Tag Archives: Abby Wambach

US Women Win Algarve Cup

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US Soccer logoFARO, Portugal (March 3, 2010) – The U.S. Women’s National Team scored twice in the first half and once in the second to defeat Germany 3-2 in the championship game of the 2010 Algarve Cup.

Carli Lloyd’s goal in the 18th minute was followed by a powerful header from Abby Wambach four minutes later, staking the U.S. to a 2-0 lead. German forward Inka Grings pulled a goal back five minutes before halftime, but a goalkeeper mistake from Germany’s Nadine Angerer allowed Lauren Cheney to make it 3-1 in the 69th. Grings finished her brace with a goal in 74th minute to make the end of the game tension-filled, but some tremendous ball-winning in the back by central defenders Amy LePeilbet and Rachel Buehler helped the U.S. hold on to the victory.

US WNT Defeat Norway, Face Sweden Monday in Algarve Cup

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Natasha Kai and Abby Wambach Celebrate

AP Photo/Armando Franca

OLHÃO, Portugal (February 26, 2010) – Forward Abby Wambach scored two goals, including the game-winner in stoppage time of the second half, to lead the U.S. Women’s National Team to a dramatic 2-1 victory against Norway in the second match of Group B at the 2010 Algarve Cup.

The USA will now face Sweden on March 1 in Ferreiras (9 a.m. CT live on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker) for a berth in the championship game. Sweden trounced Iceland 5-1 in the other Group B match today, scoring four goals in the second half, meaning the USA will need a tie or a win over the Swedes on Monday to make its eighth consecutive appearance in an Algarve Cup title game. The USA has six points from two wins and Sweden has four points from a tie and a win.

In Group A, China defeated Denmark 2-0 while Germany handily defeated Finland 7-0. China would have to defeat Germany in the final Group A match to earn a place in the championship game. The Germans just need a tie to advance to the March 3 final at Stadium Algarve.

US Soccer Update

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ussoccer_smallWe’ve got a nice treat to wrap up the holiday weekend. The US Women are playing Canada on Monday at 6:00 pm in a friendly that will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel. This match will be the first of a three-game summer series with Canada as the USA will also face its northern neighbor on July 19 in Rochester, N.Y and on July 22 in Charleston, S.C.

This match marks the return of Abby Wambach to the U.S. lineup for the first time since she suffered a broken leg against Brazil on July 16, 2008, in the USA’s final game before the Olympics. Wambach has 99 career goals and will be looking for her historic 100th career score in Toronto.

World Cup 2010 logoMeanwhile, Bob Bradley has named the 24 man roster that will begin training on Tuesday for a pair of upcoming World Cup 2010 Qualifying matches.

The U.S. will be seeking its first-ever victory away to Costa Rica when they meet at Estadio Saprissa in the fourth match of the 10-game final round of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Kickoff on June 3 is set for 9 p.m. CT, and the match will be broadcast live on the ESPN Networks.

Three days later, the city of Chicago will host its first World Cup qualifier when the U.S. welcomes Honduras to Soldier Field. More than 40,000 tickets have been sold for the USA’s third home match of the final round, where the U.S. will face the team who delivered them their last home loss in World Cup qualifying, a 3-2 defeat on Sept. 1, 2001, at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. The match will be broadcast live at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN Classic and Galavision.

I’ll be reporting live from the game and am looking forward to visiting Chicago and taking in the game as you can imagine. If anyone else is planning on attending, let me know. I’ll be hanging out with a bunch of soccer friends and you’re welcome to join us.

The U.S. is in first place in the final round hexagonal with an undefeated 2-0-1 record. Costa Rica sits one point behind, while Honduras holds the third position. The top three teams will automatically qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

And for you ESPN junkies out there, hopefully you’ve seen or can catch later today the special feature on goalie Tim Howard. ESPN reporter Chris Connelly and a crew traveled to England to sit down with Howard in advance of England’s FA Cup final between Everton and Chelsea on May 30 at famed Wembley Stadium. Howard has been spectacular in goal for the Toffees, recording a club record 16 shutouts. After defeating his former club and newly crowned English Premier League champion Manchester United in the semifinal, Everton are within sight of their first trophy since 1995.

US Women Olympic Update

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I’ve been pretty good at ignoring the US Women’s National team since their melt down in the World Cup last year. But the games begin a week from Wednesday and there is plenty of news to share, some of it quite good.

The final game against Brazil two weeks ago, when Abby Wambach went down with a broken leg, was an entertaining match. I especially enjoyed watching Carli Lloyd as she ran the midfield. Now I’ve got even more reasons to cheer on this young woman – Soccer teammate stood with Solo through all the World Cup drama

“I really hate drama,” said Carli Lloyd of Delran, N.J. “It’s draining; it’s mentally draining. It’s a waste of time. Hope and I have gone way back. I played with her, I guess, for four years on the under-21s. I was a little bit intimidated by her at first, but we grew closer. Everybody makes mistakes in their life. I just knew she was a great person.”

So Lloyd chose to remember more than some ill-chosen words.

It was a difficult time for Hope Solo. Grant Wahl from Sports Illustrated covers her Hard Return.

Apparently the Women’s team has had the benefit of a sports psychologist for some time. The KC Star had a story recently about Olympians increasingly rely on mental skills coaches

“What I try to get across to the athletes is that psychological skills are just like physical skills,” Hacker said. “They can be identified; they can be improved with practice. It’s not something you have or you don’t.”

I’ll leave you with Adam Spangler’s take – the olympics mean something

We start with the ladies because there is no doubt we are seeing the best players the world has to offer. The guys can’t say that. The ladies will, however, be missing arguably the world’s best player.

Since Abby Wambach went down with a broken leg there has been widespread discussion about what it means for the team. Looking to put the Hope Solo debacle behind them once and for all this tournament, more attention has been placed on removing Abby’s personality than her skills. Perhaps the last queen bee in a line that stretches to the Hall of Fame, Wambach’s absence some say could allow the team to finally move on with their new coach and look to a future where possession soccer reigns over the constant push to find the feet of the stalwart striker.

Am I being too harsh? Feel free to share. In the meantime, if you’re a fan of the women’s game, I highly recommend Women’s Soccer USA, whose tagline is “Coverage of women’s soccer in the US. If it’s not here…it’s not important…” and she delivers regularly.