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The United States women's nation team kicked off their European tour with a barn-buring 3-3 draw against Germany. The match coincided with U.S. Soccer's 100th anniversary as well. Germany fought back twice (down 1-0 and 3-1) to earn a share of the result in a battle between women's soccer's number one and number two teams.
Abby Wambach scored her 155th career goal (just three shy of Mia Hamm's total mark) while Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan also made the scoresheet with great goals.
The USWNT will face the Netherlands Tuesday afternoon at 12pm CT. The match will stream for free on ESPNW.com and ESPN3.com
Highlights and Player Reaction/Breakdown:
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Analysis from some of women's soccer's best writers:
Jozy Altidore made a cutting run atop the 18-yard box in the 16th minute. His shot bounced of a Costa Rican defender, and with the goalkeeper caught wrong footed, Dempsey was there to snatch up the leftovers into the open goal mouth for his 23nd international goal.
If surviving the Denver snow fall was one difficult task the USMNT will face another tall order immediately in their away leg match against Mexico on Tuesday at Estadio Azteca. Mexico is coming off a road shocker, giving up a two-goal-Chicharito-manufactured lead, only to draw at two apiece. The U.S. has already breached the walls of Azteca back in August, but a World Cup Qualifying match against El Tri will certainly be coach Jurgen Klinsmann's and his team's toughest task to date.
The match is on Tuesday, March 26th with coverage beginning at 8:30pm CT on ESPN.
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Abby Wambach got her 200th cap and her 153rd international goal to lead the United States women's national team to a 3-1 victory in the "second leg" in a pair of friendlies versus Scotland. Megan Rapinoe added a first half goal and Christine Press followed up her impressive Lady Nats debut with another goal in the second half in front of over 14,000 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Wambach's goal puts her juve five behind Mia Hamm's career record, a mark the Rochester, New York native is sure to break this year. Press became the only USWNT player to score three goals in her first two matches. Lastly, super-sub Sydney Leroux made her first career start for the women.
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The United States women's national team made new coach Tom Sermanni's debut a happy one cruising to a 4-1 win over Scotland. In front of over 18,500 in Jacksonville, Florida the Lady Nats opened 2013 and began their run up to next month's Algarve Cup.
A more impressive debut, though, was Christen Press, the 2010 Herman Trophy winner from Stanford, bagged two goals. Shannon Boxx and Sydney Leroux added to the score line as well.
The USWNT also happily welcomed back defender Ali Krieger out since last year's Olympic qualifying tournament with an ACL injury.
USA will face Scotland Again on Wednesday, February 13 in Nashville, Tennessee, with a live ussoccer.com stream at 7 p.m. CT.
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This is, seriously, like the only decent photo we found from this game. Thanks "Soccer By Ives"! (Photo Credit: ISIPhotos.com)
They certainly don't ever want to make it easy on us. The United States national team left it late, again, as Mix Diskerud, in his third full international cap, grabbed a stoppage time goal to secure a 2-2 draw away in Russia.
True to form, the Nats gave up a early goal, the ninth minute, but Michael Bradley hit a stunning volley in the 76th minute to bring things level. The even score line wouldn't last past the 84th minute when Clarence Goodson gave away a penalty kick and the resulting spot kick gave Russia a deserved lead.
Just like in Mexico City, the USMNT was down, but not out. Diskerud got his chance in he 94th minute and made sure it counted.
This was the U.S.'s last match in 2012 and, as of right now, will play next in Mexico on February 6th to begin the final round of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup.
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Analysis from some of American soccer's top writers;
Planting the Seed of Soccer Across America: Danny Beerseed - 0 comments
Abby Wambach moved within ten goals of tying Mia Hamm's all-time U.S. (and global) goal scoring record with her 148th goal (a hustle diving header) late in the first half. Tobin Heath added a second in the 67th minute after Alex Morgan made an incredible endline run and cut-back cross to get the ball in front of goal. Both tallies wouldn't be enough as Dzenifer Marozsan fueled Germany with a brace. The fifth match of the Lady Nats' "Fan Victory Tour" ended in a 2-2 draw in front of a soaked crowd of over 18,000 in Connecticut.
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Clint Dempsey responded to his poor performance last Friday with two goals and an assist to lead the United States men's national team to a 3-1 win over Guatemala. The win secured the group lead and the Nats passage onto the next round of World Cup qualifying, the "Hex".
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Analysis from some of American soccer's best writers:
Planting the Seed of Soccer Across America: Danny Beerseed - 0 comments
Australia proved to be a much sterner test for the U.S. women's national team than Costa Rica, but once again showed some of the same grit and determination that made this gold medal tour possible, coming from down a goal to win 2-1 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. The world-ranked ninth Aussies rattled the post twice in the opening half before taking the lead in the 34th minute. Alex Morgan tied the match up ten minutes into the second half and then drew a penalty in the 63rd minute. Second half substitute Shannon Boxx nailed the penalty to take the lead and secure the win.
The Lady Nats improves to 22-1-1 in 2012 and faces Australia once again on Wednesday, September 19th, at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado The match will be the final game in charge for head coach Pia Sundhage who will take over the Swedish national team in December. The match will be at 9pm CT on ESPN2.
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The United States soccer team went from on the brink to on top of the group in just four days, winning 1-0 against Jamaica in front of a sold-out crowd in Columbus, Ohio. After losing to Jamaica in Kingston for the first-time ever and possibly setting up must-win matches against Antigua & Barbuda and Guatemala in October, the USMNT reversed Friday's result. A free kick by Herculez Gomez in the 55th minute proved to be the only scoring difference between the two sides.
The first half proved to be particularly dominant as three of the six U.S. shots hit the post, possessed the ball for over three-quarters of the half, and only the heroic efforts of Reggae Boyz goalkeeper Dwayne Miller kept the score respectable.
The match was the first the United States played on September 11th, the eleventh anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania and Crew Stadium was covered in a flurry of American flags from the 9th to 11th minutes in remembrance of the event.
The USMNT travels to North Sound, Antigua on October 12 at 6pm CT. The match will be televised on the new beIN Sports.
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Analysis from some of American soccer's best writers:
Planting the Seed of Soccer Across America: Danny Beerseed - 0 comments
Yes! The shoe shine celebration! (Photo Credit: inourfinalhour.tumblr)
The United States women's national team played their first match after winning gold in the 2012 London Olympics, and kicked off theif "Fan Tribute Tour" with a bang , defeating Costa Rica 8-0. Abby Wambach notched a pair of goals in front of her hometown crowd, while Megan Rapinoe (2), Alex Morgan, Sydney Leroux, Carli Lloyd, and Heather O'Reilly contrbuted to the smashing win as well.
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That just happened. An understrength, but undeterred U.S. men's national team walked into Estadio Azteca and weather the crowd and 75 years of history to smash-and-grab a 1-0 win against Mexico. A series of substitutes for Jurgen Klinsmann's side, Brek Shea on... well... the break played the ball across the front of goal where Terrance Boyd backhealed the ball towards an onrushing Michael Orozco Fiscal (why was he so far upfield!) bundled the ball over the line and cued the celebrations.
For all the recent criticisms of keeper Tim Howard losing a step there were no compliants for the big man as he came up with several massive saves alongside his solid, make-shift backline.
The record in Mexico City still doesn't look pretty, 1-23-1, but now history is written with more to come.
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True grit, and a little luck, propelled the United States women's national team to gold medal glory at the 2012 London Olympics. Carli Lloyd was the unlikely hero of the match, scoring both goals to lead the Lady Nats to a tight 2-1 win. Several fantastic Hope Solo saves, a few shots aided by the cross bar and some last-ditch defending from her back line helped perserve the lead throughout the match.
The victory over Japan somewhat avenges their Women's World Cup Final loss from last summer where the USWNT gave up a late equalizer and then fell in penalty kicks. It seemed as though the match might also be heading that way when, in the 83rd minute, captain Christine Rampone handed a pass sloppily and turned the ball over to an on-rushing Japanese attack. Solo was up to the task parring away the shot and putting the game on ice.
The USWNT will return home and complete a "victory tour" game series that starts in Abby Wambach's home of Rochester, New York on September 1st and stretches across ten matches total.
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When it comes to knock out games, the U.S. women's national team certainly like late game heroics. In the 2011 Women's World Cup it was Abby Wambach in the 122nd minute against Brazil and yesterday it was Alex Morgan and the 123rd minute against cross-border rivals Canada. Morgan's goal propelled the USWNT to a 4-3 win and secured a berth in the Olympics goal medal match.
Canada's Christine Sinclair absolutely bossed the Lady Nat's defense, carving up the back line for the game's opening goal and heading home another pair. Three times the USWNT came back, twice from incredible goals by Megan Rapinoe, once through a controversial call that set up an Abby Wambach penalty, and then Morgan's header to complete the comeback. Morgan has scored 20 goals in 2012, becoming only the sixth U.S. player to do so in a single year. Wamach's penalty kick was her fifth goal of the tournament in five matches.
The gold medal match between the U.S. and Japan kicks off at 1:45 pm CT on Thursday, August 9th, at Wembley Stadium in London. The match will be televised on the NBC Sports Network.
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They're not all going to be pretty and the U.S. women's national team final Olympic group game, a 1-0 decision over North Korea, fit the bill of a solid, but tough win.
A physical North Korea was helped by the right goal post that saved two shots, but Alex Morgan's hold up play allowed Abby Wambach to slipt through the defense and hammer home the game's lone goal. It was Wambach's 141st international goal, leaving her just 17 shy of USWNT legend Mia Hamm's all-time mark (and she's played 90 less matches).
The Lady Nats will face New Zealand at 8:30am CT in the quarterfinals from St. James Park in Newcastle, England (NBC Sports Network, NBC Soccer Channel, NBC Live Extra (web)).
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Not every U.S. women's national team game is going to feature both an Alex Morgan AND Abby Wambach goal, but you're usually good for at least one of them finding the back of the net. It took Megan Rapinoe's first goal of the 2012 London Olympic tournament to kickstart an eventual 3-0 win, but for long stretches of the match it looked at though the Colombians, with their heavy (and sometimes too aggressive) pressure would make this a much tougher battle than the Lady Nats expected.
Wambach took a unsportsman-like punch to the face on a run to goal, but later returned the favor by scoring the USWNT's second, knockout goal that flattened the Colombians and left them vulnerable for a final Carli Lloyd strike.
The win means the USWNT goes atop their Olympic group and advances to the quarterfinals without needing a single point from their last match against North Korea, losers against France yesterday.
Planting the Seed of Soccer Across America: Danny Beerseed - 0 comments
It was scary there for a bit.
The United States women's national team went down early, two goals after fourteen minutes, to France, but scored four unanswered to win their first match of the 2012 London Summer Olympics. A series of defensive blunders put the Lady Nats on the back foot before goals from Abby Wambach, Alex Morgan (2), and Carli Lloyd eased the jitters.
It was shades of 2008 when the USWNT lost 2-0 in their opening Olympic contest to Norway, but history would not repeat itself. Back in '08 the women recovered to capture gold.
Morgan's brace brought here 2012 total to 19, leaving her just one shy of becoming the fifth Lady Nat to tally 20 goals in one season. Think she'll make it?
The USWNT will face Colombia this Saturday at 11am CT (NBC Sports Network) in their second group match.
Planting the Seed of Soccer Across America: Danny Beerseed - 0 comments
The United States women's national team left Salt Lake City, Utah 2-1 winners over continental rivals Canada. It was the final match the Lady Nats played before the leave for London to defend their gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics. The USWNT took the earlier lead through a Canadian own goal and struggled mightily to add to that lead. Canada pulled one back and the USWNT relied on substitute Amy Rodriguez's late strike to separate the sides.
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You wouldn't necessary call it a "payback" game for the U.S. women's national team because an international friendly isn't equal to a World Cup Final, but a 4-1 ownage of Japan in the run up to the London Olympics is definitely a confidence booster.
Braces by both Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach made for easy work for the Lady Nats in their final match of their Sweden trip.
The USWNT will play their final Olympic tune up match against Canada in the friendly confines of Rio Tinto Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah. The match will air on NBC on June 30th at 1:00pm CT.
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Analysis (Sorry... it appears that most of the regular USMNT writers either missed this game or have yet to post articles on it.):
