United States 2, Canada 1
The USWNT edged Canada 2-1 in the first match between the two teams in a year and a half on a cold evening in China. Lindsay Tarpley scored the game winning goal in the 70th minute, her first goal since May, 2009, before her ACL injury.
Coach Pia Sundhage made several changes to her lineup. Only Christie Rampone repeated as a defensive starter as Sundhage inserted Brittany Taylor, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Stephanie Cox into the lineup. In the midfield, she started Lori Lindsey and Kelley O'Hara instead of Shannon Boxx and Heather O'Reilly. And Alex Morgan got a rare start instead of Lauren Cheney.
Meanwhile, Canadian coach Carolina Morace made only two changes to her starters. Karina LeBlanc started in goal instead of Erin McLeod. Sophie Schmidt got the start over Carmelina Moscato.
The 1st half was fairly uneventful, with the game being scoreless at the intermission. The only first half substitution was Tarpley on for Megan Rapinoe.
The US started pressuring Canada in the 2nd half and it led to two early chances. In the 50th minute, an Alex Morgan shot was tipped by LeBlanc off the crossbar with the ball landing on the line, but not crossing. Shortly afterward, O'Hara hit the post with a shot.
The US broke through in the 54th minute, with Lindsay Tarpley setting up Lauren Cheney to make it 1-0.
But for the second time in two games, the US couldn't hold the lead. Canada answered on a breakaway goal by Melissa Tancredi to tie it at one in the 56th minute, with Kaylyn Kyle getting the assist.
The United States took the lead for good in the 70th minute as Cheney returned the favor by setting up Tarpley for the game winning goal.
Christine Sinclair nearly tied the game in the 90th minute, but US goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart was able to make the save and preserve the victory.
The tournament's four teams are now all even with a win and a loss, and in goal differential. Canada and China are now ahead in the standings based on four goals scored to three total for the United States and Sweden. Canada will face Sweden on Tuesday, while the US will take on China in the tournament's final match.
China 2, Sweden 1
China posted a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Sweden on Sunday.
Like the US, Sweden's coach Thomas Dennerby made several changes in his lineup. Kristin Hammerström started in place of Hedvig Lindahl in goal. Johanna Frisk, Linda Sembrant and Sara Larsson were starters on the back line. Marie Hammerström, Johanna Almgren, and Madelaine Edlund were also new starters for Dennerby.
Sweden struck first on a goal by Josefine Öqvist in the 16th minute. Almgren put in the hard work on the goal, winning the ball, then dribbling around a defender, before touching the ball to the middle where Öqvist finished.
China scored the tying goal in the 35th minute off of a free kick from the right side. While attempting to clear, the ball was headed by a Swedish defender from about 12 yards out into her own goal. You Jia scored the game winner in the 61st minute on yet another free kick, this one from the left side. The ball flicked on to You who was able to finish from six yards out. It was her third goal of the tournament.
Three of the four matches in this tournament have seen the team scoring the first goal losing their matches in the end.
Note: Information for the above stories was taken from the websites from the USWNT, Canadian National Team, and Swedish National Team.
Showing posts with label Four Nations Tournament. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Four Nations Tournament. Show all posts
January 23, 2011
January 22, 2011
US vs. Canada at Four Nations Tournament
They haven't met each other for 18 months, the longest gap since 1993. They were supposed to meet at the CONCACAF Tournament Finals in November. That match never happened. The USWNT fell to Mexico in the semifinals, while Canada defeated Mexico to become CONCACAF champions.
So here we are, 18 full months removed since the last time these two teams met and things have changed over that time. The US defeated Canada twice in July of 2009, both by 1-0 margins with Abby Wambach and Christine Nairn doing the honors of scoring the winning goals. Neither of those two players are at the Four Nations Tournament in China.
Canada is on an 11 game unbeaten streak, with the only two blemishes over that time being ties to Brazil. The USA, on the other hand, have suffered losses in two of their last five games, to Mexico in November and to Sweden on Friday in the Four Nations opening match.
The Canadians have a nice mixture of youth and veterans on their squad and are led by their all-time leading goal scorer Christine Sinclair, who now has 114 career goals after her two on Friday. The US will be without its big gun, Abby Wambach, who has 117 career goals. In fact, the four forwards that the USWNT brought to this tournament have just 28 combined goals.
The eleven players that were in the starting lineup for Canada on Friday average approximately 25.5 years of age. None of those starters were over 30. By contrast, the US started three players over 30 and their average age was close to 28 years old. The exception for the US is at forward, where they are very young in this tournament, including UCLA's Sydney Leroux who earned her first cap on Friday.
Canada showed resilience after falling behind China 2-0 on Friday, scoring the tying goal in the 80th minute and the winner in stoppage. They showed similar fortitude in a 2-2 tie against Brazil in December. After falling behind 2-1 on Marta's penalty kick in the 72nd minute and playing one player down, they managed to tie the match with less than 10 minutes to go.
One common theme in the two recent American losses was that in each match, they quickly gave up a goal after scoring. Against Mexico, they tied the match in the 25th minute, but surrendered a goal only two minutes later. Against Sweden, they scored the opening goal of the match in the 11th minute only to give up an equalizer just five minutes later. Is there a tendency to relax too much after scoring?
The US has dominated this series over its history with a 40-3-4 record. Their last blemish against Canada was a tie back in 2003 and they haven't lost to them since 2001, while competing with a roster made up of college and high school players. There have been close matches, however, with the US winning on penalties in 2008 CONCACAF qualifying and in overtime in the 2008 Olympic quarterfinals.
No matter what happens in this match, it is really just an exhibition, a warmup for bigger things to come. Both coaches are likely to experiment with lineups and up to five substitutions are allowed in each match. But make no mistake about it, the two teams will take this match seriously. Considering the rivalry, the recent direction of the two teams, and the fact that Canada are the newly crowned CONCACAF champions, it should provide for an entertaining and interesting match.
So here we are, 18 full months removed since the last time these two teams met and things have changed over that time. The US defeated Canada twice in July of 2009, both by 1-0 margins with Abby Wambach and Christine Nairn doing the honors of scoring the winning goals. Neither of those two players are at the Four Nations Tournament in China.
Canada is on an 11 game unbeaten streak, with the only two blemishes over that time being ties to Brazil. The USA, on the other hand, have suffered losses in two of their last five games, to Mexico in November and to Sweden on Friday in the Four Nations opening match.
The Canadians have a nice mixture of youth and veterans on their squad and are led by their all-time leading goal scorer Christine Sinclair, who now has 114 career goals after her two on Friday. The US will be without its big gun, Abby Wambach, who has 117 career goals. In fact, the four forwards that the USWNT brought to this tournament have just 28 combined goals.
The eleven players that were in the starting lineup for Canada on Friday average approximately 25.5 years of age. None of those starters were over 30. By contrast, the US started three players over 30 and their average age was close to 28 years old. The exception for the US is at forward, where they are very young in this tournament, including UCLA's Sydney Leroux who earned her first cap on Friday.
Canada showed resilience after falling behind China 2-0 on Friday, scoring the tying goal in the 80th minute and the winner in stoppage. They showed similar fortitude in a 2-2 tie against Brazil in December. After falling behind 2-1 on Marta's penalty kick in the 72nd minute and playing one player down, they managed to tie the match with less than 10 minutes to go.
One common theme in the two recent American losses was that in each match, they quickly gave up a goal after scoring. Against Mexico, they tied the match in the 25th minute, but surrendered a goal only two minutes later. Against Sweden, they scored the opening goal of the match in the 11th minute only to give up an equalizer just five minutes later. Is there a tendency to relax too much after scoring?
The US has dominated this series over its history with a 40-3-4 record. Their last blemish against Canada was a tie back in 2003 and they haven't lost to them since 2001, while competing with a roster made up of college and high school players. There have been close matches, however, with the US winning on penalties in 2008 CONCACAF qualifying and in overtime in the 2008 Olympic quarterfinals.
No matter what happens in this match, it is really just an exhibition, a warmup for bigger things to come. Both coaches are likely to experiment with lineups and up to five substitutions are allowed in each match. But make no mistake about it, the two teams will take this match seriously. Considering the rivalry, the recent direction of the two teams, and the fact that Canada are the newly crowned CONCACAF champions, it should provide for an entertaining and interesting match.
December 21, 2010
Sundhage Names 26 Players for Four Nations Camp
USWNT coach Pia Sundhage has called 26 players to camp in early January in preparation for the 2011 Four Nations Tournament, which will include the US, Canada, Sweden, and China. Several young players are included in that group.
Meghan Klingenburg (UNC), Kristie Mewis (Boston College), Sydney Leroux (UCLA), and Alex Morgan were included on the list from the college ranks. Of those, only Morgan has capped for the senior team.
The list also includes several WPS rookies from the 2010 season. They are goalkeepers Alyssa Naeher and Ashlyn Harris, defenders Whitney Engen and Brittany Taylor, midfielders Jordan Angeli and Tobin Heath, midfielder/forward Kelley O'Hara, and forward Lauren Cheney. Heath is returning to the team for the first time since suffering an injury last spring.
Also returning to camp will be goalkeeper Hope Solo, who is recovering from shoulder surgery and missed Concacaf qualifying, as well as the home-and-home series against Italy.
Sundhage named eight veterans who will be on the roster for the tournament, but will not have to attend camp. Fifteen players from this camp will be added to those eight for the trip to China.
Meghan Klingenburg (UNC), Kristie Mewis (Boston College), Sydney Leroux (UCLA), and Alex Morgan were included on the list from the college ranks. Of those, only Morgan has capped for the senior team.
The list also includes several WPS rookies from the 2010 season. They are goalkeepers Alyssa Naeher and Ashlyn Harris, defenders Whitney Engen and Brittany Taylor, midfielders Jordan Angeli and Tobin Heath, midfielder/forward Kelley O'Hara, and forward Lauren Cheney. Heath is returning to the team for the first time since suffering an injury last spring.
Also returning to camp will be goalkeeper Hope Solo, who is recovering from shoulder surgery and missed Concacaf qualifying, as well as the home-and-home series against Italy.
Sundhage named eight veterans who will be on the roster for the tournament, but will not have to attend camp. Fifteen players from this camp will be added to those eight for the trip to China.
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