Women’s World Cup final: USA vs. Japan live blog

Women’s World Cup final: USA vs. Japan live blog
By Steven Goff

USA vs. JAPAN

Kickoff: 2:45 p.m. ET.

TV: ESPN, Galavision, ESPN3.com

USA LINEUP: Solo; Krieger, Rampone, Buehler, LePeilbet; O’Reilly, Lloyd, Boxx, Rapinoe (Heath 114th); Cheney (Morgan 46th), Wambach.

JAPAN LINEUP: Kaihori; Kinga, Iwashimizu, Kumagai, Sameshima; Sakaguchi, Ohno (Maruyama 66th, Iwabuchi 119th), Miyama, Sawa; Ando (Nagasato 66th), Kawasumi.

Bold switch by Sundhage, dropping the ineffecting Rodriguez, moving Cheney up front and inserting super-sub Rapinoe into the lineup. Buehler returns from red card to pair with Rampone, relegating Sauerbrunn back to bench.

*****

Phenomenal match. Japan wins its first World Cup title. USA falls short of a third world crown. USA failed to to finish early scoring opportunities but seemed on its way to championship after Morgan’s goal in the 69th minute, but defensive breakdown led to Miyama’s equalizer. Wambach strikes again with a header early in extra time, but Sawa answers. Surprisingly, USA falters in penalties after converting all five in quarterfinals against Brazil. Kaihori makes two saves. Great theater. Next Women’s World Cup: 2015 in Canada.

JAPAN WINS ON PENALTIES 3-1

4. Kumagai: goal

4. Wambach: goal

3. Sakaguchi: goal

3. Heath: saved

2. Nagasato: goal

2. Lloyd: misses high

1. Miyawa: goal

1. Boxx: saved

END OF EXTRA TIME: We’re going to penalty kicks.....

122nd: USA free kick, deflected in the box, frantic scramble, Heath effort blocked. Unbelievable theater.

121st: Morgan behind Japan defense, taken down on edge of box by Iwashimizu. RED CARD.

120th: Wambach great chance to win it, bid misses the mark.

119th: Iwabuchi for Maruyama.

117th: JAPAN GOAL! Sawa with a spectacular redirect off a corner kick. What a match. 2-2.

115th: Sawa long ball into penalty area, Kinga beats Solo to ball, heavy touch cleared by Rampone in the six-yard box.

114th: Tobin Heath enters for Rapinoe.

112th: High ball eludes Solo, creating havoc in the box. Two USA players fall over each other, but Japan unable to capi­tal­ize. High drama as time melts away.

110th: USA standing firm as Japan presses. Cool on the ball, using the width of the field.

Break in extra time: 15 minutes down, 15 to go. Can USA preserve this lead?

104th: USA GOAL! Wambach header. 2-1. Morgan surges to end line, crosses to Wambach for six-yard nod. She’s done it again. Fourth goal of tournament — all headers. Her 13th career World Cup goal sets USA record.

100th: O’Reilly drives low ball deep into the box, cleared. O’Reilly high cross sails out of play.

95th: Morgan uses pace to collect Wambach’s ball, hooks left-footed shot from top of penalty area beyond the far post.

95th: Americans have started extra time the same way they started each half — in charge, pressing for a goal, yielding scant possession to Japan.

91st: USA corner kick. Two headers and a blocked shot. USA eventually sends ball back in, Wambach header saved routinely.

END OF REGULATION: 1-1. Mandatory 30 minutes to come....

Independence Solidifies First Place with Win Over Flash Philadelphia Independence

(July 9, 2011) - In a battle of the league's top two teams, the Philadelphia Independence (7-2-3; 24 pts.) beat Western NY Flash (6-2-2; 20 pts.) by a score of 2-1. The Independence extended its win-streak to five, a franchise record, and now sit in first place with a four-point margin over the Flash in league standings.

Saturday’s game welcomed a packed Widener stadium, 90-degree heat, members of the Spanish press, the WPS Commissioner, and a delegation of United Arab Emirates (UAE) women's soccer players.

Tasha Kai jump-started the game early in the 9’, slipping past a falling defender and capitalizing a shot sent to her by Christina DiMartino. This was Kai's eighth goal of the season and her fourth goal in just two games, continuing her reign as the leading scorer in WPS.

Philadelphia’s offense continued to dominate play for much of the first half, with the Western NY offense rarely pressing the Independence defense. Late in the first half, in the 44’, Sinead Farrelly scored the second goal of the game, giving the Independence a 2-0 lead and picking up her first career WPS goal.

“I think Tasha did most of the work and shot the ball and I was just in the right place at the right time,” said Farrelly. “I was just glad that I was there, and didn’t hit it over. I think the more games I play, the more confident I’m getting on the ball and the more responsibility I feel like I need to take to get the goal and assists.”

While the Independence racked up two goals early on, teammates Nikki Krzysik and Jen Buczkowski each surpassed 1,000 minutes of game-play in the victory over the Flash. “It’s just great overall where the team is, and I’m happy to be able to get over 1,000 minutes,” said Buczkowski. “It’s great for the team to be sitting in first place; to get the win tonight. It’s exciting and I’m glad I could be a part of it, but overall it’s just a great team effort.”

The Flash picked up momentum in the second half, when all-star Canadian forward Christine Sinclair, who recently came back from playing in the World Cup, came off the bench and scored in the 81’ on a controversial PK.

“They’re [Flash] going to be a handful in the playoffs make no mistake about it,” said Independence head coach Paul Riley. “I’m just happy for us. We were 12 points behind them four weeks ago and now we’re four points ahead of them—that’s a 16 point turnaround for us. We couldn’t ask for anything more from the players. ”http://www.womensprosoccer.com/

The history of women's football

Soccer Extreme : Sixty-one years after fast-footed men got the chance show off their skills to a worldwide audience, women entered the field for their first World CupGames. Now, 20 years later, they will play in their sixth championship, a long-awaited opportunity after what has been a long journey to get off the sideline.

Historians will argue over when women’s football really began. Some will point to art from the Han Dynasty in 200 CE, which depicts two women kicking a ball. During the Middle Ages, there are stories of French women playing side by side with their husbands and a female annual football-like competition in Scotland.

What we do know is women have been playing the sport for more than a century. In 1881, there was a ‘Ladies’ Football tournament’ between England and Scotland. The Scottish Football Association’s first official recorded women’s football game took place in 1892 and the English Football Association dates its first women’s game to 1895. During this time, teams like the Cumbrian Munitionettes of England (comprised of female munition workers) formed and fans started packing the stands.

German Female National Football Team just before their first international
match 1982 against Switzerland

The ban, however, didn’t volley these women off the field. That same year, they formed the English Ladies’ Football Association and played their first competition in 1922. It took several decades though for the female football competitions to officially go international and in 1982 the first European Competition For Representative Women's Teams (UEFA) was launched.

Professional womens’ football is making waves worldwide, with national teams in 49 countries of various sizes and locations íncluding Germany, United States, Argentina, Iran, Morocco, Myanmar, Iceland, Faroe Islands and Estonia. While some national teams find more skepticism from their male counterparts than others, women continue to fight for the right to professionally play the world’s most enthusiastically supported sport.

And, they are succeeding. Women finally got their own FIFA World Cup in 1991. The first games were held in the People’s Republic of China, where the U.S.A. placed first. During the 1999 Womens’ World Cup in Los Angeles, more than 90,000 fans showed up – a world record for a womens’ sporting event.

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Watch Zurich Vs. Bellinzona Live Streaming HD quality International Club Friendly, June 28, 2011. This Match Zurich Vs. Bellinzona Online TV will be broadcast online. Kickoff is scheduled for 17:30 CT (Central Europe) free online live streaming.

Women’s round-up: January 2011

Women’s round-up: January 2011
(FIFA.com) Monday 31 January 2011


The elite of women’s football received global recognition, major international stars were on the move, while USA added more silverware to an already bulging trophy cabinet. FIFA.com reflects on all this and more in reviewing another fascinating month in women’s football.

Club Football
Marta signing boosts WPS debutants
The newest Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) team, Western New York Flash, secured a major coup with the signing of five-time FIFA World Player of the Year, Marta. The Brazilian superstar, who has won the WPS golden boot in both seasons of the league’s short existence, linked up with the club after former club FC Gold Pride withdrew for the upcoming season. The 2011 edition of the six-team competition will commence in April.

German starlet on the move
Marta was not the only major signing over the last month, with German prodigy Kim Kulig set to make the shift from Bundesliga outfit Hamburger SV to powerhouse club 1. FFC Frankfurt this summer. The 20-year-old defensive midfielder, who was a driving force for Germany in their FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup triumph on home soil last year, is expected to be a starter in Silvia Neid's line-up at Germany 2011.

Sky Blues crowned again
Sydney FC have secured the Australian W-League Premiership by finishing the regular league season three points clear of nearest rivals Brisbane Roar. The Sydneysiders were by far the top-scoring team, with youngster Kyah Simon well clear at the top of the league’s goalscoring chart. The Sky Blues now progress to the four-team finals series alongside the Roar, Canberra United and Melbourne Victory.

International Football
Female elite recognised
Brazil’s Marta continued her record streak of success by claiming a fifth consecutive FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year award at the FIFA Ballon d’Or Gala in Zurich earlier this month. The WPS player of the season was a clear winner ahead of Germany duo Birgit Prinz and Fatmire Bajramaj. German national team coach Silvia Neid claimed the inaugural FIFA World Coach of the Year for Women’s Football in front of Germany U-20 coach Maren Meinert and USA’s Pia Sundhage. Finally, the FIFA Fair Play Award was given to the Haiti U-17 women’s team, who, despite a devastating earthquake in their homeland, managed to reach the final round of the CONCACAF qualifiers for the 2010 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

Further honours for USA
USA won the 2011 Four Nations Tournament in China for the seventh time despite suffering a 2-1 loss to Sweden in their opening match. The Stars and Stripes won their final outing 2-0 against China to finish ahead of North American rivals Canada on the teams' head-to-head record, with the hosts in third. Carli Lloyd and Amy Rodriguez scored the all-important goals in the final match, while Nicole Barnhart - who continues to deputise for the injured Hope Solo - was named the tournament’s best goalkeeper.

Development
January was highlighted by a coaching course in the Caribbean nation of St Kitts and Nevis in what was an unusually quiet period in FIFA development news over the Christmas/New Year period. Earlier in December, a development course took place in Serbia, while a Consultancy Mission was sent to Paraguay.

The stat
352 – The number of caps accrued by the legendary Kristine Lilly, with the USA midfielder announcing her retirement early in January at the age of 39. Not only is the appearances tally a record in men’s and women’s football, Lilly also scored 130 internationals goals and figured in all five editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™.

The quote
"Kim (Kulig) belongs to the players in Germany who impress thanks to her footballing quality, but also thanks to her charisma and her self-confidence. She is a symbol of the new generation of women's football in Germany", 1. FFC Frankfurt athletic director Siggi Dietrich.

Click on the FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011 link on the right for all the latest news and exclusive interviews ahead of the upcoming women’s football showpiece. During the last month there have been exclusive interviews with Germany coach Silvia Neid, Brazil forward Marta, USA icon Mia Hamm, New Zealand coach John Herdman, and Nigerian youngster Ebere Orji to name just a few.