U.S. Women Put A Bow On 2012: Abby Wambach Named FIFA Player Of The Year, Sundhage World Coach Of The Year

2012 has been officially over for a week now but the U.S. women's national team still had plenty to celebrate today from last year. Striker and co-captain Abby Wambach was named the 2012 FIFA Women's Player of the Year while former head coach Pia Sundhage took home the 2012 World Coach of the Year for women's soccer.

This all took place this afternoon at the 2013 Ballon d'Or gala in Zurich, Switzerland. Brazil's Marta for some reason came in second place while Wambach's teammate Alex Morgan finished in third. It's hard to believe but this is only the third time a U.S. woman has won her sport's biggest individual award: Mia Hamm captured it in 2001 and 2002-the first two years the award was handed out. Coaches and captains from women's national teams across the globe voted for their top three players, who received five, three and one point respectively.

From ussoccer.com
“I’m very, very surprised,” Wambach said. “Individual honors only happen if you have great teams and great people who have given you the chance to be here. Not only do I think Marta and Alex could have won, but many other players could have been here as well. Thanks to FIFA, thanks to U.S. Soccer and thanks to all the fans and my family for putting me in this position. I don’t think of myself as the best player in the world, just a player who plays on the best team in the world.”

Sundhage is the first U.S. women's head coach to take home the trophy, which began in 2008. She came in third that first year then second in 2011. She beat out Japan's Norio Sasaki (who won in 2011) and France's Bruno Bini. Sundhage is the current head coach of her home country-Sweden.

Some interesting numbers for Wambach, courtesy of ussoccer.com
Last year, Wambach was chosen as one of three finalists for the award along with Marta and Homare Sawa of Japan, who won the award. Wambach finished third in the voting in 2011, the first time she was in the final three for the award, although she finished fourth in the voting in 2004 and 2006, fifth in 2007, was one of the final 10 in 2009 and was fifth again in 2010.

Wambach, who is on the cusp of catching Hamm on the world’s all-time scoring list, currently has 152 career international goals with 27 of them coming in 2012.

Her 27 goals in 2012 was the second-most prolific scoring year of her 12-year National Team career.

Wambach scored a goal in the first five matches of the 2012 Olympics, a feat never before achieved, and was the only U.S. player to start all 32 games during the year.
She currently has 198 career caps and could hit 200 in the USA’s second match of 2013 against Scotland on Feb. 13 in Nashville, Tenn.

Wambach tied for the team lead in scoring with six goals during the 2012 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament last January and also had five assists over the five games despite only playing 285 of the possible 450 minutes.

She scored in 20 of the USA’s 32 matches this year and had seven games in which she scored twice, including the final two games of the year (4-0 and 4-1 victories against China). The USA is 97-2-7 all-time in matches in which Wambach has scored a goal.

As co-captain of the U.S. team, she helped lead the American women to a 28-1-3 overall record in 2012, with the only loss (avenged twice during 2012 including the Olympic gold medal game) coming to Japan in March at the Algarve Cup. Wambach wasn’t on the field when Japan scored the game-winner in that 1-0 match.

Wambach, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, has won five U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year Awards (2003, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2011).

Wambach, Morgan and their team officially kick off 2013 on February 9, when they face Scotland in Jacksonville, Fla for a friendly. It will be new head coach Tom Sermanni's first match with the U.S.

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Morgan & Wambach Nominated For Player Of The Year; Sundhage Up For Coach Of The Year

The good times continue to roll for the U.S. women's national team. They blew out Ireland 5-0 last night in Portland, Oregon and today (as expected), forwards Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan were nominated for the FIFA Women's Player of the Year. Also, former U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage was one of three finalists for World Coach of the Year for Women's Soccer.

In 2012, the lethal combination of Wambach and Morgan have totaled 50 goals and 26 assists which is insane. Brazil's Marta is the other nominee but honestly, she has no chance in winning the award this year. I'd say that Morgan (27 goals, 18 assists) is the heavy favorite with Wambach (23 goals, 8 assists) the solid second choice.

Just like last year, Sundhage is joined by France's Bruno Bini (haha great name) and Japan's Norio Sasaki (who won it last year after Japan captured the 2011 World Cup). The nominees were all chosen by the captains and head coaches of women's national teams around the world and the media.

“Obviously, any kind of individual awards are a product of what a team can do,” said Wambach to ussoccer.com. “But what a tremendous honor for all of us, and even more so to be recognized with Alex, someone who compliments me in almost every way on the field, and also with our coach who set us both up to succeed. We’ll be excited to go to Switzerland with the hearts of champions as this will always be about winning titles as a team and that’s something we are really proud of this year.”

From ussoccer.com
The finalists for the Men’s World Player of the Year are Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid and Portugal, Lionel Messi of Barcelona and Argentina and Andrés Iniesta of Barcelona and Spain. The finalists for the World Coach of the Year for men’s soccer are Spain head coach Vicente Del Bosque, former Barcelona head coach Pep Guardiola and Real Madrid head coach Jose Mourinho.

The winners of all of FIFA’s year-end awards will be revealed at the FIFA Ballon d’Or gala at the Zurich Kongresshaus on January 7, 2013, during which the Men’s World Player of the Year, the FIFA World XI and the FIFA Puskás Award for the most beautiful goal of the year will also be announced. The FIFA Presidential Award and the FIFA Fair Play Award will also be presented during the gala.

Sundhage finished third in the voting for the World Coach of the Year in 2008, the first year the award was given out, and finished second last year.

This is the second time Wambach has been in the final three for the award, finishing third last year. She finished fourth in the voting in 2004 and 2006, fifth in 2007, was one of the final 10 in 2009 and was fifth again in 2010. Wambach led the USA with five goals at the 2012 Olympics, scoring one goal in each of the first five matches. Her 23 goals this year (she also has eight assists) are the second most in a single year during her 12-year international career. With 148 career international goals, she is just eight behind tying Mia Hamm for the world’s all-time greatest goal scorer.

Morgan scored three times at the 2012 Olympics, which of course included the latest goal ever scored in a FIFA competition when she headed home the game-winner in the 123rd minute of the dramatic come-from-behind 4-3 victory against Canada in the semifinal. She was also tied for the team lead in assists at the Olympics, setting up four goals.

Morgan’s 27 goals this year are the third-most ever in a calendar year behind Abby Wambach’s 31 in 2004 and Michelle Akers’ record 39 in 1991. Morgan’s 18 assists in 2012 are also tied for the fourth best ever in a single year and are by far the most on the team this year. She has either scored or assisted on 41 percent of the USA’s 108 goals this year and scored her second career hat trick, with all three goals coming in a 20-minute span of the first half, on Nov. 28 in a 5-0 victory against Ireland on the Fan Tribute Tour, presented by Panasonic.

Sundhage led the USA to a 23-1-1 record in 2012, which of course included dramatic run to the Olympic gold medal, before she coached her last game for the USA in a 6-2 victory against Australia on Sept. 19 in Colorado. The USA scored 16 goals at the Olympics, the most of any team the tournament, and came from behind to win in two matches, against France in the opener and against Canada in the semifinal. The USA’s 6-0-0 record in England, which included three shutouts, marked the first-time a U.S. team had won all six games during an Olympic Games. Sundhage recently took over as the head coach for her native Sweden and will lead her team into the 2013 European Women’s Championships in Sweden next summer.

You can catch Morgan and Wambach in action on Saturday (9:30 p.m ET, Fox Soccer Channel) as they meet Ireland once again, this time in Glendale, Arizona. It would be pretty sweet to see the U.S. women's team sweep the two biggest FIFA awards and it seems like this could be the year to do it. Both players certainly deserve it and Sundhage earned one last sweet moment stemming from her very successful time in the States.

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3 U.S. Women's Players Nominated For 2011 FIFA Women's World Player Of The Year

2011 has been a great year for U.S. women's soccer. Despite falling in absurdly epic fashion to Japan in penalty kicks during the 2011 Women's World Cup Final, you have to admit that the team is back at the forefront for women's sports in this country after spending a few years on the backburner.

For the most part, they're young, beautiful, athletic, have personalities and they are interesting. A pretty good combination any way that you slice it. Their success on the field and appeal off of it has surely sparked another resurgence in soccer around the U.S. for kids, particularly in girls.

Yesterday, goalkeeper Hope Solo (current star of ABC's Dancing With The Stars) along with forwards Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan were part of the 10 player list nominated for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Player of the Year award.

Five-time winner Marta of Brazil headlines the other nominees which also include Japan's Homare Sawa (the World Cup's leading scorer and top player) and Aya Mayama. Marta helped lead the Western New York Flash to the Women's Professional Soccer title but she also choked along with her teammates in the quarterfinals to the U.S. in the World Cup. Mostly for that reason and because I like to see different deserving people win awards, I say that Marta should not win this for the sixth time in a row (come on!).

The list was chosen by FIFA officials and journalists selected by France Football magazine so it should come as no surprise that France shamelessly put up its playmaker Louisa Necib for the award.

U.S. women's head coach Pia Sundhage and Japan's head coach Norio Sasaki are 10 nominees (10, really?) for best coach of a women's team in 2011. Sasaki is one of seven men on that list.

The final three candidates will be unveiled on December 5. In addition, stay tuned as next Tuesday FIFA will announce 10 candidates for the best men's player and coach. All of the winners will be feted January 9 by FIFA in Zurich, Switzerland. National team coaches plus captains and journalists vote for these honors.

Put me down for saying that Sawa and Sasaki should win although I fully expect FIFA to bungle it and go for Marta and some no-name coach.

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2011 Women's World Cup: U.S. vs. Brazil extra time live blog

Marta scores in the 92nd minute. Would you believe that there was a Brazilian player offsides on the play too? Ugh, this is absurd. The good news is that it's not Golden Goal and it will go the full 30 minutes so plenty of time for the U.S. to tie it up.

14th career World Cup goal for Marta, tied for most all-time (with Prinz of Germany).

U.S. corner and out for another.

Wambach's shot just deflected out by the glove of Brazil's goalkeeper. U.S. corner, great pressure by the U.S. You have to think this clown referee might gift them a call at this point but who knows.

Brazil wins a corner. Marta almost puts it in but Solo makes a sweet diving save for another Brazil corner.

Marta is the reigning five-time FIFA player of the year and she's only 25.

Lepeilbet is playing much better, her best game of the tournament. She puts it out for a Brazil corner. Brazil has two more subs left, one more for the U.S.

Solo clearly tips one out but it's called a goal kick. Just staying with the theme of today's referee mess.

One minute of added time is over.

After first 15 minutes: Brazil 2, U.S. 1

LePeilbet goes down in the box but no call. It was a bit of a flop so it wasn't really deserving of a PK but worth a try.

Rapinoe free kick from the outside of the box, headed over by Wambach.

Tobin Heath is coming on for O'Reilly. Last sub for the U.S.

Morgan gets it in deep but her ball to the middle is too slow and predictable. Morgan goes down in the box but can't buy a call despite the pro-U.S. crowd freaking out.

Lloyd fouls a Brazilian defender, who lies on the ground on the verge of death or something. Maurine gets a yellow card for wasting time then shanks the free kick out of bounds.

Brazil wins a free kick but Maurine puts it well over and wide.

Time to send everyone forward Pia, nothing to lose at this point.

U.S has not lost two games in a row in a decade and never been knocked out this early (always made it to the semifinals).

All the Brazil players are taking turns playing dead. This is a complete disaster of a game.

Yellow card for that clown-Erika.

U.S. free kick from outside the box. Lloyd takes it and it's not even close. It's been that kind of day for the U.S.

Solo makes a save and her long kick goes right to Brazil's goalkeeper.

Lloyd blasts it over from outside the box.

Three minutes of added time.

Holy shit! Wambach with a goal in the 122nd minute. Great cross from Rapinoe, Wambach with one of the most clutch goals you'll ever see.

11th career World Cup goal for Wambach.

End of added time: U.S. 2, Brazil 2

We're headed to penalty kicks!

Shannon Boxx up first for U.S.: saved by Andrea was about two yards off the line. Haha she gets a rekick. She scores on the second try. (1-0 U.S.)

Cristian scores for Brazil, cool as you like (1-1).

Lloyd scores for the U.S (2-1 U.S.)

Marta is up next. She drills it lower left (2-2).

Wambach drills it, side netting on the right. (3-2 U.S.)

What a great save by Solo on Brazil's sweeper (3-2 U.S.).

Rapinoe drills hers too, rocket. (4-2 U.S.).

Franciella keeps Brazil alive with a goal. (4-3 U.S.).

Kreiger wins it, 5-3 U.S!

See you in the semifinals on Wednesday. France vs. U.S. at 11:30 a.m., Japan vs. Sweden to follow.

You can't script a better ending than that. The U.S. was on the brink of one of the great screwjobs (with apologies to Bret Hart) in soccer history (not just women's). Wambach's goal was incredible and you knew that Solo would make at least one save in penalty kicks since she's the best goalkeeper in the world. I have chills, goosebumps, you name it. Incredible, USA USA USA!

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Apologize for the lack of posts

Our apologies for the lack of posts recently. With our jobs taking up much of our time and real life stuff to deal with, we haven't been posting at all lately.

With a day off from work and snow limiting my options of things to do, I thought I'd whip through some things we haven't touched on.

To sum up the important stuff we missed lately: Messi won men's player of the year (again), Marta won women's player of the year, Jose Mourinho was coach of the year, David Beckham is training with Tottenham, Ronaldinho has gone home to Flamengo (a Brazilian club), Oguchi Onyewu is with Dutch league champion Twente (on loan from AC Milan) and Edson Buddle is going to Ingolstadt (a second-tier German team).

Finally, Liverpool (Roy Hodgson out, Kenny Dalglish in) and Inter Milan (Rafael Benitez out, Leonardo in) got rid of their head coaches and hired new ones.