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posted Tuesday, December 28, 2010 at 12:49pm EST on Video of Elite Hammer Throwers at Mt. SAC Relays 2010
US WNT Beats Italy 1-0 to Cement 2011 World Cup Entry
 | posted by anngaff, a Women Talk Sports blogger About anngaff: Chief Technical Officer, Women Talk Sports. I competed in Track & Field and Cross-Country in college at the University of Nebraska and competed professionally in Track & Field (3000m Steeplechase) fr...more |
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"This wasn't the road we expected, but this team is resilient. We want to thank all of the fans...see you next year in Germany!"
Abby Wambach thanked the crowd after the US Women's National Team beat Italy 1-0 to cement their entry into the 2011 World Cup. After losing to Mexico in the CONCACAF Qualifying Tournament, the US team was under pressure to win a home-home series against Italy in order to be able to compete in the World Cup in Germany next year. Last Saturday, at Italy's home game, 21-year-old Alex Morgan scored in the final seconds of stoppage time to give the US an advantage going into today's game in Chicago.
With 5 minutes left in the first half, Amy Rodriguez scored, giving the US team a big advantage, as Italy would have had to then win by two goals in order to both beat the US a nd record more away goals, which was to be the tiebreaker in this series.
The US was supported mightily by a strong and enthusiastic crowd at Toyota Park and was able to hold on to it's 1-0 lead to take the game win and more importantly, the series win.
"I apologize for the first 20 minutes because it was crap! But we got a win and I am happy." Coach Pia Sundhage said laughing. She is giving her team a much-needed break, canceling a team camp planned for December due to the unexpected number of games they have played in the last month.
"I think this team does feed on naysayers. Going forward, this team is going to define some new stars." said renowned national team member Kate Markgraf (nee Sobrero) who did a fantastic job with color commentary for today's game.
Now the national team will have to work with the WPS schedule so their players are not too fatigued going into the World Cup tournament next summer.
Take a look at Amy Rodriguez's goal below, courtesy of USSoccer.com:
Here are the qualifiers for the 2011 Women's World Cup in Germany:
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This post is related to an event on our Calendar:
- US WNT vs Italy: Road to 2011 World Cup
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This post is related to an ongoing story:
- US WNT vs Italy Home-Home Series
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