Archive: Women
Morning Kickaround
*Argentina's Olympic roster is set. Looks a bit like the national team, eh? GKs: Oscar Ustari (Getafe), Sergio Romero (AZ Alkmaar). Ds: Pablo Zabaleta (Espanyol), Luciano Monzon (Boca Juniors), Ezequiel Garay (Real Madrid), Nicolas Burdisso* (Inter Milan), Federico Fazio (Sevilla), Lautaro Acosta (Sevilla). MFs: Fernando Gago (Real Madrid), Juan Roman...
By Steve Goff | July 3, 2008; 08:54 AM ET | Comments (54)
USA Women's Olympic Roster Set
Coach Pia Sundhage's 18-player list is official. Notable absences: Briana Scurry, Leslie Osborne (knee), Cat Whitehill (knee). GOALKEEPERS: Nicole Barnhart (Gilbertsville, Pa.), Hope Solo (Richland, Wash.). DEFENDERS: Rachel Buehler (Del Mar, Calif.), Lori Chalupny (St. Louis, Mo.), Stephanie Cox (Elk Grove, Calif.), Kate Markgraf (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), Heather Mitts (Cincinnati,...
By Steve Goff | June 23, 2008; 03:08 PM ET | Comments (32)
Saturday in the Park
Today's lineup..... EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP Quarterfinals Netherlands vs. Russia, 2:30 ET (ABC) WORLD CUP QUALIFYING Belize at Mexico, 10 (Telemundo) Guatemala vs. St. Lucia in L.A., 10 Grenada at Costa Rica, 10 ...and lots of African matches. MLS Kansas City at Toronto, 3:30 Dallas at New York, 7:30 (FSC) Houston at...
By Steve Goff | June 21, 2008; 01:01 PM ET | Comments (7)
Midday Update
*USA defender Cat Whitehill tore a knee ligament and will miss the Olympics, the second women's standout to be ruled out of the Summer Games. *CONCACAF conducted only a portion of the Champions League draw (my bad), so we still don't know the potential groups for DCU and Houston. However,...
By Steve Goff | June 11, 2008; 02:24 PM ET | Comments (46)
Women's League Status Report
According to Tonya Antonucci, commissioner of the new women's national pro league that will launch next spring, each of the seven clubs will be allocated three U.S. national team players in the second or third week of July. It is not a draft; rather, the players have selected their preferences...
By Steve Goff | June 9, 2008; 06:00 AM ET | Comments (65)
Morning Kickaround
*Tragedy in Liberia, where at least eight die at the Monrovia stadium during a World Cup qualifier with Gambia. The match ended 1-1. D.C. United's Francis Doe played the final 29 minutes. New England's Kenny Mansally was on the Gambia roster, but did not play. *England defeated T&T, 3-0, in...
By Steve Goff | June 2, 2008; 06:00 AM ET | Comments (27)
Lots of Soccer
[Updated with link to U.S. national team preview package] Where to begin in today's soccer-happy Washington Post? *The prospects of a 27,000-seat D.C. United stadium at Poplar Point are improving, or so it seems. *Franco Niell could be nearing the end of his stay in Washington. You'll find an interesting...
By Steve Goff | May 28, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (75)
Holiday Kickaround
Hope you are enjoying the long weekend. While you are lounging at the beach and minding the grill, please remember the reason most of us do not have to work today. Our weekly MLS "Good, Bad and Coyote Ugly" feature will return Tuesday morning. In the meantime, a few things...
By Steve Goff | May 26, 2008; 12:41 PM ET | Comments (16)
Morning Kickaround
A quick rundown before I sit in rain-slowed traffic to monitor D.C.'s shattered MLS club..... *Perhaps an announcement from the USSF today concerning the national team roster for next week's friendly against England at Wembly. Perhaps. The core of the squad will be Euro-based players, and Coach Bob Bradley will...
By Steve Goff | May 20, 2008; 07:58 AM ET | Comments (36)
Keller, Kai and CONCACAF
*From the Kasey Keller podcast on the USSF Web site, this great line about the reaction from Fulham owner Mohamed Al-Fayed when the club avoided relegation last weekend: "He was saying the whole time, 'Keep believing, if you believe you can do it, you can do it.' He was very...
By Steve Goff | May 14, 2008; 02:05 PM ET | Comments (32)
Afternoon Briefing
First, let's go to the mailbag..... Typical RFK (from an anonymous e-mailer): "Tonight's friendly match between USA and Canada -- all and all fun, great to see the US women back on the field - YET who could focus on a game when repeatedly the game pa announcer fumbled over...
By Steve Goff | May 12, 2008; 01:22 PM ET | Comments (44)
Mother? Not Mother?
On this Mother's Day evening, let's start with the women...... *The Washington Freedom opened defense of its W-League title with a 3-1 victory at Long Island. *Player ratings from the USA's 6-0 romp over Canada on Saturday at RFK: Solo 6; Chalupny 7, Rampone 7, Markgraf 7, Mitts 8;...
By Steve Goff | May 11, 2008; 08:53 PM ET | Comments (9)
Read It in the Sunday Papers
Thanks, Joe. To read Mike Wise's front-page Sunday column about Ben Olsen and D.C. United, click here. To read my front-page match report on the USA-Canada women's friendly and Natasha Kai's hat trick, click here....
By Steve Goff | May 11, 2008; 01:11 AM ET | Comments (24)
Saturday in the Park
*Read about the USA women's team, about Gordon Bradley's memorial service and Heather O'Reilly's online chat. *Expecting to see Mike Wise's column about Ben Olsen and DCU in this morning's paper? It will appear in Sunday's editions instead. *The USA women's 18-player game-day roster for tonight's friendly against Canada at...
By Steve Goff | May 10, 2008; 07:19 AM ET | Comments (42)
USA-Brazil Again
Women, that is. The U.S. women's national team is in town for Saturday's friendly against Canada at RFK Stadium, but it is not too early to look ahead to the summer calendar leading to the Olympics in China. Coach Pia Sundhage told the Insider today that the Americans will play...
By Steve Goff | May 8, 2008; 02:44 PM ET | Comments (19)
Hamlett, Contracts, Web TV
*Click here to read my front-page profile of first-year Fire coach Denis Hamlett, who went to high school and college in the Washington area, had his playing career cut short by a stroke and worked 10 years as an assistant before getting a top job. *Second Third-year defender Michael Dello-Russo...
By Steve Goff | May 8, 2008; 09:46 AM ET | Comments (36)
Morning Kickaround
*The USA women relinquished a late two-goal lead only to beat Australia, 3-2, on Carli Lloyd's header during added time in a friendly in Cary, N.C. The Americans (11-0-1 this year) will play the Aussies again Saturday in Birmingham before coming to D.C. to face Canada on May 10. *Some...
By Steve Goff | April 28, 2008; 09:34 AM ET | Comments (32)
Women's Olympic Draw Results
The USA will play Norway, Japan and New Zealand in the first round of the Olympic tournament this summer -- a breeze for the Americans compared to the mega-group of Germany (World Cup champion), Brazil (World Cup runner-up), African champion Nigeria and Asian power North Korea. Host China was placed...
By Steve Goff | April 20, 2008; 07:26 AM ET | Comments (14)
USA in D.C.
We told you last month that the U.S. women's national team was going to play at RFK Stadium. We told you last week that the opponent would be Canada. Now, it's official: May 10 at 7 p.m. (no TV), a rematch of Saturday's Olympic qualifying championship game, won by the...
By Steve Goff | April 14, 2008; 09:56 AM ET | Comments (57)
USA Women at RFK
The Insider has learned that the U.S. women's national team will play a friendly against Canada on Sat., May 10 at RFK Stadium -- the Americans' first appearance in D.C. since the 2003 World Cup opener against Sweden. Kickoff will probably be early evening. An official announcement is expected this...
By Steve Goff | April 7, 2008; 04:20 PM ET | Comments (26)
USA Women's Roster Set
Pia Sundhage has finalized her 20-player roster for the Olympic women's qualifying tournament, which begins this week in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Hope Solo makes the squad, Briana Scurry does not. The Americans will face Jamaica on Friday, Mexico on Sunday and, assuming they advance, play for an Olympic berth in...
By Steve Goff | March 31, 2008; 11:12 AM ET | Comments (35)
Pia Gets Started
Pia Sundhage will open her first training camp as U.S. women's national team coach this weekend at Home Depot Center. Twenty-four players were invited. Hope Solo is one of them. Details here....
By Steve Goff | December 4, 2007; 04:52 PM ET | Comments (18)
USSF to Name New Women's Coach: Sundhage
The U.S. Soccer Federation will formally introduce the new women's national soccer team coach Tuesday afternoon. One source tells me the choice is Pia Sundhage, Sweden's all-time leading scorer who coached the Boston Breakers in the WUSA and most recently was an assistant on the Chinese coaching staff. She interviewed...
By Steve Goff | November 12, 2007; 10:13 PM ET | Comments (26)
Ryan Out as Women's Coach
No surprise. The U.S. Soccer Federation has decided to not renew women's national team coach Greg Ryan's contract, which expires at the end of the year. A search for a replacement will begin immediately, USSF President Sunil Gulati said. Ryan guided the team to a 51-game unbeaten streak, but at...
By Steve Goff | October 22, 2007; 03:59 PM ET | Comments (81)
Greg Ryan Announcement Monday
USSF President Sunil Gulati and Secretary General Dan Flynn will address U.S. women's national team coach Greg Ryan's status during a media teleconference at 4 p.m. (Eastern) on Monday. From all indications, Ryan is finished after nearly three years in charge. I would be shocked if they decided to retain...
By Steve Goff | October 21, 2007; 09:34 PM ET | Comments (41)
There Is Hope
The U.S. women's national soccer team, fresh off a disappointing on-field performance and bizarre off-field saga at the World Cup in China, will begin a three-game series against Mexico with a friendly on Saturday night in St. Louis. Goalkeeper Hope Solo is, indeed, on the roster, which was unveiled by...
By Steve Goff | October 10, 2007; 07:53 PM ET | Comments (37)
World Cup Matchday: USA-NOR/BRZ-GER
After three-plus weeks 12 time zones from home, one harrowing pedicab ride through the streets of Chengdu, intense jet lag, spicy food at Shanghai's South Memory restaurant that redefined spicy, hotel lounge singers covering Cristopher Cross, watching pandas wrestle, witnessing road rage with metal poles, Tianjin air that crawls, the...
By Steve Goff | September 30, 2007; 03:02 AM ET | Comments (120)
Breaking News: Solo Will Not Play
Hope Solo was not allowed to practice with the U.S. team today in Shanghai and will not be in uniform at Sunday's third-place game against Norway. The final decision was made by Coach Greg Ryan, who said he received input from the veterans following a players' meeting. Essentially, the players...
By Steve Goff | September 29, 2007; 02:47 AM ET | Comments (104)
Gulati's Turn
We heard from Hope Solo on Thursday. We got Greg Ryan's feedback Friday. Today was Sunil Gulati's turn. No, he did not fire Ryan. He did, however, address a wide-variety of issues during a 75-minute roundtable with a dozen reporters -- from the uproar of Solo's comments, to the USA's...
By Steve Goff | September 28, 2007; 11:53 PM ET | Comments (22)
Greg Ryan Speaks
Following the U.S. team's 4-0 semifinal debacle against Brazil on Thursday and the fallout from goalkeeper Hope Solo's comments, the U.S. Soccer Federation announced that neither Coach Greg Ryan nor any of his players would be available to the media Friday. But with fan and media criticism mounting against...
By Steve Goff | September 28, 2007; 03:18 AM ET | Comments (216)
World Cup Matchday: USA-Brazil
Greetings from Hangzhou, the spectacular city on West Lake a couple hours south of Shanghai. If you ever travel to eastern China, you must travel here. For the lake. For the cafes. For the mountains. For the Hyatt on the waterfront. For the historical sites. For the islands. It's a...
By Steve Goff | September 27, 2007; 05:51 AM ET | Comments (278)
USA Shakeup!
In a stunning move on the eve of his team's Women's World Cup semifinal against Brazil, U.S. Coach Greg Ryan has dropped starting goalkeeper Hope Solo and inserted veteran Briana Scurry. Solo has been the team's No. 1 keeper for two years and started the first four matches of this...
By Steve Goff | September 26, 2007; 06:15 AM ET | Comments (109)
Marco? Polo!
Greetings from Hangzhou, a city Marco Polo once described as "the most splendid and luxurious city in the world." Our man Mark might have changed his tune a bit today if he had to breathe the air in this metropolitan area of 6.6 million, but he was certainly onto something....
By Steve Goff | September 26, 2007; 01:33 AM ET | Comments (10)
World Cup Prize Money
For the first time, FIFA will pay out prize money at the Women's World Cup. Now isn't that nice of Sepp? The champion receives $1 million. The runner-up gets $800,000. Third place: $650,000. Fourth place: $550,000. 4 quarterfinal losers: $350,000 each. 4 first-round losers: $250,000 each. Not exactly on par...
By Steve Goff | September 25, 2007; 04:34 AM ET | Comments (13)
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!
It's a big day in China and throughout Asia, a time when the moon is at its fullest during the the Autumn Equinox and people celebrate the abundance of the harvest. It's a tradition going back, oh, 3,000 years to the Zhou Dynasty. And what better to celebrate the moon...
By Steve Goff | September 25, 2007; 03:54 AM ET | Comments (7)
Wambach Responds
Late in the first half of the USA's 3-0 quarterfinal victory over England on Saturday, Abby Wambach swung out her arm and caught English captain Faye White with an elbow to the nose. White was bloodied but returned to the match with what was later diagnosed as the fifth broken...
By Steve Goff | September 23, 2007; 11:23 PM ET | Comments (28)
Geeky Stats from the WWC
DeNunzio here. If you read Goff's story on the U.S. Women's World Cup team today on the Web, you may have missed this attractive set of data that ran on Page E1 today (courtesy of ace sports graphic editor Bonnie Berkowitz). Just in case you are REALLY curious and want...
By Jon DeNunzio | September 21, 2007; 03:35 PM ET | Comments (20)
The Air Over Here
I apologize. I should not have taken a swipe at Tianjin upon my arrival yesterday. (No, um, I have not been pressured to write this.) Actually, a closer look through the haze today has revealed wide boulevards, an amusement park, 12 islands in East and West Lake, a zoo, the...
By Steve Goff | September 21, 2007; 03:10 AM ET | Comments (14)
Talkin' Tianjin
[updated] Ni Hao! Today's adventure takes us to Tianjin, about 90 miles southeast of Beijing and near Bohai Bay on the Pacific. My initial reaction was the name should be changed to Tiangrim, but that's not fair. I'll take a closer look at the city tomorrow. Anyway, the U.S. team...
By Steve Goff | September 20, 2007; 08:49 AM ET | Comments (22)
Writers on the Storm
[updated at bottom with schedule changes] I woke this morning fully expecting to be floating down the Huangpu River, or, if the current was just right, perhaps the magnificent Yangtze, which by the way I hear is lovely this time of year. I would be another faceless victim of that...
By Steve Goff | September 19, 2007; 04:00 AM ET | Comments (16)
World Cup Matchday: USA-Nigeria
Well, they say there will be a match tonight. Thanks to Typhoon Wipha, it is already very dark at 3:30 p.m. local time with rain pelting the city and flooding streets. I don't see how they are going to play in this mess, but FIFA must figure there is a...
By Steve Goff | September 18, 2007; 03:20 AM ET | Comments (72)
China Storm Watch
With Typhoon Wipha approaching the eastern Chinese mainland, I have been told FIFA strongly considered moving the USA-Nigeria game up to an earlier kickoff Tuesday, primarily to allow the winning team to leave that evening and head to its next destination before the full force of the storm struck Wednesday....
By Steve Goff | September 17, 2007; 10:12 PM ET | Comments (8)
Where's Bowzer?
I have important news to share. Well, yes, Shanghai is one of the world's great cities and should not be missed during a trip to Asia, but that's not it. Indeed, the U.S. team is concerned about another sluggish start in its Group B finale Tuesday evening against Nigeria and...
By Steve Goff | September 17, 2007; 03:41 AM ET | Comments (46)
Behave Yourselves
Tied with North Korea after two matches, the U.S. women could end up winning Group B on, of all things, good behavior and thus avoid a quarterfinal showdown with defending champion Germany. Here's the deal: The U.S. and North Korea are tied with four points apiece. They both have a...
By Steve Goff | September 16, 2007; 06:08 AM ET | Comments (18)
Shanghai Delight
Well, that was awkward. As the U.S. team awaited to board an Air China flight from Chengdu to Shanghai this morning, the Nigerian team arrived at the gate. Opponents on Tuesday, travel acquaintances today. Can you imagine, say, the men's teams from Argentina and Italy on the same commercial flight...
By Steve Goff | September 15, 2007; 06:02 AM ET | Comments (31)
World Cup Matchday: USA-Sweden
For those checking in from the States, a good very early morning. After spending my final full day in Chengdu at the extraordinary panda reserve north of town, witnessing a road rage incident in which the guys in the nice car took metal poles to the shabby vehicle (I can...
By Steve Goff | September 14, 2007; 03:46 AM ET | Comments (103)
Chengdu by Foot
For the first time since my arrival, I looked up and saw the sky. Yes, the actual sky. Mind you, it's not San Diego sky, but at least it's no longer obscured by that strange brew of sulfur, fog and haze. The timing could not have been better. For...
By Steve Goff | September 13, 2007; 03:19 AM ET | Comments (20)
U.S. Thoughts
Plenty of quality storylines to explore leading up to the U.S.-Sweden Women's World Cup match here Friday in Chengdu, all of which I will chronicle in my Thursday print edition story. For now, I offer you a few lively quotes from the U.S. media briefing this afternoon at the team...
By Steve Goff | September 12, 2007; 03:12 AM ET | Comments (28)
The Only Way to Travel
On Tuesday night, following the U.S. women's team's 2-2 with North Korea here in Chengdu, USA Today reporter Sal Ruibal and I decided to bolt the stadium and get our work done back at the hotel. Taxis are omnipresent and very cheap, and with a Sheraton on the stadium grounds,...
By Steve Goff | September 11, 2007; 09:00 PM ET | Comments (21)
USA-North Korea Aftermath
Before I dive into my complete game report that will appear in the print edition and on the Web site later, I wanted to share the night's other scores and a few postgame quotes. Nigeria scored late to tie favored Sweden, 1-1, so all four teams in Group B are...
By Steve Goff | September 11, 2007; 10:04 AM ET | Comments (21)
World Cup Matchday: USA-North Korea
Greetings again from Sichuan province, where the Americans' long-awaited World Cup opener will kick off at 5 p.m. local time, 5 a.m. in the Eastern U.S. Before we get started with the match, I wanted to share some financial details of the USSF's player contracts. In the absence of a...
By Steve Goff | September 11, 2007; 01:45 AM ET | Comments (62)
That's Right, 11-0
Hello again. Blame lingering jet lag. If I only I could conjure a "Zzzzzz" right now. Burned 'em all on the D.C. United stadium prospects, I guess. Learned my lesson. So, how do you like Argentina's prospects of advancing? ;-) 11-0 losses have a way of sapping morale. To summarize:...
By Steve Goff | September 10, 2007; 01:34 PM ET | Comments (31)
Final Preparations for U.S. Women [updated]
Good evening here in Chengdu, good morning in America land. Much of the discussion in U.S. camp the last couple days has centered around their opening opponents, those mysterious North Koreans, and their emergence on the world scene. Preparing for North Korea is not the same as preparing for, say,...
By Steve Goff | September 10, 2007; 05:38 AM ET | Comments (50)
Welcome to Chengdu
The early-morning fog has lifted in the capital of Sichuan province to expose ... the city's grayness. The sun is peeking through the haze and the air is acceptable -- if you don't have much use for oxygen. In case you missed my maiden Insider/China post Saturday, I have arrived...
By Steve Goff | September 9, 2007; 12:15 AM ET | Comments (24)
Destination: China
Greetings from Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province and, most importantly, home to an Irish bar called Shamrock. D.C.-based photographer extraordinaire Tony Quinn, who will arrive Tuesday, is very happy about this prospect. (McGoff is too.) To review the last 30 hours or so...... *Pre-dawn hours Friday at LAX.....It's after Labor...
By Steve Goff | September 8, 2007; 10:56 AM ET | Comments (13)
Women's League in '09
As Insider loyalists learned last week, a new national women's professional league will indeed wait until 2009 instead of starting up in 2008. Seven of the eight cities/metro areas are set: Boston, Washington, New York, Chicago, L.A., Dallas and St. Louis. (San Jose is the front-runner for the final team.)...
By Steve Goff | September 4, 2007; 11:39 AM ET | Comments (45)
USA Women, U-17s Win
In their final tuneup before the Women's World Cup, the Americans routed Finland, 4-0, at Home Depot Center on goals by Boxx, Lilly, O'Reilly and Tarpley. But star striker Abby Wambach left in the 27th minute with a toe injury and was scheduled to have X-rays. Said Coach Greg Ryan:...
By Steve Goff | August 26, 2007; 09:00 AM ET | Comments (12)
USA Women vs. New Zealand
With the Women's World Cup approaching and my trip to China a few weeks away, I wanted to experiment with a U.S. in-game forum. The Americans are playing New Zealand today at Soldier Field (1 p.m. Eastern, ESPN2) in their penultimate friendly before heading to Asia. I've spent the past...
By Steve Goff | August 12, 2007; 11:24 AM ET | Comments (36)
Freedom Wins Championship
Four years removed from its WUSA title, the Washington Freedom captured another national championship of sorts Sunday when it defeated the Atlanta Silverbacks, 3-1, in Rochester, N.Y., to claim the W-League crown. Christie Welsh, who scored the second goal, was named the match's most valuable player. The complete recap is...
By Steve Goff | August 6, 2007; 10:45 AM ET | Comments (15)
Final Four for Freedom
Four years removed from its WUSA championship, the Washington Freedom is on the verge on another national title. As you may have read in The Post a few weeks ago, the Freedom is very much alive and kicking even after the demise of the WUSA in 2003 and has positioned...
By Steve Goff | August 2, 2007; 11:33 AM ET | Comments (20)
Women's World Cup Roster Finalized
U.S. women's coach Greg Ryan filled the final three spots on his World Cup roster today by naming former University of Virginia star Angela Hucles, Hawaii-born forward Natasha Kai and twice-capped wing defender Marian Dalmy. The Americans will face Japan in a friendly Saturday in San Jose, New Zealand on...
By Steve Goff | July 23, 2007; 02:05 PM ET | Comments (34)
Women's Team Unveiled
U.S. Coach Greg Ryan has named 18 of the 21 players who will head to China in September for the Women's World Cup. The final three slots will be announced in the coming weeks. The Americans will play friendlies against Norway this Saturday in East Hartford, Conn., Japan on July...
By Steve Goff | July 11, 2007; 12:02 PM ET | Comments (20)
Sorry, Boys
Heather Mitts tears ACL, out six to eight months, will miss Women's World Cup. Besides being an excellent player, see here why so many lads will miss her....
By Steve Goff | May 15, 2007; 09:22 PM ET | Comments (49)
Women's World Cup Draw
Results of today's draw in Wuhan: (world ranking in parentheses) Not a good outcome for the USA with three of the top five teams in the world in the same group. Oddly, same first-round opponents for the USA as 2003, when they won all three games and outscored these teams...
By Steve Goff | April 22, 2007; 07:08 AM ET | Comments (13)
Drawing It Up for Women's World Cup
The Women's World Cup draw will be held Sunday morning (our time) in Wuhan, China. Here's what you need to know: The finalists -- USA, China, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, England, Canada, Japan, North Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Argentina, Ghana and Nigeria -- will be drawn into four four-team...
By Steve Goff | April 19, 2007; 11:37 AM ET | Comments (30)
Two More Teams
Two more cities/regions have been identified for inclusion in a proposed eight-team women's league, which would replace the defunct WUSA: Boston and New York/N.J. They join Washington, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Dallas and Chicago, leaving one spot to be filled. The league is hoping to launch next year. For more...
By Steve Goff | April 18, 2007; 04:14 PM ET | Comments (17)
U.S. Women Highlights
Easy victory for the Americans on Saturday at Foxborough as they continue their Women's World Cup preparations -- 5-0 over Mexico. Very nice strike by Lilly for the third goal. Take a peek here....
By Steve Goff | April 16, 2007; 12:46 PM ET | Comments (11)
Four for Freedom
Gearing up for its W-League opener next month, the Washington Freedom women's team has promoted four local players from its under-20 squad to the senior roster: Chante Sandiford (Owings Mills), Jill Porto (Potomac High in Va.), Katie Watson (Old Dominion) and Kerry Philbin (O'Connell High, GWU). The Freedom will play...
By Steve Goff | April 12, 2007; 03:14 PM ET | Comments (6)
In Residency
With the Women's World Cup just over five months away in China, the U.S. national team's full-time residency camp will open this weekend at Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. This will serve as the Americans' base of operations through the summer, during which they will play eight home friendlies...
By Steve Goff | March 30, 2007; 09:17 AM ET | Comments (15)
Japan In, Mexico Out
Japan earns the 15th berth in the 16-team Women's World Cup later this year by defeating Mexico in a special two-game playoff. Oceania is the only remaining berth to be decided....
By Steve Goff | March 18, 2007; 06:00 PM ET | Comments (12)
They're No. 1
With less than six months to go before the Women's World Cup in China, the USA has returned to the top of the FIFA rankings following their Algarve Cup championship. Now we all know these rankings mean nothing, but a nice accomplishment nonetheless....
By Steve Goff | March 16, 2007; 03:48 PM ET | Comments (22)
USA-Denmark
The American women will face Denmark today in the final of the Algarve Cup in Portugal, a major tuneup for the Women's World Cup later this year in China. Kickoff is 12:30 p.m. (ET). I will be busy for much of the day working on my DCU-Chivas preview, but for...
By Steve Goff | March 14, 2007; 09:07 AM ET | Comments (15)
USA to the Final
USA women defeat Sweden, 3-2, in their Algarve Cup group-play finale in Portugal and clinch a berth in the championship game against Denmark on Wednesday. (USA had to win to advance, Sweden just needed a tie to win out on goal differential). Algarve is a major tuneup for the Women's...
By Steve Goff | March 12, 2007; 04:04 PM ET | Comments (9)
U.S. Women Win Again
Okay, I lied, I said no more blog entries until tonight, but I forgot about the USA women's match in Portugal. USA 1, Finland 0 Goal: Carli Lloyd, early second half, 16-yard one-timer USA is 2-0-0 in the Algarve Cup, a major primer for the Women's Cup in September, but...
By Steve Goff | March 9, 2007; 01:06 PM ET | Comments (6)
Let Freedom Ring
Pretty quiet day on the United and MLS front (so far). How about some Washington Freedom news? You remember them, right? Won the final WUSA title with Mia Hamm and Abby Wambach before the league went under in 2003. While the league did not last, the team did. They've been...
By Steve Goff | March 7, 2007; 01:15 PM ET | Comments (28)
Welcome to the Hall
The U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame will announce this year's inductions this afternoon in Los Angeles and it could be the first all-female class. Mia Hamm is a no-brainer. Julie Foudy seems likely. Joy Fawcett is a strong candidate. On the men's side, Joe-Max Moore and Marco Etcheverry are...
By Steve Goff | February 27, 2007; 10:34 AM ET | Comments (26)
Sweet Goal
It's a few days old, but a great goal from the U.S. women's team against China at the Four Nations tournament. Just click on "Highlights: U.S. WNT 2, China 0" The goal you want to see is about 1 minute into the highlight clip......
By Steve Goff | February 3, 2007; 10:09 AM ET | Comments (8)
