Tag: women’s world cup

[THE SUNDHAGE FILE] Swede Pia Sundhage, 47, has been named U.S. women’s national team coach, becoming the first foreign coach to head the team in the 22-year history of the U.S. women’s national team program. Sundhage is charged with qualifying the USA for the 2008 Olympics and winning the gold medal a year after the Americans, under Coach Greg Ryan, finished a disappointing third-place at the 2007 Women’s World Cup. For facts and figures on Pia Sundhage. …

[AUDIO/TRANSCRIPTS] U.S. President Sunil Gulati fielded myriad questions regarding the future of the women’s national team program in Monday’s press conference announcing the dismissal of Coach Greg Ryan, including queries on the status of goalkeeper Hope Solo, criteria for the new hire and the importance of hiring a female coach.

A meeting between U.S. players and head coach Greg Ryan resulted in goalkeeper Hope Solo being dropped from the team for the third-place match against Norway, in which the Americans romped, 4-1, to preserve their record of never finishing lower than third in a World Cup or Olympic Games. Abby Wambach scored twice and Lori Chaulpny and Heather O’Reilly tallied a minute apart in the second half as a rampant USA held its arch-nemesis Norway to just seven shots and peppered veteran keeper Bente Nordby with 23 of its own.

So, Marta is mortal after all. And four years after winning its first Women’s World Cup, Germany is the first team to repeat as champion. Birgit Prinz and Simone Laudehr scored the goals, and keeper Nadine Angerer stopped Marta’s penalty kick as Germany reclaimed the trophy it won four years ago by beating Brazil, 2-0, in the final. The Brazilians at times mesmerized their foes but weren’t quite as efficient at the crucial moments.

[ANALYSIS] Did goalkeeper Hope Solo or Coach Greg Ryan, or both, permanently impair their national-team futures, and is their dispute just another example of an American coach clashing with his keeper(s)? Steve Sampson and Bruce Arena infuriated both Kasey Keller and Brad Friedel by platooning them, and on the eve of the 1994 World Cup round of 16 match against Brazil (some irony, there), coach Bora Milutinovic seriously pondered dropping Tony Meola in favor of Friedel because he believed Meola’s public comments about trying out for an NFL team as a placekicker called into question his focus, not to mention his priorities. English soccer journalist Brian Glanville wrote a book, “Goalkeepers Are Different,” which is a novel, not a declaration of truth. Still, physically, temperamentally, and psychologically, they are unlike field players.

Of the many matchups within the match to be watched when the U.S. women play Brazil in the Women’s World Cup semifinal (Thursday, 7:55 a.m. ET, ESPN2), the most anticipated is that of American midfielder Leslie Osborne tangling with Brazilian magician Marta.

The stars came through with the goals but the real story of a 3-0 Women’s World Cup quarterfinal defeat of England stems is that just about every U.S. player shone. Abby Wambach, Shannon Boxx and Kristine Lilly scored, yet defender Cat Whitehill earned two assists and her back-line counterparts, led by Stephanie Lopez and Kate Markgraf, smothered nearly everything the English threw at them.

So far at the Women’s World Cup, the USA has been more bruising than brilliant, but it might use the quarterfinal against England to refine its game a bit. England has reached its first quarterfinal by beating Argentina and tying Japan and Germany, and while it and Australia can be considered the weakest teams to reach this stage, there’s been enough uncertainty in the U.S. game to gauge the English chances at something more than nil when they meet on Saturday (8 am ET, ESPN & TeleFutura). Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney previews the USA-England clash and the other three quarterfinals. …

[VIDEO] North Korea scored twice while U.S. striker Abby Wambach was on the sidelines getting several stitches to stop bleeding from a gash in her head. Wambach had opened the scoring for the USA and Heather O’Reilly struck seven minutes after the Koreans’ second goal to earn the Americans a 2-2 tie in their Women’s World Cup opener.

[THE FAVORITES] Soccer America continues its examination of the favorites with a look at the USA, which heads into the 2007 Women’s World Cup as the odds-on favorite. After all, they are undefeated in their last 47 games and have yet to lose under their rigorous coach, Greg Ryan. The U.S. women believe they may be the best women’s team ever assembled. They are surely “The Greatest Team You’ve Never Heard Of,” as they have been billed by team sponsor Nike. They take to the field for the first time on Tuesday when they face North Korea in Chengdu (TV: ESPN2, live, 4:55 am ET). Here are five reasons why the USA will win the Womens World Cup.