Posted on February 2, 2012
After qualifying for the London Olympics on Sunday, the U.S. women certainly don’t have much time to rest of their laurels.
On Thursday, U.S. coach Pia Sundhage named 28 players for a training camp prior to the team’s international friendly against New Zealand at FC Dallas Stadium in Frisco, Texas on Feb. 11 at 4 p.m. ET.
After a week of training, Sundhage will name 18 players to suit up for the game that will pit two participants from the 2011 Women’s World Cup, and should New Zealand earn Oceania’s lone berth to London, two of the 12 teams that will be at the this summer’s Olympics, as well. More than 14,000 tickets have already been sold for the venue that seats 20,500 fans.
“It is always good to play a World Cup team,” Sundhage said. “There were many positives to take out of Olympic Qualifying in Canada and one of those was the depth of the team. We have many talented players and the challenge for the coaching staff will be figuring out the best combination of players as we continue to prepare for the Olympics. A good week of training in Texas, followed by match against a quality opponent like New Zealand, certainly helps in that process.”
Nineteen of the 20 players on the roster from Olympic qualifying will be in Texas, with the lone exception of defender Ali Krieger, who suffered tears to the MCL and ACL in her right knee in the first game of the tournament. Krieger will undergo surgery this week and begin her rehabilitation.
Eleven players tallied for the Americans in Vancouver, led by Abby Wambach, Amy Rodriguez and Carli Lloyd, who all had six goals apiece. Lloyd scored in each of the five games. Lauren Cheney led the team in assists, picking up seven to go with her two goals, while the speedy Alex Morgan had six assists to go with four goals, two of which were scored in clinical fashion on breakaways in the 4-0 championship game victory over host Canada.
From players not on the qualifying roster, Sundhage has called back into camp goalkeepers Jill Loyden and Ashlyn Harris, defenders Stephanie Cox and Whitney Engen, and midfielders Yael Averbuch, Meghan Klingenberg, Kristie Mewis and Christine Nairn.
The match will mark the Americans’ first game in Texas since May 2007, when they hammered Canada, 6-2, in Frisco in the first appearance for the U.S. women at the home of Major League Soccer’s FC Dallas. This will be the U.S.’s eighth match in Texas, which has long been a state known for producing top female players. The USA is undefeated in Texas at 7-0-0.
The week-long camp in Frisco and the match will serve as a warm-up for the annual Algarve Cup in Portugal, which this year will be held from Feb. 29-March 7. The Americans will leave for Europe about 10 days after facing New Zealand.
New Zealand is a virtual lock to earn Oceania’s lone berth to the 2012 Olympics once qualifying commences in the smallest of FIFA’s six Confederations.
The match will be the ninth meeting between the countries, with the U.S. holding a 7-1-0 series advantage. After a loss to New Zealand in Taiwan in 1987, the U.S. has won the next seven games in matchups that featured an average of five goals per game. The last meeting came at the 2008 Olympic Games, with Heather O’Reilly, Lloyd, Lindsay Tarpley and Angela Hucles scoring in a 4-0 win in the final group match of that tournament.
O’Reilly’s goal in that Olympic match came 40 seconds into the game and was the quickest in U.S. history before Wambach scored 35 seconds into the USA’s first match at 2012 CONCACAF Olympic qualifying against the Dominican Republic.
The U.S. training camp roster:
GOALKEEPERS (4): Nicole Barnhart, Ashlyn Harris, Jill Loyden, Hope Solo
DEFENDERS (8): Rachel Buehler, Stephanie Cox, Whitney Engen, Amy LePeilbet, Heather Mitts, Kelley O’Hara, Christie Rampone, Becky Sauerbrunn
MIDFIELDERS (12): Yael Averbuch, Shannon Boxx, Tobin Heath, Meghan Klingenberg, Lori Lindsey, Carli Lloyd, Kristie Mewis, Christine Nairn, Heather O’Reilly, Megan Rapinoe, Amy Rodriguez, Keelin Winters
FORWARDS (4): Lauren Cheney, Sydney Leroux, Alex Morgan, Abby Wambach
Photo: Amy Rodriguez was among the players named to the next U.S. women’s training camp. Scott Bales/YCJ
Categories: North America, U.S.A., Women
Tags: 2012 London Olympics, Abby Wambach, Algarve Cup, CONCACAF women's Olympic qualifying tournament, Pia Sundhage
Loading ...
