.

Japan Wins World Cup

Japan finished off an unlikely fairy tale, twice coming back from a goal down to defeat the United States in World Cup Final by penalty kicks. The US twice squandered leads, once late in regulation and again late in overtime.

For a nation that has had what could only be called a tragic year, this was indeed a bright and shiny moment of hope. The Japanese team entered this tournament as longshots, but came out standing alone as champions.

As for the United States, one statistic told the story. They attempted 27 shots on the day, nearly one every four minutes, but only five of those shots were on frame. They absolutely dominated the first 70 minutes of this match, but they let Japanese keeper Ayumi Kaihori off the hook time and time again by not forcing her to make saves.

The United States got their first chance in the eighth minute. A Megan Rapinoe cross found Lauren Cheney at the near post, but she redirected it wide from inside the six. Seconds later, Abby Wambach put a 25 yard shot over the crossbar. Just two minutes after that, Carli Lloyd's uncontested shot from 16 yards also went just over the bar. A minute after that, Lauren Cheney beat the Japanese defense on the right side and crossed to Rapinoe whose shot from eight yards went wide of the right post. Four golden scoring opportunities in the first 12 minutes and not one found the net.

For the entire half, Japan rarely had possession anywhere near the US penalty area. Japan's first shot of the match was an effort from Shinobu Ohno that went well wide of the goal from over 30 yards in the 22nd minute.

The United States very nearly struck in the 28th minute. Abby Wambach drove a hard shot from the 18 that had Kaihori beaten, but hit the bottom of the crossbar and bounced away.

Japan created their best chance of the half when Ohno pushed a nice ball through to the left side of the US penalty area with Kozue Ando running onto it. Ando's shot from 10 yards was at a tough angle and it rolled right to Hope Solo.

In the 35th minute, Lauren Cheney had an uncontested header from the penalty spot with Kaihori off her line and put that over the crossbar. By halftime, it's not an exaggeration to say that the United States could easily have had three or four goals, while Japan was yet to truly have one dangerous attempt.

Pia Sundhage made her first substitution at the half, but it was forced by injury. Lauren Cheney had injured herself in the opening half and Alex Morgan was sent into the match.

It didn't take long for Morgan to get into the action. In the 49th minute, a Heather O'Reilly cross from the right side found Morgan making a run at the near post. Morgan was inside the six when she pushed the ball off the post, then the ball rebounded off Kaihori and landed one yard from the goal line, before Japan was finally able to clear. Just four minutes later, Wambach had Kaihori off her line, but skied the ball over the goal from 25 yards.

Japan's first real chance of the second half came in the 61st minute as Yukari Kinga broke into the box on the right side, but her looping shot went well over the net.

A couple of minutes later, Kaihori made her first big save of the match. O'Reilly sent the ball into the penalty area and Wambach's header appeared to be heading into the net just under the crossbar, but Kaihori was able to tip it over.

Japan's first two substitutions were Karina Maruyama and Yuki Nagasato for Ohno and Ando in the 66th minute.

The United States finally broke through in the 69th minute. Megan Rapinoe sent a long ball from well inside her own half, up the middle of the field. Alex Morgan beat the defender gathered the ball just outside the penalty area, and touched it just once to set up her shot. She drilled the ball into the lower right corner of the net and the US was on top 1-0. And one began to think that maybe, just maybe, with the US ahead by one and in control of the match, that they might be heading for their third title.

Japan, however, had other ideas. For the first time all day, they started to create some chances. Homare Sawa was able to get off a shot from 25 yards, straight at Solo, but it was a sign that Japan wasn't going to let this go easily. Japan started to find gaps on the right side and it resulted in some challenging foot races for American defenders.

In the 81st minute, United States made a turnover in their own end and it handed Japan the opportunity they had been waiting for. Nahomi Kawasumi intercepted a pass and sent the ball forward to Nagasato into the right corner. Nagasato cut back against Amy LePeilbet and crossed the ball into the penalty area. The United States made a mess of the clearance with the ball falling right to Aya Miyama's feet and she touched it in from just five yards out to tie the match.

Japan had one late chance to take the lead, but Mizuho Sakaguchi's shot from 18 yards went well wide of the net. At the other end, O'Reilly put one over the crossbar from 20 yards in stoppage time.

Morgan had the first scoring opportunity of the overtime, but fighting off two Japanese defenders, her shot went wide of the left post in the 95th minute.

Just before the end of the first overtime, the United States once again took the lead. After Japan had blocked a couple of shots, Morgan gained possession and drove to the endline. Then she chipped it perfectly to the six, where Wambach easily put her header in the back of the net. It was 2-1 for the United States heading into the second overtime period.

In the 108th minute, Japan crossed the ball in and once again the United States made a mess of the clearance, but in this instance, they finally managed to clear after a weak Japanese shot. In the 112th minute, the United States made yet another adventure of it as Aya Miyama crossed the ball into the area, with the ball deflected past a diving Solo. The US once again escaped as the ball was finally cleared and further danger averted.

The United States made their second substitution in the 114th minute, putting in Tobin Heath for Megan Rapinoe. Rapinoe had played a very strong match for the US.

The US escaped yet again in the 115th minute as Yukari Kinga once again got behind the left side of the American defense alone. Solo came out to cut of the angle, but Kinga chipped it over her with the ball heading right at the left post. Christie Rampone took no chances and cleared the ball away. But when you play with fire too often, you finally get burned.

After Solo was treated for an injury on that play, Aya Miyama took the corner from the left side. Her inswinging kick found Sawa at the six, actually running away from the goal. She reached up with her right foot and deflected it toward the goal. The ball may have touched a US player on its way in, but it zipped past Solo to tie the match. The United States had given Japan just one too many opportunities and the Nadeshiko had taken advantage.

The US had two chances left in them. O'Reilly crossed the ball from the right side in the 120th minute, but Wambach's sliding attempt went over the bar from the six. Then Alex Morgan was taken down just outside the penalty area, with Azusa Iwashimizu getting a red card for the play. The US attempted to play the ball into the six and had two players there, but the ball deflected away and Heath's shot was blocked.

After such excitement, the penalty shoot out was almost anticlimactic. The United States failed on their first three attempts. Kaihori stopped both Shannon Boxx and Tobin Heath and Carli Lloyd missed her attempt badly over the bar. Clearly, Kaihori's play in the last three matches made a big difference for Japan.

Meanwhile, Aya Miyama put Japan in the lead converting the first Japanese attempt, before Solo was able to stop the second by Yuki Nagasato. Solo was able to get her hand on Mizuho Sakaguchi's attempt, but it deflected into the net to give Japan a nearly insurmountable 2-0 lead with just two kicks to go.

Abby Wambach made her penalty to keep the United States alive, but only temporarily. Defender Saki Kumagai placed the ball into the upper left corner to give Japan a 3-1 victory in penalty kicks. Japan were the 2011 World Cup champions.

It had been an amazing road for the Nadeshiko. They squeaked by New Zealand 2-1, before a dominating performance in a 4-0 victory over Mexico in the group stage. They then had a very lackluster effort in losing the final group stage match to England, forcing them to play Germany in the quarterfinals.

But they slew three giants in the knockout rounds, first with an overtime victory over Germany, then another dominating performance over Sweden, and finally a come-from-behind victory over the United States. Homare Sawa scored five goals in the World Cup and she captured both the Golden Boot and Golden Ball trophies as the leading scorer and best player of the tournament. She had climbed the mountain in her fifth World Cup.

As for the United States, they may have played their best and most dominating match of the tournament in the final. But in the end, they didn't take advantage of their many chances and Japan did. The United States has now finished in the top three in all six Women's World Cups. This was the first time that they had ever lost their final match of the World Cup.

Hope Solo was received the Golden Glove as the best goalkeeper and the Bronze Ball for the third best player in the tournament. Abby Wambach received the Silver Ball for being the runner-up to Sawa as the best player in the tournament.

Congratulations to the Nadeshiko!

USA to the Finals

It was a gloomy, misty day in Moenchengladbach, but the United States saw blue skies to final as they defeated France 3-1 in FIFA World Cup semifinal action on Wednesday. It was not nearly so dramatic as Sunday's quarterfinal, but it was surely in doubt most of the way. However, this team seems to find a way to win.

The only change for US coach Pia Sundhage was replacing the suspended Rachel Buehler with Becky Sauerbrunn. French coach Bruno Bini decided to use Ophelie Meilleroux in the left center back position, one that has been somewhat of a revolving door for France in this World Cup.

The first chance for France in this match came in eighth minute as Hope Solo was forced to tip a Louisa Necib drive over the net from 22 yards out. Solo, who was making her 100th appearance for the United States, would have quite a busy day in goal for the US as she faced 25 French shots, eight of which were on goal.

As in their match with Brazil, the United States was able to get on the board early. In the 9th minute, the US worked the ball around to the left, with Carli Lloyd backheeling a pass forward to Heather O'Reilly. O'Reilly, who rarely finds herself on that side of the field, was able to get a step on French defender Laura Georges and crossed the ball toward the six. Lauren Cheney was making a near post run for the Americans and she was able to change the direction of the ball just enough to deflect it past Berangere Sapowicz and inside the right post to put the US up 1-0.

In the 24th minute, Carli Lloyd was able to get her head on a Cheney corner kick, but put it a couple of feet wide of the post. Overall, the first 25 minutes were pretty even play between the two sides, but France began to dominate as play approached the half hour mark.

In the 27th minute, Elise Bussaglia hit a hard, low shot from 30 yards, but Solo smothered it. Over the next few minutes, France put heavy pressure on the United States, taking control of the match.

France came very close in the 30th minute as Necib set up Gaetane Thiney on the left side of the penalty area, but Solo came out and deflected the ball wide with her right arm. Just three minutes later, Sandrine Soubeyrand played a short free kick to Sonia Bompastor who struck a beautiful shot from the edge of the penalty area. The ball hooked away from Solo, but unfortunately for France, it struck the corner of the goal post and bounced away.

In the 38th minute, Christie Rampone made a rare forward run on the right side and crossed to Abby Wambach, who rose for the header just outside the back post. Wambach's header went all the way across the goal mouth and wide of the right post. The half ended with the US clinging to a 1-0 lead.

Bini surprisingly sent Eugenie LeSommer in for Marie-Laure Delie at the half. Delie is probably the most dangerous attacking player for France.

Not a minute into the second half, France had a golden opportunity. Necib sent Thiney into the left side of the penalty area. Thiney appeared to have space, but with US defender Ali Krieger bearing down on her and Solo charging out, she took a bit too long and was never able to really get a shot off.

But it wasn't long before France did pull even. In 55th minute, Bussaglia switched the point of attack to the left side. Bompastor sent a cross into the penalty area from 30 yards out. With Thiney making a near post run, Solo was uncertain whether to go for the ball or play a potential Thiney header. She elected to stay with Thiney. As it turned out, Thiney rose for the header, but didn't make contact and the ball continued on inside the right post to tie the score at one. It was the first goal for Bompastor in this World Cup.

With the game now even and with the US being outplayed, it began to look like Sunday's game was taking its toll on the tired US squad. Camille Abily followed the goal with a shot over the crossbar in the 57th minute. In the 66th minute, Solo made a turnover on an attempted clearance, but LeSommer mishit her shot from 18 yards.

Sundhage made two substitutions early in the half, sending Alex Morgan in for Amy Rodriguez in the 57th minute and Megan Rapinoe in for Carli Lloyd in the 65th minute. It was a rare moment to see Lloyd subbed out since she nearly always plays the full match.

But just when you thought that this United States team might not have anything left, they came alive. A free kick in the 70th minute nearly gave them the go ahead goal. Rapinoe's low drive from 35 yards gave Sapowicz all kinds of trouble. The ball bounced a few feet away with Morgan charging toward the net. Sapowicz was able to block Morgan's shot and as it turned out, Morgan had been whistled offside, although that was very close as well.

Bini made his second substitution, sending in speedy Elodie Thomis for Soubeyrand in the 78th minute. It was clear that Bini was going for the win.

In the 79th minute, the US won a corner kick on the right side. Cheney's kick went to the back post, just a few feet off the goal line. Abby Wambach had gotten past Laure LePailleur and was uncontested for her header. With Sapowicz arriving late, Wambach headed the ball down and into the net from close in and the United States were back in the lead.

France tried to battle back. In the 81st minute, LePailleur sent a cross toward LeSommer on the left side of the box, but her diving attempt at the header went well wide.

The United States sealed the match in the 82nd minute. Rapinoe was able to touch the ball past the French defense to Morgan. She gained possession on the left side of the penalty area. With Sapowicz charging out and from a very tough angle, Morgan chipped the ball toward the goal. Sapowicz may have barely gotten her fingertips on the ball, but not enough to change the flight of the ball. Morgan's chip found the right side netting and it was 3-1 for the US.

France never really had a good scoring chance afterwards. Sapowicz later made a great save on Morgan that prevented the scoreline from getting any worse. For the French team, it had to be a disappointment, because they had played so well for the first 75 minutes of the match. But in the end, the United States had persevered yet again.

So now, it is on to the finals for the United States. The United States have never lost their final match in the World Cup, twice winning it and three times winning the third place match. It will be their first appearance in the finals since 1999, when they won as the host nation in penalties over China.

US Advances on Miracle Finish

One could only call this a game for the ages. It had a bit of everything, good and bad. There was compelling drama and cheap theatrics. There were great goals and own goals. There were great saves and questionable calls. There were great plays and red cards. There was magic and despair. In the end, Abby Wambach's improbable goal in the 122nd minute forced the match to penalties, with the United States prevailing 5-3 to advance to the 2011 World Cup semifinals.

The United States looked all but dead after Rachel Buehler was sent off and Marta's penalty kick tied the match in the 67th minute. Things looked even worse for the US after Marta's beautiful goal in the first overtime. And as time ticked into stoppage of the second overtime, things looked bleak indeed. But this script had a surprise ending, one that was truly unbelievable.

It wasn't always the prettiest of games. Certainly the referee crew had a very rough day at the office as several calls came into question, a couple of which had a direct effect on the outcome of the match. To be fair, the players didn't make their job any easier with overly dramatic theatrics, seemingly fake injuries, and incessant complaining, from both sides at times.

Kleiton Lima made no real changes in his lineup, keeping Daiane at center back over Renata Costa. Pia Sundhage made only one subtle change, switching the center backs and moving Christie Rampone to the left side with Amy LePeilbet, while moving Rachel Buehler to right center back.

It was almost a precursor of weird things to come that the United States would strike first at the 1:16 mark of the game on an own goal. Rampone sent a long ball to the left corner, with Shannon Boxx chasing it down just before it got to the end line. She hit a low cross into the six, which deflected off Daiane and past Brazilian keeper Andreia into the net. The US had the early lead.

The United States played well in the opening 20 minutes of the match and created a few chances. Rampone sent a long free kick forward with Abby Wambach getting her head on it, but Andreia was able to deflect the ball wide. LePeilbet hit a drive from 25 yards in the 17th minute, but the ball flew just wide of the left post.

However, as play wore on, the United States began to have difficulty stringing passes together. Meanwhile, Brazil was starting to get into their game. Marta placed a right side corner kick toward the back post and over Hope Solo's head, but Aline headed the ball just wide in the 22nd minute.

Just one minute later, Brazil broke out of their own end on a counterattack and Marta nearly had a clean breakaway. Luckily for the US, it was a speedy Rampone giving chase and she was able to stay close to harass Marta just enough. She forced Marta to the left side of the box and the Brazilian striker shot over the crossbar. Just four minutes later, Marta played the ball square to Formiga just outside the 18, but Formiga's shot from dead straight on also cleared the crossbar.

Brazil continued to pressure later in the half. A hard 25-yard shot from Cristiane right up the middle was smothered by Solo in the 36th minute. An Amy Rodriguez turnover in her own end led to a Rosana cross from the right side that landed on top of the crossbar and bounced over. Clearly, Brazil was now controlling play, but the United States went into halftime with a 1-0 lead.

Yellow cards were the order of the day. Both Carli Lloyd for the United States and Aline for Brazil picked up yellows for fouls and Marta received one for complaining to the referee. Four were handed out to both teams before this match was over.

Pia Sundhage made her first substitution in the 54th minute, sending Megan Rapinoe in for Lauren Cheney. Nearly 70 minutes later, Rapinoe would have a major impact on this match.

Brazil continued to pressure in the 2nd half. Cristiane shot from 25 yards on the right wing with Solo making the save. The ball rolled away briefly, but Solo scrambled to cover up before danger arrived. A minute later, Fabiana was dangerous on the right side of the box, but Solo cut off and grabbed her cross before it could become trouble.

The United States came very close in the 63rd minute. Rapinoe's free kick was from 35 yards out on the left wing found Lloyd who headed the ball off the upper left corner of the crossbar.

Controversy came in the 66th minute. Marta had possession on the left side of the US penalty area, with both Christie Rampone and Rachel Buehler in front of her. She half-volleyed the ball over the heads of the American defenders. She then raced stride for stride with Buehler to the ball which was headed toward the six. Both players had their arms fully extended, Buehler's right and Marta's left. As they neared the ball, both of Marta's legs flew three feet in the air and the whistle was blown.

The referee was in a very tough position to see and there was certainly contact, but both players were using their arms on the play. Buehler may have briefly grabbed Marta's jersey as both jostled. However, Marta sold it well and on this day at least, the referee was buying. Buehler was sent off and Brazil awarded a penalty. Marta was jeered for the rest of the game by many in the crowd, with even many of the neutral fans appearing to turn against her.

More controversy followed with the ensuing penalty. Cristiane stepped up to take the kick and Solo made a brilliant diving save to keep the US in front. But hold on a minute, maybe not. It appeared that the ref had ruled that another American player had barely stepped into the box as Cristiane had struck her kick, encroachment if you will. It is play that happens all the time and it is rule that is rarely enforced and a call that is rarely made.

Brazil was awarded a retry and Marta made no mistake on the second kick, beating Solo and tying the match at one. The United States now faced the prospects of playing Brazil down a player for the rest of the match in a tie game.

But if anything, the calls seem to steel the American's resolve and they actually started playing better than they had earlier in the match. Sundhage was hoping that Alex Morgan could provide the US with the spark she had in November's qualifying playoff against Italy, sending her in for Rodriguez in the 72nd minute. Lima, who substitutes minimally, sent Francielle in for Rosana in the 85th minute.

The US had one final chance in regulation as Heather O'Reilly crossed from the right side. The ball came to Lloyd, but it was bouncing and the US midfielder failed to make a connection. Overtime it would be.

Brazil didn't take long into the first overtime to grab the lead. They had possession along the left sideline to start the play. Maurine worked a short little give-and-go with Erika, with Maurine getting the ball in the left corner. She crossed to the six, where Marta hit a left-footed swinging shot over her shoulder, sending the ball over Solo's head, bouncing into the right post and then into the goal.

Once again, though, there was some controversy. It appeared that Maurine had put herself in an offside position before she received the return pass from Erika. However, the call wasn't made and nothing could take away from the brilliance of Marta's strike on the play. It was Marta's 14th career World Cup goal, tying her with Birgit Prinz. Brazil now had a 2-1 lead and were a player up with just 28 minutes to kill.

The United States nearly tied the match in the 98th minute. Shannon Boxx blocked a Brazilian clearance with the ball coming to Wambach on the right side of the penalty area. She hit a low driven shot headed for the inside of the left post, but Andreia made a great diving save to keep her team a goal up.

In the 101st minute, Marta's cross from the right side gave Solo trouble, but the American keeper was able to reach up and punch the ball out at the last second. The first overtime was over and the US was down to their final 15 minutes.

What appeared to be a bit of play acting caused even more controversy. Brazilian defender Erika got bumped in the back in the 114th minute. She then took several steps and decided to kneel down on the turf with an apparent injury.

Play was stopped for over a minute and a half, while she was attended to. She was taken off on a stretcher, but once the stretcher cleared the field of play, she bounced right up, jogged around to the sideline and was ready to come back in. The referee was clearly incensed by this bit of theatrics and promptly carded the Brazilian defender upon her return to the game.

Three minutes stoppage were added, one would guess primarily for Erika's "injury" time. With time running out, it appeared the Americans would be heading home. But the United States had one final shot left in them.

The US gained possession deep in their own end and were able to get the ball forward to Lloyd just shy of the center line. Lloyd was able to work her away across the field and sent a soft pass on the left side to Rapinoe. Rapinoe touched the ball forward until she was about 35 yards out on the left wing. She hit the ball with her left foot, sending it toward the penalty area.

In what could only be called the immaculate cross, Rapinoe's serve flew toward the right corner of the six-yard box, where Wambach was moving in toward the Brazilian goal. With both sweeper back Daiane and goalkeeper Andreia leaping out to intercept, Wambach rose to head the ball. The two Brazilians arrived late and Wambach drilled the ball perfectly inside the right post. The US had miraculously tied the match in the 122nd minute.

The final seconds ticked away and the match was headed to penalties. Penalties are almost always a dicey affair, even if one team appears to have the advantage at keeper. This one would put Hope Solo and Andreia in the spotlight.

Shannon Boxx stepped up to take the first kick for the United States. Andreia took nearly two full steps forward as Boxx approached the ball. She made a good save, but Boxx was correctly awarded a rekick. Boxx converted her second attempt perfectly, and it had to be, because Andreia guessed right and nearly got there. In fact, Andreia guessed correctly on the next two kicks as well, one by Lloyd and one by Wambach, but each one was dead perfect.

Meanwhile, Cristiane and Marta had taken the first two attempts for Brazil and had easily converted their kicks as Solo guessed wrong on both occasions. The Americans led 3-2 as Daiane stepped up to take the third try for Brazil.

Daiane appeared to hit the ball well, going for the right side as her two teammates had previously. But she elevated the ball just a little so that it was about three feet off the ground by the time it got to Solo. This time Solo guessed right and fully extended, punched the ball clear of the goal and the US held the advantage.

Megan Rapinoe went lower left corner with the fourth US try and this time Andreia guessed wrong. The United States were now up 4-2. Young Francielle stepped up next for Brazil. It appeared that Solo had stepped out toward Francielle as the Brazilian took the ball from the referee, perhaps in an effort to psych her out. Solo and Francielle had been teammates in 2009 on Saint Louis Athletica and the two knew each other from there. Francielle did not rattle in the least, calmly placing her shot in the lower right corner to bring Brazil within one at 4-3.

It was all up to Ali Krieger, the one US player who had played much of her professional career in Germany. Krieger stepped up and hit a low bouncing shot inside the left post, out of the reach of Andreia. Krieger had converted and the United States had made one of the most improbable comebacks in soccer history.

Likely, much will be made of the calls that were made and weren't made in the match, most likely by backers of both sides. There are surely some things that need sorting out there.

Brazilian defender Daiane certainly had a rough day, between the own goal, the final US goal, and the missed penalty. To be fair, she played very well otherwise and quite frankly, the Brazilian team as a whole failed to finish off the match when they had the chance, so one could hardly place the blame on any one player.

The United States has now reached every semifinal in Women's World Cup history. They will now face a very tough French team who went through the ordeal of overtime and penalties just 24 hours earlier. The US will have to do so without the services of their starting center back Rachel Buehler, since she will be forced to miss that match on suspension. One wonders if they can lift themselves back up after this emotionally draining day.

But at least until Wednesday, they can believe that miracles can happen, especially when you believe in yourself.

Sweden 2, United States 1

Sweden scored first half goals on a penalty kick and a free kick to defeat the United States by a 2-1 margin. They played their best match of the tournament so far and the victory earns them first place in Group C. The United States have to settle for second place in Group C, losing their first group stage match ever.

Both teams had a key player out of the lineup. Caroline Seger did not play because of yellow card accumulation, while Heather O'Reilly was forced to sit out because of an injured groin. US striker Abby Wambach did start in spite of her Achilles heel injury.

For the opening six minutes of the match, it looked like the United States were going to take the initiative. Play was almost entirely in Sweden's end, but the US produced only one scoring chance, a shot from 16 yards from Lauren Cheney which was handled easily by Hedvig Lindahl.

However, as the match settled into a rhythm, Sweden took control and had the better of play, as the United States seemed quite out of sync at times.

Sweden had the first great scoring opportunity on the first of many US mistakes on the day. Lindahl's goal kick in the 7th minute was mistakenly headed backwards by midfielder Carli Lloyd and it became quite a good through ball for Lotta Schelin. Schelin dribbled to the penalty spot and released her shot, but Hope Solo made a great kick save to keep Sweden off the board.

The United States had another chance in the 13th minute as the they worked the ball to Amy Rodriguez 25 yards out. She touched a nice pass to Wambach, who was cutting to her left, but her low shot went right to Lindahl.

Disaster struck the United States in the 14th minute. A harmless Lisa Dahlqvist shot from 30 yards was slowed by a deflection off of US defender Christie Rampone. Schelin seized on the opportunity gathering the ball at the 18 and was pulled down by Amy LePeilbet just inside the penalty area. Sweden was correctly awarded a penalty kick and LePeilbet received a yellow card for her challenge.

Dahlqvist stepped up to take the penalty. She went left with her shot and it had to be perfect, because Solo guessed correctly and just missed getting her fingertips on the ball. Sweden led 1-0.

The US almost equalized in the 20th minute. Abby Wambach was able to touch the ball over to Lauren Cheney who had a clear chance from 16 yards. Her blast had Lindahl beat, but flew just wide of the left post. Another Cheney shot from 18 yards dipped just over the crossbar a minute later.

The United States came close again in the 32nd minute as Rodriguez was able to fend off Charlotte Rohlin and chip the ball over the head of Lindahl, but the Swedish goalkeeper had to feel quite relieved as the ball hit the top of the crossbar and went barely over.

The US couldn't have been much more unlucky in the 35th minute, although a bit of sloppy play in back led to the bad luck. Rachel Buehler seemed to be perfectly positioned to intercept a long ball out of the Swedish back, but the ball skipped by her and she then fouled Schelin in the process of trying to get the ball back.

Once again, a deflection on a harmless shot was the culprit. Nilla Fischer's free kick from 28 yards was well struck, but should have been no trouble at all, with Solo moving over to cover the post in case the ball might be on target. Instead, the ball struck LePeilbet and deflected well behind the American keeper into the left side of the net. Two shots from distance, two deflections off American defenders, one setting up a Swedish goal and one directly resulting in a Swedish goal.

Carli Lloyd nearly poked the ball into the net on a Rampone free kick in the 41st minute, but Lindahl made a nice save in traffic to keep the ball in front of her and out of the net.

The half ended with Sweden holding a 2-0 edge. They had played their best half of soccer in the tournament and they clearly had the edge in play in the first half. They also hadn't made near the mistakes that the Americans had. Yet the US had several opportunities and just didn't cash in. However, the United States had too often settled for hopeless long attempts when other options might have been better.

Nilla Fischer tried to make it three in the 57th minute, but her shot from 20 yards went wide of the right post. Josefine Oqvist crossed the ball into the box a minute later, but no one from Sweden was running at the back post and the ball rolled harmlessly through the box.

The United States finally scored in the 67th minute. Cheney took the corner kick from the right side and hit it to the far post. Wambach leaped above everyone and managed to get the top of her shoulder on the ball and it snuck just inside the left post to cut the lead in half.

Meanwhile, Sweden had one chance for Schelin called back on what appeared to be an errant offsides call.

The United States continued to pressure over the last 25 minutes, but could never get the tying goal. Their best chance came in the 86th minute when Cheney beat defender Annica Svensson on the left side and crossed the ball to the middle. Kelley O'Hara's wide open volley went wide of the right post from 14 yards out.

Nilla Fischer had an outstanding game for Sweden, while Schelin and Oqvist gave American defenders problems throughout. Sweden effectively sealed off any threats on their left flank from becoming dangerous, particularly late in the match. Lindahl was solid overall, but a bit fortunate that the United States could not find the goal for much of the match.

For the United States, Ali Krieger continues to impress at right back, while Lauren Cheney continues to be an offensive threat for the US. The United States obviously missed Heather O'Reilly's speed up the right side.

Sweden comes out of Group C play unbeaten and will face Australia on Sunday. The loss for the United States sets up a heavyweight contest between the US and Brazil on Sunday, a rematch of the 2008 Olympic final and the 2007 World Cup semifinal.

While some may call this an upset, it is certainly not a surprise. Sweden had beaten the United States by the identical score in January and the two teams play close matches nearly every time they meet. Sweden were on their game in the first half and their speed gave the US back line trouble, something that the United States will have to rectify before Sunday's match with Brazil.

Perhaps the biggest winner here is Germany for now they know they will at most have to face only one team between the United States and Brazil in the tournament, and then not until the final.

The bracket sets up like this:

Germany vs. Japan
Sweden vs. Australia

England vs. France
Brazil vs. United States

United States 3, Colombia 0

United States dominated Colombia for most of 90 minutes, taking their second Group C match with a 3-0 victory and it really could have been much more. The Americans took 27 shots, nine of which were on goal and nearly all were dangerous.

The victory means that the United States have qualified for the quarterfinals, with only first and second place in Group C to be decided. The US will meet Sweden on Wednesday to settle that.

Both teams made changes to their starting lineups. Lori Lindsey started for Shannon Boxx in the midfield to give the veteran a bit of rest. Meanwhile, Colombian coach Ricardo Rozo elected not to start his young star Yoreli Rincon who had struggled in their first match.

The first chance came in just the third minute. Lauren Cheney played a ball into the left side of the box, but Amy Rodriguez's shot from a bad angle was saved by Sandra Sepulveda.

Just four minutes later, Heather O'Reilly's cross from the right side found Abby Wambach on the left side of the box. Wambach's shot was saved by Sepulveda and the rebound went to a wide open Rodriguez who skied the ball over the crossbar. Sepulveda injured her hand on the save on Wambach and the injury may have cost her later in the match.

Rodriguez had yet another chance in the 10th minute as a well-weighted ball from Lori Lindsey sent her in alone on the left side, but Sepulveda cut off the angle and Rodriguez fired wide.

A poor touch on a clearance led to the United States' first goal in the 13th minute. Heather O'Reilly picked up the loose ball and hammered a shot into the left side netting from 25 yards out. That goal had to take some of the pressure off of the USWNT.

A corner almost led to another goal, but Wambach's header went wide left in the 21st minute. That was followed by Rodriguez's curling shot from 20 yards that was saved by Sepulveda. In the 31st, another cross by O'Reilly from the right side found Wambach wide open, but her header went well over the bar. In the 36th minute, Sepulveda saved Lauren Cheney's blast from 12 yards. Chance after chance and the US still only led by one.

Colombia had very few chances in the first half, but they did put the ball into the net once. In the closing minute of the half, Diana Ospina put the ball through to Katerin Castro, who slipped the ball past Hope Solo, but Castro was well offside on the play.

Megan Rapinoe came on as a halftime substitution for Rodriguez and instantly brought energy and a goal to the US. A throw-in came to Cheney with her back to the net, about 30 yards out. She turned on her defender and slipped a pass just inside the penalty area to Rapinoe. Rapinoe worked her away along the top of the box toward the middle and drove the ball into the upper left corner of the net.

In the 57th minute, Carli Lloyd made it 3-0 on a long-range bomb from 28 yards that Sepulveda appeared to have saved, but it went off her hands into the goal. One had to wonder if the earlier injury might have been a factor there.

The United States continued to pile on the chances, but scored no more goals. Rapinoe rattled the crossbar in the 68th minute, just missing her second goal. In the 80th minute, Wambach blocked Sepulveda's attempted clearance and the ball squarely hit the right post, but stayed out of the goal.

Colombia appeared to have a golden opportunity in the 85th minute, but Orianica Velasquez took a bit too much time and the US defense was able to recover. It must be said that Velasquez had some very good moments as a second half substitute.

The two things the US didn't want in the closing minutes were injuries or yellow cards. Unfortunately, they got both. Heather O'Reilly came off in the 62nd minute and it was unclear what the nature of her injury was, but she was obviously in some discomfort as she was examined on the sideline.

Abby Wambach received a yellow card in the 84th minute as her foot caught Sepulveda in the side as the Colombian keeper was making a save.

Hope Solo posted her fifth straight World Cup shutout, making only four saves for the match.

The United States and Sweden have qualified for the quarterfinals. The order will be determined by the match between the two on Wednesday. In the event of a tie, the United States would win the group based on goal differential. Colombia will face Korea DPR in the other Group C match on Wednesday.

United States 2, Korea DPR 0

They say it's always a good idea to make your coach look brilliant and that's just what Lauren Cheney did in the United States' opening match against Korea on Tuesday. Cheney scored the winning goal in the 54th minute to lead the US to a 2-0 victory.

Cheney was placed in the starting lineup as a midfielder in place of the normal starter Megan Rapinoe and the move paid dividends to US coach Pia Sundhage. While Cheney was playing midfield, she appeared to be almost a third striker for much of the match.

The United States looked a bit nervous early on, perhaps a combination of opening match jitters and pressure. The first half was played pretty evenly between the two sides and the Koreans certainly had stretches were they held the advantage.

The way things went early on, especially for Cheney, it appeared that the Americans were out to play kick and catch with Korean keeper Hong Myong Hui. The first evidence of this was in the 11th minute as Cheney drilled a hard shot, but right at Hong.

Korea did not get any especially dangerous chances early on. Jon Myong Hwa did put one over the bar from distance in the 25th minute.

Cheney again placed a hard shot on frame from 15 yards, but again right at Hong in the 34th minute.

But later in the half, Korea were knocking at the door. Just a minute later, Kim Su Gyong nearly snuck one inside the right post, but Hope Solo was there to make the save. Then Song Jong Sun sent the ball past a diving Solo across the goal mouth, but no one was making a back post run and the ball rolled harmlessly away. In the closing minutes of the half JoYun Mi nearly tipped in a cross by Kim, but to no avail.

The second started with some beautiful passing from the US. Carli Lloyd sent the ball forward to Abby Wambach who sent it square to Amy Rodriguez. Rodriguez then connected with a nice pass to Cheney. Once again, Cheney's shot was right at Hong.

But if the first half was pretty even, the second half was a dominating performance by the United States. They created chance after chance in the 2nd half. First, Shannon Boxx sent one just over the bar. Then Cheney again tested Hong from 12 yards, but the Korean keeper was up to task yet again. In the 51st minute, Rodriguez made a nice run up the right side, sending the ball across to Wambach who missed connecting from just in front of the goal.

The US broke through in the 54th minute. Lloyd sent a well-weighted ball up the left side with Wambach running onto it. Wambach settled, cut inside to give herself room and hit a right-footed cross. Lauren Cheney was waiting eight yards out and even with the back post. Unlike all of the shots off her foot, her header was perfectly placed, back across the goal and inside the left post. The United States led 1-0.

Korea came close to tying in the 56th minute as Ri's shot from distance glanced off the top of the crossbar. It was as close as the young Koreans would come to tying the match.

The United States continued to keep Hong busy. Amy LePeilbet's cross in the 65th minute found Wambach wide open. She headed the ball down hard, with the ball bouncing in front of Hong, then off Hong's hands and then hitting the underside of the crossbar, before bouncing out. Later, Rodriguez hit a bending shot that appeared might sneak inside the left post, but Hong was able to get a hand on that to keep it at one.

The United States put the game away in the 76th minute as Ali Krieger's shot from the left wing struck the crossbar, with the loose ball eventually coming to Rachel Buehler at the 18.. She neatly slotted the ball just inside the left post to give the US a safe 2-0 lead.

Korea did put some pressure on in the final five minutes, but Solo and the US were able to keep it at a shutout. Meanwhile, the US thought they had a third when Megan Rapinoe appeared to beat Hong to the ball and hammer it home from in close, but the referee ruled that Hong had gotten her hands on the ball just before Rapinoe connected. The goal was disallowed and a foul called on the American midfielder.

For the United States, several players had strong games, most notably Cheney and Rodriguez. The US were able to limit Korean star Jo's chances to just a few. Hope Solo was solid in goal, but really not overly tested. Hong did well to keep the score at 2-0 in goal for the Koreans.

The United States put themselves in a very favorable position in Group C with three points and a +2 differential. They will take on Colombia on Saturday, a match that they should enter as prohibitive favorites. North Korea meets Sweden on Saturday in a very important match for both teams.

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.

Wambach's Hat Trick Leads magicJack

Abby Wambach scored three goals and Sarah Huffman added another as magicJack easily defeated Atlanta 4-0 on Saturday evening. It was Wambach's first ever WPS hat trick.

The victory keeps magicJack in second place in WPS. Going into today's action, they trail Western New York by five points and have a three point advantage on third place Philadelphia.

Wambach opened the scoring in just the 8th minute of action as she caught Beat goalkeeper Alli Lipsher off her line and chipped over her head and into the net. Huffman's goal followed just a few minutes later and Atlanta was never in the match afterwards.

Wambach added goals in the 67th and 89th minute to make the final tally 4-0. Hope Solo recorded the shutout in goal for magicJack.

MagicJack ups their record to 4-1-0, good for 11 points (after subtracting the point they were penalized earlier in the season). Atlanta suffered their fifth loss in a row, scoring just one goal in those five matches. They are now 1-6-1.

Both teams return to action next weekend. The Beat must travel to Philadelphia for the final game in their current road stretch. MagicJack will also be on the road, at Boston, on Sunday.

Note: The point total which was originally listed by the author as 12 points and record which was originally listed as 4-0-1 for magicJack should read 11 points and 4-1-0. It has been corrected. This new math is killing me.

US Takes First Match Against Japan

The United States Women's National Team has won the first of two friendlies with Japan by a score of 2-0. Abby Wambach led the way with a goal and an assist.

The United States started slowly as they struggled with Japanese pressure on the ball. Japan was able to create a few half chances early in the contest, including a long, speedy run by Shinobu Ohno in the 23rd minute, which looked dangerous but did not end in a goal.

The United States' attack began to show signs of life in the 25th minute as Carli Lloyd hit a brilliant back heel pass to Stephanie Cox, who in turn sent the ball through to Wambach. Her shot from 12 yards on the left side gave Japanese keeper Ayumi Kaihori trouble, but the US was unable to pounce on the rebound and the Japanese eventually cleared.

The USWNT finally broke through in the 29th minute. Ali Krieger placed a 40-yard free kick well into the box, where Wambach soared easily above the Japanese defenders and headed the ball in with good pace to put the United States up 1-0. It was the first goal for Wambach since the Concacaf tournament last fall.

The United States doubled their lead in the 37th minute. Heather O'Reilly dribbled in before sending the ball wide to Wambach. She hit a perfect cross into an onrushing Amy Rodriguez who's shot hit the inside of the right post before spinning across the line for the goal.

The US played a fairly strong second half, but were unable to add to their lead and the match finished in a 2-0 victory. Hope Solo, who played her first full match for the USWNT since last summer, earned the shutout.

The victory did not come without a price, however, as Lindsay Tarpley tore her ACL late in the second half and will unfortunately miss the World Cup. It was a tough blow for Tarpley who had suffered a serious injury to end the 2009 WPS season as well.

On the positive side, Wambach looked as good as ever after spending much of the winter and spring bothered by a heel injury. She was a dominant factor in this win for the US.

The two teams will meet again in Cary, North Carolina on Wednesday evening.

Other scores involving World Cup bound teams:
May 12 - Australia 3 (Foord, Simon, Khamis), New Zealand 0
May 14 - Brazil 3 (Aline Pelligrino, Marta, Rosana), Chile 0
May 15 - Australia 2 (Cannuli, McCallum), New Zealand 1 (Wilkinson)
May 15 - Ghana 2, Nigeria 1

De Vanna Withdrawn from Squad for Friendly

According to the Football Australia website, Matilda's striker Lisa De Vanna was withdrawn from the squad before a friendly with New Zealand due to "a breach in team rules." No word yet on how this affects her status for the upcoming World Cup in Germany.

This follows the loss of Kate Gill who recently suffered a severe injury while playing for Swedish club Linkopings two weeks ago.

De Vanna had missed considerable time with the Matildas due to a serious injury she suffered while playing for Australia in the Asian Cup in May, 2010.

2011 magicJack Preview

magicJack
Coach: Mike Lyons (1st year)
2010 Record: 8-9-7 (4th place)
Home Stadium: FAU Soccer Field (Boca Raton, FL)

Roster:
Goalkeepers (3): Jillian Loyden, Brett Maron, Hope Solo.
Defenders (6): Marian Dalmy, Tina Ellertson, Nikki Marshall, Christie Rampone, Becky Sauerbrunn, Meghan Schnur.
Midfielders (8): Shannon Boxx, Amanda DaCosta(R), Omolyn Davis(R), Sarah Huffman, Meghan Klingenberg(R), Sophie Schmidt(R), Lindsay Tarpley, Kacey White.
Forwards (6): Lisa De Vanna, Ella Masar, Rebecca Moros, Christen Press(R), Johanna Rasmussen, Abby Wambach.
(R) denotes true rookie; returning players in bold.
Probable World Cup players: Solo, Rampone, Boxx, Schmidt, Tarpley, De Vanna, Wambach, and possibly Sauerbrunn.

Pretty much everything is new with this team…ownership, location, general manager, coach, name, and most of the team. If it weren’t for Freedom veterans like Abby Wambach, Sarah Huffman, and Becky Sauerbrunn, one could almost call this a completely new franchise.

Lost in all of the changes and confusion of the offseason is that magicJack has put together quite a solid team. They are reasonably strong at every position and have actually added a number of offensive players that should make them even more dangerous. Add Lindsay Tarpley, Kacey White, Ella Masar, Christen Press, and Johanna Rasmussen to an already solid offense with Abby Wambach and Lisa De Vanna and you have the makings of a very potent attack.

Even though this team has four rookies, it is a largely veteran team. But this team will be missing a lot of key players during the World Cup and continuity could be a problem. Even so, magicJack appears to have players to step in at every position and still be competitive.

Goalkeepers: Once magicJack brought Hope Solo into the fold, it really just becomes a question of how many games will she be able to play for her new team. Still recovering from shoulder surgery, she just made her first game appearance against England last weekend. It is a bit of a quandary from a USWNT point of view. She needs the game action, but how much can she risk the shoulder for the time being?

Last season was a year of distractions, between Athletica folding, tweetgate, and the surgery. But absent all of that, when Solo is on top of her game, there isn’t a better goalkeeper in the world. Backing her up will be two keepers that are used to that role. Jill Loyden, last year’s Red Star starter, backed Solo up in Saint Louis during 2009. Brett Maron was Solo’s backup in Atlanta. Both have experience as a starter, with Loyden being called up for national team duty on occasion.

Defenders: There won’t be many teams that can boast the veteran back line that magicJack will field coming into the 2011 season. Marshall is probably the only one you couldn’t call a seasoned veteran and the only one that hasn’t appeared on the senior national team. But what a rookie season she had. Overlooked when it came to rookie of the year voting, she made an impact both on defense and at striker.

The other five defenders are all experienced. Christie Rampone brings her 234 national team caps to magicJack after captaining (and sometimes coaching) Sky Blue for two seasons. A great leader on and off the field, Rampone is a professional in every sense of the word. Becky Sauerbrunn, also a candidate for the WC team, is the only other returnee. She has not missed a minute of action in two WPS seasons, the only player that can say that.

Three more defenders were brought in as free agents and all are excellent players. Marian Dalmy was a strong right back, with good height and the ability to make overlapping runs. Meghan Schnur played left back for Sky Blue and is very solid. Veteran Tina Ellertson joins her Washington Huskie teammate Solo with magicJack. Ellertson is a two-time WPS All-Star, is good in the air and has great speed, especially for a center back.

Midfielders: Here you have your classic blend of experience and youth, long-time national team players like Shannon Boxx and Lindsay Tarpley with young college talent like Klingenberg and Schmidt. The only returning player in the group is Sarah Huffman.

Boxx and Tarpley have combined for 265 caps on the USWNT. Boxx has been the starter at defensive mid for the USWNT for several years. She is strong in the air and has become more of an offensive threat since WPS has started. Tarpley is one of the most intelligent players on the field. Whether playing midfield or forward, she is always looking for the best option and is very unselfish.

The other two veterans on the team, Sarah Huffman and Kacey White, have both had short stints on the national team. Huffman is a consistent, hard-working midfielder, and has been with this franchise back to its W-League days. To me, White has always been underrated. She has good speed, attacks well from the outside and usually serves the ball into her forwards with accuracy.

The rookies on this team are quite intriguing as well. It’s really hard to call Sophie Schmidt a rookie. After all, she does have 58 caps with the Canadian National Team. Ultimately, Schmidt may be the best midfielder this team has. Meghan Klingenberg also has national team experience, both on the junior and senior levels. There is a possibility that Klingenberg may move to outside back for magicJack. Jamaican Omolyn Davis has a lot of talent, which hopefully coach Mike Lyons will be able to harness, while Amanda DaCosta had an excellent career at Florida State and looks to move up to the next level.

Forwards: Abby Wambach has been the focus of this team’s offense for the past two years and that probably won’t change. But Wambach has more weapons around her now, which may give her more room to operate in the middle. Unfortunately, nagging injury problems with her foot seem to have slowed her, although she is gamely trying to play through it. When healthy, she is the best in the world in the air and has scored well over 100 goals for the USWNT.

Lisa De Vanna’s 2010 WPS season got cut short following a broken leg in the Asian Cup. Her speed is a nice complement to Wambach’s strength. De Vanna scored six goals for the Freedom back in 2009. One player that had a strong 2010 season was Ella Masar. Masar scored eight goals for the Red Stars last year and quickly became a fan favorite.

In what could be regarded as a steal, magicJack obtained Johanna Rasmussen from Atlanta. Rasmussen was the Beat’s best player at times last year, and she can switch between forward and wing with relative ease. MagicJack also gets help from the draft in Stanford’s Christen Press. Press scored 26 goals for the Cardinal last year. Rounding out the forwards is returnee Rebecca Moros who adds versatility to the roster. Moros has played defense, midfielder, and forward for the Freedom over the past two years.

Outlook: In spite of the huge roster turnover, this team has the elements to compete for the title. They have a nice blend of youth and veterans and are strong at every position. But will this team ever be at full strength. Wambach’s injury could be a problem and she did not appear to be fully healthy in the recent match against England. Solo also made an appearance in that match, but is coming off from a long recovery from shoulder surgery. In addition, several key players will be absent during the World Cup.

You also have to wonder if some of the older veterans on the team will start to slow down. Talented as they are, Rampone is now 35, Boxx is 33, Wambach is 30, while Solo and Ellertson are fast approaching 30. And Boca Raton is not going to be the coolest spot to play summer matches. Their home advantage may not be as strong either, with the smallest seating capacity in a new home. Over the last two seasons, the Freedom had an excellent home record at 12-4-6 and a fairly dismal road record at 4-12-6.

This team is strong enough to compete. They have the talent, leadership, speed, strength, and depth necessary. But they are also going to need things to break their way, especially with respect to health and quickly developing into a cohesive unit.

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