It was a tale of two halves on Saturday, but at the end of the night, after a dominant last 45 minutes, the U.S. WNT walked off the field with a 3-0 win over England and into a Semifinal date with Brazil. Whatever the players and coaching staff said or did in those 10 minutes of halftime—change socks, draw something creative on the dry-erase board, switch up the iTunes mix, eat the national team equivalent of sliced oranges—someone needs to take notes for the future. First touches went from hard to composed; chasing on defense turned into sustained possession. It was refreshing to see Abby, Boxxy, and the rest of the team back on its A-game.



It wasn’t necessarily that the first half was that bad—they didn’t go into the locker room down a goal—but there wasn’t the type of confidence and patience we expect to consistently see out of the #1 team in the world. That being said, England did well to dictate the early tempo of the game and showed great intensity. The collision between Stephanie Lopez’ head, Hope’s fist, and English striker Jill Scott’s foot was probably the most dangerous moment for the US backline. But after that, Cat Whitehill, a dazed-but-determined Lopez, Kate Markgraf, Christie Rampone and Hope proved unbreakable.

It’s a soccer truism that the first five minutes of a half and the last five minutes of a half are the most important of the game. That’s either when defenses haven’t solidified and assignments haven’t been realized OR when fatigue sets in and everything that once was, for a number of reasons, goes undone. Maybe Coach Ryan mentioned something about this - maybe not - but the US side went on the attack from the 45-50 minute mark and never looked back.

There was pressure applied all over the field, but especially up top. This won us a number of corners, and like using lay-ups to fix errant jump shots in hoops, there’s no better remedy for an overly excited offense than organized, collected set plays, especially when #20 Abby Wambach plays on your side. When she put that first goal in, her 81st in 100 caps, it felt like the WNT broke through a wall of doubt, one that had been building in the monsoon otherwise known as group play. And then when Boxxy won back possession outside the box and struck the second goal with a powerful left foot, those infamous WNT smiles returned for good. Lilly’s goal, off one of many Cat Whitehill bombs, was the cherry on top. In all, it took 13 minutes. Hey Samba Girls, don’t blink.
It took 13 minutes for the U.S. to score 3 goals...Hey Samba Girls, don’t blink.

Last time the US WNT and Brazil met up, the Americans got on the board early in what would prove to be a very physical match (good thing we have an extra day off). The rap on Brazil isn’t too dissimilar to what we heard about England: Marta, like Kelly Smith, is one of a kind, and as she goes, so goes the squad. Brazil might have a little more firepower up-front though (Cristiane’s GW goal in the quarterfinals was kind of unreal), but a little less size in the back. Could be another big day for the U.S.’s big striker.

Can’t make it to Dragon Stadium in Hangzhou China? Wake up at 7:55 am this Thursday to watch the US take on Brazil, live on ESPN2.

This morning, the United States Womens National Team pulled off a stunning victory against England.

In a short 13-minute span of time (For those of you whom set your alarms to watch the game but doze in-and-out, let's hope you were awake for this period of the game), the US scored three goals! An important game for Abby Wambach because it was her 100th cap with the team, a goal would make this a defining moment for her.

Abby broke through the scoreless first 48 minutes of the game with a power header off a cross. With a burst of energy suddenly in the US' favor, 9 minutes later, Shannon Boxx stepped to challenge a ball deflected by her teammate Cat Whitehill. She won this ball, beat the defender, side-stepped and fired an amazing left-footed shot. 2-0 USA. 3 minutes go by, the veteran of the team Kristine Lilly sees an chance. Never one to pass up any ball, Kristine follows a flying ball, which bounces right over the head of the over-eager English goalie. One tap later, the USA is up 3-0.

Next, our fearless women take on the winner of Brazil-Australia. Check back shortly for a full game recap and a preview of the Semifinals.

“Who is number 20?” four Aussie fans asked me before the Sweden game. “Abby? Abby Wambach? That girl is amazing. The team is amazing!"

True, the WNT is one of the greatest (if not THE greatest) teams, but I’m not so sure that they aren’t heard of anymore. Halfway across the world their reputation precedes them.

Trying to speak to the Chinese fans was slightly difficult due to the language barrier, but one after another would point to the US crest on my Nike Anthem Jacket and say “USA! I love the USA Ladies! They are number 1!”



Still, I was impressed with the first US fans I ran into at Chengdu Stadium. Covered in red, white and blue face paint, while sporting a gigantic American Flag, this crew flew all the way from L.A. to follow the team through the tournament. Now that's the dedication I"m looking for.

Undoubtedly the most memorable fans are the friends and family of the WNT. The Kai’s might have won the “best team spirit award,” leaving the island of Hawaii to cheer on their beloved Tash. Mom, Dad, brothers and even the family doctor came in true Kai fashion—full facepaint, signs and the Hawaiian state flag.



What do the players think of all this support halfway across the world? “I love it,” Hope Solo told me in an interview a few days ago, “It brings the fun back into the game.” She has good reason to, as, “Most of the fans happen to be my family—all decked out with ‘Solo #18,’ goalkeeper gloves on, and their hair dyed blue.”

Speaking with the friends and family who have made the 20-hour journey to China, it’s clear that they are here because they know just how important winning this tournament is to their daughters, granddaughters, sisters, girlfriends, nieces, and friends. Playing in this tournament has been a dream for their girls since they were wearing their socks on the inside of their shin guards in rec. And as hard as the WNT is working on the field, rest assured these fans are doing their job to keep their spirits high.

But don’t think the WNT has forgotten about the fans back home. “To know that people are going to be in their living rooms cheering us on is very inspirational,” Tarp told us before leaving, while Boxxy added, “we need their support!”

You heard it. Our WNT needs you. Make sure to tune in for their next game, as they take on England in the quarterfinals of the 2007 Women’s World Cup, June 22 8am EST on ESPN2.

Needing a win or a tie to advance to the quarterfinals in China, the U.S. WNT is going into the game against Nigeria more focused than ever before. Sure, our team hasn't lost a game in more than years, but there is always that whisper of uncertainty, especially on such a grand stage as this.

Now Nigeria. They head into Tuesday morning's game knowing they need to beat the US women 3 to 0. Quite a lofty goal, especially for a team that has never beat the U.S. in their three meetings. Our Nike Soccer correspondent in Shanghai let us know that it's raining cats and dogs, a factor that will make for an interesting match.

The Nigerians are known to be super-tough, almost over-tough with their foul count to be in the 20's and 30's on a normal basis. The rain and wind could essentially be their 12th man of the match, helping them cause chaos and ruckus against the U.S. throwing the game into a messy and somewhat dangerous 90 minutes.

Even though our U.S. squad needs only a tie to move onto the Quarterfinals, a tie is not a win, and the team isn't happy unless it's a W. Catch the US vs Nigeria game Tuesday morning at 5AM EST on ESPN2.

On a rather damp evening in Chengdu, our United States squad took the field to face North Korea. We could see confidence written across the players faces, ready for a challenge. However, 90 minutes, it was not all smiles for the girls.

From the moment the whistle blew, the pace of the game was the complete opposite as Sunday's Germany/Argentina matchup. After a scoreless first half Abby gave the US a 1-0 advantage after firing a shot that slipped through the fingers of goalie, Jon Myong-Hui. Shortly after, our girl got knocked in the back of the head, a pretty dramatic bloody scene. For a split second, the US fans' hearts stopped beating, hoping and praying that she would be ok. While Abby was out, the Koreans scored one, then scored another. "Rain, rain go away" is what Hope must have been thinking as she watched one easy shot slip through her gloves and into the net.


Now with even more determination in their eyes and Abby back on the field, the US was pushing up and creating plays, doing whatever they could to keep taking shot after shot. The girls finally got theirs when a muddled deflection landed in front of O'Reilly and she pounded it into the right upper 90.

Keeping us on the edge of our seats, minute-by-minute counted down and with 4 minutes left, Tash Kai came in. Fresh legs for the US looked good and with her first sprint to the ball, we were all imagining a big golazo by our hero. Alas, the whistle blew to end the game: 2-2. In all reality, to our US WNT, anything other than a win is a loss. The girls have a few days to reflect and learn from this doozy of a first game in China. This was a wakeup call, but they will be ready for Sweden. Tune in on 9/14 at 5AM EST on ESPN2.

The US MNT’s dream didn’t exactly come true yesterday against Brazil, but even still, nearly everyone that spent Sunday afternoon watching or participating in what took place in Soldier Field left satisfied. A very close 4-2 effort is no reason for our guys to hang their heads. Brazil brought the superstar highlights and as much Joga Bonito as they could muster; we brought the tough tackling and sportsmanlike competitive drive that—without question—changed the game from a friendly exhibition to an invaluable measuring stick. That’s how you’re supposed to fight in qualifying. The road to South Africa 2010 only gets easier.


The match-up of the day had to be between Ronaldinho and Mike Bradley. With the Brazilian #10, we got what we expected: the graceful toe-touch that led to his team’s first goal, the vision and distribution, the slicing free kick that proved to be the game-winner, the joyful assassin’s smile. Nothing came easily, however, thanks in large part to a 20-year-old coach’s son who disrupted building Brazilian attacks time and time again. Mike’s got the size, speed, and most importantly, the work rate to be the holding midfielder of the future. What we saw Sunday was instant development. His late foul in the box was less of a lapse in judgment a more a sign of fatigue (and as any coach will tell you, the two go hand in hand). Nevertheless, with his standout play in the Gold Cup, U-20 Cup, and now yesterday against Brazil, Mike’s jam-packed summer has been amazingly successful.

Props also have to be sent to Captain Carlos Bocanegra and Tim Howard, both of whom played integral roles on the defensive side. Containing the creativity of Robinho, Ronaldinho and others is tough work, but ‘Los kept the backline organized and even got into the scoring act himself, being in the right place at the right time for the first goal of the game off a Landon corner. Howard also played well - and he played tough - sticking in the game despite suffering a dislocated finger in his attempt to stop Brazil’s second goal, a high header in the 53rd minute. He made all the saves he should have gotten to, and even a couple he shouldn’t have. Offensively, Clint "Deuce" Dempsey brought his club momentum back home, striking a well-placed ball to the far post in the 73rd. For the next two minutes it felt like a whole new ballgame.

The road to South Africa 2010 only gets easier.

A few unlucky bounces here, a few questionable calls there—the US MNT only lost by the slimmest of margins. Against Brazil, though, the slimmest of margins translated into a two-goal differential. The team's got a lot of positives to work off of before the team’s next game against Switzerland in October. Now it’s back to Europe for many of the US national teamers, where club competition and cooling temperatures await.