Beach Soccer Comes to the Heartland!

FW: from http://www.soccadelic.com/blog/2008/07/29/beach-soccer-comes-to-the-heartland/

Sand soccer is here in STL! Check out this bit from SOCCADELIC.com about Dan Ehrenreich and the dream he is making a reality.

"Who woulda thought they could have a beach soccer tournament in St. Louis… St. Louis?! Yeah, man… the cat putting this thing together is Dan Ehrenreich and he's bringing the beach to St. Louis. For years the St. Louis area has been renowned for its soccer so its only fitting that this crop of Midwest talent should get a shot at playing on the sand. Mark my words, people: what Ehrenreich is doing here is going to be copied all over the place. In essence, whole soccer parks and indoor facilities around the country will begin to add sand pitches for the legions of people looking to play beach soccer who don't live near a proper beach. It's coming and it needs to. Hats off to Dan and his vision… this helps to promote beach soccer in a big way"

by Jed Thurman owner of Soccadelic

For more information and to register your team for this league visit http://www.allamericansfc.org/

INDUCTION SUNDAY = FREE SUNDAY

NATIONAL SOCCER HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM

WRIGHT NATIONAL SOCCER CAMPUS, 18 STADIUM CIRCLE,

ONEONTA, NY 13820

(607) 432-3351 FAX (607) 432-8429 www.soccerhall.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Public Relations Contact: Jack Huckel

Jack@soccerhall.org

(607) 432-3351 ext. 209

Induction Sunday = Free Sunday

ONEONTA, NY (July 30, 2008) – In recognition of the Induction 2008 ceremony on Sunday, August 3^rd, the National Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum will open its doors all day to the public free of charge. The ceremony will take place in the Museum at noon and will be followed by the Hall of Fame luncheon on the lawn in front of the building. Tickets are available for the luncheon at the Museum reception desk and online at www.soccerhall.org.

The Induction ceremony is the culminating event of the Induction 2008 Weekend. Other public events include the Kick-Off Social, sponsored by Women's Professional Soccer, on Friday evening. On Saturday the 6^th Annual Hall of Fame Golf Tournament tees off at 8:00 AM; a Hall of Famer autograph session is scheduled to begin at 5:00 PM; and the President's Reception and Hall of Fame Dinner on Saturday evening precedes the Big 3 Enshrinement Ceremony.

Complete information and registration is available on the Hall of Fame's web site, www.soccerhall.org.

About the Hall of Fame

The Mission of the National Soccer Hall of Fame is to Celebrate the History, Honor the Heroes,

Inspire the Youth and Preserve the Legacy of Soccer in the United States.

Located in Oneonta, NY, the National Soccer Hall of Fame opened a new 30,000 sq.ft., state-of-the-art multimedia museum in 1999. The Hall of Fame tells the story of soccer in America through artifacts, photographs, video and written narratives. The main VideoWall portrays some of the greatest moments and the greatest goals in soccer history as well as live soccer action from the World Cup, MLS, and U.S. Soccer matches. The Hall features an extensive interactive, youth oriented Kicks Zone, including a kid-sized indoor field, where visitors have fun kicking, heading and playing video soccer games. Unique and rare artifacts on exhibit range from The Dewar Cup, the oldest team trophy in U.S. Sport, to the Women's World Cup won by the USA in 1999, the uniforms of Pele and Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly's golden shoes, NASL championship rings, and MLS championship trophies. That and so much more are all at the National Soccer Hall of Fame. In addition to the interactive Museum, the National Soccer Hall of Fame's 61-acre complex boasts the Kicks Hall of Fame Museum Store, a research library, four world-class soccer fields and office/meeting facilities. Visit the Hall of Fame at www.soccerhall.org

U.S. Men's Olympic Team Ties Ivory Coast, 0-0, in Hong Kong in Warm-Up Match

From the U.S. Soccer Communications Center:

U.S. MEN'S OLYMPIC TEAM TIES IVORY COAST, 0-0,
IN HONG KONG IN WARM-UP MATCH

HONG KONG (July 30, 2008) – The U.S. Men's Olympic Team earned a scoreless draw with Ivory Coast in the opening match of the ING Cup in Hong Kong on Wednesday. The United States will face Cameroon in their second match of the tournament and their final Olympic tune-up on Aug. 2 at 5 p.m. local / 5 a.m. ET at Hong Kong Stadium. Fans can follow the action against Cameroon live on ussoccer.com's MatchTracker.

Head coach Peter Nowak used all 16 field players during the game, including a complete switch of his midfielders and forwards at halftime, getting a good look at nearly his entire Olympic roster. The two groups of attackers each created dangerous chances throughout the game, despite getting only one shot on goal.

"These matches are tune-ups for the Olympics so we want to make sure the stuff we've been working on will translate into the games," Nowak said. "We wanted to give time to the whole group to make sure that they're ready for the game on Saturday, and more importantly learn from today's mistakes before our game against Japan. Our preparations, mentally and physically, will show through these two games both offensively and defensively. We want to make sure to get the full package together by next week."

Ivory Coast used their speed and athleticism to create counterattack opportunities throughout the game, but the U.S. defense was up to the task. Brad Guzan, who earned Man of the Match honors, made four saves throughout the night, including a kick save from point-blank range late in the second half.

Mamadou Bagayoko took the game's first shot in just the second minute, pouncing on an errant pass and moving upfield before quickly taking a shot that went wide of Guzan's goal. The Americans, defending in numbers when necessary, escaped two corner kicks in the first seven minutes before settling into their game.

In the 10th minute, midfielder Michael Bradley took the first shot of the game for the U.S. after an impressive buildup out of the back. Sacha Kljestan and Freddy Adu combined in the midfield to get the ball out wide to Jozy Altidore, who knocked it over to Bradley. His one-time shot with the outside of his right foot went wide.

Adu looked to have gotten in behind the Ivory Coast defense in the 29th minute, running onto an Altidore pass in the box. He was taken down, but the referee let play continue. Minutes later, defender Marvell Wynne won a tackle and played the ball forward quickly for Altidore. He and striking partner Brian McBride combined at the top of the box, and McBride touched it ahead for a streaking Kljestan. He took a touch into the box, but defender Ousmane Viera Diarrassouba did well to recover and was able to cleanly tackle the ball away from Kljestan.

The final two chances of the first half belonged to the U.S. as the ball got out wide to midfielder Stuart Holden, who made a cheeky move around his defender and whipped a ball into the box looking for a pair of targets in McBride and Altidore, but neither could get to it. Seconds later, after Adu took a hard foul, Holden chipped in the ensuing free kick, again looking for his strikers at the far post. Altidore got tangled up with his defender, and got his head to it, but only enough to make the ball bounce up and into the hands of Ivory Coast 'keeper Vincent de Paul Angban.

With Nowak changing his entire attack with five halftime substitutions, the U.S. moved into a 4-5-1 with Charlie Davies as the lone striker. But it was Ivory Coast who came out firing, earning the first truly dangerous chance of the game for either side in the 52nd minute. Kouamatien Kone flew down his right wing and got by defender Michael Orozco before sending a cross to the far post. Teammate Sekou Cisse was at the far post, and snapped his header down and on frame, but Guzan was there to make the diving save.

Guzan's best save of the night came in the 71st minute, after a quick counter attack from the Ivory Coast. Serge Pascal Wawa, who was one of the best players for the Ivory Coast on the night, broke up a U.S. attack and got the ball forward with speed. Cisse received the ball and powered through Maurice Edu to get into the box alone and hit a low shot to the near post. Guzan was up to the task though, making a kick save to keep the game scoreless.

The U.S. heads into the 2008 Olympic Games having been drawn into a difficult Group B and will open against Japan on August 7 before facing the Netherlands on August 10, with both games taking place at the Olympic Sports Center Stadium in Tianjin. The team will then travel to Workers' Stadium in Beijing to conclude group play against 1996 gold medalist and 2005 Under-20 World Cup champion Nigeria on August 13.

U.S. Men's Olympic Team Match Report

Participants: U.S. Men's Olympic Team vs. Ivory Coast
Competition: ING Cup
Location: Hong Kong Stadium – Hong Kong
Date: July 30, 2008
Weather: Warm, Humid

Scoring Summary:
           1    2   Final
USA   0    0     0
CIV     0    0     0

Lineups:
USA: 18-Brad Guzan; 2-Marvell Wynne, 15-Michael Parkhurst, 6-Maurice Edu, 3-Michael Orozco; 16-Sacha Kljestan (10-Benny Feilhaber, 46), 4-Michael Bradley (13-Patrick Ianni, 89), 11-Freddy Adu (5-Dax McCarty, 46), 7-Stuart Holden (8-Danny Szetela, 46); 17-Brian McBride (capt.) (14-Robbie Rogers, 46), 12-Jozy Altidore (9-Charlie Davies, 46)
Subs Not Used: 1-Chris Seitz
Head Coach: Peter Nowak

CIV: 1-Vincent de Paul Angban, 2-Serge Pascal Wawa, 3-Ousamane Viera Diarrassouba, 5-Brou Benjamin Angoua, 7-Kafoumba Coulibaly (6-Herve Kambou, 67), 8-Salomon Kalou, 9-Franck Dja-Djedje (17-Antoine N'Gossan, 46), 10-Koumatien Kone, 12-Mamadou Bagayoko, 14-Kouassi Gervai Yao (capt.), 18-Sekou Cisse (13-Abraham Guie Guie, 81)
Subs Not Used: 16-Fabrice Okous, 4-Nassa Guy Roland Niangbo, 11-Moura Komenan Anthony, 15-Tamla Ladij
Head Coach: Gerard Gili

Statistical Summary: USA / CIV
Shots: 3/7
Shots on Goal: 1/4
Saves: 4/1
Fouls: 8/8
Corner Kicks: 2/6
Offside: 4/4

Misconduct Summary:
USA – Marvell Wynne (caution) 52nd minute
CIV – Serge Pascal Wawa (caution) 62.

Officials:
Referee: Chi Tang Charlton Wong
Asst. Referee: Ka Yu Fung
Asst. Referee: Shing Yan Franky Lam
Fourth Official: Chui Kok Ng

Sierra Mist Man of the Match: Brad Guzan

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U.S. Women's Olympic Soccer Team Arrives in China, Travels to Site of Aug. 6 Olympic Opener vs. Norway

United States Women's Olympic Soccer Team
Notes from Beijing, China
July 28, 2008

A QUICK STOP IN BEIJING, THEN A TRAIN TO QINHUANGDAO: The U.S. Women's Olympic Soccer Team arrived in Beijing on the afternoon of July 24, a little weary after the 12-hour flight, but considering this is the USA's third trip to Asia this year, the players are more than familiar with the travel. The U.S. soccer players are among the first American athletes to arrive in China (the U.S. Boxing Team came the day before) and the team will have about two weeks of acclimation before its opening match against Norway on Aug. 6 in Qinhuangdao. The team has yet to hit the field. The players did a light jogging workout during the early evening July 24 to get the legs moving after a long flight. The morning of July 25 featured a team outing to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City and the players got in a good weight workout in the afternoon. A trip to the Great Wall of China took up most of July 26. The team got in its first full training session on the morning of July 27 before packing up and traveling to Qinhuangdao via train in the late afternoon to set up base for the first match. Follow the team on it's journey to their first venue on the WNT Blog. The U.S. team comes into the Olympics with a 21-0-1 record in 2008 after sweeping Brazil in the final two exhibition matches, winning both games by 1-0 scores.

USA TO FACE NORWAY, JAPAN AND NEW ZEALAND IN CHINA: The U.S. women will be playing in their fourth Olympic Games and open the tournament against Norway for the second time. The two teams met in the 2000 opener in Melbourne, Australia, and eight years later, will square off again to get the ball rolling. Although the game matches the only two countries win an Olympic gold medal in women's soccer, it may not be the most anticipated opener as Brazil and Germany begin Group E play in a rematch of last year's Women's World Cup Final. The women's soccer tournament gets started on Aug. 6 as all 12 teams will be in action two days before the official Opening Ceremonies. To actually play a game in Beijing, the USA must advance at least to the semifinal as the gold and bronze medal matches will be played at Workers' Stadium in China's capital. Should the USA win its group and its quarterfinal match, it would play a semifinal in Beijing. The 2008 Olympic Women's Soccer tournament will be staged from Aug. 6-21 in five Chinese cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang and Qinhuangdao.

USA FIRST-ROUND OLYMPIC WOMEN'S SOCCER SCHEDULE
Group G
Date         Opponent              Venue                                                                       Kickoff
Aug. 6      Norway                 Qinhuangdao (Olympic Sports Center Stadium)         7:45 p.m. local / 7:45 a.m. ET
Aug. 9      Japan                     Qinhuangdao (Olympic Sports Center Stadium)         5 p.m. local / 5 a.m. ET
Aug. 12    New Zealand         Shenyang (Olympic Sports Center Stadium)               7:45 p.m. local / 7:45 a.m. ET

2008 U.S. Women's Olympic Soccer Team Roster
GOALKEEPERS (2): 18-Nicole Barnhart (Gilbertsville, Pa.), 1-Hope Solo (Richland, Wash.);
DEFENDERS (6): 4-Rachel Buehler (Del Mar, Calif.), 17-Lori Chalupny (St. Louis, Mo.), 14-Stephanie Cox (Elk Grove, Calif.), 15-Kate Markgraf (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), 2-Heather Mitts (Cincinnati, Ohio), 3-Christie Rampone (Point Pleasant, N.J.);
MIDFIELDERS (7): 7-Shannon Boxx (Redondo Beach, Calif.), 13-Tobin Heath (Basking Ridge, N.J.), 16-Angela Hucles (Virginia Beach, Va.), 11-Carli Lloyd (Delran, N.J.), 9-Heather O'Reilly (East Brunswick, N.J.), 5-Lindsay Tarpley (Kalamazoo, Mich.), 10-Aly Wagner (San Jose, Calif.).
FORWARDS (3): 12-Lauren Cheney (Indianapolis, Ind.), 6-Natasha Kai (Kahuku, Hawaii), 8-Amy Rodriguez (Lake Forest, Calif.).

NO GO ON THE OPENING CEREMONIES: The U.S. WNT will not be attending the Official Opening Ceremonies on 08-08-08 at 8 p.m. (8 is a lucky number in China), as the team will be in Qinhuangdao getting ready for its match against Japan on Aug. 9. Qinhuangdao is about 200 miles from Beijing, and the Opening Ceremonies are of course an hours-long time commitment, so it is logistically impossible to attend and still prepare properly for the USA's second group match. Because the Olympic soccer tournament usually starts before the Official Opening Ceremonies, it's always a question mark as to whether the team will be able to attend. In 1996 and 2000, the women's soccer players did attend the Opening Ceremonies. In 2004 in Greece, the team watched on TV, as they will on Aug. 8.

BEIJING BLOG: The WNT Blog will be giving the fans back home (almost) daily updates of the goings on in China. Check out the Blog for pics of the U.S. team's visit to the Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China. Also see how Amy Rodriguez is "multi-tasking" her athletic pursuits here in China. Finally, check out a quick blog-exclusive video of the team's train ride to Qinhuangdao.

AT HOME AT THE SHORE: Every so often when the U.S. Women's National Team plays out of the country, a player will write an e-postcard, filling in the fans back home on the happenings of the team, off-field activities, and anything else on her mind. Midfielder Carli Lloyd checks in from Qinhuangdao, China, as the USA has arrived in the city that reminds Lloyd just a little bit of home. 

THIRD TIME IN ASIA THIS YEAR: With 21 matches in 2008, 14 against teams ranked in the top 12 in the world, the U.S. women have had some excellent preparation heading into the Olympics. In fact, seven of the 21 games – a full third – have been in Asia as the U.S. team is on this continent for the third time this year. The USA won the Four Nations Tournament in China last January and won the Peace Queen Cup in South Korea in June.

THIRD OLYMPICS FOR RAMPONE AND MARKGRAF: The Beijing Olympics will mark the third Summer Games for U.S. co-captains Christie Rampone and Kate Markgraf, who are also the USA's two center backs. Both played in their first Olympics in Australia in 2000 when they were Christie Pearce and Kate Sobrero. For Rampone, it was her breakthrough world championship as she did not play much at her first world championship during the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup. They are now the USA's two most experienced and capped players on the roster. U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage played for Sweden in the 1996 Atlanta Games where they lost in the opening round to the United States, scouted for Sweden in 2000 and for the USA in 2004. Sundhage, who was an assistant coach for China during the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup, will be serving as a head coach for her first world championship during the Olympics, joining a large group of former Olympians who have returned to coach in the quadrennial event.

12 TEAMS, THREE MEDALS: This will be the first year that the Olympic women's soccer tournament features a 12-team format (the same as the 1991 and 1995 FIFA Women's World Cups) after the 1996 and 2000 Olympics featured eight teams and the 2004 tournament consisted of an unwieldy and awkward 10 teams, forcing several countries (including the USA) to play one more first round match than the others. The top two teams in each of the three groups will advance to the quarterfinals along with the two best third-place finishers, meaning two of the groups will send three of its four teams to the second round. While there were few surprises during qualifying, a full 25 percent of the teams are playing in the Olympics for the first time in North Korea, Canada, New Zealand and Argentina.

2008 Beijing Olympic Berths by Confederation (Olympic experience)
Host: China (1996, 2000, 2004)
Africa Nigeria (2000, 2004)
Asia: Japan (2004, 2008), North Korea (None)
Europe: Germany (1996, 2000, 2004), Norway (1996, 2000), Sweden (1996, 2004)
CONCACAF: USA (1996, 2000, 2004), Canada (None)
Oceania: New Zealand (None)
South America: Argentina (None), Brazil (1996, 2000, 2004)

2008 WOMEN'S SOCCER OLYMPIC GROUPS
Group E
China
Sweden
Canada
Argentina

Group F
Germany
Brazil
North Korea
Nigeria

Group G
USA
Norway
Japan
New Zealand

Stat of Note
The average age of the U.S. Olympic Women's Soccer Team is 25.

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Volume 1 Issue 2 now available online

BETH GOETZ RESIGNS AS UMSL WOMEN'S SOCCER COACH

BETH GOETZ RESIGNS AS UMSL WOMEN'S SOCCER COACH   ST. LOUIS, MO. , July 25, 2008 – University of Missouri St. Louis Department of Athletics officials announced today that Beth Goetz has resigned as the Tritons' head women's soccer coach to take a position as an Assistant Athletics Director for Compliance/Senior Women's Administrator at Butler University.   Goetz, who also served as an assistant athletics director and senior women's administrator at UMSL, spent 11 seasons as head coach of the Tritons program, producing a 120-90-9 record. During her tenure, she led UMSL to 10 straight Great Lakes Valley Conference tournaments, including an appearance in last season's championship game, where the Tritons fell in penalty kicks to Drury, ending their season with a 12-7-3 mark.   She was also a member of the NCAA Women's Soccer National Committee and the GLVC Executive Committee.   "Beth has done an extraordinary job of developing a women's soccer program that is highly competitive and produces quality student-athletes," said Lori Flanagan, Senior Associate Director of Athletics. "She has been a great ambassador for UMSL Athletics and for this university and will continue to be a great role model for student-athletes and coaches as an administrator. We wish her all the best in the future."   Under Goetz's guidance, UM-St. Louis has had 26 players who have earned all-conference recognition; including 10 players who were first team all-conference selections and each of those 10 were in the past six years. Also during the past six years, Goetz has coached a total of eight all-region players.   During the 2006 season, Goetz reached a personal milestone, recording her 100th career win with a 1-0 victory over Wisconsin-Parkside on September 22. The team finished with a 12-7-1 overall record on the year. In 2005, Goetz guided the team to its eighth straight appearance in the GLVC Tournament, finishing with a 12-8 overall record and an 8-5 record in conference play. During the 2003 season, Goetz led UMSL to the semifinals of the GLVC Tournament for the fourth consecutive season. The team finished with a 13-6-1 record that year. UMSL had a second place finish in the GLVC regular season in 2002 after finishing third in 2000 and 2001. The second place finish was the best finish for UMSL in the GLVC since joining the conference. In 2001, UM-St. Louis added a second place finish in the GLVC Tournament. In 2000, Goetz earned Co-Coach of the Year honors for the Great Lakes Valley Conference after leading UMSL to a third place finish, four spots higher than the seventh place finish the year before. Goetz served as interim coach in 1997 and was named the head coach in March 1998, becoming the second head coach in program history. She took over as interim coach after Ken Hudson, the first head coach in UMSL history, resigned just prior to the start of the 1997 season. Goetz had served as an assistant coach for Hudson during the 1996 season. In her first season, Goetz took over just days before the start of the 1997 season and guided UM-St. Louis to a 10-9 record and an eighth place finish in the GLVC. The next two seasons saw UMSL finish at 7-12-0 in 1998 and 7-12-1 in 1999. UMSL improved in the conference standings those years as well, finishing seventh in both seasons before the jump to third in the 2000 season.     ----------------------------------------- Mary Ann Tierney Director of Sports Information University of Missouri-St. Louis 225 Mark Twain Building St. Louis, MO 63121 Phone: 314-516-5660 Fax: 314-516-5635 E-mail: tierneym@umsl.edu

Two St. Louis Lions named to All- Conference Team

Media Contact: Colin Pennington colin.pennington@brightonusa.com (314)505-5285 NEWS RELEASE Two St. Louis Lions named to All- Conference Team St. Louis, Mo. (July 25, 2008) – St. Louis Lions forward Tommy Heinemann and defender David Mueller were named to the Premier Development League's All-Conference Team (Central Conference) on Friday evening. In all, the league honored 44 players from its four different conferences. Heinemann lead St. Louis this summer with 29 points, ranking fifth in the PDL in that category and also led the Lions in goals with 13 which ranked fourth overall in the league. It is the second consecutive year Heinemann has received All-Conference honors and in three seasons in the PDL he has now played 36 games and scored a remarkable 35 goals. "It is absolutely remarkable the numbers Tommy has put up for us and he truly is deserving of the honor," said Lions Head Coach Tony Glavin. David Mueller led the Lions in minutes in 2008 with 1,292 while playing in 15 matches on defense and scoring one goal. "I thought David was worthy last season as well so it is great to see him get rewarded for his efforts," said Glavin. "He is an excellent all-around defender who has the chance to play at the next level." The official news release from the PDL can be viewed HERE. For more information please visit www.stllions.com.

Sauerbrunn and the U.S. Under-23 WNT Defeats Germany, 3-0, to Win Nordic Cup Championship

From the U.S. Soccer Communications Center:

U.S. UNDER-23 WOMEN'S NATIONAL TEAM
DEFEATS GERMANY, 3-0, TO WIN NORDIC CUP CHAMPIONSHIP

U.S. Wins 10th Nordic Cup in Last 12 Years;
India Trotter Opens Scoring, Then Ella Massar Adds Two More

BORLANGE, Sweden (July 21, 2008) – The U.S. Under-23 Women's National Team defeated Germany, 3-0, to win the 2008 Nordic Cup championship as the young U.S. team posted its fourth consecutive shutout of the tournament.

Forward India Trotter opened the scoring in the 25th minute and Ella Massar added goals in the 34th and 63rd minutes as the USA won its second consecutive Nordic Cup title and 10th in the last 12 years at this event which serves as the top competition in the world for U-23 women.

Like in the USA's first three matches in group play, the Americans dominated the proceedings, this time outshooting Germany 15-7 and allowing the Europeans just two shots on goal. Val Henderson picked up yet another shutout in goal for the U.S. team that did not allow a score over 360 minutes against Switzerland, England, Norway and Germany. The U.S. back line of Meghan Schnur, Becky Sauerbrunn, Nikki Krzysik and Katherine Reynolds played almost every minute in the tournament.

The first goal was created by midfielder Yael Averbuch, who lifted a great ball over the German defense on the right side. Trotter beats the defense with her speed and capitalized on her one-v-one chance, slotting the ball past the 'keeper into the right corner for her second goal of the tournament.

Massar put the game away with her second and third goals of the tournament, the first coming 11 minutes before halftime. Reynolds started the sequence with a dribble down the right wing and sent a cross into the middle. Massar had time to settle the ball and rifle her shot into the right side of the net from 12 yards out.

The University of Illinois striker clinched the game 18 minutes into the second half, running onto a perfect through ball from Kiki Bosio. Massar outran two defenders and coolly finished on the ground for the final score line.

"We played well in the first 15 or 20 minutes of the game and we created numerous chances," said U.S. head coach Bill Irwin. "We put one away early and the second goal came off the tactics that we have been working on. All three goals were great goals and our defense played very well once again. At the beginning of the second half, they came at us and we handled it well. It is a credit to our defense that we came through the Nordic Cup with a clean slate."

The USA has faced Germany in the Nordic Cup championship game five times, winning four of those (2000, 2002, 2007 and in 2008). In 2006, Germany defeated the USA to break a string of seven straight Nordic Cup titles. The USA defeated Germany in the Nordic Cup title game last year by a 4-0 score.

The U-23s serve as a fertile breeding ground for future full National Team players as the majority of the current WNT player pool has passed through the U-21/U-23 program.

In the other placement matches, Sweden defeated Norway, 2-0, to take third place, Finland edged England, 1-0, to take fifth and Switzerland pounded Scotland, 5-0, to take seventh.

U.S. Under-23 Women's National Team Match Report

Participants: U.S. Under-23 Women's National Team vs. Germany
Competition: 2008 Nordic Cup - Final
Location: Borlange, Sweden
Date: July 21, 2008
Attendance: 500
Weather: Sunny, warm – 77 degrees

Scoring Summary:    1     2    Final
USA                          1     2       3
GER                           0    0       0

USA -- India Trotter (Yael Averbuch)               25th minute
USA -- Ella Masar (Katherine Reynolds)           34.
USA -- Ella Masar (Kiki Bosio)                         63.

Lineups:
USA: 1-Valerie Henderson; 11-Meghan Schnur; 15-Becky Sauerbrunn, 4-Nikki Krzysik (12-Kasey Moore, 87), 7-Katherine Reynolds; 10-Yael Averbuch, 13-Tina DiMartino (17-Katy Frierson, 20) (14-Kerri Hanks, 68), 9-Brittany Klein (6-Lorraine Quinn, 87), 5-Kiki Bosio 8-India Trotter (16-Katy Larkin, 83), 3-Ella Masar.
Subs Not Used: 18-Cori Alexander, 2-Marissa Abegg
Head Coach: Bill Irwin

GER: 1-Lisa Weiss; 18-Daniela Lowenberg (4-Josephine Schlanke, 79), 5-Caroloin Schiewe; 14-Pia Marxkord; 13-Katharina Baunach (3-Corina Schroder, 77), 7-Bianca Schmidt; 6-Karolin Thomas; 8-Meike Weber (2-Juliane Hofler, 69), 10-Nicole Banecki (17-Sussanne Hartel 72), 11-Isabel Kerschowski; 9-Stephanie Goddard (16-Sylvie Banecki, 45)
Subs Not Used: 12-Klara Muhle, 15-Christina Schellenberg
Head Coach: Bettina Wiegmann

Statistical Summary: USA / GER
Shots:                                15 / 7
Shots on Goal:                   8 / 2
Saves:                                  2 / 5
Fouls:                                   8 / 12
Corner Kicks:                      8 / 2
Offside:                                7 / 2

Misconduct Summary: None

2008 Nordic Cup Placement Matches
Monday, July 21
7th Place Match                          Switzerland 5, Scotland 0
5th Place Match                          Finland 1, England 0
3rd Place Match                          Sweden 2, Norway 0
Championship Match                USA 3, Germany 0

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U.S. Under-17 WNT Wins, 6-0, in CONCACAF Qualifying Opener

From the U.S. Soccer Communications Center:

U.S. UNDER-17 WNT WINS, 6-0, AGAINST COSTA RICA IN CONCACAF QUALIFYING OPENER

• Sisters Kristen and Samantha Mewis Combine For First-Ever U.S. U-17 WNT World Cup Qualifying Goal
• Courtney Verloo, Samantha Mewis Each Score A Brace
• U.S. Next Faces El Salvador at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 20

MACOYA, Trinidad (July 18, 2008) – The United States Under-17 Women's National Team defeated Costa Rica, 6-0, in the team's first-ever FIFA World Cup Qualifying match on Friday evening at Marvin Lee Stadium in Macoya, Trinidad. The U.S. used two goals each from Samantha Mewis and Courtney Verloo, and one apiece from Julia Roberts and Victoria DiMartino to kick off Group A at the 2008 CONCACAF Under-17 Women's Championship.

With the victory, the United States earns three points heading into the second match of the tournament, where they will take on El Salvador at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 20, also at Marvin Lee Stadium. The U.S. sits in first place in Group A, after Trinidad & Tobago defeated El Salvador, 5-1, in the second match of the evening.

"Winning the first game of a tournament of this nature is very important for us," head coach Kazbek Tambi. "The team played very well, they ball moved very well today and we scored on some nice combination plays. Even though the score was 6-0, Costa Rica is an excellent team. They are technically proficient and their forwards can hold the ball very well. We just happened to score some very good goals, but I still believe they are a quality opponent."

It only took three minutes for the sisters Kristen and Samantha Mewis to make history. Kristen Mewis ran down a ball on the left flank and was taken down by a Costa Rican defender. The midfielder deftly crossed the free kick into the area, where goalkeeper Priscilla Tapia jumped up to meet it. The ball went through Tapia's hands and to the head of Samantha, who knocked it into the goal. Samantha Mewis's goal was the first World Cup Qualifying goal for the U.S. at the Under-17 women's age level.

Kristen Mewis was also a part of the second goal 15 minutes later, when she ran the ball up the left side and passed it into the center for DiMartino. DiMartino held on to the ball, pulling Tapia off her line and dishing it to her right for a wide-open Verloo, who faced Tapia and slid the ball past her out-stretched left foot and into the lower left corner of the goal.

DiMartino had her first look at the goal in the 25th minute, after a nice run by Erika Tymrak. Tymrak carried the ball up the middle of the field and slid it out to DiMartino on the right, just outside the area. DiMartino dribbled into the 18-yard box and fired a shot past Tapia, but the ball was stopped on the line by defender Gabriela Guillén's out-stretched arm. Referee Dianne Ferreira-James wasted no time in showing the shocked Guillén the red card, leaving Costa Rica on the field with 10 women.

Roberts stepped up to the spot for the U.S. and sent her penalty shot just to the right of Tapia, who managed to get a hand on the ball but wasn't able to stop the shot from going in.

The young U.S. team did well to keep control of the ball throughout the game, while Costa Rica tried repeatedly to pressure the team all over the field. Verloo felt the pressure in the 37th minute, when she received the ball on the left side with a defender right on her back. Verloo managed to turn with the ball, face the defender and beat her one-on-one with some quick footwork, sending in a cross. The ball soared across the goalmouth, right to DiMartino, who slammed home a header at the far post.

Costa Rica got their first real attempt to score in the 43rd minute, just before the end of the first half. Raquel Rodríguez Vazquez got the ball at the top of the area and was unmarked and ready to make a mad dash for the U.S. goal. She wasn't counting on U.S. goalkeeper Alexa Gaul's quickness. Gaul stepped off her line and smothered the attempt at Rodríguez Vazquez's feet, before the forward could even get a shot off.

The U.S. didn't make any substitutes at the beginning of the second half, which worked just as well. In the 49th minute, Verloo put in her second goal of the match, capitalizing on a cross that Samantha Johnson flicked with her head, right onto Verloo's path.

Samantha Mewis sealed the score for the United States in the 54th minute, when Verloo chased down a ball on the right side of the field, beating a defender to it. Verloo calmly played the ball back into open space at the top of the 18-yard box, where Samantha stepped up to blast in a shot that flew past Tapia and into the upper left corner of the net.

The U.S. controlled the tempo for the rest of the match, moving the ball around the field and using the available space. Costa Rica did well to pressure the team, even getting three shots on goal, but was unable to create much danger.

The U.S., Costa Rica, El Salvador and Trinidad & Tobago are attempting to qualify for the inaugural FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup, which will be held from Oct. 28-Nov. 16 in New Zealand. Three teams will qualify from the CONCACAF region, including the two Under-17 Women's Championship finalists and the team that finishes in third place.

U.S. UNDER-17 WOMEN'S NATIONAL TEAM GAME REPORT

Match-up: USA vs. Costa Rica
Competition: 2008 CONCACAF Under-17 Women's Championship
Venue: Marvin Lee Stadium; Macoya, Trinidad
Date: July 18, 2008; Kickoff – 5:00 p.m. ET
Attendance: N/A
Weather: 85 degrees, Sunny

Scoring Summary:
           1   2   F
USA   4   2   6
CRC  0   0   0

USA – Samantha Mewis (Kristen Mewis) 3rd minute.
USA – Courtney Verloo (Victoria DiMartino) 17.
USA – Julia Roberts (penalty kick) 28.
USA – Victoria DiMartino (Courtney Verloo) 37.
USA – Courty Verloo (Samantha Johnson) 49.
USA – Samantha Mewis (Courtney Verloo) 54.


Lineups:
USA: 1-Alexa Gaul; 20-Amber Brooks, 2-Crystal Dunn, 3-Cloee Colohan, 16-Julia Roberts; 13-Kristen Mewis (14-Olivia Klei, 55), 9-Samantha Mewis (7-Kathryn Bennett, 57), 8-Erika Tymrak (12-Morgan Brian, 73); 15-Victoria DiMartino, 6-Samantha Johnson, 21-Courtney Verloo
Subs not used: 18-Taylor Vancil, 5-Sydney Payne, 10-Tani Costa, 23-Rachel Nuzzolese
Head Coach: Kazbek Tambi

CRC: 1-Priscilla Tapia; 4-María Barquero, 5-Gabriela Guillén, 12-Daniela Cruz; 7-Mariela Campos, 10-Katherine Alvarado, 13-Jacqueline Mata (20-Hazel Quiros, 46), 19-Fabiola Sánchez (15-Adriana Guzmán, 66); 8-Raquel Rodríguez Vazquez, 9-Carolina Morales (17-Yocxelin Rodríguez, 19), 11-Raquel Rodríguez Cedeño
Subs not used: 18-María Alejandra Arias, 6-Jazmine Guzmán, 14-Daniela Camacho, 16-Krickshia Spence
Head Coach: Juan Diego Quesada

Statistical Summary:
           USA / CRC
Shots: 18 / 5
Shots on Goal: 12 / 3
Saves: 3 / 6
Corner Kicks: 6 / 0
Fouls: 20 / 9
Offside: 3 / 0

Misconduct Summary:
CRC – Gabriela Guillén (sent off) 25th minute.

Officials
Referee: Dianne Ferreia James (GUY)
Asst. Referee: Mayte Chavez (MEX)
Asst. Referee: Antonette Williams (JAM)
4th Official: Roberto Moreno (PAN)

Sierra Mist Woman of the Match: Julia Roberts

Group A Results / Schedule
July 18
Costa Rica 0, USA 6
T & T 5, El Salvador 1

July 20
USA vs. El Salvador
T & T vs. Costa Rica

July 22
El Salvador vs. Costa Rica
T & T vs. USA

Group A Standings
Team    GP    W    L   T  GF  GA  GD PTS
USA      1     1    0    0     6    0    +6     3
TRI       1      1    0    0    5     1    +4     3
SLV      1      0    1    0    1     5    -4     0
CRC    1      0    1    0    0     6     -6     0

Group B Results / Schedule
July 17
Puerto Rico 0, Canada 3
Mexico 6, Jamaica 0

July 19
Mexico vs. Puerto Rico
Canada vs. Jamaica

July 21
Jamaica vs. Puerto Rico
Canada vs. Mexico

Group B Standings
Team GP W L T GF  GA  GD  PTS
MEX    1   1    0    0     6    0    +6   
CAN   1    1    0    0   3      0    +3   
PUR  1    0     1    0    0    3   -3   
JAM    1    0    1    0   0      6    -6  


Semifinals* – Marvin Lee Stadium
Date Matchup Time (ET)
July 24
Winner Group B vs. Runner-up Group A 5 p.m.
Winner Group A vs. Runner-up Group B 7 p.m.
   *Order of matches subject to change

Finals – Marvin Lee Stadium
Date Matchup Time (ET)
July 27
Third Place Match 4 p.m.
Championship 6 p.m.

- ussoccer.com -

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U.S. Soccer Federation, 1801 S. Prairie Ave, Chicago IL 60616
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Becky Sauerbrunn and U.S. Under-23 WNT Defeats England, 3-0, at 2008 Nordic Cup

From: U.S. Soccer Communications

U.S. UNDER-23 WNT DEFEATS ENGLAND, 3-0 AT 2008 NORDIC CUP

• Trotter, Bosio and Klein Score for USA
• U.S. Needs Win or Tie Against Norway on July 19 to Make Title Game

BORLANGE, Sweden (July 18, 2008) -- U.S. Under-23 Women's National Team earned its second straight win and shutout at the 2008 Nordic Cup with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over England in Group B.

The USA now needs a win or a tie in its final first round match, taking place on July 19 against Norway, to win the group and earn a berth in its 12th straight Nordic Cup title game. Both the USA and Norway have won their first two matches and are tied atop the group with six points, but the USA has a superior goal difference at plus-4 to Norway's plus-2, meaning a tie would give the U.S. top honors in the group.

India Trotter, who earned Player of the Match honors, scored in the 37th minute after Meghan Schnur played a great bending ball around the defense from the left side at about midfield. Trotter got on the end of it and beat a defender to go one-on-one with the 'keeper before slotting her shot into the right corner.

"I thought we played really well tonight," said Trotter, who today was named an alternate to the 2008 Olympic Team after Lauren Cheney was called into the 18-player Olympic roster to replace the injured Abby Wambach. "England played really high in the back line so we were able to use our speed and knock balls into space to get around them. Our outside backs did a great job playing balls over their defense into the space where we could beat them to the ball on the run."

The USA went into halftime with a 1-0 lead but doubled the lead just two minutes after the break. The goal came off a corner kick which England cleared, but Tina DiMartino latched onto the ball and sent a pass across the left side of the penalty area to Kiki Bosio, who first-timed her shot into the back of the net.

Brittany Klein sealed the game in the 79th minute with her second goal of the tournament. Katie Larkin created the score with a great move down the left sideline before passing to Kerri Hanks in the middle. Harkin drew a defender and played it off to Klein, who took a touch and blasted the ball in the left corner of the goal.

"We played well today," said U.S. head coach Bill Irwin. "We executed the plan that we worked on. We knew we could exploit them with our speed, and that's how India got our first goal. In the second half, we made some adjustments and took control of the game."

The U.S. backline of Schnur, Becky Sauerbrunn, Nikki Krzysik and Katherine Reynolds helped hold England to just two shots on goal. U.S. goalkeeper Val Henderson picked up her second straight shutout.

In the Group A games, Germany pounded Scotland, 5-0, while Sweden downed Finland, 2-1. Sweden and Germany meet on July 19 with the Germans needing just a tie to win the group and advance to the championship game while Sweden needs a victory.

U.S. Under-23 Women's National Team Match Report

Participants: U.S. Under-23 Women's National Team vs. England
Competition: 2008 Nordic Cup – Group B
Location: Borlange, Sweden
Date: July 17, 2008
Attendance: 200
Weather: Cloudy, Rainy – 58 degrees

Scoring Summary:
          1  2   Final
USA  1  2     3
ENG 0   0     0

USA -- India Trotter (Meghan Schnur) 37th minute.
USA -- Kiki Bosio (Tina DiMartino) 47.
USA -- Brittany Klein (Kerri Hanks) 79.

Lineups:
USA: 1-Valerie Henderson; 11-Meghan Schnur; 15-Becky Sauerbrunn, 4-Nikki Krzysik, 7-Katherine Reynolds; 10-Yael Averbuch (12 Kasey Moore, 75), 13-Tina DiMartino (6-Lorraine Quinn, 82), 9-Brittany Klein, 5-Kiki Bosio (17-Katy Frierson, 82); 8-India Trotter (16-Katy Larkin, 72), 3-Ella Masar (14-Kerri Hanks, 52).

Subs Not Used: 18-Cori Alexander.
Head Coach: Bill Irwin

ENG: 13-Marie Hourihan; 3-Michelle Hickmott, 6-Kylie Davies, 5-Kelly Lawrence, 2-Stephanie Houghton (14-Kimberly Dixon, 45), 8-Rachel Williams, 4-Danielle Buet, 7-Dunia Susi, 9-Gemma Davisson (18-Sian Larkin, 70), 10-Natasha Dowie (16-Carla Cantrell, 72), 17-Rebecka Hall (12-Sophie Perry, 56).

Subs Not Used: 11-Danielle Bird, 1-Danielle Hill, 15-Katie Holtham.
Head Coach: Brent Hall

Statistical Summary:
      USA / ENG
Shots: 14 / 5
Shots on Goal: 6 / 2
Saves: 2 / 3
Fouls: 4 / 6
Corner Kicks: 8 / 0
Offside: 6 / 2

Misconduct Summary: None

2008 Nordic Cup Schedule
July 15-21, 2008

Group A Standings
Teams     W   L   T   Pts.   GF   GA   GD
Germany  2    0   0    6        7      0     +7
Sweden    2    0   0   6         5      1     +4
Finland     0    2   0    0         1     4      -3
Scotland   0    2   0    0        0      8     -8

Tuesday, July 15
Sweden 3, Scotland 0
Germany 2, Finland 0

Thursday, July 17
Sweden 2, Finland 1
Germany 5, Scotland 0

Thursday, July 19
Sweden vs. Germany
Scotland vs. Finland

Group B Standings
Teams          W  L   T    Pts. GF    GA   GD
USA               2   0   0     6      4      0     +4
Norway          1  0    1     4      4     2      +2
Switzerland   0  1    1    1      2      3      -1
England        0   2    0    0      0      5     -5

Tuesday, July 15
USA 1, Switzerland 0
Norway 2, England 0

Thursday, July 17
USA 3, England 0
Switzerland 2, Norway 2

Thursday, July 19
USA vs. Norway
England vs. Switzerland

Monday, July 21
7th Place Match
5th Place Match
3rd Place Match
Championship Match

 

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U.S. Soccer Federation, 1801 S. Prairie Ave, Chicago IL 60616
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WPS Announces Player Allocation Schedule

Allocation, drafts, combines and tryouts - Women's Professional Soccer announced how teams will evaluate and select the players who will compete in the inaugural 2009 season.

WPS Player Timeline Highlights

• Week of Sept. 15: U.S. WNT / U.S. WNT Player Pool Allocation
  
  
• Week of Sept. 22: Draft of Top International Players
  
  
• Oct. 6: WPS General Draft of Domestic & International Players
  
  
• Dec. 10-13: WPS West Coast Combine
  
  
• Dec. 17-20: WPS East Coast Combine
  
  
• Week of Jan. 14: WPS Post-Combine Draft
  
  
• Feb. 15: WPS Tryouts in Teams' Local Markets
  
  
• March 1: WPS Pre-Season Begins
  
  
• April (Date TBD): WPS Regular Season Begins

To view the full WPS Player Timeline and learn more details surrounding these events, read the press release and the Prospective Player FAQs.

HALL OF FAME BANQUET TICKETS AVAILABLE

Hall of Fame Banquet Tickets Available

ONEONTA, NY (July 17, 2008) – The annual President's Reception and Hall of Fame Banquet, scheduled for Saturday, August 2^nd at 6:00, is open to the public at the modest charge of $75 per person. The reception takes place in the Museum's atrium and the dinner is in the Museum itself. The evening will conclude with the Big 3 Enshrinement Ceremony in the atrium.

"We are very pleased to be able to open the Hall of Fame Banquet to the general public," Hall of Fame President Steve Baumann said. "The opportunity for the local community to meet Hall of Famers and visiting soccer dignitaries is unique to our sport. We're still an unpretentious group and invite the community to join us in celebrating the many individuals who will be honored this year."

The dinner is a sit down style catered by Classé Catering of Albany. "The menu and service Classé provides is always exquisite," Hall of Fame Events Manager Pamela Frutiger said. "We have hosted dinners for guests from large metropolitan areas used to the finest of food and service. Their impressions of the dinners we have hosted have been universally positive, stressing both the excellence of the food and the graciousness of the service."

For a complete schedule of the Induction 2008 weekend events and to make reservations for the Hall of Fame Banquet, visit the Hall's web site, www.soccerhall.org, or by calling the Hall of Fame at 607/432-3351.

The Hall of Fame will honor the University of North Carolina and U.S. National Team women's coach Anson Dorrance, playmaker extraordinaire Hugo Perez of the NASL, MISL, and the U.S. Men's National Team, and Ivan 'Ike" Kuhns, retired from the Newark Star-Ledger, as the Colin Jose Media Award honoree. Big 3 honorees include 6-time NCAA champion Jerry Yeagley, retired from Indiana University, and Paul Sanderson of the NSCAA; Marilyn MacDonald and Joel Mark of the AYSO, and John Buckley and Donald Dennison of NISOA.

About the Hall of Fame

The Mission of the National Soccer Hall of Fame is to Celebrate the History, Honor the Heroes,

Inspire the Youth and Preserve the Legacy of Soccer in the United States.

Located in Oneonta, NY, the National Soccer Hall of Fame opened a new 30,000 sq.ft., state-of-the-art multimedia museum in 1999. The Hall of Fame tells the story of soccer in America through artifacts, photographs, video and written narratives. The main VideoWall portrays some of the greatest moments and the greatest goals in soccer history as well as live soccer action from the World Cup, MLS, and U.S. Soccer matches. The Hall features an extensive interactive, youth oriented Kicks Zone, including a kid-sized indoor field, where visitors have fun kicking, heading and playing video soccer games. Unique and rare artifacts on exhibit range from The Dewar Cup, the oldest team trophy in U.S. Sport, to the Women's World Cup won by the USA in 1999, the uniforms of Pele and Mia Hamm's, Kristine Lilly's golden shoes, NASL championship rings, and MLS championship trophies. That and so much more are all at the National Soccer Hall of Fame. In addition to the interactive Museum, the National Soccer Hall of Fame's 61-acre complex boasts the Kicks Hall of Fame Museum Store, a research library, four world-class soccer fields and office/meeting facilities. Visit the Hall of Fame at www.soccerhall.org

Jack Huckel

Director of Museum and Archives

National Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum

18 Stadium Circle

Oneonta, NY 13820

607/432-3351 x209