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The US women bounced back from their loss to Japan with a resounding victory against Sweden to capture 3rd place in the Algarve Cup.  Alex Morgan recorded her first hat trick for the WNT and Abby Wambach provided an additional goal as the US shutout Sweden 4-0. 

Though it is certain the US squad will be happy to depart Portugal with a win, missing the finals for the first time in ten years at this renowned tournament has no doubt left a bitter taste in their mouths. The 1-0 loss to World Cup champions Japan on Monday not only kept the US out of the finals this year, but also highlighted the flaws that remains with a team that has now lost to Japan twice in the last eight months.

As with their loss last summer the US struggled to control the ball throughout the game. Coach Pia Sundhage said this about the Japanese team after the loss: “I think they played like the best team in the world. They kept possession and controlled the attack. Even though we made some changes at halftime, and looked more dangerous in the second half, still they got a goal off a corner. The way they play both defensively and in the attack is very good.”

The loss to Japan was the first shutout for the US women in 57 games and it came at the expense of keeping them from the opportunity to obtain their 9^th Algarve Cup championship.

Obviously there are a lot of positives to take from this tournament, which the game against Sweden certainly reflected. Sweden has been a thorn in the side of the US players over the past couple years. Last year they played three times with the US losing twice and only able to manage a draw against the strong European team. They also lost to Sweden in the 2009 finals of the Algarve Cup in a 4-3 shootout. 

The Alex Morgan/Abby Wambach experiment certainly looks to be a success and it appears that Morgan has earned a bigger role in the offense of the team. Well deserved as she netted five goals for the US over the four game tournament. That led the US in goals with Wambach contributing four, Sydney Leroux two and Carli Lloyd one. Wambach also continues her historic run with the WNT as she added her 134th goal of her career in the match against Sweden.

Although Sundhage has stated that as much as she enjoys the offensive pressure that Morgan and Wambach provide on the front line, it isn’t a formation that she sees providing success over ninety minutes.  She will no doubt continue to tinker with not only the formations but also her line up as the team continues to prepare for the London Olympics this summer.    

Next for the USWNT is a visit to Japan to take part in the newly created Women's Kirin Challenge Cup. The US will play Japan on April 1st in Sendai and then Brazil on April 3rd in Chiba. 

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• Algarve Cup

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