And They're Off...

The U.S. team held its first training of 2008 at The Home Depot Center today and it was an energetic 90-minute session, although some players were admittedly shaking off some rust and holiday malaise. The team will undergo double sessions for most of the next four days before leaving for China on the evening of January 8. U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage has 26 players in camp and will choose 20 for the roster to travel to China. Forward Natasha Kai, who was called into the camp, will not be taking part in the training or the Four Nations tournament as she was hit with a case of bronchitis and needs a few weeks to recover before taking the field again. (Hey, that’s some real news! Although we wish Tash a quick recovery and some warm Hawaiian soup).

Eye on the Peak

After the third-place finish at the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the USA tumbled out of the top spot in the FIFA Women’s World Rankings, dropping all the way down…to number two. The USA is currently just 20 points behind Women’s World Cup Champion Germany and 100 points ahead of third-place Sweden. Brazil and Norway round out the top-five. Whether or not one puts much stock into rankings (and don’t get us started on the BCS), it would be nice if people would remember that one loss does not a loser make. We’re not sure quite sure what that actually means, but it sounds pretty philosophical or perhaps something that Yoda or a Hobbit would say. In any event, the U.S. team is dedicated to putting in the work and passion necessary to regain (not a spot among the world’s elite as they are already there), but a spot atop the world, a place that, as we know, is very difficult to reach.

Don’t Call it a Blogback…

We’ve been here for years…Well, part of one year. But suffice it to say, the Women’s National Team Blog is back.

Last time you heard from us, we were in China. In five days, we head to China again. It seems the WNT is in China so often, the team could apply for dual citizenship, but since we have no desire to see Abby Wambach playing next to Han Duan, we’ll table that idea for now. The WNT Blog left off at the end of the 2007 Women’s World Cup, but now picks back up in a new year and with a new goal…the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The USA will have to qualify for the Olympics in April in Mexico, but for now, the focus is on the 2008 Four Nations Tournament where the USA will face challenging games against Canada, Finland and China in head coach Pia Sundhage’s first matches at the helm.

As always, we’ll be reporting (almost) daily on the goings on with the U.S. women, fun facts, wacky experiences, amusing anecdotes and perhaps even some legitimate news. While the USA did not get the ultimate result they wanted at the Women’s World Cup, the great thing about soccer (and sports) is that there is always another game, a new challenge, a new year and the next world championship. So with the sting of defeat sparking the fuel of motivation…here we go.

Bye, Bye Blog

The team gets on an airplane back to the States tomorrow morning so this is the final entry in the WNT Blog for the 2007 WWC. Amazingly, we don’t have carpel tunnel syndrome, or ever seemed to run out of stuff to talk about (well, almost), but such is the character and characters of the U.S. Women’s National Team. We’ve been at this Blog thing since Aug. 18, that’s 45 days of almost daily Blog (we might have missed a day somewhere in there). That’s thousands of words, dozens of anecdotes, and hopefully, non-stop “infotainment” for the fans of the WNT. Thanks to all those out there who posted comments. We really do appreciate you visiting ussoccer.com, reading the blog, and most of all, supporting the WNT through the tough times and the great times. We’re not exactly sure when the WNT Blog will be back, but next year will feature the 2008 Olympics, the 2008 FIFA U-17 and U-20 Women’s World Cups, and qualifying for each tournament, so it will be a busy year for the WNT programs. So for now, thanks and Blog you later.

Bronze It Is

What a wonderful performance by the team tonight, perhaps the best of the tournament. The team didn’t accomplish its ultimate goal of winning the Women’s World Cup, but it battled through some difficult times, and in the end, came together on the field with an inspiring performance against Norway, one that should make the fans and their country proud. The players on this team are a truly special group, and although they need some much-deserved rest, no doubt they will be back on the field soon training and working to be the best. In fact, the USA has three games in October, all against Mexico, to finish the year, and for all the fans planning on coming, or who already have tickets, see you in St. Louis, Portland and Albuquerque. (Tix available on ussoccer.com).

Eye on Beijing

It’s now about 10 months until the Olympics, and another chance for gold. The USA has to qualify for Beijing sometime next year, but with all the young players who cut their teeth in this World Cup, gaining invaluable world championship experience, the team can only get better and stronger for the run to the Olympics.

Thanks, China

In the end, hats off to China for putting on an excellent Women’s World Cup. The stadiums were packed, and everyone from the local organizers, to the volunteers, security, hotel staff, transportation, etc., went out of their way to make sure that the U.S. team was well taken care of. We don’t know all of your names, nor could we pronounce most of your names, but a huge thanks to everyone who made our 34 days in China a memorable experience. Xie Xie to all.