A Near Disaster, Turns into a Confidence Boosting Win

Not the way the USWNT wanted to start their first Olympic match, but it was the way they wanted to end it: with a win. The U.S. came-back from an early 2-0 deficit against France to beat them 4-2. 

The USWNT looked apprehensive to start the match. The game was being played at a hectic pace and the U.S. was unable to maintain a rhythm. Each team was enacting counter-attack after counter-attack and not gaining possession. Then, France was able to score two goals within two minutes of each other. Gaetane Thiney scored the first goal in the 12th minute. She rocketed a shot from outside the 18 and Solo had no chance to save it. France's next goal came from the U.S.'s inability to clear the ball in front of net. A scramble ensued and Marie-Laurie Delie was in the right place to score in the 13th minute. The ball landed right in front of her and she nailed it into the net.

It was shocking that the USWNT were down by two this early in the game and to make matters worse, Shannon Boxx had to leave the game due to an injury. Carli Lloyd replaced her in the 17th minute, who recently lost her starting position to Lauren Cheney. However, the USWNT can never be counted out; the team has great depth and a dynamic striker due in Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan. These two are capable of scoring multiple goals and scoring them quickly, which they proved before the half was over. Wambach headed the ball home off a corner from Megan Rapinoe in the 18th minute of play. This put the U.S. right back in it and gave them renewed energy. Morgan evened play at 2-2 in the 31st minute. It looked as though Wambach flicked it on for her, but she actually did not touch the ball and it bounced into great position for Morgan. If the ball had been flicked by Wambach, the goal would have been called offside, but she didn't, so it counted. Morgan had a defender on her back and the keeper coming out: she lobed it over the keepers head for the goal. It was two excellent goals from Wambach and Morgan, which both showed their different styles and ability.      

The final 15 minutes of the first half saw some dangerous opportunities for France and a controversial non-call in the box. In the 37th minute, Delie had the ball in the box once again, but sailed it over the crossbar. A minute later, Thiney was all alone on the right side of the six-yard box, Solo came out, which made Thiney adjust and hit the ball out. For the third time, Delie had a chance in the box, though this one was all her doing and not the defenses fault. She was marked well, but managed to head the ball on goal when her back was facing that same goal. However, it was hit right to Solo and she grabbed the easy save. A few minutes later, Morgan showed her speed and was pushing for a goal in the box when taken down. The referee did not call a foul, though it is questionable whether the play deserved one or not.

It was a crazy first half, but after the tough first 15 minutes, the play was fairly even and the U.S. fought back to make the score indicate that.

The U.S. did not make any substitutions to begin the second half. France took out Ophelie Meilleroux and Louisa Necib for Eugenie Le Sommer and Laura Georges. The USWNT's first chance on goal in the second half was cleared off the line. Rapinoe sent in a corner that Lloyd headed down, and Wambach got a hit on, but the France defender was in the right position. Lloyd came up big in the 55th minute by scoring the go-ahead goal. She blasted a shot from well outside the 18-yard box that went into the upper left of the goal. It was a deja vu moment for Lloyd, who hit the gold medal-winning goal in the 2008 Olympics from similar distance.  


The U.S. looked much more in control after going up 3-2, but France had plenty of chances. Morgan again was taken down in the box in the 60th minute and again no call was made. She got the first touch on the ball, but it was a shoulder-to-shoulder tackle. France was lucky that both takedowns were not called. France looked dangerous in the 66th minute, they got in front of goal, but Kelley O'Hara defended the play well and Solo stepped up to end the play. Right after this play, the U.S. gained some breathing room by scoring a fourth goal: it was Morgan's second of the match. Rapinoe had great vision to get the ball wide to Tobin Heath on the right flank. She had plenty of space and went to goal, with Morgan streaking to the back post and Wambach hustling to the near. Heath slipped a pass across the face of the goal and Morgan touched it into a wide-open net.    


The 4-2 score line did not squash France's effort. They continued to press and had good looks. The USWNT had trouble clearing the ball during a France corner kick and it almost resulted in another goal. The ball pin-balled around creating chaos, but the final attempt was tame. The U.S. made some changes at the end of the second half, bringing in Amy Rodriguez for Morgan and Sydney Leroux for Rapinoe. Then with only minutes left to play, France had a breakaway after a U.S. free kick. France's counter-attack was saved by Solo, who came out and fell on the ball when Elodie Thomas took too long of a touch. 


The first Olympic match for the USWNT was certainly exciting. Most importantly, they came away with a win against their toughest opponent in group play. They scored four high quality goals and did not allow France to maintain the majority of possession. They had some scary moments on defense and did allow two goals, but showed their resiliency and fought for the victory.    


Photo Credit: Tumblr

Olympic Bodies

The bodies of the Olympic athletes are a hot topic right now, and the USWNT is no exception. Those that compete at the Olympics are at the peak of their physical fitness and it shows. All of their hard works pays off hopefully with a medal, but also with their toned bodies. The media has covered this topic with tones of admiration and titillation. Here is a breakdown of the coverage:



Dominique Dawes, a member of the 1996 women's gymnastic team that won gold, interviewed Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach as part of her Physique with Dominique series. The questions focused on how they keep their bodies in shape and exercises that are used to tone certain areas needed for soccer. This interview was very appropriate. It did not divulge into physical beauty, but maintained an outlook of the body as a means for sport.

Wambach participated in the ESPN the Magazine Body Issue, which was released in July 2012. She joins teammates, Hope Solo and Alex Morgan, in posing nude for magazines. Solo took part in the 2011 edition of ESPN the Magazine Body Issue, while Morgan donned body paint for the 2012 Sports Illustarted Swimsuit Issue. These forms of media are more provocative simply because they are nude images. They stray to the titillating territory, but are fairly tame and are not sensationalized.

Wambach and Solo represent strong female athletes in ESPN the Magazine. They did not reveal too much, but showed off the muscles they've worked throughout their careers to build. It is good to see the female body portrayed in this way and ESPN the Magazine has done a great to not objectify female athletes in the Body Issues. The male athletes are depicted in the same way. The posses they are in are powerful and show that women are serious athletes. These bodies are the new ideal, not the model-skinny that is unhealthy.

Morgan was photographed in body paint in the form of a swimsuit for Sports Illustrated. These photographs are less athletic and more sexualized than Wambach's and Solo's. Morgan is not in powerful stances, but she is also not in overtly sexual or revealing posses. The shoot was done tastefully, but with a different intent than the Body Issue. Morgan is hot right now, in terms of public appeal and physical appeal. The Swimsuit Issue capitalized on the interest she has garnered. 


Several media outlets have composed "Hot" lists for the London Games that feature USWNT players. ESPNW had a bracket of sorts for hottest Olympic body, in which fans could vote for their favorite. Wambach was ousted in the first round by all-around gold medal gymnast Nastia Liukin in the first round, while Morgan was voted the champion. Ryan Lochte was the winner in the men's bracket. E Online compiled a list of the Hottest Olympic Bodies, Morgan and Wambach made the cut. Morgan and Solo are on Shape Magazine's list of Top 20 Sexiest Athletes at the 2012 Olympics. Bleacher Report compiled a list of 100 Hottest Female Olympians of 2012 and Morgan is the second hottest. Lauren Cheney, Amy Rodriguez, Heather Mitts, Hope Solo, and Sydney Leroux are also on the list. I'm not a fan of these lists because I do not like the idea of comparing the physical appearance of one female or male athlete to another. This is objectifying athletes. I do not see tastefully posing nude as objectification because the athlete consents to the photos, while they do not consent to the lists. Also, they are not being ranked and compared by their hotness in the photographs.

Bleacher Report 100 Hottest Female Olympians of 2012
Shape Magazine Top 20 Sexiest Athletes at 2012 Olympics 
E! Hottest Bodies in London
ESPNW Body Edition Winners

Photo Credit: ESPN the Magazine; Sports Illustrated    
         

Update: Hope Solo Failed Drug Test

Hope Solo tweeted again about the failed drug test situation:

"I feel bad for those who judge with their eyes &not w/ their hearts.Lets not sensationalize things for the sake of "news" &call it truth..I have nothing to hide.The truth will be told by me,& only by me on 8/14.Until then just keep blabbing away,& ill just continue to work!"


This is what I wanted Solo to avoid and why I did not want her to tweet. Her tone is defensive and critical of those who are reporting on the story. This does nothing to help her win over the public's opinion and actually does the opposite. She is deviating from the message that was in the released statement, which she should not do. Solo needs to stop tweeting about it because all it is doing is rehashing the situation. 


From the tweet, I can gather that she will be doing some sort of interview that will be released on Aug. 14. I think this is a mistake. It only gives her more opportunity to sound angry. 


The focus should be on the Olympics and not Solo trying to set the record straight. The released statement explained the situation and it should be kept at that.     

Update: Hope Solo Failed Drug Test

Hope Solo did tweet about her failed drug test:

"For those asking, I didn't "fail a drug test" but rather had a diuretic in my system I shouldn't have had from a medication prescribed to me...Lesson learned to triple check all my prescription meds. An honest mistake. Thx to all the fans for their support. Next stop ‪#London2012‬!" 

She kept calm which is the most important thing when it concerns Solo and Twitter. The message was simple and basically a condensed version of the official statement that was released. I would have liked to have seen her connect a link to the official statement instead of tweeting her own message. Just as a precautionary measure, so nothing can be misconstrued because official statements are carefully crafted and Solo does not have the best track record with social media.

Olympic Boots

The USWNT debuted their Olympic boots at their send-off match in Sandy, Utah. Most of the team is represented by Nike and will wear the Nike Clash Collection. The Clash Collection features the Mercurial, the CTR360, the Tempo, and the T90. These four cleats are not new models, but are in a different color and style. The collection is called Clash because the back of each boot is a color and the front is white. The back of the Mercurial is a vibrant red and Tobin Heath, Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd, and Sydney Leroux will wear them during the Olympics. The CTR360 is in a bright blue color. Abby Wambach and Amy LePeilbet will wear them. Alex Morgan and Kelley O'Hara will sport the neon green T90 boots, while Hope Solo, Shannon Boxx, and Rachel Buehler are in the more subdued black Tempo cleats. Nicole Barnhart is in all black cleats with a white Nike swoosh. She is the only Nike athlete who is not wearing the Clash Collection.

Lauren Cheney, Heather Mitts, and Becky Sauerbrunn are Under Armour athletes and they are also outfitted in new cleats. Cheney and Mitts tweeted pictures of their Olympic boots before the send-off match. Under Armour has given each player cleats in two colors, presumably a home and an away pair.   Cheney's are turquoise and Mitts' are blue. Sauerbrunn did not tweet a photo of her cleats, but she was wearing white and red versions of Cheney's cleats in the last match against Canada.

Heather O'Reilly and Christie Rampone wear Adidas cleats. O'Reilly will wear pairs that are red, white, and blue and it is unclear what cleats Rampone will wear.

Amy Rodriguez is the only player who is sponsored by Puma. Along with O'Reilly, she will wear red, white, and blue cleats. This is surprising since the Olympics stir such nationalistic pride. I would have thought a majority of the players would be in red, white, and blue cleats.

Whichever company or color cleats the players will wear, they will be taking the field at the Olympics in brand new boots.    

Photo Credit: Nike, Lauren Cheney Twitter, Heather Mitts Twitter. 

Hope Solo Failed Drug Test

Hope Solo failed a drug test and receives a public warning as punishment, which will have no affect over her eligibility for the Olympics. Solo tested positive for Canrenone on June 15, the day before the USWNT played Sweden in a friendly in the Volvo Winners Cup. Canrenone is a diuretic and is banned by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency because it can be used to flush the system.

The USADA and U.S. Soccer believe Solo's explanation for why the substance was in her body. Solo said Canrenone was contained in a medication she was legitimately prescribed by a doctor for pre-menstrual purposes.  


Solo's statement:
"I took a medication prescribed by my personal doctor for pre-menstrual purposes that I did not know contained a diuretic. Once informed of this fact, I immediately cooperated with USADA and shared with them everything they needed to properly conclude that I made an honest mistake, and that the medication did not enhance my performance in any way. As someone who believes in clean sport, I am glad to have worked with USADA to resolve this matter and I look forward to representing my country at the 2012 Olympic Games in London."



U.S. Soccer's statement:
"U.S. Soccer received notification from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency that Hope Solo tested positive for a banned substance from an out-of competition urine sample she provided on June 15. After discussions with Hope, we fully support her clarification that the positive test for Canrenone was due to the use of a prescribed medication from a personal doctor for pre-menstrual purposes and not related to performance enhancement in any way."



The headline is shocking, but the result of this situation is far from disastrous. This is a public relations problem for Solo, but her representatives have handled it properly thus far by releasing a well-constructed statement. Solo did not try to deny the test, but explained why Canrenone was in her system. She admitted she made a mistake and is firm that the drug did not enhance her performance. The statement ends on a positive note by referencing the Olympics. U.S. Soccer dealt with Solo's positive test in the right manner. They showed their support for one of their most recognizable athletes.

This should be the last we hear about the drug test from Solo and U.S. Soccer. Their PR teams want to control what is being said, so any set up interviews or press conferences will compromise that. She should keep her regular media routine, which will be amped up because of the Olympics, but not do any additional media engagements specifically about the drug test. She will be asked about it and she should stick to the message in her statement. U.S. Soccer and Solo have yet to tweet anything since the story broke, so it seems the PR teams are keeping a tight lid on communications. Solo is known for her twitter outburst and having one at this time would be detrimental. They want to move on from the situation, so continuing to bring it up would be a mistake.

It is yet to be determined how much this will hurt Solo. She may be acquitted by the USADA, but public opinion is still open. The fact that Solo is still able to play in the Olympics helps this from being a public relations nightmare. Once the Olympics start, other story lines will emerge and this indecent will be old news. The public will be more concerned with winning gold.      

Photo Credit: Nike

USA v. Canada

The U.S. Women's National Team beat Canada 2-1 in their Olympic send-off match in Sandy, Utah on June 30. The match was played in front of 16,805 fans and was televised on NBC.

NBC's coverage of the match was excellent, as is all of their coverage of the Olympics. NBC is heavily promoting the Olympic Games and for the past week has been airing the Olympic trials, the USWNT match is encompassed in this effort. Arlo White and Kyle Martino provided analyses and play-by-play coverage. They conducted a pre-game interview with Alex Morgan and a half-time interview with Megan Rapinoe, which is something new to the coverage of USWNT matches. They were knowledgeable and added insight for the viewers. White and Martino relayed a conversation they had with head coach Pia Sundhage, in which she said the starting line-up against Canada is the team's best line-up.

The starters of the match were: Solo; LePeilbet; Rampone (c); Buehler; O'Hara; Rapinoe; Boxx; Cheney; Heath; Morgan; Wambach

This starting line-up is interesting because of the recent changes in the midfield. Lauren Cheney has replaced Carli Lloyd, Rapinoe has replaced Heather O'Reilly, and with Cheney moving to the center, Tobin Heath has moved into that spot. White and Martino indicated that this would be the starting line-up in London. I really like Cheney in the middle, but I would like to see O'Reilly keep her starting spot.

The play between the U.S. and Canada was very physical. There were multiple times USWNT players went down in the box and nothing was called. Also, O'Hara and Boxx picked up a yellow yard within a minute of each other. O'Hara had a high challenge on a Canadian player and kicked her in the thigh. A few seconds later, Christine Sinclair had a late challenge on Christy Rampone, but was not called for the foul. Boxx, about 30 seconds after Sinclair's challenge, committed her own late slide-tackle and was given a yellow card for it. The tough plays did not ease up; in the second half two Canadian players received yellow cards.

The play was physical, but the USWNT looked in control. The connection between the defense, midfield, and forwards was the best it has been in awhile. The U.S. looked to attack right from the beginning and Canada conceded an own goal in the 15th minute of play. Rapinoe controlled the right flank throughout the match. She was taking opponents on and showing her flair to beat them. She did have trouble picking players out on her crosses, so her fancy footwork did not result in any goals. Rapinoe was on target off her free kicks and it is interesting to note that she took all of them instead of Cheney. Wambach missed wide left twice in the first half off of great free kicks from Rapinoe, which is very unlike Wambach.

Hope Solo had a spectacular save at the end of the first half. The ball took a deflection and Solo had to completely change her momentum to get a hand on it. Then she used all her strength to hold onto the ball as a Canadian player had a second attempt on it. She barely kept it off the line. Solo showed why she is the best goalie in the game on that play.


At the start of the half, Carli Lloyd came on for Boxx, Becky Sauerbrunn for Rampone, Heather Mitts for Amy LePeilbett, and O'Reilly for Heath. The second half began with a near disaster; Morgan went down in the 49th minute with a knee injury. She walked off by herself and was later shown on the bench icing her knee. Amy Rodriguez replaced Morgan at forward.She suffered a twist to her knee, so nothing serious and she calmed her fans with a tweet after the game saying she was fine. 


The Canadians looked sharper in the second half and were able to maintain possession. The midfield looked flat with the pairing of Cheney and Lloyd and the defense was less organized without Rampone. This led to Canada equalizing in the 57th minute. A ball was passed behind Mitts, Melissa Tancredi rocketed a shot that hit the inside of the crossbar and bounced down into the goal. 


The U.S. had a few good chances in the second half that were just off. Rapinoe sent a ball low and hard from the left side of the field that Wambach tried to slightly touch to the far post. She nearly missed it and the ball went across the face of the goal untouched. Later in the 71st minute, O'Reilly kicked a great ball from her position 30 yards out and near the right sideline. Wambach was on the back post, but the keeper did well to grab it out of the air. 


The U.S. put the pressure on in the final 15 minutes of the match. Sydney Leroux came on for O'Hara, changing the formation from a 4-4-2 to a 3-4-3. The extra forward worked and the U.S. got the game-winning goal in the 85th minute. There was a scramble in front of the net, with the ball taking multiple deflections. Somehow the ball ended up in front of Rodriguez and she nailed it home. The USWNT paid homage to the last game that was played in Utah, in which the field was covered in snow. They ran to the corner and made "snow angels" on the ground.    


Photo credit: John Todd/isiphoto.com from ussoccer.com

Olympic Roster Announced

The U.S. national team roster of 18 is set for the 2012 Olympics. Many familiar faces made the cut, with only one new addition, Sydney Leroux, from the 2011 Women's World Cup squad. The Women's World Cup allowed for a 21 player roster, so head coach Pia Sundhage had to make some tough decisions to trim it down to 18. Goalkeeper Jill Loyden, defender Stephanie Cox, and midfielder Lori Lindsey were left off the roster, along with defender Ali Krieger who suffered a torn ACL during Olympic Qualifying.

U.S. Olympic Women’s Soccer Team Roster by Position:
GOALKEEPERS (2): Nicole Barnhart, Hope Solo 
DEFENDERS (6): Rachel Buehler, Amy LePeilbet, Heather Mitts, Kelley O’Hara, Christie Rampone, Becky Sauerbrunn 
MIDFIELDERS (6): Shannon Boxx, Lauren Cheney, Tobin Heath, Carli Lloyd, Heather O’Reilly, Megan Rapinoe 
FORWARDS (4): Sydney Leroux, Alex Morgan, Amy Rodriguez, Abby Wambach


There are no real surprises with this roster. It was known that the U.S. would only take two keepers with the reduced roster from 21 to 18. Also, Stephanie Cox did not make the Olympic Qualifying roster, but was added to the Algarve Cup roster due to Krieger's injury. This irregularity for Cox makes it unsurprising that she was left off, especially with Kelley O'Hara's transition to left-back. Lindsey's absence is less predictable. It was thought that a midfielder would be cut and Lindsey is the least versatile of the bunch. Leroux has come on strong as the new super-sub as Alex Morgan has taken on a starting role and she was heavily regarded as a strong candidate for a roster spot.  


The Olympic roster features slight changes of note; Lauren Cheney is listed as a midfielder when she had been previously listed as a forward despite playing in the midfield and Amy Rodriguez is listed as a forward when she had been previously listed as a midfielder. Cheney will most likely be used as a center or outside midfielder and Rodriquez will most likely be used as an outside midfielder. The listing of positions is a technicality but it is interesting to note the differences. 


Sundhage named four alternative players for the Olympics, midfielder Lori Lindsey, goalkeeper Jill Loyden, midfielder Megan Klingenberg, and forward Christen Press. Klingenberg and Press were surprising choices due to their inexperience. Klingenberg has only been capped twice, but is a regular pool player. Press is uncapped and has only attended one national team training camp. 


All-in-all the roster is solid and features few changes. Now we can look ahead to speculate at what the starting line-up will be.  


    

Olympic Media Summit

Today, May 15, is the fourth and final day of the 2012 Olympic Media Summit and featured the Women's Soccer Press Conference. Four members of the USWNT traveled from their training camp in Princeton, N.J. to Dallas, Texas to participate in the event. Lauren Cheney, Heather O'Reilly, Carli Lloyd, and Alex Morgan represented the USWNT team and fielded questions from multiple reporters.

First off, I was disappointed that the U.S. Olympic Committee seemed to be unable to get Lauren Cheney's name correct. On the Master Schedule for the Media Summit posted online on their teamusa.org website, Cheney was listed as "Megan Chaney." Maybe Megan Rapinoe was initially scheduled for the Media Summit, but their is no excuse for spelling her last name wrong. The USOC has been tweeting athletes answers throughout and they referred to Cheney as "Chaney" on that platform as well. However, they did correct their mistake in their following tweets. It is disheartening when Cheney's name is spelt wrong in such a public forum as the Media Summit for the 2012 Olympics. It comes off as disrespectful and uncaring of women's soccer. Cheney is an Olympic gold medialist and deserves to have her name spelt correctly at an Olympic event. I mean come on, if they needed to check it, it's on the back of her jersey.

Besides the name mix-up, the Media Summit has been a great platform for the USWNT. I like that US Soccer sent Cheney, O'Reilly, Lloyd, and Morgan instead of Hope Solo and Abby Wambach. Solo and Wambach are probably the most recognizable players for the USWNT after the Women's World Cup (I would also argue that Morgan is right up there, with Rapinoe being close behind). Sending players besides Solo and Wambach allows the media and the public to become familiar with other great players on the USWNT. This is a positive for US Soccer because Solo and Wambach may not be able to compete for much longer after the Olympics and this is the beginning of creating the new faces of the USWNT. Also, the more players the media and public knows the better.