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 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.

US Squeaks Past Mexico 1-0

It took nearly 92 minutes, but Lauren Cheney's strike gave the United States a 1-0 victory over Mexico. The goal came in spite of a brilliant effort by 16 year old goalkeeper Celia Santiago.

The United States dominated almost from the opening whistle, unlike the match last November where Mexico took it to the US early in the match. But a combination of missed opportunities and some great saves by the Mexican teenager kept the United States off the scoreboard until second half stoppage time.

The winning goal started with Heather O'Reilly's long pass up the center of the field to Abby Wambach who received the ball 10 yards outside of the penalty area. She dropped the ball back to Cheney, who worked her way to her right before releasing a blistering shot from 30 yards out into the upper left corner of the net, just beyond the outstretched arms of Santiago.

The United States outshot Mexico 34-4 for the match, but far too many of those were not on frame. They still put enough on goal to keep Santiago busy for most of the match. The US thought they surely had a goal in the 70th minute when Stephanie Cox sent a perfect pass to a cutting Carli Lloyd. Lloyd's shot had good pace and was heading just inside the near post before Santiago was able to reach out and deflect the ball away at the last possible moment.

Mexico found it very hard to muster any kind of an attack, unlike the Concacaf semifinal when they were consistently able to find space between the US defense. The US passing game was much improved from their two recent matches with Japan. Mexico did show some improvement in the attack later in the match, but were unable to produce any chances beyond a few shots from distance.

Hope Solo got the shutout for the United States, but was tested with very few chances.

Heather Mitts, who has been suffering from injuries for most of the past few months, saw her first action in the second half. It was later confirmed that Mitts will keep her roster spot for the World Cup.

The United States will next head to Austria for training camp before arriving in Germany for their first round match on June 28.

Before the match, Kristine Lilly was honored for her extraordinary USWNT career, which include 352 caps and 130 goals.

Western New York Shuts Out magicJack

The Western New York Flash have solidified their hold on first place, defeating magicJack by a 3-0 score. The Flash got goals from Becky Edwards and Caroline Seger, plus Seger later converted a penalty to account for the final score.

The first half was played at a frenetic pace, with scoring chances seemingly coming by the minute. MagicJack's decision to go with a three-back defense appeared to be a mistake, as Western New York owned the first 20 minutes of the match. The Flash put an onslaught on the magicJack goal with only great goalkeeping by Hope Solo keeping her team in the match.

The Flash got on the board just over one minute into the match. Kandace Wilson sent a beautiful pass through to Marta who dribbled in on goal. Solo came out to make a stop on Marta 10 yards from the goal. The rebound went to Christine Sinclair who drilled one off the crossbar, followed by another rebound by Becky Edwards that deflected off a magicJack defender and into the net.

In the 17th minute, Solo stopped Alex Morgan from point blank range. Just a minute later, Solo dove to save a Christine Sinclair shot, only to have the ball deflected off the crossbar by her own defender. She then scrambled to grab the ball before anymore damage could be done. And then it was Solo again stopping Morgan twice from inside 10 yards in the 19th minute. The Flash could have easily held a three or four goal advantage at that point, but it was still 1-0.

It was about that time that the momentum changed and magicJack started to put pressure on. In the 21st minute, Shannon Boxx blistered a shot off the crossbar, followed by a Meghan Schnur shot that sailed just over the bar.

In the 28th minute, Ashlyn Harris made a great diving punch save on Ella Masar. A few minutes later, it was Harris robbing Masar yet again on a lunging save on Masar's shot from 12 yards. Although she did not score, Masar would be a thorn in the Flashes' side all night long.

With magicJack knocking on the door and coming on strong, Caroline Seger scored against the run of play to make it 2-0 very late in the first half. Dribbling inside the box toward the right side and with everyone expecting her to pass, she suddenly turned and hit a low shot through Megan Schnur's legs that Hope Solo probably never saw and into the left side of the net. Western New York weathered a late push to keep the score at 2-0 in their favor at the half.

After such an action-packed first half, it was almost predictable that the second half couldn't keep up that pace and both teams seemed to settle into the game after the intermission.

The first really good chance of the second half came in the 59th minute as Sinclair hit a volley from just outside the penalty area, with Solo again coming up with the big save on a dive to her right.

Yael Averbuch entered the game in the 2nd half, seeing her first action since the opener for Western New York.

MagicJack nearly cut the lead in half in the 83rd minute as Ella Masar's shot from six yards went just over the bar and the unlucky Masar was again denied a goal.

Western New York finished the scoring in the 84th minute. Marta and Tina Ellertson, who had been battling all night, fought for a ball going into the box, both running at full speed. Ellertson reached out her arm in an attempt to slow Marta and shield her from the ball with the Flash striker going down and a penalty was awarded. Caroline Seger converted the penalty, as the ball went just beyond the fingertips of Solo, as the magicJack keeper had guessed correctly.

There were a few anxious moments among the Flash faithful and soccer fans in general, as Marta appeared to turn an ankle and was walking quite gingerly after she was able to get up. However, she stayed on and appeared to be running without discomfort later in the match.

Ashlyn Harris got the shutout in goal for the Flash. They raise their record to 5-0-1, with 16 points. They are now eight points clear of second place magicJack, who fell to 3-1-0, with 8 points. Western New York travels to Philadelphia next weekend, while magicJack returns home to host Atlanta.

It was announced by WPS that magicJack owner Dan Borislow has been fined $10,000 and has been suspended from serving in any technical capacity for magicJack for two games, effective immediately, for "public statements that are derogatory and not in the best interests of the league."

US Defeats Japan 2-0 in Rematch

The result was the same as four days earlier, but it was much better performance out of the USWNT tonight as they defeated Japan by a 2-0 margin in Cary, North Carolina.

Pia Sundhage went with the exact same lineup as she did Saturday and early on, the game appeared much the same as well. Japan put high pressure on the United States' defense early on and this created a bit faster tempo. The Japanese had the better of possession for the first 20 minutes of the match, but the American defense was solid and Japan was unable to get a good scoring chance.

The United States appeared to grow stronger as the first half progressed and once again, they were able to strike first in the 28th minute of the match. Shannon Boxx sent a long cross-field pass to Heather O'Reilly who gained possession on the right side near the end line. O'Reilly was able to beat a defender to the outside and sent a beautiful cross back to an open Amy Rodriguez. Rodriguez finished, in spite of Japanese keeper Ayumi Kaihori getting her hand on it, and the United States led 1-0.

Sundhage made one halftime substitution, sending in Amy LePeilbet at left back for Stephanie Cox. LePeilbet had been nursing an injury and did not appear in Saturday's match. The United States turned up the pressure in the second half, creating chance after chance.

Two more substitutions were forthcoming in the 60th minute as Alex Morgan and Lori Lindsey entered the match for Rodriguez and Boxx. Boxx had one of her best all around performances in this match.

It didn't take long for Morgan to get into the mix, as Carli Lloyd sent a long ball over the top of the Japanese back line. Morgan timed her run perfectly and was able to beat Kaihori to the ball tipping it past her. Morgan gained control just outside the six-yard box on the left side, but took a bit long to set up her shot as defender Azusa Iwashimizu made a great sliding save just before the ball reached the goal.

Three minutes later, it was the Lloyd-Morgan connection again, this time with Lloyd sending a beautiful ball through to Morgan who got within eight yards of the goal. This time it was Kaihori making a great save to rob Morgan.

The Americans kept knocking on the door and it finally opened in the 69th minute. Lloyd sent a ball wide right to O'Reilly, who this time cut inside with the ball. She hit a well-placed strike from 15 yards out just inside the left post to put the US up by a 2-0 score.

USWNT goalkeeper Hope Solo got her sternest test in the 81st minute as Karina Maruyama hit a solid strike that appeared to be heading just under the crossbar as a leaping Solo tipped the ball over the net.

The match ended in a well-earned US victory. Their next match will be June 5, in what will be a rematch of the Concacaf semifinal where Mexico stunned the US and nearly put American World Cup hopes on the ropes.

Other World Cup teams in action today:
Mexico 3 (Morales, Perez, Cuellar), Costa Rica 0
France 1 (Bussaglia, pk), Scotland 1 (Ross)
Canada 2 (own goal, Julien), Switzerland 1 (Crnogorcevic)

magicJack Remains Unbeaten; Philly Defeats Breakers

magicJack 2, Atlanta Beat 0

Rookie Christen Press scored her first WPS goal and Ella Masar added another as magicJack won their third straight by a 2-0 margin over Atlanta in Boca Raton.

Press, who led all scorers in college with 26 goals in 2010, scored her first professional goal with magicJack. Her goal came in the 64th minute, after Ella Masar had opened the scoring in the 24th minute. The Stanford alum was the number four overall selection in the January draft. Masar's goal was her second of the season.

Hope Solo earned the shutout for magicJack, who outshot Atlanta by a 12-2 margin. This was the second shutout of the season for magicJack.

magicJack has a bye week before heading to Rochester to play the league's other unbeaten team, Western New York, on May 22 in what should be an interesting matchup. Atlanta, whose record fell to 1-3-1, will return home to face Philadelphia next Sunday.

Philadelphia Independence 2, Boston Breakers 0

The Independence played an all-round solid match in defeating the Breakers 2-0 tonight in Chester, Pennsylvania. It was the first home match and the first victory of the season for Philadelphia.

Both goalkeepers were sharp early on. In the 17th minute, Tina DiMartino found Tasha Kai alone on the left side, but Breakers' keeper Alyssa Naeher slid out to stop Kai's shot.

Later in the half, Kelly Smith was able to control a loose ball at the 18 and after a quick touch to the left, unleashed a wicked shot in tight space that Nicole Barnhart was just barely able to tip over the crossbar. Later, Smith nearly sent Alex Scott through, but a sliding Barnhart was able to thwart that effort.

Philadelphia finally broke through in the 41st minute on a great effort by Tasha Kai. Leigh Ann Robinson sent a long ball out of the back to start the play. Kai was able to fend off Boston defender Ifeoma Dieke to get her shot off past Naeher. The ball hit the right post, rebounding in front of the net. Kai hustled to the ball and finished with a diving header, just ahead of Dieke, to put the Independence up 1-0.

Philadelphia continued to pressure into the second half. Tina DiMartino made a long run from the right sideline to the top of the box, before finding Amy Rodriguez on the left side. Rodriguez struck a low shot that Naeher made a terrific save on, only to have Lianne Sanderson find the rebound and knock it home from an extreme angle on the far side of the net.

From that point forward, the Independence controlled the match. Boston's players looked more and more weary as the match wore on, perhaps a by product of having several USWNT players on their team who had just concluded a vigorous training camp in Florida.

For her part, Naeher tried to keep her team in the match, making several nice saves in the second half. She twice disappointed Laura del Rio with nice saves and stopped Sinead Farrelly on yet another. Naeher dodged a bullet in the 81st minute as Lori Lindsey's blast from 22 yards sailed over the net.

Philadelphia's defense was strong throughout the match and were able to keep the Boston attack in check. Their midfield did an excellent job of controlling the field and linking with forwards Kai, Rodriguez, and del Rio.

The Independence earned a well-deserved victory for their performance and evened their record at 1-1-1. They are now tied for 4th place with four points. Boston dropped to 2-3-0 and sit in 3rd place for the moment.

Philadelphia travels to Atlanta to meet the Beat next Sunday. Boston travels to Rochester to face league leading Western New York on Friday night.

WPS Standings
(1)Western New York (3-0-1, 10 pts); (2)magicJack (3-0-0, 9 pts); (3)Boston (2-3-0, 6 pts); (4)Philadelphia (1-1-1, 4 pts); (5)Atlanta (1-3-1, 4 pts); (6)Sky Blue FC (0-3-1, 1 pt).

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.

WPS Commissioner Antonucci To Step Down

WPS Commissioner Tonya Antonucci has announced that she will be stepping down at the conclusion of the 2010 season. Antonucci has been the guiding force behind the launching and development of the league since inception. She has led the league from its very beginnings, through the first season, and expansion. She helped secure sponsorships with PUMA and Citi and negotiated a deal with Fox Soccer Channel. Over the course of the past couple of years, the league has seen strong growth in sponsorships and partnerships under her leadership. She has also helped the league navigate through the demise of two franchises.

WPS General Counsel Anne-Marie Eileraas will take the title of CEO, Women's Professional Soccer. She will work with the WPS board, heading up the business and organizational aspects of WPS, while the board will deal more with the strategic direction of the league.

"Commissioner Antonucci's contributions to this league and to women's soccer on the whole are too numerous to list," said T. Fitz Johnson, Chairman of the WPS Board of Governors. "No other person did more to bring this league from idea to fruition over the past six years than she did. WPS would not be here without Tonya Antonucci and without her tireless work and unending passion for launching this league."

"The Board is incredibly excited that Anne-Marie Eileraas has accepted our offer to take over from the Commissioner as the CEO of Women's Professional Soccer."

Best wishes on future endeavors to Commissioner Antonucci. Congratulations and good luck to Ms. Eileraas in her new position.

FC Gold Pride Presented with Regular Season Championship Trophy

Commissioner Tonya Antonucci presented FC Gold Pride with the regular season championship trophy before Saturday's match at Pioneer Stadium. It was presented to club owners Nancy and Brian NeSmith of FC Gold Pride.

The trophy was passed to general manager Ilisa Kessler, head coach Albertin Montoya, and captain Rachel Buehler before the the entire team was photographed with it.

FC Gold Pride finished with a 16-3-5 record and 53 points, 17 points ahead of 2nd place Boston. They will host the WPS Championship presented by Citi on September 26.

Solo Fined and Suspended for Twitter Remarks

Atlanta Beat goalkeeper Hope Solo has been fined and suspended by the WPS Disciplinary Committee for Twitter remarks following the Beat's 1-0 loss to the Washington Freedom on Saturday. She has been suspended for one game and fined $2500. Additionally, she will be required to do 8 hours of community service. She was deemed to have made "prejudicial statements and public criticism" which is covered by Section 13.1.3 of the League Operations Manual.

Solo openly criticized officials during several tweets after the Beat/Freedom match and appeared to question the objectivity of both the officials and the league. She will have seven days to appeal the suspension and community service and 30 days to appeal the fine.

WPS Midweek Preview - August 4

Atlanta Beat (4-7-5, 17 pts) at Boston Breakers (6-6-4, 22 pts)
Harvard Stadium, Cambridge, MA – August 4 (7 pm ET)

Rosters:
Atlanta: GK-H. Solo, B. Maron; D-T. Ellertson, K. McNeill, L. Robinson, S. Bishop; MF-J. Rasmussen, A. Miyama, M. Yamaguchi, L. Chalupny, A. Kerr, M. Zerboni, C. Blank; F-M. Ocampo, E. Aluko, R. Bachmann.
Not Active: A. Cinalli, K. Larkin, R. Nolin, L. Sesselmann, M. Lofton-Malachi.

Boston: GK-A. Naeher, A. Phillips; D-A. LePeilbet, I. Dieke, A. Scott, S. Cox, K. Moore; MF-L. Tarpley, L. Osborne, K. Lilly, J. Angeli, C. Igwe; F-K. Smith, Fabiana (questionable-knee), L. Cheney, L. Del Rio, T. Weimer, T. Hemmings.
Not Active: L. Bogus (hamstring), N. Cross, A. Lipsher, S. Walsh (knee).

Previous Meetings (2010):
Atlanta 1 @ Boston 3.

What To Look For: Save for FC Gold Pride, these are the two hottest teams in WPS. Boston has won five of their last six and Atlanta is unbeaten in their last four matches. In the only previous meeting between the two teams, Atlanta saw a 1-0 lead slip away when Boston scored three 2nd half goals in quick succession to earn the 3-1 win. This is the first of three meetings between the two over the next month.

Hope Solo was not in goal for that match, but she will be for this one. She has shut out three of her last four opponents, including Gold Pride on Sunday. Solo has two shutouts in four career matches against Boston. In front of her, Gareth O’Sullivan may utilize the three back defense that seemed to work pretty well against Gold Pride. Tina Ellertson spearheads that back line.

Going against that defense will be a Breaker offense that has been scoring plenty of goals lately. They are led by Kelly Smith (7 goals), Lauren Cheney (3 goals), and Jordan Angeli (5 goals). Veterans Kristine Lilly and Lindsay Tarpley help set those three up with opportunities.

Defensively, Boston is playing well, although shutouts have been hard to come by. Alyssa Naeher has a 5-2 record since becoming the starting keeper, but her GAA is 1.23. With a defensive group that includes Stephanie Cox, Alex Scott, and Amy LePeilbet, Boston would like to see less goals surrendered.

Atlanta has scored more than one goal just twice this season and several promising chances amounted to nothing on Sunday. In the low scoring contests they tend to play, they must finish when the opportunities arise. With Eniola Aluko, Monica Ocampo, Johanna Rasmussen, and Ramona Bachmann, they have the talent to score more than they have. They get excellent support from Aya Miyama and Lori Chalupny.

At the end of June, both of these teams looked to be out of the playoffs. Both have made nice runs and Boston now occupies 3rd place, while Atlanta has a playoff spot within reach. With each team having three of their remaining eight games against one another, both will have a lot to say about the other's playoff chances, as well as their own.

Philadelphia Independence (8-5-3, 27 pts) at Washington Freedom (4-8-5, 17 pts)
Maryland SoccerPlex, Boyds, MD – August 4 (7:30 pm ET)

Rosters:
Philadelphia: GK-K. LeBlanc, V. Henderson; D-A. Falk, N. Krzysik, H. Mitts, S.Larsson, E. Johnson; MF-L. Lindsey, C. Seger, T. DiMartino, J. Lohman, J.Buczkowski; F-A. Rodriguez, L. Sanderson, D. Adams, L. Patterson.
Not Active: H. Magnusdottir (red card suspension), K. Maruyama, S. Senty, G. DiMartino, R. Jones, K. Henderson.

Washington: GK-A. Harris, M. McCray; D-C. Whitehill, B. Sauerbrunn, R. Moros, K. Eveland, B. Bock, A. Singer; MF-S. Bompastor, H. Sawa, A. Long, S. Huffman, B. Goebel, J. Gilbeau; F-A. Wambach, L. Mykjåland, N. Marshall, C. Welsh.
Not Active: E. McLeod (knee), M. Abegg, C. Miskel, B. Klein.

Previous Meetings (2010):
Washington 1 @ Philadelphia 3
Philadelphia 1 @ Washington 2
Washington 2 @ Philadelphia 3

What To Look For: This will be the fourth meeting between these two this season, with the home team taking the previous three. And not surprisingly, there have not been any shutouts in the series.

Stopping their opponent from scoring has become a major problem for Washington and one that remains unsolved. The Freedom have given up an average of three goals a game in their last five matches and you’re not going to win a lot of games with defense like that. Making matters worse, Erin McLeod has officially been put on the season-ending injury list.

Coach Jim Gabarra has used a different back line combination in each of the last three matches and is still searching for one that works. Moving talented Sonia Bompastor back hasn’t seemed to help. The only constant on the back line has been iron woman Becky Sauerbrunn. Even veteran Cat Whitehill started a game on the bench.

Making matters worse for the Freedom, they will be facing one of the most high powered offenses in WPS. That offense is led by Amy Rodriguez who has scored 11 goals this season, three of those against Washington. Lianne Sanderson likes to face the Freedom as well. The English forward has scored a goal in each of her three games against Washington, which also happen to be her only three goals of the season. They get superior midfield support from Lori Lindsey, Caroline Seger, and Joanna Lohman.

Philadelphia coach Paul Riley has gone back and forth with his keepers, but seems to have settled on Val Henderson for the moment. She has a GAA of 1.00. Allison Falk and Nikki Krzysik defend in front of Henderson. Holmfridur Magnusdottir will miss this game because of her red card suspension, but the Independence might have Heather Mitts back from injury.

Last season, the Freedom scored three or more goals in six different games. This year, it’s only happened twice, both early on. Abby Wambach leads Washington with 7 goals and 8 assists. Lene Mykjåland has four goals and Nikki Marshall has three since moving to forward.

The Freedom will be glad to be back home, having played just one of their last six matches there. They have a very respectable 3-2-3 record at home, but the last time they won a game was against this Philadelphia team over two months ago. Meanwhile, the Independence have put themselves in great position. A couple more victories should clinch a playoff spot.

WPS Weekend Wrap - August 1

Atlanta Plays Gold Pride to 0-0 Tie at Home

In what may have been one of the more entertaining scoreless ties you'll ever see, the Atlanta Beat stopped FC Gold Pride's five game winning streak. Both teams are probably thinking that the game should have been theirs. Atlanta wasted several great opportunities while at the other end, Hope Solo made some sparkling saves and may have been saved by the crossbar on one occasion.

The Beat came out with a lot of energy and took it to Gold Pride early on. Eniola Aluko had two golden opportunities in the first half, with Nicole Barnhart saving one and the other being shot wide. The best chance was a two player break with Aluko in control of the ball on the right side. With Lori Chalupny open in the middle, Aluko elected to try to beat Barnhart near post, but the Bay Area goalkeeper was up to the task.

Atlanta had two more great chances in the 2nd half, one that Monica Ocampo sent over the net and another that Ramona Bachmann was unable to get on target from the six yard box, with the ball rolling just inches wide.

Gold Pride had opportunities as well. Kelley O'Hara cut back on Aya Miyama and was able to get a blistering right-footed shot off from 18 yards, but Solo made a diving save to her left to keep the match level.

In the 89th minute, Christine Sinclair nearly got the winner as she redirected a cross about eight yards directly in front of the goal. The ball was past a leaping Hope Solo, but hit the top of the crossbar.

It was only Gold Pride's second tie of the season, leaving them at 12-3-2, good for 38 points. The tie leaves them needing just a single point to clinch a playoff spot. Atlanta, unbeaten in their last four, moved into a tie for 6th place with Washington. They now find themselves just three points out of 4th place.

Chicago Moves into 4th Place with 2-1 Victory

Goals by Ella Masar and Karen Carney lifted the Red Stars to a 2-1 victory over Sky Blue in New Jersey. It was Masar's 5th goal this season, but the first of the year for Carney. Chicago moves into 4th place by virtue of the victory, two points ahead of Sky Blue and three points ahead of Atlanta and Washington.

Sky Blue's goal was scored by Brittany Taylor. She has scored in the last two games and is the only Sky Blue player to have scored since June.

Chicago moves to 5-8-5, with 20 points. Their hold on fourth is precarious as every other team has at least one or two games in hand with respect to the Red Stars. They will travel to the opposite coast to face league leading Gold Pride next weekend. Sky Blue dropped their fourth straight match and are at 5-8-3. They will travel to Atlanta for their next match.

Standings:
1) FC Gold Pride (12-3-2, 37 pts); 2) Philadelphia (8-5-3, 27 pts); 3) Boston (6-6-4, 22 pts); 4) Chicago (5-8-5, 20 pts); 5) Sky Blue FC (5-8-3, 18 pts); 6) Atlanta (4-7-5, 17 pts); 6) Washington (4-8-5, 17 pts).

Boston and Chicago Waste Chance To Move Up

Both Boston and Chicago squandered their opportunity to move into 3rd place, while Gold Pride moves closer to clinching and Atlanta goes back-to-back.

FC Gold Pride 2, Boston 1

For the third straight time this year, Gold Pride defeated the Breakers by a one goal margin, winning 2-1 on the road Wednesday night.

After spotting Boston a 1-0 lead on yet another goal by rookie Jordan Angeli, Gold Pride struck twice in the final 10 minutes of the first half on goals by Christine Sinclair and Marta. It was Marta's 11th goal of the season, breaking her own WPS single season record for goals in just her 15th match of the season.

For Gold Pride, it was their first come-from-behind victory this year and their second ever. They now hold a 13 point advantage over 2nd place Philadelphia. Boston could have moved into 3rd place, but remain at 16 points, good for 6th place.

Atlanta 1, Chicago 0

The Atlanta Beat shut out the Chicago Red Stars 1-0 on Wednesday evening for their first back-to-back victories ever. Eniola Aluko scored the lone goal of the match for the second consecutive time, giving her six goals for the season.

Casey Nogueira came close to getting tying goal in the 72nd minute, hitting the crossbar, but the Beat were able to withstand the Red Stars' 2nd half pressure to hang on for the win.

Hope Solo earned the shutout for the Beat. Atlanta has now shut out the Red Stars three times, twice by Hope Solo and once by Brett Maron.

Atlanta moves to within three points of 6th place Boston at 13 points, while Chicago remains tied for 4th place with 17 points.

Sinclair Wins Player of the Week

FC Gold Pride forward, Christine Sinclair, won Player of the Week honors for Week 14. The Canadian star scored both goals in Gold Pride's 2-0 victory over 2nd place Philadelphia on Saturday night. The goals were her 6th and 7th of the season.

Sinclair became the 2nd Gold Pride player to win the honor this year. Marta has won Player of the Week on three different occasions during the 2010 season.

US Tops Sweden 3-0

The United States Women's Team shut out Sweden 3-0 in the second of two friendlies between the two teams in Hartford. Abby Wambach scored twice to lead the US to victory after the first match ended in a tie last week.

Although the US had the better of play for most of the 1st half, it wasn't until the 33rd minute when they got on the scoreboard. A Shannon Boxx blast from 15 yards out was parried on an excellent save by Swedish goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl, but Megan Rapinoe was there to knock home the rebound.

Just before halftime, the United States made it 2-0. Lori Lindsey's well placed corner kick found Abby Wambach about 10 yards out. Wambach outjumped three Swedish defenders, placing her header in the lower right, between Lindahl and another defender.

As in Tuesday's match, Sweden played a much stronger 2nd half. However, the outcome was sealed as another Wambach header found the back of the net, this time assisted on a long cross by Rachel Buehler.

Sweden's game seemed to pick up with the entry of Jessica Landstrom and Kosovare Asllani, both 2nd half substitutions. An Asllani shot came close, hitting the side netting, and another opportunity went just wide as Hope Solo was just able to tip a loose ball wide off of a rebound.

Sweden was playing without several of their top players for the match, including Lotta Schelin, who did not make the trip to the US, and Sara Larsson and Caroline Seger, both of whom were released by Coach Thomas Dennerby to play for the Philadelphia Independence on Saturday night. Both sides experimented freely with different formations and younger players.

The United States has not lost an international match since losing to Sweden in the final of the 2009 Algarve Cup, a match that went to penalties. The tie on Tuesday was the only game the US has not won over that time. The US does not have any other matches scheduled at this time, although it is highly likely that more games will be played following the end of the WPS schedule. Sweden has two World Cup qualifiers ahead in August, against Wales and the Czech Republic.

Atlanta Beat Signs Solo, Ellertson, & Aluko

The Atlanta Beat have announced the signing of former Athletica players Hope Solo, Tina Ellertson, and Eniola Aluko.

Solo, considered by many to be the best goalkeeper in women's soccer, has a 1.33 goals against average this season, having posted one shutout. She is the starter on the USWNT and recently had a stellar game in the United States' match against Germany, which ended a 4-0 US victory.

Ellertson was a starting central defender for Athletica, although she had been a forward earlier in her career. Known for her speed and strong play on the back line, she will instantly give the Beat a presence in the middle of defense. She joins former teammate Kia McNeill on Atlanta's defense.

Eniola Aluko is currently the WPS' leading scorer with 4 goals. Last season, she tallied 6 goals and 4 assists. She has been Athletica's leading scorer both years. Aluko is one of the fastest and most exciting young players in WPS.

To make room on the roster, Tobin Heath was put on season-ending injured reserve. Heath had suffered an ankle injury earlier in the season. Lauren Sesselmann and Marisha Schumacher-Hodge have been released by Atlanta.

US Routs Germany 4-0 in Friendly

The United States Women's National Team defeated Germany by a surprisingly lopsided score of 4-0 before over 10,000 fans in Cleveland on Saturday. Abby Wambach led the way with two goals and an assist, while US goalkeeper Hope Solo made three sparkling 2nd half saves to keep Germany at bay.

After a somewhat unimpressive start, the US started the scoring in the 29th minute when Wambach had control of the ball in the German penalty area and drew a penalty on Saskia Bartusiak. Wambach's shot went just inside the left post to give the US its first goal.

Wambach had a part in the 2nd goal as well. A Kristine Lilly corner kick was headed by the American forward on goal. German keeper Nadine Angerer was unable to handle the ball cleanly and Amy Rodriguez gained possession of the loose ball, touching it to Heather O'Reilly who easily finished. The US went into the break with a 2-0 lead.

It was the Germans who had the first good opportunity of the 2nd half. Kerstin Garefrekes received the ball on the left side, moved in and hit a hard shot headed for the upper right side of the net. Solo made a brilliant reflex save, pushing the ball high and wide.

A few minutes later, the US managed to double its lead in the space of just seconds. Wambach was able to gain possession in the left corner and was able to get through two defenders and feed the ball to Lilly, who struck the ball into the right side of the net, with Angerer having no chance on the play.

In the blink of an eye, the score went to 4-0, as Lori Lindsey threaded a perfect pass to Wambach who was cutting toward the net and she made no mistake on the finish from 12 yards out.

Germany continued to put offensive pressure on the US. Solo was called on to make two more great saves, one on Birgit Prinz and one on Alexandra Popp, in the later stages of the match.

The US nearly made it 5-0 on a two player breakaway after a bad turnover by the German defense. Wambach chose to draw Angerer toward her and then released a pass to Alex Morgan on the right side, who put it in the net, only to have it called back offsides on a very close call.

This match marked the 3rd time that the US has defeated Germany in the past 7 months. The US defeated Germany before 30,000 fans in Augsburg last October by a 1-0 margin. In early March, the two teams met in the Algarve Cup final with the US coming out on top 3-2 on a very sloppy pitch.

The next scheduled matches for the US are against Sweden. The two teams will play in Omaha, Nebraska on July 13 and again in Hartford, Connecticut on July 17. Sweden is the last team to defeat the US, winning on penalty kicks in the 2009 Algarve Cup final.

De Vanna Breaks Leg in Asian Cup

Australian and Washington Freedom forward Lisa De Vanna suffered a broken leg in Australia's group stage match against China in the Asian Cup. De Vanna's injury came in a collision with Chinese keeper Zhang Yanru in the 2nd half of the match. At the present time, it is not known how long De Vanna will be out of action. China won the match over the Matildas by a 1-0 margin. b

Financial Problems with Athletica and NASL's AC St. Louis

Last week, an apparent financial crisis came to light which put the future of Saint Louis Athletica in doubt. Sanjeev and Heemal Vaid had purchased controlling interest in Saint Louis Athletica and their sibling NASL entry, AC St. Louis, during the winter. During the last two months, the two teams have been rumored to have financial problems and the Vaid brothers are reportedly no longer in the mix. Athletica's founding owner, Jeff Cooper, is working to find a solution to keep both teams in operation until a new ownership group can be found.

WPS officials have stated that "we're aware of the situation. The League's Owners continue to review and monitor the situation in conjunction with the US Soccer Federation."

Saint Louis' problems follow on the heels the discontinuation of the Los Angeles Sol organization in January. It was thought that Athletica would be positioned better financially, because the organization has their own facility, Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park, instead of having to rent a facility. Athletica, whose 2010 home games have been plagued by bad weather, have seen a decrease in attendance from an average of over 3800 last season to just 3100 this year.

WPS Exhibition Action
Boston Breakers 3, Boston Aztecs (WPSL) 1
Breakers goals-Weimer, Bogus, Hemmings.

Chicago Red Stars 5, Chicago Red Eleven (W-League) 0
Red Stars goals-Sitch, Asllani, Nogueira, Cristiane 2.

Washington Freedom 3, Canadian National Team 3
Freedom goals-Welsh 2, Mykjåland.
Canadian goals-Julien, Sinclair, Robinson.

Athletica and Breakers Slosh to 1-1 Draw

It what might charitably be called challenging field conditions, Saint Louis and Boston battled to a 1-1 tie at a soggy Soccer Park in Fenton, Missouri. With all of the offensive talent on the field, the two goals came from unlikely sources in Kasey Moore for the Breakers and Carolyn Blank for Athletica.

The weather played a huge part in the game and led to some great early chances for the Breakers. In the 14th minute, Kendall Fletcher hit a fairly normal pass back to Hope Solo, but the ball stopped dead in a puddle half way between the two. Lauren Cheney, who appeared to be as shocked as everyone else, gained possession and attempted to chip the ball over Solo's head but the ball went harmlessly to the side.

Just a few minutes later, Solo attempted a drop kick but didn't get all of the ball which Kelly Smith picked up about 30 yards out. Smith attempted the quick shot, but a diving Solo was able to steer the ball wide. "I went to bounce it on the drop kick and it didn't bounce back up," said Solo. "After that, I tried to punt and I haven't punted since I was probably in high school."

Boston finally did get on the board in the 22nd minute. Kristine Lilly hit a low corner kick to the edge of the box which appeared to be headed for Kelly Smith. Smith dummied it and a charging Kasey Moore brilliantly struck a low shot with pace that beat Solo to the lower left side of the goal. It was Moore's first WPS goal.

Boston's lead didn't last long. In the 27th, Aya Miyama took a free kick from about 28 yards and sent it to the far side of the box, where Tina Ellertson headed back across the goal mouth. Carolyn Blank was waiting and chested the ball between Alex Scott and goalkeeper Ashley Phillips for tying goal. "Honestly, right place, right time," said Blank. "Tina just put a great ball back in." For the rookie from West Virginia, it was her first WPS goal and well-earned for the solid match she played.

The Breakers nearly regained the lead in the 39th minute. Lilly hit a blistering low shot that short-hopped Solo, bouncing off her for a rebound. Kelly Smith connected with the rebound from point blank range, but Solo used her body to block the shot and the defense was able to clear the ball out of trouble.

Play in the 2nd half was much crisper, with Athletica having the better of the play in the last 45 minutes. Their best opportunity came in the 63rd minute when Blank sent a ball through to Aluko, who one-timed it from 15 yards, but Phillips was able to make the diving save. Later in the half, Aluko and Lilly traded chances, but were unable to get the ball on frame.

Athletica had one last good chance to win it in the 83rd, when Aluko appeared to have a clear cut header from about 9 yards, but mishit it wide of the goal. Late substitutions Lindsay Tarpley and India Trotter for Athletica, and Laura Del Rio and Tiffany Weimer for Boston had their moments, but were unable to change the score.

Athletica captain Lori Chalupny saw improvement in the 2nd half over the 1st. "We really had some good looks in the 2nd half. I thought the 2nd half was very exciting, back and forth. It was just a good battle between two good teams."

The game marked the first time that Athletica had come from behind to tie a game over two seasons. "Coming from behind was huge for us", added defender Tina Ellertson.

The two teams remained tied, both at 1 win and 2 ties for 5 points. They sit one point behind FC Gold Pride and Sky Blue FC, who each have 6 points. Boston returns home where they will play the Chicago Red Stars next Saturday. Saint Louis travels to Washington where they will play the Freedom at RFK Stadium.

In other action on Sunday evening:

Sky Blue FC 1, Chicago Red Stars 0

Sky Blue blanked Chicago for the 6th consecutive time in a match played at Toyota Park in Chicago. Tasha Kai scored in the 53rd minute on an assist from Kacey White. Karen Bardsley added the shutout for Sky Blue, who sit atop the table with 2 wins, 1 loss and 6 points. Chicago has only a lone point to show for 3 matches.

Philadelphia Independence 3, Washington Freedom 1

The expansion Independence won their first game on their home field by scoring three 2nd half goals. After Lisa De Vanna had put the Freedom ahead in the 51st minute with her first goal of the year, Amy Rodriguez answered in the 54th minute with a goal of her own to tie the score at one. Minutes later, the Lori Lindsey to Allison Falk connection worked for the second week in a row, with Falk finishing again with a header to give Philly the lead. English international Lianne Sanderson added an insurance goal in the 67th minute, again assisted by Lindsey, who was facing off against her old team. For Sanderson, it was her first WPS goal. Philadelphia was able to close it out for the 3-1 victory.

Lindsey has now assisted on 3 of the Independence's 4 goals for the season. Abby Wambach assisted on De Vanna's goal, giving her an assist in each of her last 4 regular season contests dating back to last season. Philadelphia is tied with Saint Louis and Boston with 5 points, just a single point behind the league leaders. Washington fell to 1-2 with 3 points.