this little essay on the USWNT from the new yorker came out last week, but i love it so much i don't care. deal!

The U.S. national team—soccer edition, female variety—won Olympic gold yesterday, cementing its status as the most beloved sporting squad around. Does anyone dislike this team? Some outside the fifty states, perhaps, but it’s hard to see how. Celebrating a goal earlier in the tournament, the full team collaborated on a tribute to Gabby Douglas and the American gymnastics team, another beloved group. Celebrating the team’s first goal yesterday, Abby Wambach was having so much fun, running and shouting and shaking her fists to the sky, that she didn’t notice another of her teammates running in her direction, also celebrating wildly. They knocked each other over.

We can be thankful, first, that this team represents us well—better than many of our athletes, and some of our fans, several of whom showed up to yesterday’s match in American flag morphsuits. Midway through the first half, Abby Wambach kicked her opponent in the nose. It was an honest mistake, so she came back to help her up, apologized, and gave her a hug around the waist. It’s this dichotomy that makes the team so lovable: in the same instant, you expect Wambach to kick you in the face, if that’s what it takes to get to the ball, and then to take care of you once she does. Boys love Alex Morgan; women love Megan Rapinoe—everybody loves Abby Wambach.

( Read more... )

coyotesuspect.livejournal.com

Destiny is Ruthless
How do you explain the U.S. Women's National Team and their gold-medal performance?
by Brian Phillips

On Thursday, at around 10 p.m. in London, 5 p.m. Eastern Standard, and permanent high noon on the clock in Abby Wambach's head, the U.S. Women's National Team beat Japan 2-1 to win their third straight Olympic gold medal. Which, when you write it down like that, almost sounds like it makes sense. Like: There was a schedule, and things happened according to that schedule. Like: U.S. coach Pia Sundhage had a plan, and the team executed that plan. Effort was invested; results were obtained. Tournament-mandated sideline vests were sported. Business as usual. Move along.

In fact, though, the win over Japan culminates an Olympics — really a full year of international competition, maybe more — during which the defining characteristic of the U.S. women's soccer team was how completely, boundlessly, ostentatiously crazy everything that happened to them has been. I mean, in the Hope Solo era, every training camp is going be a self-contained maelstrom of minor drama, but what's really astonishing is the team's penchant for on-pitch chaos. Every time they take the field in a big match, Arkham Asylum breaks out.

( read more )

source and rest of the article here

I enjoyed this article, though I disagreed with its conclusion and some of its major points: 1) I don't think Solo is that dramatic in camp (any more) and 2) the US can play really lovely, technically minded soccer. Last year's World Cup final is proof of that. They still lost.

But this is just a good excuse for a party post. USA USA! (But feel free to post/share/spam your favorite moments and players from the rest of the women's teams as well.)

Pinoe thanks you for your time.

anna-unfolding.livejournal.com

UHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

SYDNEYYYYYY

LORIIIIIIIII

ALEXXXXXXX

WHAT ARE THEY EVEN

I just. I JUST.

Current Mood: chipper
Current Location: kitchen
Current Music: Party in the USA

http://users.livejournal.com/thrace_/

( NSFW under the cut, but just barely. Bad-ump-tsh. )

Abby's photoshoot:

Carlos' photoshoot:

Well played, ESPN mag. I really like the one where Abby's posing with the soccer ball.

[Source]

carminaburana.livejournal.com

Late, but.....

VS.

http://users.livejournal.com/thrace_/

USA vs. Canada
5PM PT/8PM ET

Streams: CONCACAF TV, Universal Sports, Telemundo, Sportsnet (geoblocked, Canadians only)
Also being broadcast on NBC Sports channel

Of note: Abby Wambach and Christine Sinclair go into this game tied for third at 129 goals on the all-time women's scorers' list. Here's an old interview from when they were both sitting at 99 goals in 2009.

Who are you rooting for, ONTD?

http://users.livejournal.com/thrace_/

The CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament starts today in Vancouver. The top two teams will qualify for the 2012 London Olympics. Here's a news roundup, the schedule, and some ways to watch.

* Full Tournament Schedule

* Homicide Occurs in Hotel Housing USWNT
- the players were tweeting about this and then deleted everything, probably to avoid causing panic or confusion

* The Return of MagicJack
- not CONCACAF related, but the big story in American women's soccer right now, and directly related to USWNT players

* Christine Sinclair and John Herdman interview

* Abby Wambach interview

* Fierce Hope Solo interview

( Broadcast details here. )

ETA: THE SPORTSNET LIVESTREAM IS NOT GEOBLOCKED.

I'm personally rooting for the US to sweep the tournament, but I wouldn't mind if Canada came out on top.

harrypotterlvr3.livejournal.com

Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) appears to have won a big reprieve from extinction.

U.S. Soccer's board of directors agreed Monday evening to continue its sanction of the WPS with Division 1 status, its highest for a professional league, despite it only having five teams for 2012. Finalization of the decision hinges on WPS owners agreeing to certain disclosed terms stipulated by U.S. Soccer.

"After a positive discussion, the U.S. Soccer Board of Directors approved a plan to sanction WPS as a Division 1 professional league in 2012, subject to certain conditions," said U.S. Soccer, through spokesperson Neil Buethe, in a written statement Monday. "Once the Board receives confirmation from WPS that all five teams agree to those conditions, U.S. Soccer will issue a formal announcement."

A WPS spokesperson said the league would not comment Monday night, and team officials did not immediately return requests for comment. Division 1 status is important for the WPS, as it will allow the league to continue attracting top professional international players, such as Brazil's Marta, and members of the U.S. national team such as Abby Wambach. The WPS is expected to act quickly in wake of U.S. Soccer's decision and help make it final.

( who run tha world?? )

What's Next For the WPS?

U.S. Soccer's decision on Monday evening to give conditional sanctioning to the WPS as a Division 1 league for 2012 is an important thing for the league, but it brings up as many questions as it answers. Here are some of the lingering questions and issues the WPS will need to work through in the coming months, and a few answers:

( really informative article )

source 1 - source 2

yeats.livejournal.com

Nominees announced for FIFA Messi Ballon d’Or 2011 awards

he contenders for this year’s FIFA Ballon d’Or Award for the best player of 2011 and for the FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year 2011 award were announced today at a press conference held at the headquarters of France Football magazine in Paris in which FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke, France Football CEO François Morinière, former French player Emmanuel Petit and Gaëtane Thiney, French international football player, took part.

( and the nominees are... )

birdofpray09.livejournal.com

The top professional soccer league for women, which has only five teams, is in danger of losing sanctioning from US Soccer, the sport’s governing body in the United States.

Women’s Professional Soccer completed its third season last summer on the heels of the Women’s World Cup. Most of the players on the United States team, which lost to Japan in the riveting tournament final, also played in W.P.S. They returned from Germany to acclaim and the league experienced a modest bump in attendance as the Western New York Flash, based in Rochester, won the championship.

The six-team league was reduced to five when league officials terminated the magicJack franchise in South Florida. The team’s owner, Dan Borislow, who invented the device of the same name to make inexpensive telephone calls, subsequently filed a lawsuit suit against W.P.S.

According to US Soccer’s bylaws, all professional leagues are required to have a minimum of eight teams. With only six (all in the eastern part of the country) in 2011, W.P.S. requested and was granted a one-year waiver by the federation’s board of directors. Now with only five teams a certainty for the 2012 season, W.P.S. requested an extension of the waver to take it through a season that will include the London Olympics in the hope of attracting new investors before 2013.

“Our primary goal is to retain our D1 status,” Jennifer O’Sullivan, the league’s commissioner, said Thursday in a telephone interview. “We just came off a phenomenal season in 2011 and it feels like this is our time. We want to grab that and run with it.”

( Rest of article behind cut )

It's a disgrace tbqh. For all the effort US Soccer puts into making the country seem like a real competitor in international soccer, they basically ignore their female teams, ~~despite the fact that they've won more medals than the men's side can hope to in the next 100 years.~~

There's a petition on Change.org created by NY Flash defender Alex Sahlen gathering signatures to help save the league's D1 status, you can sign it here.

Also, mods, how is there not a 'Sepp Blatter' tag already? For shame.

Source

harrypotterlvr3.livejournal.com

The top professional soccer league for women, which has only five teams, is in danger of losing sanctioning from US Soccer, the sport’s governing body in the United States.

Women’s Professional Soccer completed its third season last summer on the heels of the Women’s World Cup. Most of the players on the United States team, which lost to Japan in the riveting tournament final, also played in W.P.S. They returned from Germany to acclaim and the league experienced a modest bump in attendance as the Western New York Flash, based in Rochester, won the championship.

The six-team league was reduced to five when league officials terminated the magicJack franchise in South Florida. The team’s owner, Dan Borislow, who invented the device of the same name to make inexpensive telephone calls, subsequently filed a lawsuit suit against W.P.S.

According to US Soccer’s bylaws, all professional leagues are required to have a minimum of eight teams. With only six (all in the eastern part of the country) in 2011, W.P.S. requested and was granted a one-year waiver by the federation’s board of directors. Now with only five teams a certainty for the 2012 season, W.P.S. requested an extension of the waver to take it through a season that will include the London Olympics in the hope of attracting new investors before 2013.

“Our primary goal is to retain our D1 status,” Jennifer O’Sullivan, the league’s commissioner, said Thursday in a telephone interview. “We just came off a phenomenal season in 2011 and it feels like this is our time. We want to grab that and run with it.”

( more info this way )

harrypotterlvr3.livejournal.com

One of sport’s most publicly turbulent relationships has ended. Women’s Professional Soccer announced on Thursday that the league’s board of governors voted on Tuesday to terminate the magicJack franchise.

The news comes just one week after team owners and league officials championed the fact that they expected all six teams from the 2011 season to return for 2012. Team owner Dan Borislow was hopeful as recently as last week that his team would be back in 2012.

On Thursday, Borislow said via email that he is “shocked” by the decision, adding that there is “no due process, nothing.”

( more info this way )

Last September, Women’s Professional Soccer awarded an expansion franchise to Western New York after an expedited wooing process that took just two months. This year, another expansion candidate is close to going from myth to done deal in a similar time frame.

On Monday, former Philadelphia Independence general manager Terry Foley revealed via Twitter that another franchise is close to joining WPS. “[A]ccepted the position of Technical Director for the new franchise, assuming they join WPS in 2012,” he tweeted. The recently rumored franchise looks “very likely” to be part of WPS in 2012, according to one source close to the situation.

There is no official word from the league yet, but the confirmation seems imminent. As Foley also said via Twitter on Monday, there could be an announcement as early as this week.

( where would this potential team be based? )

mapmakerscolors.livejournal.com

WPS Super Semifinal

magicJack v. Philadelphia Independence

4:00 PM EST

Live on Fox Sports Net (not Fox Soccer Channel--it's under different names in different areas--check your listings)

Webcast

Match Tracker

guingel.livejournal.com

U.S. soccer hero Abby Wambach will become player-coach of Boca Raton-based magicJack club

Abby already getting in some coaching at the WNY Flash-MagicJack game on Wednesday

Abby Wambach used her head to score one of the most memorable goals in U.S. soccer history. Now she has a chance to use her head even more.

For the rest of this season, Wambach will not only play for, but also coach, Boca Raton-based magicJack, her club in the Women's Professional Soccer league, team owner Dan Borislow said Thursday.

"The thing people don't know is she's incredibly smart," Borislow said. "If you gave her an IQ test, she'd probably come out a genius."

( flawless flawless flawless )

Source.

Oh, magicjack...they were Washington Freedom but were bought by Dan Borislow, inventor of the magicjack usb device. And then he bought about half the USWNT. In a world cup year when they'd all be gone a lot.

Their coach left/was fired/idek and then Borislow himself was banned from matches (and fined). I hear that at the game on Wednesday no one knew what the line-up was going to be before the game, and Abby was the only one communicating with the players from the bench.

I also hear that Christie Rampone is likely to help Abby out - she became player-coach of Sky Blue FC at the end of the 2009 WPS season and led them through the playoffs to a championship! So I feel bad for all the players cos it seems like a stressful club to play for, but I'm excited because I adore Abby and Christie. And I think player-coaches are sexy.

Here are a couple articles on the coaching and the disciplinary measures, I couldn't find a good solid summary of the whole saga:
http://www.equalizersoccer.com/2011/05/11/magicjack-coaching-change-more-chaos-or-pure-genius/
http://www.allwhitekit.com/?p=5929

and bonus Abby in an excessively tight Washington Freedom kit, because I love you all

no tag for abby?

( ETA: NEW DETAILS THAT I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT OMG BORISLOW WHY SO CRAZY )
Source.

AAUGH HE SOUNDS LIKE SUCH A NUTJOB.

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ONTD FOOTBALL

Appreciating the sport and the fine people who play it!

Entries tagged with abby wambach

OLYMPIC SOCCER: OUR TEAM

fabulous ladies doing fabulous things win fabulous medals

USWNT make a video

Abby and Boca in ESPN's Body Issue

WMNT Friendly

CONCACAF Olympic qualifiers final - USA vs. Canada

CONCACAF Olympic qualifiers roundup

U.S. Soccer renews WPS' D1 status + What's Next?

surprised there hasn't been a post yet...

Nominees announced for FIFA Messi Ballon d’Or 2011 awards

WPS fights to keep top-flight status

WPS Fights for Division 1 Status

WPS News: magicJack officially terminated, rumors of expansion team

FIFA Women's World Player of the Year/Coach of the Year shortlists

WPS Playoffs continue

USWNT taking over ontd_fb and also their club teams

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