US Women slip one pass brave T&T

Trinidad & Tobago managed to withstand the USA’s heavy attack with plenty of defenders behind the ball, but the U.S. eventually found the back of the net when all-time leading goal scorer Abby Wambach scored her 171st international goal in the 54th minute.

After the tournament’s opening day, the USA shares first place in Group A with Haiti as both teams earned 1-0 wins. In Wednesday’s earlier match, a shorthanded Haiti side defeated Guatemala at Sporting Park as Lindsey Zullo scored the game’s only goal. Haiti goalkeeper Cynthia Chery was given a red card early in the first half.

With the victory against Trinidad & Tobago, the USA moves to an impressive 23-1-0 all-time in Women’s World Cup Qualifying. All eyes are on qualification for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada, and the U.S. is also looking to win its fifth CONCACAF Women’s Championship, having previously won the title in 1991, 1994, 2002 and 2006. The USA hosted the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup and did not have to go through the qualification process heading into that event.

Goal Scoring Rundown:

USA – Abby Wambach (Alex Morgan), 54th minute: After dominating the game with heavy possession and numerous scoring chances, the USA finally broke through when Morgan dribbled to her left to elude Trinidad & Tobago goalkeeper Kimika Forbes. From the end line, Morgan crossed to Wambach perched at the edge of the six-yard box, and Wambach headed the ball past defender Lauryn Hutchinson and into the right side of the frame for her eighth goal this year and a one-goal U.S. advantage over Trinidad & Tobago. USA 1, TRI 0 (FINAL)

Key Saves and Defensive Stops:

TRI – Kimika Forbes, 14th minute: The USA was lurking in the final third with frequent set piece opportunities. Megan Rapinoe delivered a corner kick from the right side and connected well with the onrushing Christen Press, who headed the ball toward the left side of the frame. Forbes parried the well-struck shot straight up and was able to collect.

TRI – Kimika Forbes, 38th and 39th minutes: In the 38th minute, Carli Lloyd unleashed a shot from 21 yards out after a quick give-and-go with Megan Rapinoe, but Forbes denied Lloyd with a diving save to her right at the near post to surrender a corner kick. In the following sequence, Rapinoe’s corner from the left side bounced around the box, and Abby Wambach, with her back to goal, attempted a flicked header. Wambach put the shot on frame, but it lacked pace and power as Forbes collected her third save.

TRI – Kimika Forbes, 52nd minute: Several minutes after pushing a high-percentage header chance wide right of the net, Abby Wambach was back on the attack when Christen Press set her up inside the top of the box. From 14 yards out, Wambach tried to chip the ball over Forbes, but the Trinidad & Tobago goalkeeper closed the distance and made the right-handed save.

TRI – Kimika Forbes, 62nd and 81st minutes: Though the shots on goal were not in succession, Forbes had a knack for coming up with big saves against Rapinoe. Rapinoe’s 62nd-minute attempt from the left side was stopped by the Trinidad & Tobago goalkeeper, and then her low, 81st-minute drive was smothered at the near right post.

TRI – Kimika Forbes, 90th+2 minute: USA second-half sub Sydney Leroux got behind Trinidad & Tobago’s defense with a run down the left side. Leroux shot right-footed, hoping to slot the ball to the far right post, but Forbes made the save with her left leg.

Milestone Watch:

Abby Wambach, the U.S. WNT’s all-time leader with 171 goals, recorded her 11th-career goal in Women’s World Cup Qualifying, tying her for fourth on the USA’s all-time list with Joy Fawcett.

U.S. captain Christie Rampone appeared in her 298th match as she nears the 300-game milestone. She is second only to Kristine Lilly (352 caps from 1987-2010) in all-time WNT caps.

With her 177th cap, Carli Lloyd moved past Shannon MacMillan (176 games from 1993-2005) for 12th on the WNT’s all-time caps list.

Abby Wambach and second-half sub Heather O’Reilly have now appeared in four different CONCACAF Women’s Championships (2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014). That mark ties for second place among U.S. WNT players, trailing only Lilly’s five (1991, 1994, 2002, 2006, 2010).

Hope Solo added to her U.S. WNT record with her 74th-career shutout, making one save on the night. 
 
Next on the Schedule:

The U.S. WNT continues Group A play in the 2014 CONCACAF Women’s Championship against Guatemala on Friday, Oct. 17, at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois. The game kicks off at 8 p.m. CT.

Broadcast information: FOX Sports 1 and multi-platform devices via FOX Sports GO, FOX Soccer 2GO and FOXSportsGo.com.

Additional Notes:

The USA is now 11-2-3 in 2014.

The U.S. WNT is 8-0-0 all-time against Trinidad & Tobago and 4-0-0 in World Cup qualifying. Wednesday’s game was the USA’s closest margin of victory between the two sides. The previous mark was the USA’s 3-1 win on April 10, 1994.

The USA has outscored Trinidad & Tobago 55-2 in the all-time series.

U.S. head coach Jill Ellis’ starting lineup included a defensive group featuring goalkeeper Hope Solo, right back Ali Krieger, left back Meghan Klingenberg and center backs Becky Sauerbrunn and Christie Rampone. Rampone wore the captain’s armband.

The U.S. midfield included Lauren Holiday on the left, Carli Lloyd on the right and Abby Wambach playing centrally in a 4-3-3 formation.

The front line included Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and Christen Press from left to right.

Sydney Leroux replaced Press in the 61st minute.

Heather O’Reilly entered the game in the 77th minute for Wambach, who departed with well-earned chants from the USA fan base.

Ellis’ final sub was Amy Rodriguez, who replaced Rapinoe in the 87th minute.

Nine of the USA starters had played in a previous World Cup qualifier heading into the match, while Klingenberg and Press made their first appearances and starts in the CONCACAF Women’s Championship.

Wambach is the USA’s active leader in World Cup qualifying appearances, earning her 11th cap. Rampone, Lloyd and O’Reilly earned their 10th caps in the qualifying tournament. 

- U.S. Women’s National Team Match Report -

Match: U.S. Women’s National Team vs. Trinidad & Tobago
Date: Oct. 15, 2014
Competition: 2014 CONCACAF Women’s Championship
Venue: Sporting Park; Kansas City, Kansas
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. CT
Attendance: 3,621
Weather: 60 degrees, cool

Scoring Summary:   1          2          F
USA                            0          1          1
TRI                              0          0          0           

USA – Abby Wambach (Alex Morgan)  54th minute

Lineups:

USA: 1-Hope Solo; 11-Ali Krieger, 4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 3-Christie Rampone (capt.), 16-Meghan Klingenberg; 12-Lauren Holiday, 10-Carli Lloyd, 15-Megan Rapinoe (8-Amy Rodriguez, 87), 14-Christen Press (2-Sydney Leroux, 61); 20-Abby Wambach (9-Heather O’Reilly, 77), 13-Alex Morgan

Subs Not Used: 5-Kelley O’Hara, 6-Whitney Engen, 7-Morgan Brian, 17-Tobin Heath, 18-Ashlyn Harris, 19-Julie Johnston

Head Coach: Jill Ellis

TRI: 1-Kimika Forbes; 4-Rhea Belgrave, 5-Arin King, 15-Liana Hinds (18-Khadisha Debessette, 79), 16-Brianna Ryce; 20-Lauren Hutchinson, 9-Maylee Attin Johnson (capt.), 8-Patrice Superville (14-Karyn Forbes, 82), 10-Tasha St Louis (3-Mariah Shade, 46); 12-Ahkeela Mollon, 19-Kennya Cordner   
 
Subs Not Used: 2-Ayanna Russell, 6-Khadidra Debessete, 7-Dernelle Mascall, 11-Janine Francois, 13-Anique Walker, 17-Tenesha Palmer

Head Coach: Randy Waldrum

Stats Summary: USA / TRI
Shots: 29 / 7
Shots on Goal: 9 / 1
Saves: 1 / 8
Corner Kicks: 10 / 1
Fouls: 7 / 6
Offside: 1 / 0

Misconduct Summary:
TRI - Maylee Attin Johnson (caution)  16th minute

Officials:

Referee: Marianela Araya (CRC)
Assistant Referee 1: Kimberly Moreira (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Enedina Caudillo (MEX)
Fourth Official: Lucila Venegas (MEX)

Budweiser Woman of the Match: Lauren Holiday

VIDEO: - USA vs. Trinidad & Tobago: Highlights

RELATED NEWS

T&T Women hold their own in 1-0 loss to USA.
By Shaun Fuentes (TTFA).

Waldrum expects 'tough' outing vs Haiti

Trinidad and Tobago head coach Randy Waldrum expects tomorrow’s match against Haiti to be a grueling encounter but he believes this country has what it takes to pull off the result that will keep them alive in their bid to qualify for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Waldrum was speaking after T&T’s courageous and creditable showing against world powerhouse United States which ended 1-0 in favour of the Americans in Kansas on Wednesday night.

“I’m very proud of my team.  I think they made all of Trinidad and Tobago proud tonight.  I know they made me very proud. I thought defensively we were very tight and organized, and we were able to create a few decent chances off the counter,” Waldrum told TTFA Media.

“The players executed the game plan very well.  Kimika was outstanding for us in goal, and Arin King was a rock in the back line.  Maylee and Brianna did massive work for us in midfield, and Yaya was always dangerous off the counter.  Overall a very good performance,” he added.

“Now we’ve got to regroup and focus on the next match which is very important for us and which I expect to be a really tough encounter as both teams want it badly.”
Abby Wambach scored in the 54th minute to help the United States to the win

Wambach scored on a header off Alex Morgan's cross for her record-extending 171st international goal. Hope Solo made one save to push her U.S. record for shutouts to 74.

"It was frustrating," Wambach said. "We created a lot of chances but their goalie basically stood on her head this game until the end. We just couldn't break them down. In this tournament, we knew that we were going to be up against teams bunkering back and making things difficult for us in the 18, and we just weren't on our last bits. We were just a little bit off."

Goalkeeper  Forbes made 11 saves and the United States had a 29-7 shots advantage.

"She was big time tonight," Waldrum said. "She was the player of the game for us. She kept it close and kept us in it. She's special. She was fantastic tonight."

The game was the United States' first competitive match since Jill Ellis took over as coach.

"I was happy, relieved, thankful that Abby put one away because, at the end of the day, with all those opportunities you need to put one in the net," Ellis said. "Credit to Trinidad. We don't see teams that often that sit as organized and put so many numbers behind the ball. I thought it was an excellent challenge for us. We created a lot of opportunities, but defensively gave up some big mistakes. We should have done a better job finishing."

The Americans are 23-1-0 in Women's World Cup qualifying. They are 4-0-0 against Trinidad and Tobago in World Cup qualifying and 8-0-0 overall in the series.

"There was definitely relief," Morgan said about Wambach's goal and the victory, "but there was also a lot of thinking that we should have had a higher score than that from the beginning. It was great to get that goal, and that was the game-winner at the end of the day, but we should have done better than that."

The United States and Trinidad and Tobago are in Group A along with Haiti and Guatemala. In the opener at Sporting Park, Haiti beat Guatemala 1-0 on Lindsey Zullo's goal.

On Friday night in Bridgeview, Illinois, the United States will play Guatemala, and Haiti will face Trinidad and Tobago. On Monday night in Washington, the United States will play Haiti, and Trinidad and Tobago will face Guatemala.

"Right now, it's about regrouping, getting ready, and being happy that we have three points in the first match," Ellis said.

Group B play opens Thursday night at Sporting Park. Jamaica will face Martinique, and Costa Rica will play Mexico.

The top two teams in each group will advance to the CONCACAF semifinals Oct. 24 in Chester, Pennsylvania. The top three teams will qualify for the Women's World Cup next year in Canada, while the fourth-place team will face Ecuador for a spot.

USA women execute World Cup plan but Trinidad and Tobago impress
UK Guardian

The playing field was far from level, but at least it was grassy, as the US took a break from ongoing controversies over their goalkeeper and artificial turf in next summer’s women’s World Cup to take a stuttering step towards the tournament on Wednesday night.

After they arrived at training camp in Dallas last week with only $500 to cover their expenses and their head coach issued a desperate Twitter plea for help that drew a swift and generous international response, this was almost another heartwarming experience for Trinidad & Tobago.

Randy Waldrum’s amateurs put up admirable resistance in the face of daunting odds before succumbing in the second half to the game’s only goal.

“I’ve had this group probably a month, two of the players that started for us tonight I saw for the first time two or three days ago. I’m extremely proud of the way the team played tonight … most of these young ladies didn’t start playing football till they were 12 or 13 years old because there’s not anything organised for them at a younger age,” said Waldrum, a Texan.

“I could spend all night talking to you about the things that we don’t have but the one thing we do have is we’ve got a competitive, resilient group of players that just believe.”

Given the US’s habitual dominance in World Cup qualifying, this was a stilted performance from Jill Ellis’s side and a meagre scoreline. But Abby Wambach’s header made it merely an underwhelming night rather than a humiliating one.

“Today was about execution, period. Every single player, all of us in the dressing room we’re embarrassed because that’s not the way we want to play soccer, that’s not our style, that’s not the soccer we want to play. But the reality is sometimes you’re going to play teams that are going to bunker in,” Wambach said.

This was both nations’ first group game in the Concacaf Women’s Championship, the 12-day pathway to the World Cup that is routinely serene for the US. Canada qualify automatically as hosts which has excised perhaps the only team in the region capable of challenging the Americans.

The battle looks to be less daunting on the field than in the courtroom. Wambach is one of several leading players who filed a lawsuit in Canada earlier this month alleging gender discrimination because 2015’s World Cup is to be played on artificial turf yet the men’s version always takes place on grass.

Goalkeeper Hope Solo’s continued presence in the line-up despite awaiting an assault trial – she has pleaded not guilty – brought the team some unwanted mainstream media attention in the wake of several NFL players being benched after domestic violence incidents.

Solo was the least conspicuous player on the field in the first half, as T&T did not muster a shot until the 41st minute on the smooth natural surface at the home of Major League Soccer’s Sporting Kansas City. But nor did the US find the net. Again and again they were repelled by stubborn defending and T&T’s heroic goalkeeper, Kimika Forbes, a university student in Maine, who played on after hurting her back shortly before half-time as she collided with a post in an effort to repel a Megan Rapinoe shot that banged off the bar.

“She’s special,” Waldrum said. “I can’t even describe it in words how many times she came up big for us.” The number Waldrum was searching for was at least 10.

The level of US frustration was evident at half time when several players engaged in heated discussions before exiting the field. This was supposed to be a breeze: the US entered having won all seven previous matches against Trinidad & Tobago, including three victories by double figures. According to FOX Soccer, in 55 qualifying matches the US had scored 312 goals and conceded only 13.

The US won four of its five previous World Cup qualifying tournaments without enduring a single shut-out, but the memory of their only loss still stings. Mexico beat them 2-1 in the semi-finals in 2010, a high-voltage shock that forced the Americans to defeat Costa Rica in a third-place match then overcome Italy in a two-legged play-off to reach the 2011 World Cup, where they finished second. Despite a hat-trick of successive Olympic gold medals, they last lifted the World Cup in 1999.

While the American presence coats this tournament’s outcome with a thick layer of inevitability, there is still much at stake for the remaining teams – bar Martinique, who are not Fifa members and so are ineligible to qualify for 2015.

The top two nations from each group advance to semi-finals and a final played near Philadelphia on 26 October, with the finalists and winners of the third-place match qualifying automatically for the World Cup and the fourth-placed side facing Ecuador in a two-legged play-off for the right to join them. The US next play Guatemala near Chicago on Friday, who lost 1-0 to Haiti in the day’s other Group A game.

T&T, a good bet to reach Canada on this evidence, made few forays but intelligently aimed to launch swift counter-attacks using space on the flanks that opened up when their opponents surged forward. With a little more composure they might have scored. Kennya Cordner had a good sight of goal on the hour but her shot zipped wide. Then she delayed her shot too long after 73 minutes when she looked set to give Solo a serious test, and lashed an attempt over with five minutes to go.

The US pressed early in the second half and Wambach found herself clean through after 52 minutes only for the onrushing Forbes to save her dinked attempt and Rapinoe to inexplicably blast over the bar on the rebound. That might have stoked American anxieties – but the goal finally arrived two minutes later, Wambach heading in Alex Morgan’s left-wing cross for her 171st international goal.

Surprisingly, no more followed, and if Cordner had enjoyed a sharper night in front of goal, T&T might have earned a point as well as plaudits.