7 more things you might not know about USA vs. South Korea

The U.S. women played South Korea to a scoreless draw Saturday (May 30) at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J.

It was the Americans’ final game before the World Cup. The team flies to Canada on Tuesday (June 2). Its first World Cup match, against Australia, is the following Monday (June 8).

The Koreans were disciplined and well-organized defensively, but weak in the final third. They took just seven shots, putting two on frame. They earned just one corner kick.

The Americans had several more scoring opportunities, but they were kept off the sheet by a combination of listless passing, a lack of offensive fluidity (especially down the flanks), the solid play of Korea’s back line, and a strong performance by goalkeeper Kim Soon Yun, who had five saves.

Here are seven oddities, curiosities or (possibly) interesting facts about the game:

 

1.

This was the first time the U.S. women were held scoreless on home soil since November 5, 2008, when they played to another 0-0 draw, in Cincinnati.

The opponent that day? South Korea.

 

2.

Three of the team’s last 11 games have ended nil-nil:

• Saturday’s;
• A March 9 Algarve Cup match against Iceland;
• And, against Brazil, the Dec. 21, 2014, final of the International Tournament of Brasilia.

Before that, Team USA had played 119 straight games without a nil-nil result.

 

3.

The Americans are  7-1-2 in 2015.

Since losing 2-0 to France in the first game of the year, the U.S. women have given up just two goals while building a nine-game unbeaten streak. They’ve scored 20.

France’s Eugenie Le Sommer slips past Morgan Brian and Whitney Engen, Feb. 8, 2015. (Jean-Francois Monier/AFP)

 

4.

With five goals, Abby Wambach leads the team in 2015.

Abby Wambach vs. Mexico, May 17, 2015. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA Today Sports)

5.

Six members of the U.S. roster have played in 10 or more World Cup matches: Abby Wambach (18); Christie Rampone (17); Shannon Boxx (15); Carli Lloyd (11); Heather O’Reilly (11); and Hope Solo (10).

Meanwhile, eight members of the roster are embarking on their first World Cup: Morgan Brian, Whitney Engen, Ashlyn Harris, Julie Johnston, Meghan Klingenberg, Sydney Leroux, Alyssa Naeher, and Christen Press.

 

6.

Saturday’s game at Red Bull Arena drew 26,467 fans. It was the third sellout in a row on home soil, something that’s never happened before in the history of the U.S. women’s team.

Four years ago, the team’s final send-off  before the 2011 World Cup was also at Red Bull Arena, against Mexico. Attendance for that game was 5,852.

 

7.

Abby Wambach has 13 World Cup goals.

The rest of the team has 14.

7 things you might not know about Team USA vs. South Korea

The U.S. women play South Korea today (May 30) at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J. It’s the Americans’ final game before they head to Canada for the World Cup, which starts June 6.

Today’s game is on ESPN.

Here are seven oddities, curiosities or (possibly) interesting facts about the game and its participants:

 

1.

South Korea will probably lose. In eight previous meetings, dating back to 1997, the Americans have won seven times. (The other match ended in a 0-0 draw.) Collectively, the United States has outscored the Koreans 31-3.

 

2.

The United States is ranked No. 2 in the world. South Korea is No. 18.

3.

The last time the teams met was on June 20, 2013, also at Red Bull Arena. That was the night Abby Wambach broke Mia Hamm’s career scoring record.

Wambach had four goals in what turned out to be a 5-0 victory by the United States. Her third goal of the night — the 159th of her career — set the new scoring record. She now has 182.

 

4.

Abby Wambach is the team’s leading scorer for 2015, with five goals. She’s had two in each of her last two games.

5.

Team USA is 7-1-1 in 2015.

6.

Becky Sauerbrunn is the only U.S. player who has started every game this year. Her 789 minutes lead the team.

Becky Sauerbrunn. (Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Sports)

 

7.

Hope Solo has 169 caps, four shy of Brianna Scurry’s record for a U.S. goalkeeper. Solo has 130 wins, three shy of another Scurry record.

Hope Solo vs. New Zealand. (Jeff Curry/USA Today Sports).

5 more things you might not know about the U.S. World Cup roster

The World Cup begins on June 6 — just 26 days from now.

Here are five oddities, curiosities or (possibly) interesting facts about the American roster:

 

1.

Crystal Dunn didn’t make the roster, but she’s temporarily training with the team while Tobin Heath rests a strained hamstring. Heath is expected to miss today’s game against Ireland and the game against Mexico in one week.

Four games into the NWSL season, Crystal Dunn leads the Washington Spirit with three goals. (Tony Quinn/Icon SMI)

Dunn, who plays for the Washington Spirit, is not expected to miss any National Women’s Soccer League games as a result of her filling in for Heath at training sessions of the national team.

The speedy, versatile defender won the 2012 Hermann Trophy as a junior at the University of North Carolina. She was one of the last players cut as coach Jill Ellis whittled her roster down to 23 for the World Cup.

Dunn may have been edged out by Shannon Boxx, who, at 37, is making an improbable comeback. At one time, she may have been the best holding midfielder ever to wear the red, white and blue. But she was gone from the team for nearly two years because of injuries and the birth of a daughter .

Or she may have been edged out by Julie Johnston, a young defender who blossomed earlier this year when she was thrust into a starting role because of an injury to Christie Rampone.

After Dunn learned that she wasn’t going to the World Cup, this is part of what she had to say on Instagram:

It saddens me to fall short of a dream that I have worked so hard for. We ALL have a story … Mine
consists of numerous disappointments from injuries and doubt. … My objective in 2015 was to regain my
health and confidence.

While competing at the highest level, I’ve always strived to be the best person I could be, through both
the good times and bad. … I stepped out of this process with a clearer image of who I am as a player.

I believe in the future of this sport, and I am excited to be a part of it! Good Luck to my ladies heading
into the WC and bring home the gold!!

 

2.

In the first six World Cups, 61 Americans made it onto the pitch. In Canada, eight  players hope to join that exclusive sorority.

Heading to their first World Cup are Morgan Brian, Whitney Engen, Ashlyn Harris, Julie Johnston, Meghan Klingenberg, Sydney Leroux, Alyssa Naeher, and Christen Press.

Brian, Johnston, Klingenberg, Leroux, and Press are locks to get playing time. Indeed, any of them could be starters, especially if Ellis does a lot of shuffling of her lineups to help keep players fresh through what could be — what she hopes will be — a seven-game marathon in less than a month (with all of the matches taking place on plastic turf).

Engen could be iffy, but only because of her health. A hamstring injury limited her playing time through much of the first quarter of 2015. Lately, however, she’s been an anchor for her club, the Western New York Flash. In three outings with the Flash, she has three starts and three complete games.

It’s unlikely that Harris and Naeher, the backup goalkeepers, will see action unless Hope Solo is injured or falls ill. Solo typically plays every minute of every match in major tournaments (as well she should).

Hope Solo. (Jeff Curry/USA Today Sports)

 

3.

The average age on the U.S. team is 28 — which is just about perfect.

Tobin Heath, Kelley O’Hara, and Christen Press (all 26); Lauren Holiday and Whitney Engen (27);
Amy Rodriguez (28); Megan Rapinoe and Becky Sauerbrunn (29) … these are all gifted players in their prime.

And around them, Jill Ellis has done a brilliant job of blending tough, experienced veterans (Christie Rampone, 39; Shannon Boxx, 37; Abby Wambach, 34; Hope Solo, 33; Carli Lloyd, 32) with speedy, tireless youngsters (Alex Morgan and Sydney Leroux, 25; Julie Johnston, 23; Morgan Brian, 22).

It’s a potent recipe.

Old pros: Hope Solo and Christie Rampone. (AP)

Alex Morgan, Sydney Leroux. (Armando Franca/AP)

4.

The NWSL teams with the most players on the U.S. roster (four each) are the Chicago Red Stars (Shannon Boxx, Lori Chalupny, Julie Johnston, and Christen Press) and FC Kansas City (Lauren Holiday, Heather O’Reilly, Amy Rodriguez, Becky Sauerbrunn).

 

5.

Thirteen Americans played in the 2012 Olympic gold medal game, a 2-1 victory over Japan: Shannon Boxx, Rachel Buehler (now Rachel Van Hollebeke), Lauren Cheney (now Lauren Holiday), Tobin Heath, Amy LePeilbet, Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, Kelley O’Hara, Christie Rampone, Megan Rapinoe, Becky Sauerbrunn, Hope Solo, and Abby Wambach.

Eleven of them, all but LePeilbet and Van Hollebeke, are on the current World Cup team.

Megan Rapinoe and teammates after winning gold at the 2012 London Olympics. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)

5 final things you might not know about the U.S. World Cup roster

 

The World Cup begins on June 6 — just 37 days from now. Jill Ellis has selected the 23 players who will represent the United States.

Here are five oddities, curiosities or (possibly) interesting facts about the American roster:

1.

There are three goalkeepers on the team because FIFA requires it. For most countries, certainly including the United States, this is a waste of a precious roster spot.

If she’s healthy, Hope Solo will play every minute of every game in Canada, because that’s what Hope Solo does in big tournaments. Should she get sick or hurt, Ashlyn Harris would step in.

The third keeper, Alyssa Naeher, won’t see the field except in pregame warmups. The 27-year-old from Penn State has yet to play a minute in 2015. She earned her only career cap on Dec. 10, 2014, in a 7-0 rout of hapless Argentina at the International Tournament of Brasilia. (In four matches in that tournament, Argentina didn’t score.)

Alyssa Naeher. (Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)

 

2.

Only two players in U.S. history have made the rosters for non-consecutive World Cups: Brandi Chastain (1991 and 1999) and, now, Lori Chalupny (2007 and 2015).

Lori Chalupny and Elodie Thomis of France, Feb. 8, 2015. ( Jean-Francois Monier/AFP/Getty Images)

 

3.

Ellis announced her roster on April 14, but, technically, she could still change her mind. The official roster document doesn’t have to be turned in to FIFA until May 25 — 10 working days before the World Cup kicks off. So if Hope Solo wails on a relative or boosts the team van between now and then, Alyssa Naeher may yet get her chance in front of the net.

 

4.

Abby Wambach holds the U.S. record for goals in World Cup play,  13.

 

5.

Only one American has played in five World Cups: The incomparable Kristine Lilly (1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007).

Kristine Lilly

Christie Rampone will join Lilly this summer, assuming that she gets into  game. The team’s last remaining ’99er (and, thus, the only current American player to have won a World Cup), Rampone also played in the 2003, 2007, and 2011 tournaments.

Worldwide, three players have matched Lilly’s record: Formiga of Brazil, Birgit Prinz of Germany, and Homare Sawa of Japan. All three participated in the 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011 World Cups. Formiga and Sawa have a chance to play in their sixth tournaments this summer. (There will be no No. 6 for Rampone. The 39-year-old captain has said Canada is her last go-around.)

BenteNordby of Norway was on five World Cup rosters — 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007 — but only played in four tournaments.

5 final things you might not know about the United States vs. New Zealand

The U.S. women beat New Zealand 4-0 on Saturday (April 4) at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

Here are five oddities, curiosities or (possibly) interesting facts about the game and its participants:

 

1.

Lori Chalupny’s last goal before Saturday came against Ireland on Sept. 20, 2008. Chalupny was a fixture on the U.S. team from 2001 to 2009, but missed five years because of a series of concussions. She was cleared to return to the team last year.

Lori Chalupny and teammates after Chalupny’s goal against New Zealand, April 4, 2015.(Jeff Roberson/AP)

 

2.

Megan Rapinoe earned her 100th cap, making her the 31st U.S. woman to reach that milestone. She will be honored at the team’s next match, against Ireland on Sunday, May 10, in San Jose, Calif.

Megan Rapinoe: 100 caps and counting. (Jeff Curry/USA Today Sports)

 

3.

Hope Solo made her 161st career start, the most ever for a U.S. women’s goalkeeper. (Briana Scurry is second, with 159 starts from 1994 to 2008). Solo is tied with Carla Overbeck (1988-2000) for 10th most starts among all U.S. women. At 160, she had been tied Brandi Chastain (1988-2004) for 11th place.

4.

In its last six games, Team USA has surrendered one goal and scored 12.

5.

At least five players on New Zealand’s national team played college soccer in the United States:

• Forward Hanna Wilkinson is a senior at the University of Tennessee.
• Forward Rosie White is a senior at UCLA.
• Midfielder Katie Bowen is a junior at the University of North Carolina.
• Defender Ali Riley played at Stanford from 2006 to 2009.
• Midfielder Betsy Hassett played at the University of California from 2009 to 2-12.

 

 

5 things further still that you might not know about the United States vs. New Zealand

The U.S. women beat New Zealand 4-0 on Saturday (April 4) at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

Here are five oddities, curiosities or (possibly) interesting facts about the game and its participants:

 

1.

Since returning from suspension, Hope Solo has started in goal — and played every minute — in all five U.S. matches. She gave up a goal in the first of those matches, a 2-1 victory over Norway in the opening round of the 2015 Algarve Cup. Since then, Solo has four consecutive clean sheets.

Hope Solo punches one away vs. New Zealand. (Jeff Curry/USA Today Sports)

 

2.

The players on New Zealand’s roster have a combined total of 158 career goals — 20 fewer than Abby Wambach.

 

3.

New Zealand, which qualified for this summer’s World Cup, has been in three previous World Cups — in 1991, 2007, and 2011. The team has never won a World Cup game. Its record in those tournaments: 0-8-1. (The graphic below is from Wikipedia.)

 

4.

The goals by defenders Meghan Klingenberg and Julie Johnston were the second career goals for each. Klingenberg, 26, scored for the first time on Oct. 20, 2014, in a 6-0 rout of Haiti during the World Cup qualifying tournament. Johnston, 23, scored for the first time in the last U.S. match before New Zealand,  a 2-0 victory over France in the Algarve Cup title game on March 11. Both of Klingenberg’s goals were long-range missiles. Both of Johnston’s were headers from set pieces.

 

 

 

5.

Team USA’s next match is against Ireland at 1:30 p.m. CT on Sunday, May 10, in San Jose, Calif. It will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1.

 

5 additional things you might not know about the United States vs. New Zealand

The U.S. women beat New Zealand 4-0 on Saturday (April 4) at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

Here are five oddities, curiosities or (possibly) interesting facts about the game and its participants:

1.

The crowd of 35,817 at Busch Stadium was
• the 12th largest for a U.S. women’s team game at home (including World Cup and Olympic matches)
• the third largest for a U.S. women’s friendly at home
• the largest for a stand-alone U.S. women’s friendly at home. (The two home friendlies with higher attendance were part of a doubleheader, one with the U.S. men’s team, one in the Nike U.S. Women’s Cup in 1999.

 

 2.

Three of the four U.S. goals were scored by defenders (Meghan Klingenberg, Lori Chalupny and Julie Johnston) and the other was scored by a midfielder (Morgan Brian).

Julie Johnston and teammates after Johnston’s goal against New Zealand, April 4, 2015. (Jeff Roberson/AP)

3.

The goals by Lori Chalupny, Julie Johnston and Morgan Brian came in a five-minute span late in the second half. Chalupny’s was in the 76th minute, Johnston’s in the 78th, and Brian’s in the 81st.

4.

New Zealand got only two shots, and neither was on goal. The United States had 18 shots, 11 of them on goal.

New Zealand goalkeeper Erin Nayler had a busy day. (Jeff Roberson/AP)

 

5.

The United States’ record against New Zealand is 11-1-1.

5 additional things you might not know about USA vs. New Zealand

The U.S. women play New Zealand at 3 p.m. today (April 4) at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The game is on Fox Sports 1.

Here are five oddities, curiosities or (possibly) interesting facts about the game and its participants

1.

The United States is 10-1-1 against New Zealand. The Kiwis won the first match, on Dec. 15, 1987, in Taipei, Taiwan, by a score of 1-0. The draw (1-1) came in the teams’ most recent game, in Columbus, Ohio, on Oct. 30, 2013.

Abby Wambach vs. New Zealand, Oct. 30, 2013, Columbus, Ohio. (Jamie Sabau/Getty Images North America)

 

2.

Since that first match, the closest New Zealand has come to defeating Team USA was on Feb. 11, 2012, in Frisco, Texas. On a day when temperatures dipped below freezing, New Zealand took a 1-0 lead early in the second half when forward Hannah Wilkinson scored on what would be her team’s only shot on goal. New Zealand held that lead until the 88th minute, when Alex Morgan hit a header to equalize. Then, three minutes into stoppage time, Morgan put another header in the net for the 2-1 win.

 

3.

Hannah Wilkinson, who plays at the University of Tennessee, has New Zealand’s last three goals against the Americans.

Hannah Wilkinson (right) of the Tennessee Lady Vols. (Matthew DeMaria/Tennessee Athletics)

 

4.

The United States played New Zealand in the 2008 Olympics and won 4-0. Heather O’Reilly scored 40 seconds into the match. At the time, it was the quickest goal ever for the U.S. women’s team. Abby Wambach beat the mark on Jan. 19, 2012,  when she scored 38 seconds into a 14-0 thumping of the Dominican Republic. O’Reilly’s goal is still the fastest goal in Olympic history.

 

5.

Six U.S. players have scored in 2015: Alex Morgan, Carli Lloyd, Abby Wambach, Amy Rodriguez, Julie Johnston, and Christen Press.

Amy Rodriguez and Julie Johnston celebrate after Johnston’s goal early in the first half of the Algarve Cup championship game against France on March 11, 2015. The United States won 2-0. (Francisco Leong/AFP/Getty Images)

 

5 more things you might not know about USA vs. New Zealand

The U.S. women play New Zealand at 3 p.m. today (April 4) at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The game is on Fox Sports 1.

Here are five oddities, curiosities or (possibly) interesting facts about the game and its participants:

1.

Megan Rapinoe has 99 caps. With her next, she becomes the 31st American woman to reach 100.

Megan Rapinoe, Catatlina Island, Calif. (Instagram)

 

2.

There are two St. Louis natives on the roster: Becky Sauerbrunn, who was an All-American at Ladue High School and the 2003 Missouri Player of the Year; and Lori Chalupny, who was an All-American at Nerinx Hall High School.

Becky Sauerbrunn vs. Costa Rica, Oct. 26, 2014. (Rich Schultz/AP)

 

3.

The United States is ranked second in the world behind Germany. New Zealand is 18th.

4.

The Americans are 4-1-1 this year.

 

5.

The United States is scoring 1.33 goals per game in 2015 and allowing 0.50.

 

5 things you might not know about USA vs. New Zealand

The U.S. women play New Zealand at 3 p.m. Saturday (April 4) at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The game is on Fox Sports 1.

Here are five oddities, curiosities or (possibly) interesting facts about the game and its participants:

1.

More than 32,000 tickets have been sold for the match, making it one of the best-selling home friendlies ever for the U.S. women’s team. The record is 36,405 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City for a match against Finland on Oct. 7, 1999. That match came on the heels of the United States’ dramatic triumph in the 1999 World Cup.

Busch Stadium. (Huy Mach/St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

 

2.

This is U.S. team’s first game of 2015 on U.S. soil.

 

3.

Christie Rampone will miss the match because of a minor knee strain sustained last week during the team’s training camp in Southern California. The 39-year-old team captain did not play in last month’s Algarve Cup because of a back injury.

Christie Rampone. (Brian Blanco/Getty Images)

4.

The match begins the Americans’ final run-up to the 2015 World Cup. After this, the only three games on the schedule are the Send-Off Series in May:

• Ireland, 1:30 p.m. CT, Sunday, May 10, Avaya Stadium, San Jose, Calif.
• Mexico, 8 p.m. CT, Sunday, May 17, StubHub Center, Carson, Calif.
• South Korea, 3:30 p.m., Saturday, May 30, Red Bull Arena, Harrison, N. J.

The two California matches will be on Fox Sports 1; the match against Korea will be on ESPN.

 

5.

This is the first time the U.S. women have played in St. Louis since Oct. 13, 2007, when they beat Mexico 5-1.