USWNT Icon Carli Lloyd Will Get The Farewell Tour This Fall That She So Richly Deserves

 

    As the saying goes, "Father Time is undefeated." While that may be true especially in the career of a professional athlete, at least USWNT legend Carli Lloyd fought the good fight so much longer than nearly anyone else in women's soccer history. Today, the 39-year-old midfielder/forward announced that she will play in four soon-to-be announced USWNT exhibitions this fall and she will return to play for her local club Gotham FC in the NWSL for the rest of their season and then that's it, she's done for good. When you stack her accolades up with any other USWNT legend, her resume is as good as anybody else's. The crazy part too is that she was considered past her prime and out of the picture for the national team in her early-30s only to burst back onto the scene and play the best soccer of her life for years after that. 

    The Delran Township, New Jersey native was never a big-time prospect in her earlier years, instead she played four years (2001-04) at Rutgers University in her home state before making her debut with the senior national team the next year. From there, she went on to make an astounding 312 appearances (2nd most in USWNT & world soccer history), she won two World Cups (2015 & 2019) and two Olympic Gold Medals (2008 & 2012), she scored 128 goals (4th most in USWNT history) and she won a pair of FIFA Women's Player of the Year Awards in back-to-back years (2015 & 2016). Her signature moment for most people is probably the hat trick that she scored in the first 16 minutes of the 2015 World Cup final vs. Japan including an absurd shot from midfield over the hapless Japanese goalkeeper. 

    Of all the great American women's soccer players, Lloyd has never been the one with the flashiest moves on the field nor the biggest personality off the field but that's not the point. For me, one of the true signs of greatness is the consistency from game to game and year to year and that is Carli. Even though the USWNT couldn't become the first team (men's or women's) to follow a World Cup title with a Gold Medal in the following Olympics, settling for the bronze in Japan earlier this month, she is still one of the top players on the team. It's one thing for a goalie to play at a high level late into their 30s or even early 40s but for a field player it's nearly unheard of. It was such a bizarre Olympics with no fans in the stands (due to Covid-19) but one of the enduring images of the entire proceedings had to be Lloyd running sprints on the empty field after they had been upset by Canada in the semifinals. On the surface to a regular person, that likely seems insane but I think it sums up Lloyd so well. She never accepted mediocrity from herself and her internal will to succeed is what ultimately resulted in her being one of the best women's soccer players of all-time.

Tweet

Follow @RichSlate 

U.S. Becomes 2nd Women's Team to Win Back-to-Back World Cups After 2-0 Win vs. Netherlands

The U.S. women's soccer team was the best squad in France over the past month and they put a bow on their latest unforgettable run with a 2-0 shutout of the Netherlands this afternoon in Lyon for their second straight World Cup title and record fourth overall (1991, 1999, 2015 and 2019). The Americans outscored their opponents 26-3 (sure half of those goals came against Thailand but who's counting?) and they never trailed as they became the second women's team to win back-to-back titles-joining Germany from 2003 and 2007. Head coach Jill Ellis is the first person to lead a team to back-to-back Women's World Cup crowns.

After missing the semifinal match vs. England, icon Megan Rapinoe returned from her hamstring injury to score one last goal (another successful penalty kick) that turned out to be the game-winner on the way to the double award sweep of the Golden Ball (best player) and Golden Boot (top scorer with 6 goals and 3 assists). At 34, this more than likely was her last World Cup match (same for Carli Lloyd who came on for the last 3 minutes as a substitute) so what a way to go out after an absolutely brilliant stay in France. Midfielder Rose Lavelle had the highlight of what was truthfully a rather boring Final as she blasted in the insurance goal for a 2-0 U.S. lead after one of the best goals of the tournament.

Coming into this matchup, I felt like there was a good chance that the Netherlands wouldn't be ready for this type of moment and what do you know, I was right! Let's not forgot that although they won the 2017 Euros, this was only their second ever appearance in the World Cup following 2015's loss in the Round of 16. They also had never trailed in France and held the U.S. scoreless in the first half thanks to some incredible saves by their goalkeeper Sar Van Veendendaal. The Dutch surprisingly made it this far playing in low-scoring, defensive struggles but that is not exactly the recipe to defeat a true juggernaut like the U.S.

Possession was relatively even (54%-46% in favor of the Americans) but the U.S. outshot them 17-5 with 10 times as many (!) of those on goal (10-1). Van Veendendaal (who won the Golden Glove) was forced to make eight saves while U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher might as well have taken a nap since she only had to make a lone save in over 90 minutes of "action." Finally, the U.S. had four times as many corner kicks (8-2) so it is probably an upset that the Netherlands were able to hold the line at 0-0 for that long.

The first half wasn't a classic by any means (much like the match itself) but the U.S. should have been up by at least a goal or two if it wasn't for Van Veendendaal's heroics. She knocked away Julie Ertz's quick turnaround shot that came from a loose ball in the box, a header by Samantha Mewis hit her in the ribs, she stopped a shot from Alex Morgan that also hit the post and yet again she stoned Morgan who took a curling shot from outside the box. The Americans also suffered an injury to defender Kelley O'Hara in the closing minutes of the opening 45 minutes: she went up for a header and hit her head very hard against her Dutch opponent. She lay on the field barely moving (knocked out?) but eventually got up and walked off so it wasn't shocking to see Ali Krieger replace her to start the second half since she undoubtedly had to have concussion-like symptoms.

Like Rapinoe, Morgan finished with six goals and three assists (in more time so I guess that was the tiebreaker) in France and you could make a valid case that she worked harder for those numbers since she seemed to get physically beat up during every single game. Haha well maybe not against Thailand where she scored a whopping five goals but that's besides the point. She drew the penalty kick that was taken by Rapinoe in the 61st minute and Lavelle put this to bed eight minutes later after an assist from Mewis. Rapinoe's goal was the 50th of her U.S. career and I'm comfortable saying that Lavelle has never scored a bigger goal in her life.

It's easy to acknowledge it now after the fact but France, England and even Sweden (you could argue) all gave the U.S. a tougher test than the Netherlands. It was clear from the beginning today that the Dutch were probably just happy to be here and knew in their heart of hearts that they didn't have a true shot to win the crown barring something crazy going down. That's not to say that they didn't deserve to be here or that they weren't a worthy opponent, just that the Final was not close to the most exciting of the seven matches that the Americans had in the past month.

Finally the hard truth for U.S. soccer fans: just like in 2015, this World Cup journey for the USWNT has been an utter joy to witness on many levels. However, we can't bury our collective heads in the sand and pretend that all that matters for women's soccer is this event which only happens every four years. Nope, for the sport to continue to build off of this incredible momentum, they need the NWSL (National Women's Soccer League) to be way more relevant.

That means that if you liked what you saw at the World Cup, you should check out the league that many of these players compete in. ESPN picked up many of its games to broadcast for the remainder of the season culminating with the playoffs. The NWSL has lost money for years, hence why so many of the top players (Americans and beyond) have gone to play in Europe to rightfully earn bigger paychecks. We have to do a better job of supporting this product day-to-day rather than year-to-year, otherwise we'll be stuck in purgatory having these same frustrating conversations about wage inequality forever.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

U.S. Women Dominate Japan 5-2 In Canada For Their Record 3rd World Cup Title Overall

Even the biggest U.S. honk would have to admit that in their wildest Budweiser-fueled drunken 4th of July dreams, they probably never imagined the 2015 Women's World Cup Final unfolding quite like it did on Sunday at Vancouver's BC Place. What most expected to be a tight match turned into a unbelievable blowout in the span of 16 minutes: Carli Lloyd scored the fastest hat trick in Women's World Cup history and first in a Final as the U.S. jumped out to a 4-0 lead and cruised to a 5-2 victory over shell-shocked Japan. With the win, the U.S. finally took home its third World Cup title (the most of any country) and their first since 1999.

Japan was completely exposed on set pieces as Lloyd scored her first two goals (in the 3rd and 5th minutes) by knocking in a short corner kick from Megan Rapinoe then also following up a loose ball in the box after Julie Johnston had headed a free kick into a dangerous spot by the Japanese goal. Just as a viewer, this all happened so fast that it was almost overwhelming so you can imagine how the Japanese (the defending World Cup champs) were feeling as the match was taken away from them so early. A poor header by one of Japan's defenders led to the third U.S. goal as Lauren Holiday was there to volley it in the 14th minute.

Lloyd's first goal was great and Holiday's was also memorable (her first of this tournament) but the signature moment of this one-sided Final that will be replayed for eternity was Lloyd's audacious chip from midfield that gave her the hat trick in the 16th minute (3rd ever for a U.S. woman at the World Cup). Only someone as super confident as her would dream of trying something so outrageous and while Japan's goalkeeper Ayumi Kaihori was slightly out of position, it was a perfect hit by the U.S. captain who not surprisingly won the Golden Ball for the best player in the tournament (6 goals, 1 assist; goals in 4 straight matches).

It took way too long for them to get in gear but Japan showed for a few brief moments why they got here in the first place and figured to pose such a threat to the U.S. Yuki Ogimi cut it to 4-1 in the 28th minute after she was wide open in the box after an assist from Nahomi Kawasumi. Hope Solo (who won the Golden Glove for the best goalkeeper in the tournament) had no chance to stop the shot that went into the corner of the net.

To keep the audience watching (and I bet it was a record rating), the announcers had to pretend that Japan potentially could rally. Haha yeah OK guys. I will admit that it got just a little interesting in the 52nd minute when Johnston's header went past Solo for an own goal. However, two minutes later Tobin Heath put it away for good with her first career World Cup goal (beautifully assisted by Morgan Brian). Look out for those two in the next few World Cups, they are going to be leaders of the team in the near future.

Both Abby Wambach and Christie Rampone were substitutes late in the game, a nice touch by head coach Jill Ellis since both were playing in their final World Cup contest. About the only thing that didn't go perfectly for the U.S. was that Wambach didn't score a goal but we'll forgive her for that after all that she's done over the years in Red, White and Blue.

The cliche of getting better every game actually applied to this team as they saved their best performances for their toughest opponents: Germany and Japan. They had struggled so much to score for most of the month in Canada but then the floodgates opened today and Japan had absolutely no chance to stop it. I think that Fox Sports 1 and Fox did a very solid job of covering this tournament and hopefully the momentum that the sport has gained will continue with the NWSL (where most of these women play) and of course in future World Cups.

The Americans had been knocking on the door for so long and I'm thrilled for them knowing all the hard work that they've put in over the years. Most importantly, they created their own legacy and now they never have to be endlessly criticized for not being the 1999 squad. Nope, this moment sealed their legacy forever. PS while the 1999 team had the greatest impact, this edition had the toughest journey since the field had expanded to 24 teams for the first time and they came out of the hardest group so there.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

U.S. Women Reach 2015 World Cup Final With Impressive 2-0 Win Over No. 1 Germany

Thanks to more clutch play from captain Carli Lloyd (who scored a goal for the third straight game), an impenetrable defense (which has five straight clean sheets, 513 minutes without allowing a goal) and an insurance goal by a most unlikely source (Kelley O'Hara), the U.S. women's national team defeated No. 1 Germany 2-0 tonight at Montreal's Olympic Stadium in the 2015 World Cup semifinals. They'll face the winner of Japan/England on Sunday (7, Fox) in Vancouver. With the win, the U.S. tied Germany for most all-time appearances in the World Cup Final (4) as they go for their third title (1991, 1999) overall and first in this century.

Germany came out fast but after the Americans were able to withstand that early push, then they methodically took over possession and in terms of quality scoring chances. German goalkeeper Nadine Angerer (playing in her last World Cup) stopped her club teammate Alex Morgan with a kick save in the 15th minute after the U.S. forward broke in alone for a breakaway. The other notable play in the first half was a brutal collision of heads between U.S. midfielder Morgan Brian and German forward Alexandra Popp going up for the ball in the U.S. defensive box. After a long delay, Popp was left with a nasty gash on her head while a clearly woozy Brian slowly walked off the field. Strangely enough, both soon returned to the game. Ugh.

The U.S. should have been up by at least a goal at halftime but yet again, their lack of finishing touch hurt them. Still, they have not conceded a goal in any second half at this World Cup plus they always seem to ratchet up their execution when it's truly winning time. The second half was a non-stop swing of emotions as first Germany drew a deserved penalty kick in the 59th minute when rising star Julie Johnston pulled down Popp. Johnston earned a yellow card and German goal-scoring machine Celia Sasic stepped up to the spot to take it. American goalkeeper Hope Solo (89th career shutout; 10th in the World Cup tying former teammate Brianna Scurry's World Cup record) wasted as much time as she could and it must have worked on some level as Sasic pulled her curling, low shot just wide of the post. After going 12-for-12 all-time in World Cup penalty kicks, Germany had finally missed one.

It was the U.S.' turn to get a penalty kick as Alex Morgan was taken down right at the edge of Germany's defensive box in the 69th minute by Annike Krahn. Lloyd drilled her third successful penalty kick in a row for the 1-0 U.S. advantage (they've never lost in the World Cup when they have a lead). Given the quality of their opponent and the high stakes of this match, this was undoubtedly the best performance by the U.S over these past six contests in Canada. My favorite aspect of it was that they didn't settle for a nervy 1-0 victory, instead they went for the kill and sent Germany to the third-place match with a beautiful goal in the 84th minute. Abby Wambach pulled it back to Meghan Klingenberg who played the ball ahead to Lloyd, she got a step on her defender and lofted a perfect cross right on the goal-line for O'Hara to re-direct with her foot. Would you believe it was her first ever goal in a U.S. jersey? Talk about timing!

England is clearly the underdog-just happy to be in tomorrow's match vs. Japan who won the 2011 World Cup (5-4 in penalty kicks over the U.S.). Tonight proved without a doubt that the U.S. is the team to beat and it should give them so much confidence going into Sunday's match. There is almost no question that they would come out on top against England but if you are a U.S. fan, you have to be hoping to see Japan on Sunday. After all, it would only be right to have this long drought end by beating the previous champion. This is shaping up to be a storybook journey for the U.S. and that represents the ultimate ending.

UPDATE 7/2: Bring on Japan! They beat England 2-1 last night on one of the most brutal own goals that I've ever seen.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

U.S. Women Reach Their Seventh Straight World Cup Quarterfinal After 2-0 Win Vs. Colombia

After four games at the 2015 World Cup in Canada, I think we are starting to get a pretty good sense of what the U.S. women's national team is all about: they are an outstanding defensive team that for whatever reason simply has trouble scoring goals. It is not the most attractive brand of soccer but so far it has been effective as the U.S.' shutout streak reached 333 minutes (and counting) after a 2-0 victory over Colombia at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium. This sets up a juicy rematch of the 1999 World Cup Final with China on Friday night (7:30, FOX).

There was little chance of the U.S. losing this match, even though they mostly sleepwalked through a scoreless first half. It only took them the first 21 minutes of the second half to take control and put Colombia in the rearview mirror. It started in the 47th minute when Colombian goalkeeper Catalina Perez chopped down Alex Morgan on the edge of the area, earning a red card. Abby Wambach subsequently blew the ensuing penalty kick (blasting it wide of the net) but the U.S. would soon take advantage of Colombia playing with 10 women and also down to their backup goalkeeper-Stefany Castano-in the country's biggest match ever.

Morgan opened her account in Canada with a gift from Castano in the 53rd minute: rather than cross it, Morgan chose to put a tough angle shot on net and surprisingly, it trickled in. Ali Krieger had the assist on Morgan's 3rd all-time goal at the World Cup (each scored in knockout games with the last coming in the 2011 Final vs. Japan). The U.S. received another penalty kick in the 66th minute, this time earned by Megan Rapinoe after she made a dangerous attacking run into the box. Carli Lloyd got a crack at the second penalty kick and she came through for the insurance tally.

Colombia never really put together any significant offensive pressure so it was another light workload for goalkeeper Hope Solo (8th World Cup shutout, 87th all-time; tied Brianna Scurry for most wins by an American (133)). That won't always be the case and while China is not the powerhouse that they used to be, they figure to pose more of a challenge than Colombia. There is also the innate pressure on the Americans, something that only host Canada can relate to at the moment; they are expected to be the best and that can be tough to live up to at all times.

Furthermore, the bad news to come out of this match for the U.S. is that star midfielders Lauren Holiday and Rapinoe both picked up their second yellow cards of the tournament so they receive an automatic suspension vs. China. It is also a short turnaround to Friday and they'll be traveling to Ottawa so this should be a good test for head coach Jill Ellis who thus far hasn't exactly impressed. I would like to see veteran Heather O'Reilly perhaps get a start against China (she has yet to see the field in Canada) with their two best midfielders out but Ellis subbed in Morgan Brian and Christen Press tonight so they seem like the safest bet to go into the starting lineup.

This is certainly not the way we thought the U.S. would play but if they win the World Cup next weekend, we won't complain. It is a clearly imperfect team but they have enough strengths and individual talent that they can still go all the way. The winner of U.S.-China will meet Germany or France in the semifinals on June 30.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

Your 2015 World Cup Update: The U.S. Women Top Group D With 1-0 Victory Over Nigeria

Well the good news is that the U.S. women's national team advanced out of Group D (by far the toughest Group) unbeaten (2-0-1) with a 1-0 win vs. Nigeria this evening at Vancouver's BC Place. At the moment, all that we know about their round-of-16 match at the 2015 World Cup is that it will take place on Monday night (8, Fox Sports 1) at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium. The opponent will be the best third-place finisher from either Group B, E or F-to be determined by tomorrow's results on the final day of group play.

As you can tell by the modest final score, once again the United States struggled to find the back of the net-an issue which has really plagued them in the last two matches. Their lone goal was an important one in many ways: Abby Wambach leaped up to volley Megan Rapinoe's corner kick with her left foot in the 45th minute. The beautiful tally was huge at the time since the U.S. had dominated possession and scoring chances in the first half with nothing to show for it until then. On a personal level, Wambach needed that (her 14th World Cup goal; tied for 2nd all-time) badly since she had looked terrible so far at this tournament and her confidence had to be wavering at least a little bit.

While the offense still worries us, the U.S.' defense seems to get better with each match (granted Nigeria is a step down from Australia-who finished second-and Sweden who placed third). Goalkeeper Hope Solo picked up her second straight shutout and this one required no heavy lifting at all (2 saves that I can't even remember). The United States has scored just four goals so far and only allowed one. Nobody and I mean nobody could have predicted that the breakout stars for the U.S. up to this point have been defenders Meghan Klingenberg and Julie Johnston. Haha who? The latter had the other play of the game for the Americans besides Wambach's goal: she was beaten by a perfect through ball but recovered in time to block the shot out of bounds for a harmless corner kick.

I get that Nigeria had to go for the win but they were pretty reckless: earning five yellow cards in the match including two for defender Sarah Nnodim who was subsequently ejected in the 69th minute. Even though the U.S. was only up by a goal, when that happened you knew that Nigeria was done for good. Alex Morgan and Wambach both started at forward for the U.S. for the first time at this World Cup along with midfielder Tobin Heath. Morgan had two great chances that were stopped by Nigeria's goalkeeper Precious Dede (name of the year?) but it was nice to see her play for 66 minutes after token appearances off the bench in the first two games. Heath didn't do a whole lot but you could say the same thing about Carli Lloyd who has been invisible while Lauren Holiday was very solid vs. Nigeria.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

After Shaky 1st Half, U.S. Women Settle Down For 3-1 Win vs. Australia In 2015 World Cup Opener

They'll never admit it but the U.S. women's national team is facing plenty of pressure to deliver their first World Cup title since 1999. Tonight, in their 2015 World Cup opener at Winnipeg Stadium, they started slowly but found themselves in the second half of a 3-1 win over Australia. By virtue of Sweden's unexpected 3-3 draw with Nigeria which preceded this match, the U.S. is on top of Group D with three points.

In the first half, the U.S. did not look like one of the top teams in the world. In fact, if not for goalkeeper Hope Solo, who made two spectacular saves, they could have been down at least a goal or two. Instead they took an early 1-0 lead in the 12th minute on a fortuitous deflection. Megan Rapinoe had the confidence to take a shot from outside the box and she was rewarded as it bounced off a defender past Australian goalkeeper Melissa Barbieri.

The Matildas are ranked 10th in the world for a reason though, they are a quality side and not a pushover like some of the shameful results in the first few days of the tournament (10-0, 6-0 etc). They leveled things in the 27th minute as Lisa De Vanna hammered a shot into the corner that even Solo couldn't reach. The first half ended 1-1 and that seemed about right. Neither team made any changes at halftime but the U.S. clearly was a different side in the final 45+ minutes. They had way more possession which helped to slowly wear down Australia.

Midfielder Christen Press was playing in her first World Cup match and she immediately became a nationwide hero by scoring the game-winning goal in the 61st minute for a 2-1 U.S. advantage. Truth be told, ex-Canadian Sydney Leroux did most of the heavy lifting by beating her defender down the flank with her speed then passing it back to the top of the box where Press was able to one-time it in.

For good measure, Rapinoe scored a wonderful goal in the 78th minute (from Carli Lloyd) that basically sealed it. Australia gave her too much time and space to operate so she made them pay with a quick burst and hard, left-footed shot into the side netting. It was the first time an American woman had scored twice in a World Cup game since 2007.

The U.S. gets the pleasure of staying in lovely Winnipeg for the entire week as they will meet Sweden on Friday night (8, Fox) for what should be a must-see match vs. their former head coach Pia Sundhage. The fact that Sweden only gained one point in their opener means that they could really use three against the United States if they want to advance to the knockout stage. There has always been a nice rivalry between these two countries so this should be the latest chapter.

Hopefully the U.S. can come out much faster and I wouldn't be surprised to see midfielder Tobin Heath (who came on as a substitute in the 68th minute) start vs. Sweden. Alex Morgan is working her way back from an injury so she only appeared for the final 14 minutes. Abby Wambach had a rather poor performance by her lofty standards-missing multiple golden opportunities that she typically buries in the net-but she's not coming out of the starting lineup anytime soon and neither should Leroux.

In terms of cards for the U.S., midfielder Lauren Holiday and Rapinoe each picked one up in an eight-minute span of the second half. Holiday's was way more justified but they count just the same. Needless to say, they don't need Rapinoe (or to a lesser extent Holiday) to miss a match due to a suspension (2 yellow cards). Onto Sweden!

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

Abby Wambach Scores Twice As U.S. Women Roll 4-0 Over China

It was business as usual for the U.S. women's national team during their highly successful Fan Tribute Tour. In the second to last match of the nationwide victory parade, they thrashed China 4-0 tonight at Houston's BBVA Compass Stadium.

Abby Wambach scored twice (her 149th and 150th career goals, which put her 8 behind Mia Hamm for the all-time U.S. lead), Heather O'Reilly had three assists, Carli Lloyd and Amy Rodriguez scored with Megan Rapinoe recording the one other point on an assist. Hope Solo and Nicole Barnhart "earned" the shutout although technically neither had to make a save as they played the first half and second half respectively.

Wambach's first strike was a header off a perfect cross from O'Reilly in the 20th minute. China only trailed 1-0 at halftime and it wasn't until the 62nd minute when the U.S. really took over for good. Lloyd scored on a header thanks to a great corner kick from Megan Rapinoe. That's when the wheels came off for China as Wambach added her second tally in the next minute. After receiving a pass from O'Reilly, she cut back into the box and took a shot that deflected off a defender's cleat.

Rodriguez came on in the 75th minute and it only took her 10 minutes to cash in on some rare playing time. Once again, O'Reilly made the play happen by hustling along the sideline around a Chinese player then hitting a tough angle shot on goal before she went out on the touch line. China's goalkeeper spilled it right to Rodriguez who didn't hesitate to bury it.

The U.S. women wrap up 2012 and this unbeaten tour (7-0-2) on Saturday night (7 p.m., NBC Sports Network) with one more match against China, at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida. Expect another one-sided result as this team finally gets a much deserved break for the holidays. Haha I'm not sure that this tour had to be 10 matches long but what do I know?



Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

Pia Sundhage's Farewell Tour Starts Out With The U.S. Dropping 8 Goals On Costa Rica In Rochester

Perhaps you've heard that U.S. women's national team head coach Pia Sundhage is stepping down. I have heard some additional information that she'll be at the helm for two more games, Sunday, September 16 vs. Australia at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA and Wednesday, September 19 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, CO.

The farewell tour got off to the perfect start for Sundhage (who is reportedly in the works to be Sweden's head coach) as her team pinned an 8-0 loss on Costa Rica this afternoon at Sahlen's Stadium in Rochester, NY. It was the team's first match since winning the gold medal vs. Japan at the London Olympics.

Hometown hero Abby Wambach gave the people what they wanted as she scored twice, Megan Rapinoe had two goals while Alex Morgan, Sydney Leroux, Carli Lloyd and Heather O'Reilly bagged single tallies.

The U.S. was never challenged as they led 5-0 at halftime. Rapinoe opened the barrage with a goal off a free kick in the 13th minute, her shot just grazed the crossbar and went in.

Not surprisingly, Wambach had not one but two headers for goals (putting her at 145 international strikes). Rachel Buehler crossed to her in the 24th minute then Rapinoe's corner kick eight minutes later found what has to be the greatest aerial player in women's soccer history.

Alex Morgan got in on the action in the 38th minute after a touch from Wambach, Morgan's left-footed shot left the Costa Rican goalkeeper with no chance to stop the high riser.

Rapinoe's second goal-in the 45th minute-was a complete gift as her shot from the edge of the area trickled in off the goalkeeper's hands.

Supersub Leroux kickstarted the late scoring as she ran onto a pass from Morgan, overpowered her defender and finished in the far corner in the 77th minute.

Lloyd kept up her hot streak as she scored on a bending free kick in the 84th minute and O'Reilly tapped in Leroux's cross in garbage time (89th minute).

Some interesting notes courtesy of ussoccer.com
In the 54th minute, goalkeeper Jill Loyden replaced starting goalkeeper Hope Solo, ending Solo’s consecutive minutes played streak at 1,163. That is a U.S. WNT goalkeeping record as Solo surpassed Briana Scurry’s previous mark of 990 minutes during the 2012 London Olympics.

The U.S. improved to 94-2-5 when Abby Wambach scores a goal.
The USA improved to 10-0-0 this year when Wambach and Alex Morgan both contribute at least one goal in the same match.

U.S. defender and team captain Christie Rampone played in her 267th career international match on Saturday. She now sits five behind third-place Julie Foudy (272) on the all-time list.

Pia Sundhage improved her USA coaching record to 89-6-10.

The next match against Australia will also be broadcast live on NBC like today's game. I gotta say that the new go-to announcer combination of ex-U.S. men's player Kyle Martino and Arlo White is great. Thank God they left Brandi Chastain and her needless yelling back in the UK or somewhere else far away from a microphone.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

U.S. Women Capture Their 3rd Straight Gold Medal With A Thrilling 2-1 Win Vs. Japan

Very rarely in sports do big games (Super Bowl, College Football Bowls, World Series, Stanley Cup Finals, NBA Finals) live up to their outsized expectations. We were lucky enough to witness an instant classic this afternoon as the U.S. women's national soccer team (6-0-0) beat Japan (3-1-2) 2-1 at Wembley Stadium to capture the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics.

This result was fitting redemption for the U.S. since they lost to Japan in penalty kicks last July in the 2011 World Cup Final.

Carli Lloyd provided both goals for the Americans who built a 1-0 halftime lead and then a 2-0 advantage in the second half before holding on for dear life as Japan turned up the heat, culminating in a goal by Yuki Ogimi in the 63rd minute.

In most cases, Lloyd would be the clear cut choice for player of the match however she has to share that honor with U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo (4 saves), who had to be at her absolute best to ensure that the U.S. won their third straight gold and fourth in five Olympics all-time.

Known more for her work-rate in the midfield and not her finishing touch, Lloyd stepped up with the best game of her life. She put the U.S. ahead 1-0 in the eighth minute (3rd of the tournament, 39th of her career) after a cross from Alex Morgan (tournament-high 5 assists) that curled away from Japan's goalkeeper Miko Fukumoto. In live action, I thought Abby Wambach one-touched it with her foot but it turned out that Lloyd ran onto it and headed it in. High marks for Morgan's pass too as she was able to put it in the right spot for her teammates.

The U.S. almost made it 2-0 when Megan Rapinoe nearly connected with Wambach for a through ball but it was a few feet too long. Japan suddenly woke up as U.S. defender Christie Rampone cleared a shot off the goal-line then Solo made her first A+ stop. Soon after that, she dove to rob Japan on a header that deflected off the crossbar and over the net.

Tobin Heath was lucky to get away with what easily could have been a handball in the box, leading to a Japan penalty kick. I'll say that it was more obvious than the call against Canada in the semifinals but that's how it goes sometimes in soccer (no conspiracy theories please).

Japan was fortunate not to trail 2-0 in the first half as one of their defenders headed the ball off their own post. They kept buzzing and hit the crossbar with the third superb chance of the first half for them. Shinobu Ohno had one last agonizingly close shot for Japan as her shot from the top of the box whistled wide by mere inches.

Up 1-0 at the half, the U.S. realized that they would need more to hold off the Japanese who are such a tough matchup for them. Lloyd answered the bell again, in the 58th minute, as she finished off a great individual effort by placing her shot in the opposite side netting from outside the box. Truly a remarkable shot that no goalkeeper could ever dream to stop.

Japan would not be deterred though and Rampone cleared another shot off the line but this time, Ogimi was there to clean it up in the 63rd minute. Game on. The U.S. didn't look like a team with a lead as Rachel Buehler went forward and should have done better on a one-timer off a cross. Still, what do you expect from a defender?

Wambach didn't have her normal stellar offensive game but her effort was there. That was her tracking back on a free kick and heading out the ball for a Japan corner kick. The same could be said for Morgan: it wasn't her best day but it turns out the U.S. had more depth than anyone could have imagined. Whether it was nerves or fatigue, Morgan uncharacteristically wasted a few shots in ways you don't normally see from her.

Lloyd had a chance to end it and cap off a hat trick but her blast went over in the 83rd minute. That was followed by Solo making a game-saving stop after Rampone coughed up the ball in her own end. Outside of the assist, Morgan's best play was her hustle late in the match which earned a corner for the U.S.-wasting precious time for Japan.

The final whistle sounded and the U.S. coaches led by Pia Sundhage and players went crazy. They all seemed to receive American flags which they draped themselves and then ran around the historic stadium. It was a remarkable win and the best moment for this proud group which had come so close to a World Cup title last summer against this same formidable opponent.

Before we speculate, who will be out of the mix soon (Heather Mitts already said this was her last game for the U.S.), let's enjoy what will be one of the signature moments of the London Olympics for the United States. This team is outstanding, very talented but with great chemistry that allows them to put their egos aside and achieve special results like this. Overall, they are so much fun to root for since they play the game the right way and seem to enjoy doing it in the process. Once again, the U.S. women are back on top in soccer worldwide.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

Brazil Needs Some Work On Its Set Piece Defense

The U.S. women's national team took care of business this morning in Japan as they beat Brazil 3-0 in the second and final game of the Kirin Challenge Cup.

Brazil was very shorthanded as the iconic Marta sat out (why I don't know). They didn't help themselves as they gave up two early goals in the first half then the U.S. tacked on another in the second half for a comfortable win.

All three U.S. goals came on set pieces, although only one was clean. In the 18th minute, Christie Rampone sent a free kick into the box that was deflected off Rachel Buehler's heel right to Carli Lloyd. She's not usually accurate when she shoots but Lloyd didn't miss on that one.

Five minutes later, Lauren Cheney hit a cross off a free kick that Shannon Boxx headed in.

Substitute Amy Rodriguez scored in the 83rd minute on a similar play to the Lloyd strike. Cheney's free kick was knocked down by Abby Wambach then Rodriguez pounced on the rebound which took a deflection off a Brazilian defender.

American goalkeeper Hope Solo had a quiet game as she only had to make one save for the shutout.

The U.S.' next game is Saturday, May 27 (Memorial Day weekend) against China in Chester, PA. It's a friendly but against more top-level competition.

Pia Sundhage's team improved to 10-1-1 in 2012 as they beat Brazil in their first meeting since last summer's memorable World Cup encounter. Nine Brazilians and 13 Americans saw the field today that also appeared in that one.

This margin of defeat was the largest for the U.S. against Brazil in 10 games (5-1 in 2004). Unlike their male counterparts, the U.S. women first of all will appear in the 2012 London Olympics plus they will undoubtedly be considered one of the favorites.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

U.S. Women Smoke Denmark 5-0 In 2012 Algrave Cup Opener

A couple hours before the U.S. men shocked Italy, the U.S. women blew out Denmark 5-0 in Lagos, Portugal, site of the 2012 Algrave Cup.

The U.S. women scored twice in the first half then added three more goals in the final 15 minutes to wrap it up.

Abby Morgan led the way with two goals and an assist (she now has eight in 2012) while Abby Wambach, Carli Lloyd and Sydney Leroux had the other goals. Heather O'Reilly, Lauren Cheney, Tobin Heath and Stephanie Cox had assists.

U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo did her best Tim Howard impression (or was he doing a Hope Solo impression?) as she recorded a clean sheet.

Morgan opened the scoring with a goal in the 21st minute, assisted by O'Reilly. Morgan's shot went off the post and in. The U.S. kept the pressure on and scored a backbreaking goal in the 44th minute as Morgan found a sliding Wambach (132nd career goal).

Cheney hit the post in the 76th minute but Lloyd was there to clean up the rebound. Morgan scored her second in the 84th minute (her 18th international goal) on a shot in traffic. Leroux redirected Lindsey's shot from a tough angle, for her sixth goal in six appearances. She's the youngest player on the team (21) but she looks like the next U.S. star.

Japan defeated Norway 2-1 in the other Group B match. The U.S. will meet Norway on Friday at 10 a.m. ET. You can keep track of the action on ussoccer.com's matchtracker and by following @ussoccer_wnt on Twitter.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

U.S. Women Secure Their Spot In London With A 3-0 Win Vs. Costa Rica

From all I read, it wasn't a classic performance by any means but all that matters is the final result: the U.S. women's team is going to the 2012 London Olympics thanks to their 3-0 win vs. Costa Rica tonight in Vancouver, British Columbia.

It was a semifinal in the CONCACAF qualifying tournament; host Canada beat Mexico in the other, setting up a fun but ultimately meaningless (since they're both in already) final on Sunday night (8 p.m. on NBCSports) between the two rivals and neighbors.

Tobin Heath had the first goal, a header in the 16th minute but the top ranked Americans were only up 1-0 at halftime against a team ranked No. 41 that had never been to the Olympics or a World Cup and also had never scored a goal against the U.S. in eight previous encounters.

The U.S. settled down in the second half as Carli Lloyd blasted one in during the 72nd minute and Alex Morgan wrapped it up with a goal in the 89th minute off the bench.

Hope Solo earned the shutout by making a big-time stop in the 20th minute, she also benefited from a Costa Rica shot in the 27th minute that rocked the crossbar.

This contest was certainly tighter than the first two games in group play: the U.S. rolled 14-0 over the Dominican Republic and 13-0 over Guatemala before a 4-0 win over Mexico and finally, this 3-0 triumph.

The United States will enter London this summer as two-time defending gold medalists. Ironically, both titles came after not winning the ultimate prize-the World Cup.

The tournament includes the UK, Japan, North Korea, Cameroon, South Africa, France, Sweden, Brazil, Colombia and Canada. The final team will hail from Oceania. You'll notice that Germany isn't on that list which means that the U.S. will likely be the favorite.

We all fell in love with this group after their incredible run last summer; let's hope that it continues, albeit with a win in their final match and another Gold to bring home.

If nothing else, it's a delectable side dish to what is shaping up to be an incredible summer of the beautiful game: Euro 2012, London Olympics and World Cup qualifying starts plus some awesome friendlies (Brazil vs. Argentina in NJ).

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate