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Women’s Soccer Plays For Olympic Berth on Wednesday

Posted April 8, 2008 at 03:49 PM by Michael J. Sedor

Section: Beijing 2008, Beijing Results, Events, Soccer, Featured Writers, Michael Sedor

USA Soccer The United States women’s soccer squad faces the lightly-regarded Costa Rican side this Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. in Ciudad Juaraz, Mexico for a trip to the Beijing Olympics. The Stars and Stripes finished at the top of the CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualification Group A table with 6-0 victory on Thursday against Trinidad and Tobago and a hard-fought 3-1 triumph on Saturday against the fast-improving Mexican side. In the game’s 32nd minute Mexico drew the game level at 1-1 sending the sold-out 22,000 home crowd into a frenzy. American superstar Abby Wambach answered just 45 seconds later with a goal of her own. The momentum shifted and the U.S. sailed into tomorrow’s knockout stage.

Unlike the men’s Olympic tournament which is for under-23 competitors, the women’s Olympic tournament consists of full-strength national sides and is just as (perhaps more) prestigious than the women’s World Cup. For the Americans this elite competition couldn’t come soon enough. They were ignominiously defeated 4-0 by Brazil in the 2007 World Cup which was also held in China. The team finished third but looked lost and unsure the entire tourney. Their haphazard, stifling tactics and boring style was severely criticized for former players and pundits alike. Head Coach Greg Ryan’s man management was appalling and he was unceremoniously fired a few weeks after the Brazil defeat.

Former Swedish national player Pia Sundhage was hired in his stead. She is the first non-American and only second female to head the team. She has an enviable position. The U.S. women are still the world’s most skilled, their talent pool of stellar athletes is the deepest, and the team’s funding and infrastructure is unmatched. And after their World Cup 2007 loss the team’s expectation level is lower than ever before. The world and the American public seems to have forgotten that the U.S. women’s team is still the best.

Sundhage has promised a more attacking, flowing style of soccer than the one Ryan foisted upon his squad. She has also given her team more freedom and allowed them to unleash their creative abilities. The positive results have been immediate. The team is 9-0 under Sundhage. They’ve outscored their opponents 30-3, they’ve regained their #1 world ranking, they’ve won the Algarve Cup and the Four Nations Tournament, and now seem poised to score an Olympic ticket.

To do that they must defeat Costa Rica on Wednesday. The Costa Ricans have thus far failed to distinguish themselves in Juarez failing to win either of their two matches. They drew 2-2 to Trinidad and Tobago on a dramatic last minute goal from Cristin Granados and managed to stifle Canada enough to loss only 1-0. T&T’s 6-0 loss to Canada ensured Costa Rica’s second place finished based on goal differential. After the U.S. game concludes, El Tri face the Maple Leafs the winner of that game will go to Beijing and hopefully face the U.S. for the gold on Saturday.

The crowds at Estadio Olimpico Benito Juarez have been sizable, much larger than the scattering that showed up at last month’s men’s Olympic Qualifiers. Perhaps on Wednesday some American fans will cross the Bridge of the Americas from El Paso and cheer on their team. A U.S.-Mexico rematch on Saturday in a U.S.-Mexico border town would be this fan’s dream game. If only the game could have been televised…