And We're Off.

Great result for the USA tonight in the first game of 2008. There is a long way to go for this team, and a challenging Olympic qualification tournament looms in April, but it's always nice to start on a high note. Two goals from a 20-year-old in her sixth cap and two goals from a player coming off the bench is always a good thing. Tomorrow, the team will have a recovery workout in the pool (we hear it's quite cold, so that will be good for the legs) as well as a training in the afternoon, mostly for the players who didn't play today. After the game, head coach Pia Sundhage was swarmed on the field by the media in a frenzy not seen on the U.S. team since Mia Hamm hung up the boots. The Chinese media seem fascinated by Sundhage's stint as an assistant coach for China during the 2007 Women's World Cup followed by her appointment as head coach of the U.S. team. Seems some are miffed that China let her get away. The fans and media should be pretty happy with their own team, though, after a convincing 2-0 win over Finland that featured a handful of excellent saves from the Finnish 'keeper.