July’s heating up, but the US WNT’s Summer Send-Off Series is far from slowing down. The Americans kept pace on a warm Saturday afternoon, dispatching their old friends from Norway with a hard-fought 1-0 win thanks to a timely Carli Lloyd header in the 66th minute. It’s Carli’s first goal since her assault on Algarve and it’s definitely a welcome sight for all of us to behold. She’s going to be the X-Factor this September, the one attacking player on the U.S. side that the rest of the defending world isn’t accustomed to and cannot yet account for. Take her goal for example.

Amidst three unsuspecting Norwegian marking backs, Carli snuck her way onto the goal-line and simply redirected an early corner service into the back of the net. Maybe it’s the fact that she’s playing behind a couple of legends up front, but it certainly looked like a curious amount of space to give any player in that position, let alone Carli. Then again, keeping track of Abby, and Tarp, and Tash, and everyone else in gold for a full 90 minutes is easier said than done.


Not to mention, it takes a serious toll on your offensive production. Norway mustered one shot all game against the U.S. One shot. The game might have been tied for 66 minutes, but it certainly wasn’t deadlocked. The Norwegians were limited to only one or two legitimate chances the entire game (mostly off set-pieces), and never once made Hope work hard for her cap.

She’s going to be the X-Factor this September

All in all, not the best, but far from a bad performance by the U.S. WNT. The 44 game unbeaten streak continues and so too does the Summer Send-Off Series. Next stop is across the country in San Jose for a date with Japan on July 28.

It may be a team game, but Heather is ‘Solo’ in the goal.

The US WNT executed its game plan to perfection and got the 1-0 win over Norway.

On June 21st, Nike and the United States Womens National Team threw down in NYC to unveil the new WNT Gold Kitand celebrate the 35th anniversary of Title IX. While the kit speaks for itself, we wanted to school you a bit on the history of this groundbreaking piece of Civil Rights legislation, one that provides young American girls with an equal opportunity to participate in the classroom, on the stage, and between the end lines. Read in full:

“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

"Nike’s said it in the past, and we’ll say it again: a girl who plays, wins, no matter the score." - Cat Whitehill

35 years of 37 words. That means recruitment, admissions, employment, course offerings, sexual harassment, scholarships, financial aid, facilities, teams—the whole shebang. Title IX isn’t just about intercollegiate athletics, and you’ll notice that the law itself makes no specific mention of sports or football or cutting men’s programs. There’s a lot to improve, but the central word here remains “discrimination,” and it’s also the salient issue. Women have an equal right to an education in medicine, engineering, basketball or soccer, no matter how many female scientists have gone on to become Nobel Prize winners or how much revenue a girls soccer team generates. Throw the past and the idea of professionalism out the window for a minute. What would you want for your sister, your daughter, or yourself?

In her testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, stalwart US WNT defender and Gold Medalist Cat Reddick vowed, “The most important experiences to me have nothing to do with championships or medals. The best things I’ve gained from playing sports are the same things that any girl can gain by simply participating.” Confidence, camaraderie, health, hard work and perseverance. Nike’s said it in the past, and we’ll say it again: a girl who plays, wins, no matter the score. Cat’s right on point when she advises, “This is not the time to weaken the rule of fair play.”

The US WNT program is as dominant as it is in large part to Title IX, and when they take the field this September in China, they’ll be competing on its behalf.

Call us crazy, but there was something more than special about Freddy’s hat trick against Poland on Tuesday. Maybe it was the sheer quality of each goal or maybe it was the buzz they sent through a sold out Olympic Stadium—we're not quite sure. Adam Spangler’s not alone when he notes just how refreshing the question "What do you do about Adu?" sounds coming out of a soccer commentator’s mouth. More telling still was the line of Polish U-20s waiting to switch jerseys with the undisputed man of the match. It was as if they were bearing witness. The future is here; that’s the beauty of the U-20s.

Freddy walked onto the pitch with a shoot-first mentality and it paid off big time.

O.K., O.K, using the phrase “vintage Freddy” may be slightly premature given the fact that he’s still only 18, so let’s just consider the performance a sign of what’s to come. Freddy walked onto the pitch with a shoot-first mentality and it paid off big time. The first goal—a wicked bend off a spin-o-rama down the right side of the box—was completely unexpected and thoroughly audacious. Brits call it “sublime,” which translated into 365 Todays means “downright nasty.” It was the type of statement goal that totally blows out the wind from an opponent’s stomach, and let’s be perfectly honest, everyone (read: European scouts) took note. Something like that is not going to happen, however, unless you throw out any fear of failure or criticism and think solely about attacking the goal when given the opportunity. Of course, there’s something to be said for holding possession, but the truly gifted players (e.g. Ronaldinho) turn hype into highlights and make you expect the unexpected. The second goal brings three favorite soccer adjectives to mind: classy, clinical and composed. #2 was an unstoppable corner-pocket rip that made Freddy’s left foot look like a pool cue chalked in T90s. Nice to know you can look up and put the ball exactly where you want it. On behalf of Nike, Freddy, you’re welcome! The third goal was pure, unadulterated speed—payoff for all those hours spent with US Trainer Pierre Barrieu in track and plyometric workouts. Taken together, the three goals (+ that captain’s armband) gave us a multidimensional appreciation for #11’s game, as well as a reminder of his importance to the future of American soccer.



Freddy had a lot of help, mind you. Mike Bradley, Robbie Rogers, and friends all put together a dominating effort. At times the ball was moving like clockwork, from the back, through the midfield, out to the wings, and then crossed back into target areas. Beautiful. Brazil is going to be a stiff challenge, but with a favorable goal differential for the Americans, the pressure to perform is squarely on the South Americans. What do you do about Adu? Now it’s Brazil’s turn to find an answer.