The China Chronicles: Nigeria

The U.S. is moving on to the Quarterfinals in China! From the first
second of the game, our squad was breathing down Nigeria's neck,
knowing that the easiest way to calm the storm would be to knock a goal
in the first few minutes of the game. And they did just that.

Because Nigeria was so hungry for a Win (3-0 to be exact), Coach Ryan
told his team they needed to come out of the gates hard, strong and
confident. An early goal always crushes the opposing teams moral and
gives them this daunting hurdle to get over. Well, the U.S. made it
happen. Lori Chalupny was in the right place at the right time, taking
down a header from Abby Wambach, trapping and chipping it into a corner -
with a deflection off of a Nigerian defender, the ball went in the goal.
We'll take it!

And when we talk about "calming the storm" we are also talking about
Mother Nature. She was, in fact, the 12th man of the match for the
United States and for Nigeria. Our Nike Soccer correspont onfield let
us know that "it was an absolute downpour" with the rain never stopping
once. This of course led to bad touches, slowed attacks, mis-kicks, and
lots of slippery saves in goal for both sides. Due to Typhoon Sipha,
the rains aren't expected to settle down, but rather just the opposite.

Finishing first in their "Group of Death" the United States is on the
Quarterfinals, quickly on their way to becoming the new champions of
the world. Check back to see a preview and details of their next game.