All or Nothing: WNT and Colombia Face Off in First Game of Knockout Round

Hope Solo
Hope Solo

U.S. Women’s National Team vs. Colombia
2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup – Round of 16
Commonwealth Stadium; Edmonton, Canada
June 22, 2015 

ROUND OF 16 BRINGS USA AND COLOMBIA TO EDMONTON: The U.S. Women’s National Team will commence play in the knockout stage at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup when it faces Colombia on Monday, June 22 at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Canada. The match will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1 and NBC Universo at 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT). Fans can follow all the action on Twitter @ussoccer_wnt and @ussoccer_esp, and follow the team along its journey on Instagram and on Snapchat (ussoccer_wnt). The USA and Colombia will play the seventh of eight Round of 16 matches, with the USA earning its way into the second round by winning Group D (2-0-1, 7 points) while Colombia finished third in Group F (1-1-1, 4 points) during a run that included a monumental 2-0 upset of the third-ranked France. The winner of the USA-Colombia match will face China PR in a quarterfinal on June 26 in Ottawa.

FANS CREATE HOME FIELD ATMOSPHERE ABROAD: The U.S. WNT played in front of three sold-out crowds during its Women’s World Cup Send-Off Series and the vast majority of the more than 31,000 at Winnipeg Stadium on June 8 and more than 32,000 on June 12 were also solidly decked out in red, white and blue. The match against Nigeria at BC Place in Vancouver proved to be no different as the crowd of 52,193 fans, mostly of whom were backing the stars and stripes, was the fourth largest to attend a WNT match outside the U.S. Another pro-U.S. crowd is expected at the massive Commonwealth Stadium on Monday night.

U.S. ROSTER NOTES:

  • Seven U.S. players have played all 270 minutes of the tournament so far: midfielder Lauren Holiday, defender Julie Johnston, defender Meghan Klingenberg, defender Ali Krieger, midfielder Carli Lloyd, defender Becky Sauerbrunn and goalkeeper Hope Solo.
  • The USA has allowed nine shots on goal over the 270 minutes of action so far and allowed just one against Sweden and two against Nigeria.
  • Morgan Brian, Klingenberg, Johnston, Sydney Leroux and Christen Press all made their World Cup debuts against Australia on June 8. All played against Sweden on June 12 as well, with Brian getting her first start. Klingenberg, Johnston and Leroux all saw action against Nigeria on June 16.
  • Press and Leroux also recorded their first World Cup points on June 8, with Press scoring a goal and Leroux an assist.
  • So far, 16 of the 20 field players on the World Cup roster have seen action in the tournament.
  • Brian made her first start in a World Cup against Sweden on June 12, while Amy Rodriguez made her first appearance of the tournament in that game as well.
  • Shannon Boxx and Christie Rampone made their first appearance of the tournament against Nigeria on June 16. Rampone became the oldest player to appear in a World Cup match at 39 years 11 months and 23 days. This is Boxx’s fourth World Cup and Rampone’s fifth.
  • Tobin Heath and Alex Morgan made their first starts in the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup on June 16 against Nigeria. It was also the first career start for either in a World Cup match. Morgan’s last start this year came in the WNT’s April 4 match with New Zealand, while Heath’s came in the March 9 match against Iceland. Before her start against Nigeria, Morgan had only played 25 minutes in the tournament, coming off the bench in against Australia and Sweden for 12 and 13 minutes, respectively. She has now played a total of 90 minutes.
  • In its last 13 games, the U.S. has surrendered just three goals and has scored 24. Its only defeat of the year came on the first match, a 2-0 loss to France on Feb. 8, 2015, in Lorient, France.
  • Forward Abby Wambach leads the U.S. with six goals in 2015.
  • Lori Chalupny scored against New Zealand in her hometown of St. Louis on April 4, marking it her first goal for the USA since she scored against the Republic of Ireland on Sept. 20, 2008. She scored her second goal of the year against Mexico on May 17, just 45 seconds after coming into the match as a second half sub.
  • Klingenberg scored her second National Team goal on a long-range blast against New Zealand. Her first goal was a similar long-range effort that came against Haiti on Oct. 8, during Women’s World Cup qualifying tournament last year.
  • Johnston has three goals in 2015, all coming in consecutive games. Her three goals were all from set pieces and all assisted by Lauren Holiday.
  • Eleven different players have scored for the USA in 2015: Morgan, Wambach, Rodriguez, Press, Johnston, Klingenberg, Rapinoe, Brian, Chalupny, Leroux and Lloyd.
  • U.S. captain Christie Rampone is currently the second most-capped player in U.S. and world history with 307 appearances.
  • Rampone earned her 300th cap against with Mexico on Oct. 24, 2014, and her 307 games are the most of any active player in the world behind only former teammate Kristine Lilly.
  • Defender Becky Sauerbrunn is the only player on the roster to start every game for the USA. She has played the most minutes (1149) of anyone on the team.
  • Carli Lloyd currently sits at 198 caps and could hit the 200 mark during the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. She would become the 10th player in U.S. history to reach that mark and the fourth in the current roster. Rampone, Wambach and Heather O’Reilly are the other three.
  • Lauren Holiday leads all U.S. players on the rosters in assists with five in 2015. Holiday was the 2014 U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year.
  • Brian, the USA’s youngest player at age 22, was the 2014 U.S. Soccer Young Female Athlete of the Year. She was also named the 2013 and 2014 Hermann Trophy winner while playing for the University of Virginia.
  • While Wambach is the USA’s top scorer on the roster with 183 goals, Lloyd is next with 63 career international goals and Morgan has 51. Heather O’Reilly has scored 41.
  • Christen Press’ four-goal performance against Argentina in Brazil last December was the ninth such game in U.S. history and second of 2014 after Wambach scored four times against Costa Rica in the final of the CONCACAF Women’s Championship. It was the first-career hat trick for Press.
  • All nine NWSL clubs are represented on the Women’s World Cup roster.

IN THE RECORD BOOKS:

  • With her first goal of the game against Australia on June 8, U.S. midfielder Megan Rapinoe became the 13th U.S. female player to score 30 goals and tally 30 assists. She currently has 31 goals and 33 assists. Her brace against Australia were her first tallies of 2015.
  • Rapinoe became the 31st American female player to reach the century mark in caps, achieving that feat against New Zealand on April 4. She currently has 104 caps. Lori Chalupny became the 32nd player against Ireland on May 10.
  • With three goals against Argentina on Dec. 18 of last year, Carli Lloyd upped her career total to 61 and moved into sole possession of seventh place on the U.S. WNT’s all-time goal scoring list, passing Shannon MacMillan who scored 60 goals in her career. Lloyd, now with 63 goals, is the highest-scoring player in U.S. history who has played exclusively as a midfielder.
  • Heather O’Reilly is the ninth player to hit 200 caps in U.S. history after reaching the milestone against Korea DPR on March 12, 2014. Now with 219, she is seventh on the USA’s all-time list. Abby Wambach (245) and Christie Rampone (307) are the only active players ahead of her.
  • O’Reilly is the second-youngest player to hit 200 caps for the USA. Lilly was 28 years, 9 months and 15 days old when she earned cap No. 200 on May 7, 2000. O’Reilly was 29 years, 2 months and 10 days old when she earned her 200th cap.
  • O’Reilly is currently sixth all-time in assists with 52 and is 13th all-time in goals with 41.
  • In addition to breaking Mia Hamm’s world scoring record, Wambach’s June 20, 2013, performance against the Korea Republic also made her the USA’s all-time leader in multiple-goal games with 39 for her career. She has since added six more and now sits at 45. She has 37 two-goal games, five hat tricks, two four-goal games and one five-goal game.
  • Sydney Leroux is tied with April Heinrichs in 14th place on the all-time U.S. WNT goal-scoring list with 35 goals.
  • With her game-winning goal against England on Feb. 13, Alex Morgan became the 10th player in U.S. history to score 50 or more goals. She now has 51.
  • Hope Solo recorded her 86th career shutout against Nigeria. It was the second-consecutive World Cup clean sheet for the USA, and Solo’s seventh in World Cup play, the second most by a U.S. goalkeeper behind Brianna Scurry (10).
  • Hope Solo now has 173 caps with the USWNT, which is tied for the most by a goalkeeper in U.S. history with Briana Scurry (1994-2008).
  • Solo has the most starts by a WNT goalkeeper with 167. Solo is also in 10th place on the WNT’s all-time starts list and behind ninth place Carli Lloyd, who has 170.
  • Solo is currently second all-time in goalkeeper wins with 132, behind only Scurry who had 133. Solo could surpass Scurry and become the all-time leader in wins for a goalkeeper in U.S. history during the 2015 Women’s World Cup

2015 FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP NOTES:

  • After scoring three times against Australia in its opening match of the 2015 FIFA WWC, the USA became the second country to reach and then surpass the century mark of World Cup goals scored. The USA currently has scored 102 WWC goals. Christen Press had the honor of scoring the 100th goal in U.S. Women’s World Cup history. Germany scored 10 goals in their opener on June 7 to hit 101 and become the first time to pass 100. The Germans currently have 110 goals after scoring 19 so far in this tournament.
  • The draw with Sweden was the first scoreless draw in U.S. history during group play in a World Cup. It was the second overall scoreless draw for the USA in a World Cup (0-0 against China in the 1999 WWC Final).
  • The USA is making its seventh appearance in a FIFA Women’s World Cup and is one of seven countries to appear in all seven editions of the tournament, the others being Brazil, Germany, Japan, Nigeria, Norway and Sweden.
  • The U.S. is the only country to have reached semifinals of every FIFA Women’s World Cup. The USA won in 1991 and 1999.The U.S. WNT has now won its group in the World Cup every year except 2011, when it finished second to Sweden.
  • The WNT has earned at least a point in each of its seven opening matches at a Women’s World Cup.
  • The 90,185 spectators on hand at the Rose Bowl for the USA’s victory against China PR in the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup represent the largest attendance in the tournament’s history. The largest venue at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup is Olympic Stadium, which seats 66,308.
  • With her first-half goal against Nigeria, Abby Wambach moved into a tie with Germany’s Birgit Prinz for 2nd all-time with 14 World Cup goals. Brazil’s Marta is the leader with 15 goals, including one in this tournament.
  • Wambach has scored in every World Cup group stage in which she has played (2003, 2007, 2011, 2015). She has scored seven goals, tallying three in final group stage matches.
  • Nine players on the current USA roster have scored in a Women’s World Cup tournament: Wambach, Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, Carli Lloyd, Lauren Holiday, Heather O’Reilly, Lori Chalupny, Shannon Boxx, and Christen Press.
  • The U.S. WNT is 30-4-5 all-time in the Women’s World Cup, outscoring its opponents 102-33 in 39 games. The 30 wins, 39 games played and 102 goals scored are all FIFA Women’s World Cup records.
  • The USA’s most lopsided victory in the tournament was a 7-0 win against Chinese Taipei in 1991.
  • Michelle Akers’ five goals against Chinese Taipei are the most in a single match in tournament history.
  • The U.S. holds two other individual records with Kristine Lilly playing a record 30 games in five World Cups and goalkeeper Briana Scurry earning a record 10 shutouts.

WORLD CUP REMATCH: The USA and Colombia have met just twice before, both in world championship events. The two teams met in group play at the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup and at the 2012 Olympics. At the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup the USA won 3-0 with goals from Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd and Heather O’Reilly. All three players are part of this USA roster. A year later, the USA once again took down Colombia with a score of 3-0 to continue on its path to the gold medal as Megan Rapinoe, Abby Wambach and Carli Lloyd scored, giving Rapinoe and Lloyd goals in both games vs. the Colombians. 

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WNT2015 FIFA Womens World CupU.S. WNT vs. Colombia - 06/22/2015