U.S. Earns FIFA Women's World Cup Quarterfinal Spot with 3-0 Win Over Colombia
Sunday, July 3, 2011 | Soccer
With one match remaining in group play, the U.S. Women's National Soccer team secured a spot in the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup Quarterfinal round with a 3-0 win over Colombia Saturday in front of sold-out crowd of 25,475 at Rhein-Neckar Arena in Shinsheim, Germany.
| FIFA Women's World Cup – Group C Results | |
| June 28 | Sweden 1, Colombia 0 |
| June 28 | USA 2, Korea DPR 0 |
| July 2 | Sweden 1, Korea DPR 0 |
| July 2 | USA 3, Colombia 0 |
With six points from the first two matches, the U.S. has secured advancement to the quarterfinal phase and now sits in first place in Group C ahead of Sweden based on a superior goal differential. Sweden has also qualified for the next round after snatching a 1-0 victory against Korea DPR in the early match. A win or a draw for the United States in its final first round match against the Swedes on July 6 in Wolfsburg (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) would secure the top spot in the group.
The U.S. began playing at a high tempo from the opening whistle, applying relentless pressure all over the field while preventing Colombia from finding any productive rhythm. Lori Lindsey, making her World Cup debut, combined in the center of the midfield with Carli Lloyd to provide smothering defense. Throughout the opening stanza the U.S. deployed a varied attack, slipping balls into seams as well as finding Lauren Cheney and Heather O'Reilly on the flanks.
The U.S. nearly struck gold in the seventh minute when O'Reilly dropped in a great cross to the far post for former Gator All-American Abby Wambach. After taking a touch, she rifled a volley that forced Colombia goalkeeper Sandra Sepulveda into a point-blank save. The rebound hopped in front of goal, but Amy Rodriguez couldn't get down on the ball and her effort sailed over the bar.
Three minutes later the United States opened the scoring on a magnificent solo effort from O'Reilly. As Colombia tried to build out of the back, team captain Natalia Gaitan played a ball out to Liana Salazar who found it too hot to handle. O'Reilly pounced on the loose ball and fired an absolute laser from 33 yards out that blazed into the upper left corner. After scoring the third World Cup goal of her career and 30th overall, she and the rest of the starters gave a military-style salute to the crowd in honor of the large contingent of U.S. service personnel supporting the team in the stadium.
O'Reilly proved a menace throughout the half. At the 30-minute mark, she made a trademark run past her defender, delivering another pinpoint cross to the back post where Wambach slightly mistimed her jump and headed wide.
Colombia sniffed a chance in the 32nd minute when a through ball over the top appeared threatening with Katerin Castro running on, but U.S. captain Christie Rampone recovered with speed to foil the danger.
Lauren Cheney, once again starting at flank midfield, almost doubled the lead in the 36th minute. Amy LePeilbet kept the play alive after a clearance, pushing a pass wide to Cheney. She lined up a half-volley struck with pace that Sepulveda parried.
Both teams had a good look in first-half stoppage time. Colombia was first when Diana Ospina found space and ran at speed at the U.S. backline. The U.S. defenders alertly stepped up and held their line, putting Castro nearly two yards offside when she received the pass, rendering moot her shot that slipped under the sliding Solo. The U.S. marched to the other end and earned a corner that Lloyd headed back across goal. In the ensuing scrum, both Lloyd and Rachel Buehler had shots blocked, sending the U.S. into the interval ahead by a goal.
The U.S. outshot Colombia 15 to 1 in the first half, putting six shots on frame while Hope Solo didn't need to make a single save. Solo broke her personal record for consecutive minutes without surrendering a goal (781) in her eighth straight shutout in all competitions, and her streak of 478 shutout minutes at the Women's World Cup is second all-time to Nadine Angerer of Germany (622). With the start, she tied Mary Harvey for second most games ever played by a U.S. goalkeeper in a Women's World Cup.
Sundhage made one substitution at half, bringing on Rapinoe for the second straight time in the tournament, this time pulling Rodriguez and shifting Cheney to forward, and the move paid off nearly straight away. From the left flank, Rapinoe delivered a throw-in to Cheney. After an excellent turn, she knifed a clever pass back to Rapinoe who took a smart touch inside before curling a high shot into the left side of the net. Rapinoe's first World Cup goal was the fastest ever for a U.S. substitute in the tournament.
Colombia nearly pulled one back in the 53rd minute. After coming on as a sub a minute earlier, Orianica Velasquez almost made her first touch count when she found room and hammered a shot pegged for the top shelf, commanding Solo into a full stretch to push the ball wide.
Stephanie Cox was inserted for LePeilbet in the 56th minute and she too made an immediate impact, floating a ball into the center of the park to Lloyd 30 yards from goal. After controlling nicely and skillfully finding space, Lloyd's shot from distance had wicked movement that confused Sepulveda. The 'keeper got her mitts on the ball but was unable to keep it from crossing the goal line. The goal was the 28-year-old's first in a World Cup and 28th of her international career.
Wambach constantly worked to put herself in good scoring positions throughout the game, and had several excellent scoring chances. One came after she got on the end of a cross from Ali Krieger in the 66th minute. Her header appeared bound for the lower corner, only to be blocked by Arias. One minute later, her left-footed volley curled just past the left post. In a play symbolic of her evening, Wambach raced for a 50-50 ball with Sepulveda in the 80th minute for which the goalkeeper arrived a split-second ahead. The ball caromed off Wambach's knee and scooted tantalizingly towards goal, only to cruelly deflect off the right post.
The U.S. attacks came in waves (the Americans out-shot Colombia 27-12), and Rapinoe had a chance to put an exclamation point on the rout. Dribbling through the middle, she dished off to Cheney and then hovered at the top of the box. Cheney set the table with a perfect pass to Rapinoe right at the penalty spot, but her shot blasted off the crossbar.
Another former Gator All-American Heather Mitts, is part of the U.S. roster, but did not play Saturday.
The 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup will be held in nine cities in Germany from June 26-July 17. The USA is part of Group C and also faces Colombia (July 2 at 11:30 a.m.) and Sweden (July 6 at 2:30 p.m.). The U.S.'s group play contests air on ESPN, ESPN3 and Galavision.
This is Wambach's third Women's World Cup appearance, as she also was on the 2003 and 2007 U.S. rosters. She currently is the fourth all-time leading scorer in international soccer history with 118 goals. She led the USA in scoring at the 2003 and 2007 FIFA Women's World Cups and the 2004 Olympics, where she scored the winning goal in the gold medal match. Wambach missed the 2008 Olympics as she broke her left leg in the USA's final warm-up match prior to leaving for China. The two-time U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year (2003 and 2004) is a member of the magicJack team of the Women's Professional Soccer league.
Wambach is the Gators' career leader in goals (96), assists (50) and points (242) and stands seventh on the NCAA Career charts in goals and points. She earned National Soccer Coaches Association of American (NSCAA) All-America first-team honors in 1999 and 2001. She is a four-time member of the All-Southeastern Conference first team and picked up the SEC Player of the Year award in 2000 and 2001.
Mitts is among the 12 players on the USA roster making their first World Cup appearance, although she is familiar with soccer on the major international stage. Mitts was part of the USA's 2004 and 2008 gold-medal Olympic teams, starting at right back in each of the six matches of the 2008 Olympic run. Mitts was expected to be a part of the USA's 2007 World Cup roster, but a left anterior cruciate ligament tear suffered in an international friendly on May 12, 2007 put her out of contention for that World Cup cycle. Mitts plays for the Atlanta Beat of the WPS.
As a Gator, Mitts earned All-America and All-SEC honors in her final two seasons (1998 & '99). Mitts is third on UF's career list with 7,547 minutes played and is tied for fourth with 95 matches played. The defender also was a NCAA Championship All-Tournament team selection when the Gators claimed the 1998 national title.
U.S. Women's National Team Match Report
Match: U.S. Women's National Team vs. Colombia
Date: July 2, 2011
Competition: 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup – Group C
Venue: Rhein-Neckar-Arena; Sinsheim, Germany
Kickoff: 6 p.m. local / Noon p.m. ET
Attendance: 25,475
Weather: 65 degrees, cloudy
| Scoring Summary | |||
|
| 1 | 2 | Final |
| USA | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| COL | 0 | 0 | 0 |
USA – Heather O'Reilly 12th minute
USA – Megan Rapinoe (Lauren Cheney) 50
USA-- Carli Lloyd (Stephanie Cox) 57
Lineups:
USA: 1-Hope Solo; 11-Ali Krieger, 19-Rachel Buehler, 3-Christie Rampone (capt.), 6-Amy LePeilbet (14-Stephanie Cox, 56); 9-Heather O'Reilly (17-Tobin Heath, 62),16-Lori Lindsey, 10-Carli Lloyd, 12-Lauren Cheney; 8-Amy Rodriguez (15-Megan Rapinoe, 46), 20-Abby Wambach
Subs not used: 2-Heather Mitts, 4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 5-Kelley O'Hara, 7-Shannon Boxx, 13-Alex Morgan,18-Nicole Barnhart, 21-Jill Loyden
Head coach: Pia Sundhage
COL: 12-Sandra Sepulveda; 5-Nataly Arias, 14-Kelis Peduzine, 3-Natalia Gaitan (capt.), 19-Fatima Montano; 4-Diana Ospina, 13-Yulieht Dominguez, 11-Liana Salazar (10-Yoreli Rincon, 55), 9-Carmen Rodallega; 18-Katerin Castro, 7- Catalina Usme (20-Orianica Velasquez, 53)
Subs not used: 1-Paula Forero, 2-Yuli Munoz, 6-Daniela Montoya, 8-Andrea Peralta, 15-Tatiana Ariza, 16-Lady Andrade, 17-Ingrid Vidal, 21-Alejandra Velasco
Head coach: Ricardo Rozo
Statistical Summary: USA / COL
Shots: 27 /12
Shots on Goal: 9 / 4
Saves: 4 / 6
Corner Kicks: 5 / 1
Fouls: 16 / 10
Offside: 2 / 7
Misconduct Summary:
USA – Abby Wambach (caution) 84th minute
Officials
Referee: Dagmar Damkova (CZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Maria Luisa Villa Gutierrez (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Yolanda Parga Rodriguez (ESP)
Fourth Official: Jacqui Melksham (AUS)
Bud Light Woman of the Match: Carli Lloyd
Information from USA Soccer used for this report
