CONCACAF Gold Cup Final sells out

MIAMI – The Confederation of North, Central America and the Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) has announced that all tickets have been sold for the CONCACAF Gold Cup 2015 Final, which will be played this Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.

More than 66,000 fans are expected, making the Final likely to establish an all-time high for the largest crowd ever to attend a soccer match in Philadelphia, besting the previous record of 57,305, for a Real Madrid vs. Philadelphia Union exhibition match at Lincoln Financial Field in 2011.

Tickets for the Third-Place game of the CONCACAF Gold Cup 2015 are still available via www.GoldCup.org. That match will be played at PPL Park in nearby Chester, PA, on Saturday, July 25 at 4 p.m. ET.

The Gold Cup semifinals – to be played this Wednesday evening, July 22, at a sold-out Georgia Dome in Atlanta -- will feature the United States vs. Jamaica and Panama vs. Mexico in an historic double-header set to determine the finals weekend’s matchups. The games can be seen in the United States on the Fox Sports 1, UniMás and UDN, and can be heard on Fútbol de Primera radio network.
  
Organizers encourage fans with tickets to the Final in Philadelphia to arrive early to enjoy Futbol Fiesta, the interactive fan-zone starting at 3:30 p.m. at HeadHouse Plaza in the north end of Lincoln Financial Field. Parking lots will open at 2:30 p.m., and stadium gates will open at 6 p.m. -- all times local. The Gold Cup Final will be televised nationally on the Fox Sports and Univision family of networks, and can also be heard on the Fútbol de Primera radio network.

With Sunday’s sellout -- the sixth of the tournament, joining Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Kansas City and Atlanta – the 2015 Gold Cup ticket sales will surpass 500,000, placing this edition among the most successful tournaments in CONCACAF history.  

Champs: U.S. Women take World Cup

World Cup champs

VANCOUVER - Delran's Carli Lloyd netted the fastest hat trick in Women's World Cup history as the U.S. Women's National Team defeated Japan 5-2 at BC Place  to become the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Champion.

In the first 16 minutes of play the USA took a 4-0 lead on the three Lloyd goals as well as another from  Lauren Holiday, the wife of ex-Sixer Jrue Holiday en route to becoming the first three-time FIFA Women's World Cup winner.

Japan ended the USA's record-tying shutout streak at 540 minutes by scoring in the 28th minute. The Asian nation built a bit of momentum early in the second half as Julie Johnston's defensive clearance instead sent the ball into the USA's net. However, Tobin Heath responded two minutes later to make it 5-2 and complete the highest scoring Final (seven goals) in FIFA Women's World Cup history.

Loyd and goalkeeper Hope Solo were awarded the Golden Ball and Golden Glove, as the best player and the best goalkeeper at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, respectively. It was the second straight Golden Glove award for Solo (she also won it in 2011) and the first for Lloyd. Lloyd became the second American to win the award, joining Carin Jennings, who won it in 1991.

The USA is now the only country to win three Women's World Cup and the country to score the most goals (five) in a WWC Final - no other team has scored more than two.

The WNT will return to the USA for a pair of friendly matches against Costa Rica on Aug. 16 and Aug. 19 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Chattanooga, Tennessee, respectively, before embarking on their nationwide celebration tour.

Goal Scoring Rundown:

USA - Carli Lloyd (Megan Rapinoe), 3rd minute: Playing a short corner kick on the ground, Megan Rapinoe sent a ball straight through several Japanese defenders to the middle of the six yard box. Carli Lloyd stormed from the back of the box to time her arrival with the ball perfectly and finished with a left-footed strike to score the fastest goal in FIFA Women's World Cup Final history. USA 1, JPN 0

USA - Carli Lloyd, 5th minute: Two minutes later, another set piece play led to a U.S. goal. Lauren Holiday stepped up to take the free kick from the right side of the box and sent a shot to the middle of the box that was flicked on by Julie Johnston through a forest of players before Carli Lloyd found it right in front of the net and tapped it in with the inside of her right foot for the second goal of the game and he fifth of the tournament. USA 2, JPN 0

USA - Lauren Holiday, 14th minute: The sequence began with Tobin Heath, who sent a pass from the midfield intended for Alex Morgan but had the ball intercepted by Japanese defender Azusa Iwashimizu. Iwashimizu tried to head it out of danger but instead directed the ball up in the air. It came down right in front of Lauren Holiday, who volleyed it in stride with her right foot to net her first goal of the tournament. USA 3, JPN 0

USA - Carli Lloyd, 16th minute: Carli Lloyd intercepted the ball in midfield and touched it past a Japan player. Crossing the midfield line, she launched a shot that caught Japan goalkeeper Ayumi Kaihori out of her net. While Kaihori got a hand to the ball, she could not keep it from bouncing off the post and into the back of the net, thus completing the fastest hat trick in Women's World Cup history. USA 4, JPN 0

JPN - Yuki Ogimi (Nahomi Kawasumi), 28th minute: Nahomi Kawasumi played a great ball from the right channel, spotting teammate Yuki Ogimi inside the box. Ogimi evaded a challenge from Julie Johnston, swiveled around and sent a curling shot beyond the reach of Hope Solo for the Japan's first goal of the match that ended the USA's record-tying shutout streak. USA 4, JPN 1

JPN - Julie Johnston (own goal), 52nd: Julie Johnston tried to clear a free kick attempt with a header that bounced across the face of goal and nestled inside the far post of Hope Solo's net for Japan's second score of the game. USA 4, JPN 2

USA - Tobin Heath (Morgan Brian), 54th: Japan's goalkeeper Ayumi Kaihori  punched a Lauren Holiday corner kick clear to the right side. Kaihori's punch wasn't strong enough and the ball landed at Morgan Brian's feet. Brian cut the ball back into the middle where Tobin Heath used the inside of her foot to one-time Brian's perfect ball into the back of the net for the final score line. USA 5, JPN 2 (FINAL)

USWNT top Germany, heads to World Cup Final

MONTREAL, Canada - Delran's Carli Lloyd scored on a penalty pick and assisted on another goal as the U.S. Women's National Team topped FIFA No.1-ranked Germany 2-0 at Olympic Stadium to advance to the Final of the 2015 Women's World Cup.

It will be the fourth World Cup final appearance for the USA.

The first half was a balanced affair with both teams pressing and having opportunities to get on the board yet neither was able to capitalize. In the second half, things got going when U.S. defender Julie Johnston was called for a foul inside the penalty box in the 59th minute for pulling down Alexandra Popp. Celia Sasic stepped up to take the penalty kick but missed wide left to keep the game scoreless.

Almost ten minutes later, Alex Morgan got fouled in the box and it was the USA's turn to attempt a PK. Lloyd confidently netted the shot to give the USA the lead before assisting on Kelley O'Hara's 84th-minute strike - the first of her international career - to secure the U.S. win. 

Hope Solo and the USA back line continued to shut down opponents and has now kept a scoreless streak for 513 straight minutes (a span of more than five-and-a-half matches)  in this year's World Cup, the longest clean sheet streak in U.S. World Cup history.

It was Solo's 10th clean sheet in World Cup play, tying Brianna Scurry's record for shutouts in World Cup competition. The 10 clean sheets in a World Cup are not only a U.S. record, but also a FIFA Women's World Cup record.

The WNT will vie for its third Women's World Cup title on Sunday, July 5 at 4 p.m. PT, when it takes on the winner of the other Semifinal between England and Japan, which will be determined Wednesday, at BC Place in Vancouver, Canada.

The tournament Final will be broadcast live on FOX and Telemundo.

Goal Scoring Rundown:

USA - Carli Lloyd (penalty kick), 69th minute: Germany's Annike Khran was called for a foul against Alex Morgan in the box, prompting the referee to point to the penalty circle. Carli Lloyd stepped forward and sent former FIFA Women's World Player of the Year Nadine Angerer the wrong way as she blasted her shot into the left side of the goal. USA 1, GER 0

USA - Kelley O'Hara (Carli Lloyd), 84th minute: Meghan Klingenberg played a great ball from th outside of the area to Carli Lloyd inside the right side of the Germany box. Lloyd made a strong move to the endline and played the ball across the face of goal where Kelley O'Hara tapped it in with her right foot to finish the opportunity cap a sterling team move by the USA with her first career WNT goal. USA 2, GER 0 (FINAL)

Key Saves and Defensive Stops:

GER- Nadine Angerer, 7th minute: A corner kick from Megan Rapinoe went to the middle of the six-yard box by the near post where Julie Johnston was in great position to head it home. Germany's goalkeeper Nadine Angerer was well placed to come up with a huge save and get the ball out of danger.

USA - Hope Solo, 8th minute: Alexandra Popp had a clear shot at goal from the left side of the USA box, sending a ball to the near post. However, Hope Solo was prepared and jumped high to deflect the ball over the crossbar for a Germany corner.

GER - Nadine Angerer, 15th minute: Alex Morgan split two defendersas she broke into the Germany box from midfield. Morgan sent a shot straight towards Angerer, who made a solid stop with her foot to deflect the shot away.

USMNT takes on Belgium in Round of 16

Salvador, Brazil - The U.S. advanced to the Round of 16 in consecutive FIFA World Cups for the first time in its history and will play Belgium on Tuesday, July 1, at the Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador, Brazil, for a spot in the quarterfinals. 

The U.S. finished in second place in Group G with four points and ahead of Portugal in goal differential by three goals. Germany won Group G with seven points. Belgium took first place in Group H with nine points, beating Algeria (which advanced to the Round of 16 but fell 2-1 to Germany on Monday), Russia and Korea to sweep the group.

After a dramatic 2-1 victory against Ghana and a roller coaster 2-2 draw with Portugal to open the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the USA finished Group G play with a 1-0 loss to Germany, tying Portugal with four points in the group. The U.S. advanced, holding a goal differential of zero to Portugal's minus-3 goal differential. In the final game of group stage, Germany broke through with a goal in the 55th minute by Thomas Muller after a scoreless first half. U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard stopped a header by Per Mertesacker and the rebound trickled to the top of the box to Muller, whose shot inside the right post was just beyond the reach reach of a diving Howard. The U.S. would threaten but failed to score, as the 1-0 Germany lead would stand for the final count.

Jozy Altidore, who left the USA's opening game against Ghana with a hamstring injury, has been in training with the U.S. and has been deemed available for the Belgium match. Jermaine Jones collided with Alejandro Bedoya during the game against Germany and both are cleared to play. Clint Dempsey (nose) and defender Matt Besler (hamstring) have recovered from their respective injuries and will be available for head coach Jurgen Klinsmann.

U.S. Men's National Team By Position - Detailed Roster
 
GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
 
DEFENDERS (8): DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Mönchengladbach), DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders FC)
 
MIDFIELDERS (8): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Mix Diskerud (Rosenborg), Julian Green (Bayern Munich), Jermaine Jones (Besiktas), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)
 
FORWARDS (4): Jozy Altidore (Sunderland), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Aron Johannsson (AZ Alkmaar), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)

USMNT advances to knockout round despite 1-0 setback to Germany

-courtesy of U.S. Soccer

 RECIFE, Brazil (June 26, 2014) - The U.S. Men's National Team fell 1-0 to Germany to conclude Group G play at the 2014 FIFA World Cup but combined with a 2-1 Portugal victory against Ghana in the other group match, it was enough to send the Americans to the Round of 16 for the second consecutive World Cup. 

The USA will now face the winner of Group H - Belgium - on July 1 at Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN, WatchESPN, Univision and Univision Deportes. The USA finished the group tied for second place on points with Portugal at four each, but the U.S. goes through to the knockout round and Portugal is eliminated based on a superior goal differential. The U.S. finished Group G play with four goals scored and four allowed while Portugal scored four, but allowed seven.

The lone goal of the game came in the 55^th minute from German forward Thomas Muller and soon after at Estadio Nacional in Brasilia, Asamoah Gyan scored for Ghana to equalize at 1-1 against Portugal in a match that was being played concurrently.

Thus started a span of 23 nerve-wracking minutes in which another Ghana goal would have put the United States out of the tournament on goal differential and put Ghana through in second place. Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo gave the USA some breathing room with a goal in the 80^th minute to put his country ahead 2-1.

The match was played steady rain on a soggy field which stood up well despite rain that had been falling for hours before the match, causing serious flooding in Recife.

The USA had two chances to equalize in stoppage time of the second half (and a tie would have also put the USA in the Round of 16 regardless of the Portugal-Ghana result), but Germany defender Phillip Lahm's sliding block of Alejandro Bedoya's shot deep in the penalty box kept the U.S. off the board. Shortly after that, Clint Dempsey put a short-range header just over the bar. U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard played a clean match making several safe grabs on low crosses.

For full standings and results, visit ussoccer.com's 2014 FIFA World Cup homepage.
 
Goal Scoring Rundown:
GER - Thomas Muller, 55th minute: The goal came off a corner kick taken short from theright side. A cross was sent into the penalty area and towering center-back Per Mertesacker sent a powerful header on frame. It was well-saved by Tim Howard with a dive to his right but the rebound bounced out to Thomas Muller at the top of the box on the left side. Muller hit a perfect first-time shot with the inside of his right foot from 18 yards out that flew just inside the right post. GER 1, USA 0
 
Key Saves and Defensive Stops:
USA - Omar Gonzalez, 14^th minute: The Germans found some early space down the right side and Jerome Boateng crossed hard on the ground. Omar Gonzalez beat the German attacker to the ball and cleared away the dangerous cross that was skidding on the wet ground across the face of the goal.
USA - Omar Gonzalez, 14^th minute: Gonzalez had another crucial clearance second later as Thomas Muller got through on a quick pass into the box and would have had a clear shot on goal from close range had Gonzalez not slide from the side to knock the ball out of danger, avoiding a foul that would have resulted in a penalty kick.
USA - Tim Howard, 35^th minute: Mesut Ozil worked his way loose in the penalty box and had a good look at goal, shooting between the legs of the closing Matt Besler, but Howard stood his ground and knocked away the low, hard shot to keep the game scoreless. Omar Gonzalez swept away the rebound.
USA - Omar Gonzalez, 47^th minute - On a dangerous curving cross from the right, Gonzalez was able to retreat quickly and jostle Mesut Ozil just enough to make him head the ball over the crossbar.
USA - Matt Besler, 83^rd minute - Mesut Ozil popped free deep inside the U.S. penalty area, but took a touch that was a bit hard and Besler was able to sweep the ball away on a tackle.
GER -- Phillip Lahm, 90+3^rd minute - A nice U.S. attack down the right side saw the Americans work the ball across the penalty area to the left side to Alejandro Bedoya. The U.S. midfielder momentarily had a look at goal, but a last-ditch slide by Lahm knocked the ball away.
 
Milestone Watch:

• It is the first time in the history of the U.S. Men's National Team that the team has advanced out of the group phase in consecutive FIFA World Cup tournaments.
• Clint Dempsey's was held scoreless, but his next World Cup tally would be the fifth of his career and match the record set by Landon Donovan
• DaMarcus Beasley played in his 10th FIFA World Cup game, tying him for fourth all-time with Brian McBride and Claudio Reyna. Beasley is now one cap behind second-place Cobi Jones and Earnie Stewart (11 caps each in the FIFA World Cup).
• Tim Howard made the seventh start and appearance of his World Cup career, which ties the U.S. MNT record among goalkeepers with Tony Meola.
• Howard earned the 103rd appearance of his international career, breaking the goalkeeping record of 102 held by Kasey Keller. Howard ranks 11th on the all-time U.S. MNT appearances list.

Next on the Schedule:
The U.S. MNT faces the winner of Group H in the Round of 16 at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 1, at Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador, Brazil.
Broadcast information: ESPN, WatchESPN, Univision, Univision Deportes and ESPN Radio
Social: Twitter (@ussoccer | @ussoccer_esp); Facebook; Instagram
 
Additional Notes:

• The USA is now 8-18-6 all-time in the FIFA World Cup while Germany moves to 62-20-20 all-time.
• The USA is 3-7-0 all-time against Germany.
• The 13th-ranked USA faced a top-10 FIFA-ranked opponent for the 59th time in its history. The USA is now 16-34-9 all-time against top-10 teams in FIFA's ranking system and 9-23-3 against top-5 teams.
• The U.S. MNT moves to 5-2-2 in 2014.
• The USA is now 2-5-1 all-time in games played in Brazil.
• U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann's starting lineup featured Tim Howard in goal and one change to the back line from the Ghana match as Omar Gonzalez got his first start of the World Cup, lining up at center back next to Matt Besler along with left back DaMarcus Beasley and right back Fabian Johnson
• The USA's 4-5-1 formation included holding midfielders Jermaine Jones and Kyle Beckerman, along with Graham Zusi on the left, Brad Davis (who made his first start and saw his first minutes of the World Cup) on the right and Michael Bradley in the center.
• As he did against Portugal, Clint Dempsey played up front, and of course wore the captain's armband.
• The USA is 9-4-3 in games with Dempsey as the team captain.
• The USA is now 32-12-9 all-time under Klinsmann.
• Thursday's game against No. 2 Germany marked the sixth occasion in which the U.S. MNT played top-5 FIFA-ranked teams in back-to-back games.
• U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann made two subs in the match, sending on Alejandro Bedoya for Brad Davis in the 59^th minute and DeAndre Yedlin for Graham Zusi in the 84^th minute. It was the second game in a row in which Yedlin has come on as a sub.
• The USA played without forward Jozy Altidore (hamstring).

USA Disciplinary Notes:

• All U.S. players are eligible for the Round of 16 match.
• Jermaine Jones (caution on June 22), Omar Gonzalez and Kyle Beckerman (who both picked up cautions against Germany) carry yellow cards into the next match. Another caution during any game through the quarterfinals for the trio would result in one-game suspension.
• Yellow cards clear heading into the semifinals.

- U.S. Men's National Team Match Report -

Match: U.S. Men's National Team vs. Germany
Date: June 26, 2014
Competition: 2014 FIFA World Cup - Group G
Venue: Arena Pernambuco; Recife, Brazil
Kickoff: 12 p.m. ET
Attendance: 41,876
Weather: 73 degrees, rainy
Scoring Summary:       1 2 F
USA                             0 0 0
GER                             0 1 1
GER - Thomas Muller                         55th minute
Lineups:
USA: 1-Tim Howard; 23-Fabian Johnson, 3-Omar Gonzalez, 5-Matt Besler, 7-DaMarcus Beasley; 15-Kyle Beckerman, 13-Jermaine Jones; 14-Brad Davis (11-Alejandro Bedoya, 59), 4- Michael Bradley, 19- Graham Zusi (2-DeAndre Yedlin, 84) 8-Clint Dempsey (capt.)
Subs Not Used: 6-John Brooks, 10-Mix Diskerud, 12-Brad Guzan, 16-Julian Green, 18-Chris Wondolowski, 20-Geoff Cameron, 21-Timmy Chandler, 22-Nick Rimando, 23-Aron Johannsson
Not Available: 17-Jozy Altidore
Head coach: Jurgen Klinsmann
GER : 1-Manuel Neuer; 4-Benedikt Howedes, 5-Mats Hummels, 17-Per Mertesacker, 20-Jerome Boateng; 7-Bastian Schweinsteiger (19-Mario Gotze,76), 16-Phillip Lahm, 18-Toni Kroos; 8-Mesut Ozil (9-Andre Schurrle, 89), 10-Lukas Podolski (11-Miroslav Klose, 46), 13-Thomas Muller
Subs not used: 2-Kevin Grosskreutz, 3-Matthias Ginter, 6-Sami Khedira, 12-Ron-Robert Zieler, 14-Julian Draxler, 15-Erik Durm, 21-Shkodran Mustafi, 22-Roman Weidenfeller, 23-Christoph Kramer
Head coach: Joachim Low
Stats Summary: USA / GER
Shots: 4 / 13
Shots on Goal: 1 / 6
Saves: 5 / 0
Corner Kicks: 2 / 3
Fouls: 15 / 9
Offside: 2 / 7
Misconduct Summary:
GER - Benedikt Howedes (caution)    11th minute
USA - Omar Gonzalez (caution)         37
USA - Kyle Beckerman (caution)        62
Officials:
Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (UZB)
Assistant Referee 1: Abduxamidullo Rasulov (UZB)
Assistant Referee 2: Bakhadyr Kochkarov (KGZ)
Fourth Official: Alioum (CMR)
Budweiser Man of the Match: Kyle Beckerman

Portugal stuns U.S. with late goal

MANAUS, Brazil - In hot, humid conditions at Arena Amazonia, the U.S. Men's National Team earned one valuable point in a 2-2 draw against No. 4 Portugal during its second match of Group G play at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Jermaine Jones and Clint Dempsey each scored for the USA with Dempsey's 81st-minute tally giving the USA a 2-1, come-from-behind lead.

The U.S. was seconds away from clinching a spot in the Round of 16 as a win would have sent the U.S. through and Portugal would have been eliminated. However, Portugal's Silvestre Varela tallied the latest of equalizers in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time on virtually the last touch of the game.

The USA is now tied atop Group G with Germany at points each, but Germany holds the tiebreaker based on goal differential. The USA will face Germany in its Group G finale on Thursday, June 26, at 12 p.m. ET (ESPN, WatchESPN, Univision) and can clinch a spot in the Round of 16 in the following ways:

    A victory against Germany, which would also give the USA the group title
    A draw against Germany
    A draw between Ghana and Portugal in the other Group G match, which will be played concurrently to USA vs. Germany
    A loss combined with ending group play with superior goal differential over the winner between Ghana and Portugal

For full standings and results, visit ussoccer.com's 2014 FIFA World Cup homepage.

Goal Scoring Rundown:

POR - Nani (unassisted), 5th minute: Portugal capitalized on a mistake to go ahead early in the match. The sequence started on the left side from Andre Almeida to Miguel Veloso, who then crossed into the middle of the box. Central defender Geoff Cameron failed to clear the ball as it skipped off his left foot and straight to Portugal forward Nani, who found himself alone in front of the U.S. net. Nani settled and powered the ball over U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard to make it 1-0. USA 0, POR 1

USA - Jermaine Jones (unassisted), 64th minute: After the goal, the U.S. was the aggressor and the more dominant team and finally got the goal it had seemingly earned. The U.S. earned a corner kick from the right and Graham Zusi's delivery was deflected away by Portugal's defense. U.S. midfielder Jermaine Jones collected outside the box toward the left, took a touch inside to his right to make space, and with Nani defending, crushed his 27-yard shot just inside the right post into the side netting as Portugal goalkeeper Beto could only watch flat-footed. USA 1, POR 1

USA - Clint Dempsey (Graham Zusi), 81st minute: Michael Bradley passed to second-half sub DeAndre Yedlin on the right, and the young defender - who played in the midfield after coming on for Alejandro Bedoya in the 72nd minute - took the ball to the end line and crossed on the ground into the middle. The ball was deflected and Bradley got a shot attempt, which was blocked. The ball ricocheted to Graham Zusi on the left, and he calmly clipped a short left-footed cross over Portugal's Joao Pereira to Clint Dempsey, who guided the ball into the net from the doorstep with his mid-section for the go-ahead goal. USA 2, POR 1

POR - Silvestre Varela (Cristiano Ronaldo), 90+5th minute: With the USA clinging onto the lead and just seconds left in the five minutes of allotted stoppage time, Cristiano Ronaldo crossed from the right side on a counter attack. The connection to Silvestre Varela was pin-point as Varela dove to powerfully head the ball from the edge of the six-yard box into the right side of the net for the dramatic equalizer. USA 2, POR 2

Key Saves and Defensive Stops:

POR - Beto, 17th minute: The USA's best scoring chance in the first half from the run of play came from Michael Bradley's pass from the midfield to Clint Dempsey who was sprinting into the right side of the box. The well-timed run led to Dempsey getting a look at the goal from a stiff angle in the right side of the box, but his shot toward the near post was knocked away by Portugal goalkeeper Beto.

POR - Beto, 27th minute: Clint Dempsey once again challenged the Portugal defense when he was set up Graham Zusi on the right. Dempsey had a tight window as he fended off a defender, and then shot right-footed toward the near right post, where Beto cleaned up with the foot save.

USA - Tim Howard, 42nd minute: Portugal's counter attack went through Cristiano Ronaldo on the left side, where he crossed to a wide-open Nani on the right. Nani shot from outside the box, trying to find the left side of the frame, but Howard dove for the save, eventually leading to a free kick that Ronaldo fired over the goal.

USA - Tim Howard, 45th minute: Nani's strike from outside the box snuck pass diving U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard, who tried to bat the ball away. Instead, it clipped off his glove and hit the right post flush for a rebound. First-half sub Eder had a chance to strike the bouncing ball at goal, but the off-balance Howard managed to stick up his left hand to spectacularly lift the ball over the goal or it would have been 2-0.

POR - Ricardo Costa, 55th minute: The USA's most clear-cut scoring opportunity to this point pulled a last-ditch block from Portugal's defense. Graham Zusi led Fabian Johnson on the right side. Johnson brought the ball to the end line and drew goalkeeper Beto toward him before crossing to Michael Bradley in the middle of the box. With Beto on the ground, Bradley shot at the goal from almost point blank range and somehow sprawling Portugal defender Ricardo Costa cleared the ball off the line with his left knee.

Milestone Watch:

    Clint Dempsey scored his second goal in this year's FIFA World Cup and his fourth in tournament history. His four goals tie Bert Patenaude for second on the all-time USA list, and is one goal behind Landon Donovan's five tallies.

    Dempsey moved past Eric Wynalda in all-time appearances with his 107th game on Sunday and sits in ninth place on the list. Wynalda had 106 caps from 1990-2000.

    Dempsey earned his eighth FIFA World Cup cap, which moves him into a tie for ninth place on the U.S. MNT list alongside Marcelo Balboa and Wynalda.

    With his 102nd international appearance, Tim Howard ties the U.S. MNT goalkeeping record set by Kasey Keller (102 caps from 1990-2007). Howard and Keller are tied for 11th on the all-time caps list overall.

    DaMarcus Beasley, the only USA player to appear in four FIFA World Cups, played in his ninth World Cup game, which ties him for sixth on the U.S. MNT's all-time list with Eddie Pope and Tab Ramos. Beasley also played in the 118th match of his career as he sits in fifth place on the all-time list, nine caps behind fourth-place Balboa (127).

    Midfielder Michael Bradley moved past Steve Cherundolo on the all-time caps list with his 88th appearance. Bradley is 19th, two caps shy of 18th-place John Harkes (90 from 1987-2000).

Next on the Schedule:

The U.S. MNT faces Germany in the third and final game of Group G play at the 2014 FIFA World Cup at 12 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 26, at Arena Pernambuco in Recife, Brazil.
Broadcast information: ESPN, WatchESPN, Univision and ESPN Radio
Social: Twitter (@ussoccer); Facebook; Instagram

Additional Notes:

    The USA is now 8-17-6 all-time in the FIFA World Cup while Portugal moves to 12-9-4 all-time.
    The USA is 2-2-2 all-time against Portugal.
    The 13th-ranked USA faced a top-10 FIFA-ranked opponent for the 58th time in its history. The USA is now 16-33-9 all-time against top-10 teams in FIFA's ranking system and 9-22-3 against top-5 teams.
    The U.S. MNT moves to 5-1-2 in 2014.
    The USA is now 2-4-1 all-time in games played in Brazil.
    U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann's starting lineup featured Tim Howard in goal and the same back line from the Ghana match: left back DaMarcus Beasley, right back Fabian Johnson and center backs Geoff Cameron and Matt Besler.
    The USA's midfield-heavy 4-5-1 formation included holding midfielders Jermaine Jones and Kyle Beckerman, along with Graham Zusi on the left, Alejandro Bedoya on the right and Michael Bradley in the center.
    Clint Dempsey played up front and wore the captain's armband.
    The USA is 9-3-3 in games with Dempsey as the team captain.
    DeAndre Yedlin made his FIFA World Cup debut when he replaced Bedoya in the 72nd minute. Yedlin played in the midfield after mostly playing at right back both professionally and internationally.
    Chris Wondolowski replaced Dempsey in the 87th minute to earn his first cap in a FIFA World Cup.
    In the first minute of second-half stoppage time, Klinsmann utilized his final substitution when he brought in Omar Gonzalez for Zusi.
    The USA is now 32-11-9 all-time under Klinsmann.
    The U.S. is 0-14-2 when trailing at halftime in FIFA World Cup play.
    When the USA faces No. 2 Germany on June 26, it will mark the sixth occasion in which the U.S. MNT will play top-5 FIFA-ranked teams in back-to-back games.
    The USA played without forward Jozy Altidore (hamstring). Portugal was without defender Pepe (suspended), forward Hugo Almeida (thigh), midfielder Fabio Coentrao (groin) and goalkeeper Rui Patricio (thigh).

Group G Disciplinary Notes:

    Germany: No infractions through two Group G games
    Ghana: Mohammed Rabiu (caution on June 16; another caution during group stage through quarterfinals would result in one-game suspension); Sulley Muntari (served his one-game suspension on June 22 against the USA; will be available for selection on June 26 against Portugal)
    Portugal: Pepe (served his one-game suspension on June 22 against the USA; should be available for selection on June 26 against Ghana); Joao Pereira (caution on June 16; another caution during group stage through quarterfinals would result in one-game suspension)
    USA: Jermaine Jones (caution on June 22; another caution during group stage through quarterfinals would result in one-game suspension)
    For players who have only one caution through the conclusion of the quarterfinal stage, that yellow card clears from his record heading into the semifinals.

- U.S. Men's National Team Match Report -

Match: U.S. Men's National Team vs. Portugal
Date: June 22, 2014
Competition: 2014 FIFA World Cup - Group G
Venue: Arena Amazonia; Manaus, Brazil
Kickoff: 6 p.m. ET
Attendance: 40,123
Weather: 86 degrees, sunny

Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA                        0 2 2
POR                        1 1 2

POR -- Nani                                               5th minute
USA -- Jermaine Jones                               64
USA -- Clint Dempsey (Graham Zusi)           81
POR -- Silvestre Varela (Cristiano Ronaldo)  90+5

Lineups:
USA: 1-Tim Howard; 23-Fabian Johnson, 20-Geoff Cameron, 5-Matt Besler, 7-DaMarcus Beasley; 15-Kyle Beckerman, 13-Jermaine Jones; 11-Alejandro Bedoya (2-DeAndre Yedlin, 72), 4- Michael Bradley, 19- Graham Zusi (3-Omar Gonzalez, 90+1); 8-Clint Dempsey (capt.) (18-Chris Wondolowski, 87)
Subs Not Used: 6-John Brooks, 10-Mix Diskerud, 12-Brad Guzan, 14-Brad Davis, 16-Julian Green, 21-Timmy Chandler, 22-Nick Rimando, 23-Aron Johannsson
Not Available: 17-Jozy Altidore
Head coach: Jurgen Klinsmann

POR: 22-Beto; 2-Bruno Alves, 13-Ricardo Costa, 19-Andre Almeida (6-William Carvalho, 46), 21-Joao Pereira; 4-Miguel Veloso, 8-Joao Moutinho, 16-Raul Meireles (18-Silvestre Varela, 69); 7-Cristiano Ronaldo (capt.), 17-Nani, 23-Heider Postiga (11-Eder, 16)
Subs not used: 1-Eduardo; 9-Hugo Almeida, 10-Vierinha, 12-Rui Patricio, 14-Luis Neto, 15-Rafa Silva, 20-Ruben Amorim
Not Available: 3-Pepe (suspended), 5-Fabio Coentrao, 9-Hugo Almeida, 12-Rui Patricio
Head Coach: Paulo Bento

Stats Summary: USA / POR
Shots: 15 / 21
Shots on Goal: 5 / 7
Saves: 5 / 3
Corner Kicks: 6 / 4
Fouls: 11 / 14
Offside: 1 / 4

Misconduct Summary:
USA -- Jermaine Jones (caution)        75th minute

Officials:
Referee: Nestor Pitana (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Hernan Maidana (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Pablo Belatti (ARG)
Fourth Official: Walter Lopez (GUA)

Budweiser Man of the Match: Tim Howard

US Soccer Team wins in Mexico for first time

(The Phanatic Magazine) - The U.S. Men's National Team defeated Mexico for the first time on its home soil in a 1-0 win at Estadio Azteca on Wednesday, marking one of the biggest U.S. victories in an international friendly.

Former Philadelphia Union defender Michael Orozco Fiscal scored his first international goal in the 80th minute as the United States took only its second ever lead at Azteca. The USA held out for the final 11 minutes plus stoppage time thanks to two clutch saves by Budweiser Man of the Math Tim Howard to earn its first win in 25 attempts in Mexico.

"I think it's huge. It's huge for all American fans and it's huge for the team. It's historic," U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann said. "We were well aware we've never won here at Azteca, and this is an amazing experience for all the players. We told them before the game, 'This moment is for you, go and grab it.' We are aware that it was a lot of work and it was a fantastic team performance."

The USA returns to 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying when it faces Jamaica at 9:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Sept. 7, at National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. Four days later, the teams square off again at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Sept. 11, at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.

On Wednesday, Orozco Fiscal's first U.S. appearance since October 2011 consisted not only of his first international goal, but an historic tally for the U.S. Men's National Team. Orozco Fiscal and Brek Shea had only been on the pitch for a couple of minutes each, but both played pivotal roles (along with fellow substitute Terrence Boyd) in generating the game's lone strike.

An energetic Shea drove up the left side past Mexico's Severo Meza and got one final touch in the box against Francisco Rodriguez before dishing to Boyd in the middle. Boyd took a touch and back-heeled his pass to Orozco Fiscal toward the right post, where the defender poked the ball into the net past Jorge Torres Nilo and a stranded Guillermo Ochoa.

Orozco Fiscal, who plays his club ball with San Luis in Mexico, celebrated with his teammates by the right corner flag in front of the U.S. supporters section. But with more than 11 minutes still to play, the USA's first road win in Mexico would not be easy to close out.

Mexico was in uncharted territory trailing late to the USA on its own turf, and the home side stepped up its attack to try to find an equalizer. The hosts came close in the 85th minute when Chicharito's left-footed shot deflected off Maurice Edu, who was slotting in at center back in a new-look backline for Klinsmann. Howard was going to his right and had to quickly change direction to his left to get his glove on the ball before pouncing on it to prevent the shot from crossing the goal line.

There was more to come and in the 89th minute Chicharito challenged Geoff Cameron and headed the ball at close range toward the near right side of the goal. Howard once again came up with a clutch save to his left, parrying with his left hand to keep Mexico and its much-heralded attack off the score sheet.

"Eventually, you need a little bit of luck, and in some instances we were a little bit lucky tonight, and we had Tim Howard in our goal," Klinsmann said. "I think the team really knew what to expect. It was difficult at high altitude and many of them flew in from Europe two days ago, but we had a plan and we tried to execute that plan. Getting that win here is quite enjoyable."

The plan was evident from the get-go, and that was to play organized and disciplined to keep Mexico's attack at bay. U.S. forward Herculez Gomez represented the lone striker lingering around midfield and his teammates spent the majority of the first half defending. The USA's back line - consisting of Edu, Cameron, Edgar Castillo and Fabian Johnson - came up with some key clearances on Mexico's crosses. Cameron spent much of the half marking Chicharito and disrupted the Manchester United forward on multiple occasions. Edgar Castillo was particularly busy on the left side, doing a fantastic job in one-on-one defending against Pablo Barrera. Despite an advantage in possession, Mexico failed to generate a quality scoring opportunity.

Among the USA's few opportunities in the first period was a fifth-minute strike by Gomez that skidded wide right. In the 21st minute, Jose Torres played a nice ball in from the left side that had a little too much pace and escaped Gomez and harmlessly rolled across the box.

The USA made two halftime substitutions, with DaMarcus Beasley making his first appearance in 2012 and earning his 97th cap in replacing Landon Donovan, who was suffering from tightness in his left hamstring. Terrence Boyd replaced Torres, dropping Gomez into a withdrawn forward role.

Mexico continued its regular barrage of crosses from the flanks, and substitute Lugo was the recipient in the 50th minute, getting behind Cameron but heading wide left of the goal.

Cameron continued his strong match with a difficult running header clearance on Elias Hernandez's cross in from the right side in the 56th minute. If Cameron did not alertly get in the path, Chicharito was lurking in the goal box. Instead, Cameron lunged into the path of the ball and his momentum carried him across the goal line into his own net.

Mexico missed a prime opportunity to get on the board first when Chicharito made a run behind Cameron and in front of Edu in the 76th minute, receiving a cross from Elias Hernandez who was able to generate a consistent attack from the right flank. Chicharito headed the ball without a challenge, but he drove the ball wide left.

It was shortly after that moment when Klinsmann brought in Orozco Fiscal in the 77th minute and Shea in the 78th minute. The moves proved to be advantageous as they developed the scoring sequence that led to the lone USA win in Mexico.

Howard made three saves for the U.S. to post his third shutout this year and his 28th career clean sheet. The USA now holds a 6-1-2 record in 2012, already equaling its six-win total from 2011.

Both teams shift their focus to World Cup qualifying, where the USA is atop Group A with a 1-0-1 record and four points - the same record as Jamaica - but holding the advantage in goal differential. Mexico is 2-0-0 in Group B, with a two-point lead over second-place Costa Rica.

Additional Notes:

    Tim Howard wore the captain's armband for the first time this year in the absence of defender Carlos Bocanegra.

    Kyle Beckerman made his first start of 2012 after coming off the bench in three previous games over a span of 39 minutes. Beckerman has 22 international caps under his belt.

    The U.S. defensive line consisted of Fabian Johnson on the right side and Edgar Castillo at left back, with a center back pairing of Geoff Cameron and Maurice Edu.

    DaMarcus Beasley earned his 97th cap when he entered the match in the second half. He moved ahead of former U.S. defender Alexi Lalas for sole possession of 13th place in all-time appearances.

    Michael Orozco Fiscal made his first appearance for the U.S. this year, replacing Edgar Castillo.

-- U.S. Men's National Team Game Report --

Match: USA vs. Mexico
Date: August 15, 2012
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: Estadio Azteca
Kickoff: 7 p.m. CT
Attendance: tba
Weather: 72 degrees, mostly cloudy

Scoring Summary: 1   2   F
USA                         0  1   1
MEX                         0  0   0

USA - Michael Orozco Fiscal (Terrence Boyd)     80th minute

Lineups:
USA : 1-Tim Howard (capt.); 23-Fabian Johnson, 20-Geoff Cameron, 7-Maurice Edu, 15-Edgar Castillo (4-Michael Orozco Fiscal, 77); 13-Jermaine Jones (14-Joe Corona, 89), 5-Kyle Beckerman, 6-Danny Williams (8-Graham Zusi, 60), 16-Jose Torres (18-Terrence Boyd, 45); 10-Landon Donovan (17-Damarcus Beasley, 45), 9-Herculez Gomez (11-Brek Shea, 78)
Subs not used: 3-Matt Besler, 19-Chris Wondolowski, 22-Nick Rimando
Head Coach: Jurgen Klinsmann

MEX : 1- Guillermo Ochoa; 5-Severo Meza (3-Enrique Perez, 88), 2-Francisco Rodriguez (capt.), 15-Hector Moreno, 20-Jorge Torres Nilo; 17-Jesus Zavala, 6-Manuel Viniegra (23-Edgar Lugo, 45), 18-Andres Guardado, 7-Pablo Barrera (11-Elias Hernandez, 45); 10-Angel Reyna (9-Aldo de Nigris, 73), 14-Javier Hernandez
Subs not used: 4-Hugo Ayala, 8-Adrian Adrete, 12-Alfredo Talavera
Head coach: Jose Manuel de la Torre

Stats Summary: USA / MEX
Shots: 6 / 15
Shots on Goal: 3 / 3
Saves: 3 / 2
Corner Kicks: 0 / 10
Fouls: 11 / 10
Offside: 0 / 4

Misconduct Summary:
USA - Maurice Edu (caution)      14th minute
MEX - Hector Moreno (caution)   31
USA - Jermaine Jones (caution)  69
USA - Graham Zusi (caution)      82

Officials:
Referee:Walter Quesada (CRC)
Assistant Referee 1: Leonel Leal (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Octavio Jara (CRC)
Fourth Official: Alfredo Penaloza (CRC)

Budweiser Man of the Match:
Tim Howard

USWNT routs China

By John McMullen
jmcmullen@phanaticmag.com

CHESTER, PA (The Phanatic Magazine) - Alex Morgan loves the pitch at PPL Park.

The California native scored her first ever goal for the U.S. Women's National Team in Chester back in 2010 and added two more tonight as well as an assist as the Americans topped China 4-1 in front of a sellout 18,573  on the Delaware Riverfront.

USWNT F Alex Morgan

Only one American soccer team will be going to London this summer for the Olympic Games and it was at PPL on Sunday. The U.S. Women did what our men couldn't, qualify for the Summer Games that begin on July 27.

Preparation has begun in earnest for the games and the No. 1 ranked USWNT routed China after a shaky start.

The women, who are coming off a second place finish to Japan in the World Cup, are the favorites for London after winning the past two Gold Medals and three of the four played.

The U.S. has quite a history with China winning the 1999 World Cup over the country on penalty kicks in front of over 90,000 fans at the Rose Bowl. Brandi Chastain capped things there, tearing off her shirt in a celebration that still might be the most famous moment is U.S. Soccer history.

Since then Chinese have fallen on hard times since and are now ranked just 18th in the world and did not qualify for the 2012 Olympics.

However, China surprisingly cashed in first against a rusty American side that hadn't been on the pitch since a 3-1 win over Brazil on April 3 in Chiba, Japan. Zhang Rui got behind the defense in the 23rd minute and beat Hope Solo to the far side.

Morgan evened things from the area in the 34th, finding the right corner of the net behind Zhang Yue, her 23rd marker as a member of the USWNT.

It didn't take long for the Americans to go on top when Chinese captain Zhou Gaoping headed in an own goal after a scrum in front during the 36th minute.

Morgan put things out of reach in the 50th minute, out wrestling the defender for the ball before exploding a left-footed kick past Zhang.

Morgan finally finished things in the 83rd minute with a beautiful throw in from the right side that found fellow veteran forward Abby Wambach, who put it home from a tough angle.

"It's always so awesome to play in front of a sellout crowd," Wambach said after the match. "It lets us know that there is a big tournament coming up for us."

"I'm very happy scoring goals but the happiest thing for us was we changed the game," added U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage. "We struggled a bit in the first half but we turned it around in the second half and the crowd was great. You look at the crowd like this and it makes a difference.

"In the Olympics we'll have big crowds and in the World Cup we had big crowds. You have to deal with that feeling and you should take advantage of it. Playing in front of this crowd is almost like having a 12th player and it's fantastic." 

STARS AND STRIPES:

* The only other USWNT game at PPL Park was a 1-1 tie with China on Oct. 6, 2010. Not in an Olympic year that one drew just 2,500. Morgan's first goal as a member of the USWNT came in that game to even it with just seven minutes left.

*The USWNT is 11-1-1 this year with three matches to go before the London Games. The women will play Sweden in Halmstad, Sweden on June 16, Japan in Halmstad on June 18 and Canada in Sandy, Utah on June 30. Their only setback this year was a 1-0 loss to Japan in Portugal back on March 5.

*Wambach has 179 career caps for the USWNT and 135 goals. She sits only behind Mia Hamm (158) on the USA all-time scoring list.


*Lauren Cheney, the UCLA product that is the girlfriend of the Sixers' Jrue Holiday, came on as a substitution for Carli Lloyd in the 46th minute and made a big difference in the midfield, so much so that she was named the Bud Light Woman of the Match over both Morgan and Wambach.

- U.S. Women's National Team Match Report -

 
Match: U.S. Women's National Team vs. China
Date: May 27, 2012
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: PPL Park; Chester, Pa.
Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET
Attendance: 18,573 (sell out)
Weather: 82 degrees, warm, humid
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F

USA                        2 2 4
CHN                       1 0 1

CHN - Zhang Rui (Lou Jiahui)                22^rd minute
USA - Alex Morgan                              34
USA - own goal (Zhou Gaoping)             36
USA - Alex Morgan (Christie Rampone)  50
USA - Abby Wambach (Alex Morgan)    83
 
Lineups:
USA: 1-Hope Solo; 6-Amy LePeilbet (11-Sydney Leroux, 81), 3-Christie Rampone (capt.) (4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 62), 19-Rachel Buehler, 5-Kelley O'Hara; 9-Heather O'Reilly (8-Amy Rodriguez, 46), 7-Shannon Boxx, 10-Carli Lloyd (12-Lauren Cheney 46), 15-Megan Rapinoe; 13-Alex Morgan, 20-Abby Wambach
Subs not used: 2-Heather Mitts, 14-Meghan Klingenberg, 18-Nicole Barnhart
Head coach: Pia Sundhage
 
CHN: 1-Zhang Yue; 3-Zhou Gaoping, 4-Li Jiayue, 5-Wang Dongni, 12-Zhao Hongli (17-Pang Fengyue, 85); 6-Ren Guixin (23-Li Wen 56), 14-Liu Shukun, 16-Wang Xin (15-Xu Yanlu, 68; 21-Wang Lisi, 87), 18-Han Peng (19-Zhou Feifei, 39), 25-Zhang Rui (10-Ma Xiaoxu, 78); 11-Lou Jiahui
Subs not used: 22-Wang Fei
Head coach: Hao Wei
 
Statistical Summary: USA / CHN
Shots: 18 / 5
Shots on Goal: 7 / 1
Saves: 0 / 3
Corner Kicks: 6 / 1
Fouls: 10 / 11
Offside: 2 / 3
 
Misconduct Summary:
CHN --Ren Guixin (caution)       18^th minute
USA - Sydney Leroux (caution)  90+1
 
Officials
Referee: Margaret Domka (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Marlene Duffy (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Veronica Perez (USA)
Fourth Official: Kari Seitz (USA)
 
Bud Light Woman of the Match:
Lauren Cheney

USWNT names Olympians

By John McMullen
Jmcmullen@phanataicmag.com

CHESTER, PA (The Phanatic Magazine) - U.S. Women's National Team head coach Pia Sundhage named the 18-player roster for the 2012 Olympic Games before the team's friendly against China at PPL Park on Saturday.

Eleven players make a return to the Olympics after helping the USA to the gold medal in 2008 in Beijing, China. Midfielders Shannon Boxx and Heather O'Reilly and defender Heather Mitts make their third Olympic Team while U.S. captain Christie Rampone will be playing in a U.S. record fourth Olympic Games.

The U.S. will open Group G play at the Olympics with two matches at the famed Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland. The U.S. will first face France (5 p.m. local / 12 p.m. ET) on July 25 - two days before the Olympic Opening Ceremonies - and then take on Colombia on July 28 (5 p.m. local / 12 p.m. ET). The USA will finish group play against Korea DPR on July 31 (5:15 p.m. local / 12:15 p.m. ET) at the legendary Old Trafford in Manchester, home to Manchester United.

The U.S. Women's National Team has advanced to the gold medal game of every Olympic women's soccer tournament that has been contested. The USA won the inaugural gold medal in 1996 in Athens, Ga., won silver in 2000 in Sydney, Australia, and will be going for its third straight gold medal after standing atop the podium in Athens, Greece, in 2004 and Beijing in 2008.

U.S. Olympic Women's Soccer Team Roster by Position - Detailed Roster
GOALKEEPERS (2): Nicole Barnhart, Hope Solo
DEFENDERS (6): Rachel Buehler, Amy LePeilbet, Heather Mitts, Kelley O'Hara, Christie Rampone, Becky Sauerbrunn
MIDFIELDERS (6): Shannon Boxx, Lauren Cheney, Tobin Heath, Carli Lloyd, Heather O'Reilly, Megan Rapinoe
FORWARDS (4): Sydney Leroux, Alex Morgan, Amy Rodriguez, Abby Wambach

"As always, these players make it very difficult to select rosters, and for this Olympic team it was a long, productive and interesting process to cut the pool down to these 18," said Sundhage. "The team is a mix of very experienced players and several new fresh faces. All the players are versatile, which is extremely important when you have just 16 field players on a roster. This is a group that is focused on some very high goals and it will be a pleasure to coach them in the Olympics."

Sundhage also named four replacement players in midfielder Lori Lindsey and goalkeeper Jill Loyden - both members of the USA's 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup team - twice-capped midfielder Meghan Klingenberg and forward Christen Press, who is uncapped but currently one of the top scorers in the Swedish First Division.

U.S. battles back in 1-1 draw with Mexico

US Goalkeeper Tim Howard

By John McMullen
jmcmullen@phanaticmag.com

PHILADELPHIA (The Phanatic Magazine) - The Jurgen Klinsmann-era of U.S. soccer began at Lincoln Financial Field on Wednesday when the U.S. Men's National Team battled back for a 1-1 draw against Mexico in front of 30,138.

Klinsmann, a former World Cup winner as a player and head coach for Germany, was named the 35th coach in the U.S. program's history back on July 29, taking over for Bob Bradley, just over a month after the U.S. fell to Mexico, 4-2, in the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup final in Pasadena.

A different coach did not produce different results, at least early.

Mexico was able to press the Americans out of the gate and controlled the pace in the first half, finally cashing in during the 17th minute. A corner kick was played in short to Antonio Naelson, who quickly got it back to Andres Guardado before the midfielder slotted a cross into the box. Oribe Peralta was there and put an excellent touch on the ball, sending it into the far post past U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard.

The USMNT, meanwhile, only engineered one really legitimate scoring opportunity in the first half when Landon Donovan crossed into the box in the fifth minute and both Edson Buddle and Jermaine Jones had opportunities to hit it home. The set was just out of reach for a Buddle header, however, and Jones also missed as he slid toward the goal.

The Mexicans continued to tip the field in the second half but the U.S. gave Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa a bit of a scare in the 58th minute when a beautiful Donovan corner kick found the head of Carlos Bocanegra. The American captain was able to redirect the ball hard and low but Ochoa was "Johnny on
the Spot," stoning him.

Some new blood and an unlikely ally helped the Americans finally solve Ochoa in the 73rd minute.

After a fan raced onto the field with a U.S. flag, igniting the locals in attendance, Juan Agudelo, a substitution in the 60th minute for Buddle, got behind the Mexican defense and left the ball for Breck Shea, the FC Dallas
star who had also come in the 60th for Jones.

Shea dribbled for two touches and crossed to wide open Robbie Rogers, who deposited the ball into a wide open net on his first touch of the game for his second career marker with the USNMT. Rogers, who toils for the Columbus Crew in MLS, had come on for Michael Bradley seconds earlier.

Buoyed by the score, the U.S. seized the momentum and kept the pressure on from there. Donovan nearly raced by the defense in the 80th minute but was knocked down and the whistles were silent.

In the 84th minute, Ochoa turned away Shea's one-timer and in the 86th minute, Mexico's Gerardo Torrado was forced to take down Rogers from behind, resulting in a yellow card. The ensuing free kick was blocked, however, and things remained deadlocked through three minutes of stoppage time.

Mexico outshot the U.S. 7-6 but the Americans had three on net to just one for the Mexicans. Mexico also had 16 fouls compared to the United State's eight and all three yellow cards in the game.

“I think we saw a real interesting game, and especially in the second half, a very exciting game,” said Klinsmann. “It was an amazing learning process the players went through in just 90 minutes. We gave them the task to move step-by-step more forward and get more confident the longer they were in the game and put Mexico under pressure. That’s what we saw in the last half hour where I think the players felt more and more confident. All of their defensive tasks were kind of under control and they challenged that Mexican side, which as I said before the game is a very, very good team that we have a lot of respect for.”


Bradley had led the USMNT to some exciting moments during his tenure, including Donovan's heart-stopping goal to secure a place in the round of 16 at last year's World Cup in South Africa but the disappointing Gold Cup setback to his perceived biggest rival sealed his fate.

The thought process is that Bradley had taken the program as far as he could and that Klinsmann is a mentor that knows how to get over the top at the highest level.

The next World Cup qualifying cycle for Brazil in 2014 begins next year and this was the first opportunity for Klinsmann to put his stamp on the team.

Things didn't look good early but his substitutions in the second half proved to be quite  a tonic for the U.S.

“I think now we can be very satisfied with that performance,” said Klinsmann. “It’s great to see some young players stepping into this team and being guided by the experienced ones. It was really enjoyable to see how they then kind of expressed themselves. This is what we want in this team. We want them to express themselves and have fun, and I think that’s what we saw.”


RED, WHITE AND BLUE-blurbs:

*The U.S. now has a 15-32-12 all-time record against Mexico but is 10-5-3 since the turn of the century. At home, the Americans are 13-8-10 and 9-2-3 since 2000. Mexico, however, has topped the U.S. in consecutive Gold Cup finals.

*This was the first friendly between the two clubs since 2008.

*The U.S. is now 2-0-1 at the Linc.

*Former Union defender Michael Orozco Fiscal, who currently toils for San Luis in Mexico, started for the U.S. National Team and played solidly.

* Rogers was added to the U.S. roster last weekend to replace injured midfielder Maurice Edu. Edu suffered a calf strain playing for his Scottish club, Rangers, in a match against English club Chelsea last Saturday.

*The USMNT gets back to work on Sept. 2 against Costa Rica at the Home Depot Center in Southern California.

-- U.S. Men’s National Team Game Report --

Match: USA vs. Mexico
Date: Aug. 10, 2011
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: Lincoln Financial Field
Kickoff: 9 p.m. ET
Attendance: 30,138
Weather: Clear and warm, 80 degrees

Scoring Summary:     1              2              F
USA                            0              1              1
MEX                            1              0              1

MEX – Oribe Peralta (Andres Guardado)       17^th minute
USA – Robbie Rogers (Brek Shea)                73                   

Lineups:
USA: 1-Tim Howard; 6-Steve Cherundolo, 5-Michael Orozco Fiscal, 3-Carlos Bocanegra (capt.), 2-Edgar Castillo; 7-Kyle Beckerman 4-Michael Bradley (16-Robbie Rogers, 72), 8-Jermaine Jones (17-Brek Shea, 60) ,10-Landon Donovan, 11-Jose Torres (15-Ricardo Clark, 84); 9-Edson Buddle (18-Juan Agudelo, 60)
Subs not used: 12-Bill Hamid, 13-Zach Lloyd, 14-Heath Pearce
Head Coach: Jurgen Klinsmann

MEX: 1-Guillermo Ochoa, 16-Efrain Juarez (22- Paul Aguilar, 75), 4-Rafael Marquez (2-Francisco Javier Rodriguez, 69), 15-Hector Moreno, 3-Carlos Salcido; 7- Pablo Barrera (21-Christian Bermudez, 72), 6-Gerardo Torrado, 17-Antonio Naelson (10-Giovani dos Santos, 55), 8-Israel Castro, 18-Andres Guardado; 19-Oribe Peralta (9-Omar Arellano, 62)
Subs not used: 11-Javier Aquino, 12- Alfredo Talavera, 13-Jesus Zavala, 20-Jorge Torres Nilo
Head coach: Jose Manuel de la Torre

Stats Summary: USA / MEX                                           
Shots: 6 / 7
Shots on Goal: 3 / 1
Saves: 0 / 2
Corner Kicks: 2 / 4
Fouls: 8 / 16
Offside: 0 / 4

Misconduct Summary:
MEX – Efrain Juarez (caution)          42^nd minute
MEX – Rafael Marquez (caution)     67
MEX – Gerardo Torrado (caution)    86

Officials:
Referee: Raymond Bogle (JAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Ricardo Antonio Morgan (JAM)
Assistant Referee 2: Dion Neil (TRI)
Fourth Official: Ricardo Salazar (USA)

Klinsmann reveals roster for friendly against Mexico

CHICAGO (Aug. 4, 2011) — U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has named a 22-player roster that will travel to Philadelphia in advance of the match against regional rival Mexico on Aug. 10 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

The match will be the first for the former FIFA World Cup and European Championship winner at the helm of the U.S. Men’s National Team since being named head coach.

“One of the goals of the roster for this game and moving forward is to create competition at each position,” said Klinsmann. “There are many players who are established as well as many players who will get opportunities, and we want there to be a healthy contest for spots on the roster. We will get a good look at where each player is as quickly as we can during the short time in camp, and we will finish with an exciting game against Mexico.”

The roster delivers a combination of experience and youth at virtually every position. In goal, Tim Howard enters with 65 caps to his credit and is joined by 20-year-old Bill Hamid, a U.S. Soccer Development Academy product who was the first D.C. United Academy player to sign with the first team.

Two-time World Cup veteran Carlos Bocanegra is just seven games shy of reaching 100 caps. He will patrol the center of the park along with 2010 FIFA World Cup teammate Clarence Goodson, the newly named captain of Brondby in Denmark, and two young players in Tim Ream and Michael Orozco Fiscal. Hannover 96 captain Steve Cherundolo returns after an injury forced him out of the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup final, while fellow Bundesliga-based right back Timmy Chandler is making his second appearance in a national team camp after debuting against Argentina in March. Chivas USA defender Heath Pearce and Edgar Castillo make up the options for the left side of the backline.

Central midfield is packed with experience, including four players from the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Michael Bradley has nine goals in 59 appearances for the full team, with eight of his goals coming in official competitions. Maurice Edu comes from three-time defending Scottish Premier League champion Rangers, and Ricardo Clark and Jose Torres make their first appearance in the squad since the World Cup in South Africa. Jermaine Jones has reached double digits in caps for the U.S. after competing in his first official competition earlier this summer, and has rejoined Schalke 04 after a loan spell with Blackburn Rovers. Real Salt Lake contributes captain Kyle Beckerman and FC Dallas sends Brek Shea, who is currently in third place in scoring in MLS this season behind Landon Donovan and Thierry Henry as the 21-year-old has netted nine goals in 22 games.

The USA’s all-time leading scorer, Donovan leads the attacking corps with 46 goals in 146 international appearances. Donovan is the only player on the roster who has experience with the new coach, having played for Klinsmann in 2009 at Bayern Munich during a loan spell. Both Freddy Adu and 18-year-old Juan Agudelo are coming off significant contributions in the 2011 Gold Cup, Adu having started in the final against Mexico while Agudelo appeared in five of six matches. DaMarcus Beasley returns to the squad with 93 caps to his credit that include stints in the last three World Cups, and Edson Buddle travels from FC Ingolstadt after his great run of form in 2010 led to a spot in the team in South Africa.

A total of nine professional leagues in eight different countries are represented on the roster. MLS contributes seven players, while German-based players number six total from the top two divisions and the Mexico first division sends four. New York Bulls contribute two players to the roster, the most from any single club.

The match on Aug. 10 will mark the 59th meeting between the USA and Mexico. The U.S. has a lifetime record of 15-32-11 against Mexico in a series that dates to 1934, but the U.S. has a 13-8-9 advantage in home matches since 1957. Since the rivalry between these two teams began in earnest in 1990, the sides have played 31 times, with the U.S. holding a 13-10-8 advantage. In the teams’ most significant matchup, the United States defeated Mexico 2-0 in the Round of 16 of the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (2): Bill Hamid (D.C.United), Tim Howard (Everton)

DEFENDERS (8): Carlos Bocanegra (Saint-Etienne), Edgar Castillo (Club America), Timmy Chandler (FC Nürnberg), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Clarence Goodson (Brondby), Michael Orozco Fiscal (San Luis), Heath Pearce (Chivas USA), Tim Ream (New York Red Bulls)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Ricardo Clark (Eintracht Frankfurt), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04), Brek Shea (FC Dallas), Jose Torres (Pachuca)

FORWARDS (5): Freddy Adu (Benfica), Juan Agudelo (New York Red Bulls), DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla), Edson Buddle (FC Ingolstadt), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy)

Bob Bradley out as coach for U.S. Soccer Team

CHICAGO - U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati announced today that Bob Bradley has been relieved of his duties as the head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team.

“We want to thank Bob Bradley for his service and dedication to U.S. Soccer during the past five years,” said Gulati. “During his time as the head coach of our Men’s National Team he led the team to a number of accomplishments, but we felt now was the right time for us to make a change. It is always hard to make these decisions, especially when it involves someone we respect as much as Bob. We wish him the best in his future endeavors.”

This announcement comes after a meeting at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., between Gulati, Bradley and U.S. Soccer CEO Dan Flynn.

Bradley was named the head coach of the U.S. MNT in January of 2007 and during his five-year tenure compiled a 43-25-12 record. He led the team to a number of accomplishments, including winning the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, finishing second in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, winning their World Cup qualifying group and advancing to the Round of 16 of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

U.S. Soccer will have a further announcement on Friday.

Team USA to face Mexico at the Linc

CHICAGO (July 8, 2011) — The U.S. Men’s National Team will continue their long-running rivalry against Mexico when they face off Aug. 10 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. 

Kickoff for the teams’ first meeting in a friendly since 2008 is set for 9 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2, ESPN3.com and Univision. In addition, Univision will air a live pre-game show beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET. Fans can also follow the match live on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker and Twitter @ussoccer.

The regional rivals are coming off a meeting in the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup final where Mexico scored four unanswered goals to defeat the U.S. 4-2 in front of more than 93,000 fans at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

Tickets starting at $38 go on sale to the public Friday, July 15, at 10 a.m. ET through ussoccer.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, and at all Ticketmaster ticket centers throughout the Delaware Valley (including Walmart and Boscov’s) and the Lincoln Financial Field ticket office (open Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Groups of 30 or more can obtain an order form at ussoccer.com or call 312-528-1290.

“We’re thrilled that fans in Philadelphia will have a chance to witness this special rivalry,” said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley. “A match between the United States and Mexico inspires a lot of passion from both sides and creates an outstanding atmosphere in the stadium. These types of games are great experiences for our players, and we look forward to the challenge.”

The match on Aug. 10 will mark the 59^th meeting between the USA and Mexico. The U.S. has a lifetime record of 15-32-11 against Mexico in a series that dates to 1934, but the U.S. has a 13-8-9 advantage in home matches since 1957.

Since the rivalry between these two teams began in earnest in 1990, the sides have played 31 times, with the U.S. holding a 13-10-8 advantage. In the teams’ most significant matchup, the United States defeated Mexico 2-0 in the Round of 16 of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, advancing the U.S. to the quarterfinals of the tournament for the first time in 72 years. 

The U.S. National Team will return to Philadelphia for only the third time since 1992, with Lincoln Financial Field serving as a magnificent host on two occasions. Most recently, the USA came from behind to snatch a 2-1 victory against Turkey in front of a raucous crowd of 55,407 fans who witnessed the team’s final match before departing for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.  A year earlier, the U.S. sealed a 2-1 overtime victory against Panama in the quarterfinals of the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup in front of another heavily partisan U.S. crowd.

USA withdraws bid for 2018 World Cup; will focus on 2022

NEW YORK (October 15, 2010) -The USA Bid Committee announced today that it has withdrawn from the 2018 FIFA World Cup bid and will exclusively focus on the 2022 campaign.

The decision comes after several months of careful deliberation with FIFA, UEFA and members of the USA Bid Board of Directors. Four European candidates now remain in the race for 2018 (Belgium/Netherlands, England, Russia and Spain/Portugal). Since the FIFA Statutes indicate that the competition cannot be held on the same continent on two successive occasions, the 2022 campaign will now be between Australia, Japan, Korea Republic, Qatar and the United States.

"For some time we have been in conversations with FIFA and UEFA about the possibility of focusing only on the 2022 bidding process, an option we have made reference to many times," said Sunil Gulati, Chairman of the USA Bid Committee and President of U.S. Soccer. "We are confident this is in the best interests of the USA Bid."

"We have had an open and constructive dialogue with the USA Bid for some time now, after it became apparent that there was a growing movement to stage the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Europe," said FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke. "The announcement today by the USA Bid to focus solely on the 2022 FIFA World Cup is therefore a welcome gesture which is much appreciated by FIFA."

The FIFA Executive Committee will gather in Zurich on October 28 and 29 to discuss a number of items, including the final voting process for the selection of the host nations for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups.

"We wanted to make the announcement now - still 48 days before the final decision - in order to make our intentions clear during the last part of our campaign," added Gulati. "This also enables FIFA to finalize the selection procedures during its upcoming Executive Committee meeting."

USA and Columbia battle to scoreless draw at PPL Park

By John McMullen

Chester, PA (The Phanatic Magazine) -  The United States National Team and Columbia battled to a scoreless draw in front of 8,823 at PPL Park Tuesday night.

The Columbians, which downed Ecuador 1-0 on Friday at Red Bull Arena, were the far more aggressive team early and a giveaway nearly gave them the advantage. Falcau Garcia charged into the area after the turnover and was free on goal but Oguchi Onyewu‘s tackle blocked the shot and Giovanni Moreno’s follow up from point blank range was weak enough for U.S. net minder Brad Guzan to gobble up.

In the 18th minute Moreno broke into space and was taken down by Jermaine Jones resulting in a free kick. Garcia blasted it into the wall and Columbia was able to redirect it on net with a header but Guzan was right there.

A Columbian foul a minute later gave the U.S. its first real chance.  Stuart Holden bended a volley into the box and Onyewu’s header went wide left.

Things stalled from there as both clubs seemed to be bogged down at midfield for the rest of the first half.  In fact,  the  U.S., which was coming off a 2-2 draw against Poland in Chicago on Saturday,  failed to record a  shot on goal in the entire first half and neither side attempted  a corner kick.

The Americans brought in four subs for the second half, including veteran forward Clint Dempsey who took the captain’s armband from Onyewu, and the action picked up a bit.

The U.S. managed its first shot on goal in the 53rd minute but a weak Holden approach was easily corralled by Columbian goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon.  Meanwhile, in the 61st minute Benny Feilhaber sent the first corner of the game into Clarence Goodson, who redirected it to the back post but couldn’t keep it under the bar.

A few minutes later Columbia stormed down the left side and earned their first corner kick, a short crossing pass that Michael Bradley was able to deflect away in the 66th minute.

The U.S. ignited the crowd at The River End in the 73rd minute when Feilhaber slotted  a quick free kick pass to Jozy Altidore, who crossed it over to Bradley for an easy tap in. Altidore was ruled offside, however, and the match remained scoreless.

Feilhaber lofted another corner kick into the box in the 81st minute but Mondragon was able to pluck it out of the air.

Perhaps the Americans best chance of the night came in the 86th minute when Eric Lichaj dribbled down the right side and swung a perfect pass into the box for Altidore, who headed it downward on net. Mondragon was up to the task, however.

“It was an interesting game for us,” said U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley. “In the first half we changed our formation a little bit, and I think we didn’t in that way find a good rhythm on playing out of the back and playing forward fast enough. The second half we played more in the way that we are accustomed, and I think the movement and the flow was much better. There were some good things that took place. There is a lot to look at, and a lot to build on. These situations help move us along.” 

Guzan, the No. 2 goalkeeper for the U.S. behind Tim Howard, now recorded six shutouts in 15 appearances for the Americans and is 7-4-2 overall.

The U.S., who  plays one more game this year on Nov. 17 against South Africa in Cape Town,  is now 3-9-4 against the Columbians in international play.

Notes:

*The U.S. National Team was returning to Philadelphia - one of 18 cities included in the USA's bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or 2022 - for only the third time since 1990, and was playing its first match at PPL Park.  Most recently, the USA captured a 2-1 victory against Turkey in the final match before the team departed for South Africa and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.  More than 55,000 fans at Lincoln Financial Field saw goals from Altidore and Dempsey that built the momentum heading into the tournament where the U.S. finished first in group play for the first time in 80 years.

*United States coach Bob Bradley selected a largely European-based lineup for tonight's friendly largely because Major League Soccer is in its final month of the regular season. The FC Dallas duo of Heath Pearce and Brek Shea were the only MLS players selected.

"We understand this is a critical point in the season for teams in MLS," said Bradley. "Given the circumstances, we felt it was important that the MLS players be given as much opportunity as possible to remain with their clubs and continue to make important contributions as the playoffs approach."

Here was the complete U.S. roster: *-indicates starter

Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan-* (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton).

Defenders: Clarence Goodson-* (IK Start), Eric Lichaj (Aston Villa), Oguchi Onyewu-* (AC Milan), Michael Parkhurst (FC Nordsjaelland), Heath Pearce-* (FC Dallas), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United).

Midfielders: Alejandro Bedoya (Orebro), Michael Bradley-* (Borussia Monchengladbach), Maurice Edu-* (Rangers), Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus), Stuart Holden-* (Bolton Wanderers), Jermaine Jones-* (FC Schalke), Brek Shea-* (FC Dallas).

Forwards: Jozy Altidore-* (Villarreal), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Eddie Johnson (Fulham).

-MF Dempsey,  F Johnson and  defenders Parkhurst and Lichaj came on in the second half for Shea, Onyewu, Edu and Spector. In the 59th minute Feilhaber spelled Holden.

*Shea and Lichaj both made their international debuts with the U.S. tonight.

*The most famous U.S.-Columbia meeting came in group play of the 1994 FIFA World Cup, where an Earnie Stewart goal lifted the United States to a 2-1 victory that helped propel the hosts into the knockout phase.  The teams last met during the 2007 Copa America, where a young U.S. side fell 1-0 on July 5, 2007, in Barquisimeto, Venezuela.

U.S. Women salvage 1-1 draw with China

By John McMullen

Chester, PA (The Phanatic Magazine) -  It was a historic night in the Philadelphia area.

A half-hour down I-95 Roy Halladay became just the second pitcher in Major League Baseball history to throw a no-hitter in the postseason as the Phillies took care of the Cincinnati Reds in the opener of the National League Division Series at Citizens Bank Park.

Meanwhile here in Chester, Alex Morgan's first international goal in the 83rd  minute salvaged a 1-1 draw for the mighty United States Women's National Team against China in its final tuneup before the start of the CONCACAF Women's World Cup qualifying in Mexico from Oct. 28 to Nov. 9.

A loss by the U.S. might not have been akin to Halladay's gem but it would have been rare nonetheless. Since coaching her first game as the U.S. mentor in January of 2008 Pia Sundhage has compiled an overall record of 49-1-5 with the only loss in coming in the first game of the 2008 Olympics. The U.S. had also not lost to the Chinese since 2003 and had not dropped  a match on American soil since a 3-1 loss to Denmark in November of 2004, which was also in Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Field.

The U.S., which is ranked No. 1 in the FIFA women's world rankings, squandered a number of scoring opportunities early and China, which is just 14th in the world, took advantage in the 37th minute when Zhou Gaoping lofted a beautiful crossing pass into the box that found Ma Jun, who blasted it over the left
shoulder of U.S. goalkeeper Nicole Barhnart.

China was content to play keepaway from there and survived a pair of Carli Lloyd free kicks from just outside the box along with a number of American setups that seemed just a step or two off. Chinese netminder Zhang Yue also stoned a big blast from the 21-year-old Morgan in the 77th minute.

Finally, with the pressure mounting American superstar Abby Wambach headed a pass to Morgan, who had a step on her defender in the box and the young forward was able to beat Zhang to keep the U.S. undefeated in its 11 international matches this year (9-0-2).

“I think we got some good answers today and I’m very happy,” said Sundhage. “If you look at the first half, I thought we couldn’t connect and China made us look not so good. We struggled a little bit, but even a goal down, the attitude was to come back. Having players come of the bench and change the game like Yael Averbuch and Alex Morgan was a good thing and that was a big goal to tie the game late.” 

The U.S. will open the CONCACAF tournament on Oct. 28 against Haiti, face Guatemala on Oct. 30 and finish Group B play against Costa Rica on Nov. 1.

The top two teams in each group advance to the all-important semifinals as the two finalists will automatically qualify for the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany. The third-place team will compete in a playoff against the fifth-place finisher from Europe for the final berth to the Germany.

The 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup will take place from June 26-July 17 in nine venues across Germany: Berlin, Frankfurt, Mönchengladbach, Sinsheim, Wolfsburg, Augsburg, Bochum, Dresden and Leverkusen. 

Notes:

*The U.S. topped China 2-1 in Kennesaw, Georgia over the weekend thanks to goals by Megan Rapinoe and Heather O'Reilly. Rapinoe scored the first goal in that one during the 22nd minute and O'Reilly answered a 35th- minute goal by China's Qu Shanshan with the game-winner in the 38th.

*The U.S. outshot China 16 to eight tonight but just three of those were on net. The Americans also had a 9-4 edge in corner kicks and committed just six fouls to 13 for the Chinese. All in all the U.S. team was trying to be too precise instead of just pressuring Zhang on a consistent basis.

*Overall the American women are now 23-8-12 versus China in international competition.

*The U.S. men take on Columbia at PPL Park next Tuesday.

*PPL Park showed the final out of Halladay's no-hitter halftime.