Redeem team too: US Women win Gold at London 2012

Photo credit: US Presswire

Redemption. Not because the US Women's national soccer team did anything wrong at last summer's Women's World Cup, but because they were the better team but were cruelly defeated by penalties. Redemption because today's win wrapped up a perfect tournament in which they defeated every team and outscored them 16-6, where at the World Cup they lost twice. Redemption because they were booted by Brazil in 2007 only to redeem themselves with the Gold Medal in 2008. Redemption because the American style of soccer was upheld and showed why this country sets the trend in the women's game as countries like Brazil do for men.

And today we had the usual suspects clinch the tournament: Alex Morgan with her nifty pass for the first goal and opening lanes for Rapinoe and Lloyd, Wambach for her presence, Solo for her reflexes, Rapinoe for her tireless work on the flanks, Buehler, LePeilbet, O'Hara and Rampone for holding a tough line and pressing forward when needed, Shannon Boxx for her spirit, Tobin Heath for her speed, and Carli Lloyd for being a number 10.

Yes, Carli Lloyd made the difference today by scoring the two goals that won the game 2-1. It wasn't the youthful energy of Alex Morgan, the commanding experience of Abby Wambach or the darting runs of Rapinoe. It was the number 10, the Pele, Zidane, Landon Donovan of this group. She made the difference in the final like all great midfielders do. Zidane scored twice against Brazil in 1998, Pele delivered 1958 to Brazil, and Donovan saved the US Men in 2010 twice. Always in the background working and always there at the time of need. Carli Lloyd may not be as flashy as Morgan or Wambach, but she knew how to win this game and redeem her team.

USA!

Alex Morgan Rises and US advances to Gold Medal Final

Photo credit: Stanley Chou/Getty Images

Somehow the US Women's national team always find a way to make things dramatic, amazing and magical. If last year's last gasp Abby Wambach goal versus Brazil was breathtaking, today's overtime game-clincher by Alex Morgan was pure fantasy. 

The high-scoring Olympic semifinal versus Canada was a far cry from the match we saw in Portland last year. Canada took the initiative and Christine Sinclair scored a hat trick to bring her team within reach of the Gold Medal final. But Megan Rapinoe, Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan answered back every time Canada went ahead on the scoreboard and sealed it with the fourth goal in the 123rd minute.

If Megan Rapinoe is the new engine in the midfield for the Women's team, then Alex Morgan is its new weapon. Her savvy treatment of the ball, scavenging positioning and uncanny nose for goal settles her as a perfect number 9 player and a great complement to Wambach. Let's face it, this will soon be Morgan's team as Wambach, 32, eases her foot from the soccer pedal.

Alex Morgan's clinching goal is a testament to a different kind of player: less power than Wambach or Mia Hamm but a lot more finesse. Her header cradled the ball and gave it enough speed and traveling arc to ease over the Canadian goalkeeper. She put it exactly in the one place it needed to be. That is how you win tournaments.

Women's Professional Soccer falters once again

There was a dream once that the United States would become the hub of women's world soccer. When the 1999 Women's World Cup drew to a close with Brandy Chastain's dramatic penalty shot, it gave the game legitimacy, followers and believers. Sadly, however, this did not translate to a professional league.

At one point there was a chance that women's soccer could piggyback on MLS in the early 2000s. At that point, however, MLS was undergoing contraction and reorganization. This may or may not have influenced the decision to remain as a separate entity. Thus, WUSA (Women's United Soccer Association) was born in 2000 but folded in 2003.

It always comes down to economics in world sports. For WUSA, a combined loss of $100 million was too much to bear. For MLS, significant losses also accrued early on but the league went to great lengths to stay viable until new stadiums and ownership allowed for some teams to make profits.

In 2009, Women's Professional Soccer made its debut as the premier league in North America. Names like Wambach, Marta and Solo highlighted the competition. It was thought (hoped) that these stars would capitalize on recent efforts (2008 Olympics) to catapult them to permanent sport status. The tournament included only six teams and problems with magic.jack caused it to suspend operations in 2012, despite the face that the ladies have qualified for the Olympics and could use competitive practice.

Will the ladies go to Europe? At least some of them will. The rest will take part in residency operations with friendly matches as warm-up for this summer's London tournament.

Sadly, it seems that women's soccer in this country is nothing more than an Olympic sport. By that we mean that it is closely followed during the Olympics and the World Cup but nothing beyond that. We all cheer for Hope Solo and Abby Wambach when they reach for glory but this dies down after the major international tournaments are over. Aside from a few friendlies, these athletes mostly go unnoticed. Such is the case for Olympians like Michael Phelps, among others.

Unlike the WNBA, which sees some profits in a few venues, the economics of of women's soccer haven't picked up at all. This is despite the fact that soccer is the number one sport for girls through high school and also has great importance in college.

So what will it take for women's soccer to be accepted as a year-to-year sport that matters? More support from fans? Ownership? Sponsors? Or maybe there should be an alliance with MLS. NBA subsidizes WNBA losses. If MLS is able to increase its revenue it could schedule women's games as doubleheaders with men's games. And let's try the Pacific Northwest for once. I attended a friendly versus Canada in a sold-out Jeld-Wen Field. And you have to start somewhere.

USA Women vs Canada in Portland: the live experience

Photo credit: Craig MItchelldyer isiphotos.com

The US Women's national team defeated Canada by the score of 3 - 0 tonight at Jeld-Wen field in Portland, Oregon. It was a different kind of game from others I have attended throughout my career as a soccer fan. Young girls--the future of our USA team--giggled and cheered for their heroes before, during and after the match. Never mind that. It was fitting, perhaps, that I decided to take my pregnant wife to a family game like this.

On the pitch was a slightly different story. There was grit from Wambach and Rapinoe, calmness from Shannon Boxx, assurance in goal from Hope Solo, and a bit of spark in Lauren Cheney and Alex Morgan. We are only a scarce two months removed from the heartbreak loss to Japan in the Women's World Cup final, through penalties no less. But you wouldn't know if from the way the ladies played tonight.

The passes that were served to Wambach and Rapinoe were almost instinctual. Some of the long balls had swerve through kicking with the inside and outside of the boot. It was a bit of fantasy without the unnecessary dancing of the Brazilian national team. Canada's defense held their fort well throughout the first half. Their goalkeeper performed heroics time and time again. They are a disciplined side that will be tough to beat when Olympic qualifiers are underway in Vancouver next year.

But Abby Wambach would not be held back for long. At minute 64 in the second half, Wambach scored after receiving a pass from O'Hara. The shot came from near the edge of the penalty box with her favorite left foot. A mid-air curve and into the top 90 to the goalkeeper's right. It was almost in slow motion but I, along with all the fans, knew it would go in. The second goal was typical Wambach with a diving header from another pass--this time a sweet center--from O'Hara.

The night would not be done without giving credit to the future of the US Women's National Team: Alex Morgan. The 22-year old scored in typical pure-forward mode: an opportunistic tap-in. She was in the right place at the right time, the way true goal-scorers are, and she finished the game for the Americans in a true "goleada" fashion: tres a cero.

Tonight was about the fans and the ladies, sport and dreams, cleanliness and sportsmanship. One tweeter put it nicely: "Womens soccer is so well played. No flopping, no nasty fouls/tackles. I love watching it." Indeed. Long live the game. Team USA will always win our hearts.

Meant to be: Japan wins Women's World Cup

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Meant to be. Not meant to be. Those were the shades of fate today at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. Heartbreak. Emotion. Redemption. Japan walked out as world champions for the first time, and deservedly so.

Not meant to be for the US soccer team. The chances came and went throughout the first half. What could have been a score of 2-0 ended up tied scoreless. Alex Morgan's goal midway through the second half was almost enough. But not today.

Not meant to be for the defense today. Alex Krieger and Buehler didn't compact themselves enough and their casual clearance of an impressive Japanese attack was what gave way to the tying tally.

Not meant to be for Abby Wambach. She tried and pushed and got the go-ahead goal in the second period of extra time. Header. Perfect. But not enough. Japan tied the score with 4 minutes to go thanks to a misplaced bounce off our star goalscorer. 2-2. Penalties.

Not meant to be for Hope Solo either. Our superb goalkeeper wasn't tested enough by Japan for most of the game. This would have an impact as the game wore on. A slight injury in the overtime occurred right before Japan's tying goal. Her usual resolve was tested in the penalties and today she let one slip past her that could have made things interesting. She's only 29. Expect her at the Olympics and at Canada 2015.

Meant to be for Japan. Yes, today you could sense it. They were the lovable underdogs with a special cause. It was hard to imagine how the world wouldn't be cheering for the "blue samurais" today. Their country has seen such pain and agony this year. And they dedicated their fighting spirit, their resolve, their goals, and their title to the nation they love. And we applaud them for it.

Congratulations, Japan. Today the world cheered with you. It was simply meant to be.

Yes we can: USA advances to World Cup Final

Courage. Resolve. Class. Teamwork. Relentlessness. The US women's national soccer team advanced into the Germany 2011 World Cup final with a thrilling victory over France. A precious gift to American soccer fans in such dire need of a victory. For the ladies, it is self-respect and recognition that they are one of the better sides in women's soccer.

Today it Cheney, Wambach and Morgan scoring. The old guard giving way to the new. Abby ruled the air as she so often does and scored the game-winner with style. Cheney started things off early, much like the Brazil game. But France pressed and eventually tied the score in the second half. After Wambach's score it was a little bit of magic from Rapinoe to Morgan. The youngster had a flash of genius and chipped the ball over the French goalkeeper.

For the second game in a row, Wambach showed us why she's the go-to player for clinching goals. Today their defense was stout with Krieger and Boxx. Hope Solo always an asserted general in the background. Rapinoe provided the second half spark that every supersub has to bring.

Up next is the enigmatic Japan. The Japanese have knocked off two soccer powers in Germany and Sweden. They have also lost two matches to the US in warm-up friendlies before the World Cup. But this is the final and they will be carrying the hearts of a nation that has seen so much pain in recent months. The key will be concentration and possession.

This is to thank the ladies for giving us a bit of fantasy with every play. Thanks to you, US Soccer is back in the final with a chance to win it all for the third time in history.

We believe.

Poetic Justice: USA Women defeat Brazil

Photo credit: LA Times

Somehow the USA can't script their soccer better. Last year it was Donovan's goal in stoppage time at the men's World Cup. This year it was Abby Wambach in the 122nd of overtime to tie the match against Brazil to send it into penalties.

It was poetic justice in so many levels today. The score was opened in the third minute by Diana in an unfortunate own goal for the Brazilians. She would miss her penalty later.

Poetic justice because of fraudulent calls that gave away Brazil's goals and yet the USA still won the game. Having looked at the replay, the American Rachel Buehler went for the ball and contact with Marta was incidental in a close call that could have gone either way. It was the tying penalty for Brazil. Hope Solo saved the first shot but the play was disallowed because an American player ran into the 18-yard box before the penalty was taken. Marta put away the second kick.

Poetic justice for the fighting spirit against both Brazilians and bad refereeing. Marta's second goal (a beauty, by the way) came out of a play that should have been called back due to an obvious offside. Later on Erika would fake an injury and this added 3 extra minutes. These extra minutes allowed for Rapinoe's pinpoint center and Wambach's wondrous header to send the game to penalties.

It was poetic justice for the fans as well. The ESPN crew with Julie Foudy and Brandy Chastain screamed along with Ian Darke's call when Wambach scored the tying goal. Us fans throughout the world and at the stadium had been yelling at the screen for all the missed calls. But our disappointments were erased by the teamwork that USA players are known for. The stadium never gave up. The players put their hearts on the field. Their spirits never crumbled. And at the end, when things had gone so wrong, they believed in themselves and poetic justice was served.

Wambach's goal: