LONG ROAD TO GERMANY, BUT FIRST WPS: Sundhage Will See Top American Players in New Environments
New U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage was given a difficult task when she took charge of the U.S. Women’s National Team at the end of 2007. With about three months to prepare for Olympic qualifying, and then if all went well there, another three and half months to prepare for the Beijing Olympics, Sundhage was on an accelerated time-table to get familiar with the player pool, choose her best roster and ultimately the best lineup.
Well, history will show that she got it all right. Things did go well in qualifying, and despite a hiccup at the beginning of the Olympic Games, the team rebounded to win a glory-covered gold medal in China. Sundhage did a fantastic job with the national team over that short period of time, but with Beijing in the past, she can now take a deep breath and embark on the next challenge: coaching the U.S. Women’s National Team with all of the players participating in a full-time professional league.
Sundhage will get the chance to evaluate the players who contributed to the national team during a wildly successful 2008, but more importantly, will also get to see about 90 other American players in a highly competitive environment.
This combination of experienced veterans, young pros and new players showing their talents should contribute to the deepest player pool the U.S. Women’s National Team has had in years. Of course, Sundhage will also be keeping an eye on the U.S. youth national teams, most notably the U-20s and U-23s, to see if there are any college-aged players who can contribute to the team over the next two years.
The U.S. team has won the last two Olympic gold medals, but finished third in the last two Women’s World Cup Tournaments, something that Sundhage and her staff will work tirelessly to remedy as cycle progresses toward the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which will be held June 26 through July 17 in Germany.
With the Women’s World Cup qualifying dates and format not yet set, the focus in 2009 will be on continuing to grow as a national team under Sundhage’s philosophy, as well working to get new, young players into the mix. The U.S. team will just four domestic matches during the WPS season, but will come together for several camps and events in the fall, including a trip to Europe for some highly competitive matches.
The USA is currently first in the FIFA Women’s World Rankings, having lost just four matches since the end of the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Without any major competitions currently scheduled before the as yet unconfirmed CONCACAF FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifying, the U.S. team will substitute friendly matches against some of the top teams in the world.
IT’S A WHOLE NEW BALLGAME…
The new WPS will give the U.S. veterans a chance to show why they’ve been consistently selected for the national team over the past few years while the younger players will have an excellent platform on which to shine. The new league should also provide the WNT players a chance to play different positions from the ones they play for their country, which should help increase the versatility and options for Sundhage.
Several older veterans playing in the league will have the opportunity to show Sundhage that they still have the skills, athleticism, savvy and consistency to perform at the highest levels of international soccer. First and foremost among those is former U.S. captain Kristine Lilly, the world’s all-time leader in games played at 342, who took most of 2008 off to have her first baby. Lilly played in two Achieve Your Gold Tour matches at the end of 2008, but will be plying her trade for the Boston Breakers in her second stint with the club.
The league will also provide a comeback of sorts for forward Abby Wambach, who has not played for the USA since breaking her leg on July 16, 2008, against Brazil, in the final match before the Olympics. With Wambach fully recovered and back for her second stint with the Washington Freedom, she will be looking for her first call up since the injury and a chance to finally score her 100th career international goal.
With goal scoring perhaps the most difficult skill in soccer, the new league will provide a valuable laboratory in which the American strikers can improve their finishing. A player who will most certainly benefit from this is rising star Amy Rodriguez, the top pick in the WPS College Draft who will be playing for the Boston Breakers. Natasha Kai, who led the USA in goals with 15 in 2008 after Wambach went down, will also be playing professional club soccer for the first time.
Other strikers trying to sharpen their goal scoring chops will be Lindsay Tarpley and Heather O’Reilly, who of course have also played quite a bit in the midfield for the USA, as well as up-and-coming talent Megan Rapinoe. Tarpley and O’Reilly both had career years of sorts in 2008, with Tarpley scoring 12 goals and O’Reilly bagging 10. With 10 assists, O’Reilly also more than doubled her all-time assists totals heading into 2008 and became just the sixth U.S. player to reach double figures in goals and assists in one year.
The second pick in the WPS College Draft by the Chicago Red Stars, Rapinoe can play either flank midfielder, attacking midfield or at forward. There could be a few unproven strikers who make their mark in the WPS, including Tina Ellertson, who was a defender on the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup Team, but has seen some action up top in her limited time under the Sundhage after coming back from the birth of her second child. The college ranks feature one of the country’s most talented young forwards in UCLA’s Lauren Cheney. One of the youngest members of the 2008 Olympic Team, Cheney will play her senior season for the Bruins in the fall.
The U.S. midfield may be currently under a bit of reconstruction, but count on Shannon Boxx and Carli Lloyd being fixtures in the middle of the field. The play of the duo was vital in the USA’s Olympic run and gives the Americans one of the best center-midfield combos in the world. With Leslie Osborne back from major reconstructions on both her left ankle and knee, the USA will have tremendous depth at defensive midfield while several nifty players could emerge at the attacking midfield spot, including the diminutive by dynamic Tina DiMartino. Of course, the versatile Angela Hucles can also play in the attacking role as well as at withdrawn forward, where she scored her amazing four goals at the Olympics.
On the flanks, Sundhage may shuffle the cards a bit, with Tarpley, O’Reilly and Rapinoe all possibilities, along with Angie Woznuk, who can also play in the center, and Kacey White who saw by far the most minutes of her national team career during 2008. One flank player with perhaps the best potential is Tobin Heath, the youngest player on the 2008 Olympic gold medal team who will play her senior season at UNC in the fall.
In the back, U.S. captain Christie Rampone will surely remained the USA’s rock. The USA’s “Soccer Mom” has developed into a fantastic leader and one of the most consistent players in recent U.S. history as she rolled past 200 caps last year. She will anchor a back line that will be without Kate Markgraf, who has stepped away from international soccer due pregnancy, but that opens up some minutes at center back. Those could be filled by rugged defenders Rachel Buehler or Kendall Fletcher, or even Boxx, who may play some defense in 2009. Of course, still in the mix is veteran defender Cat Whitehill, who is recovering from ACL surgery, but could add just the presence the U.S. needs in the middle of the back line.
The USA certainly has some talented outside backs as well, led by Lori Chalupny who has performed as well as any left back in the world over the past few years. Heather Mitts has been a staple at right back for the USA, but several younger players are trying to work their way back into the side, including Stephanie Cox, who played so well at the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and Marian Dalmy, who was out for almost all of 2008 with a knee injury. Buehler and Fletcher can certainly play outside back as well.
In goal, the USA has one of the world’s best in the athletic Hope Solo, who has established herself as the USA’s #1 ‘keeper over the past four years. Nicole Barnhart has battled back through injuries to put a firm grasp on consistent roster spots, but veterans Briana Scurry and Kristin Luckenbill will try to use the WPS matches to get back into top form.
The WPS brings the distinct possibility that players who were not listed above could also make an impact on the U.S. team over the coming year, and certainly heading into the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup. For the first time in a long while, this will be a “stay tuned” year to see which of the USA’s most well known players continue to represent their country at the highest levels, and which new stars emerge from the new opportunities presented by the new and exciting league.
