WNT Set for Switzerland at Algarve Cup


U.S. Women’s National Team vs. Switzerland
2015 Algarve Cup
Municipal Stadium; Vila Real de Santo Antonio, Portugal
March 6, 2015
WNT PREPARES FOR SWITZERLAND AT ALGARVE CUP: The U.S. Women’s National Team, coming off a 2-1 victory against Norway to open the 2015 Algarve Cup, heads back to the Spanish border to face Switzerland in Vila Real de Santo Antonio, Portugal (12 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1). The WNT opened its 20th Algarve Cup in Portugal on March 4 with come-from-behind 2-1 victory against longtime rival Norway as Carli Lloyd scored both goals. The USA gave up a goal against the run of play near the end of the first half, but stormed back in the second on a brilliant left-footed strike from Lloyd from just outside the penalty box in the 55th minute, followed by a converted penalty kick in the 62nd minute after Christen Press’ shot had been knocked down by the hand of Norway captain Trine Ronnin. After Friday’s game, the USA finishes Group B play on March 9 against Iceland in Lagos (1:30 p.m. ET). The USA’s final Group B match against Iceland will not be televised due to inadequate lighting at the Municipal Stadium in Lagos.
GOING FOR 10: The U.S. WNT won its most recent the Algarve Cup in 2013, beating Germany 2-0 in the title game to earn its ninth title, the most of any country. The U.S. team trained for eight days in Portugal before the tournament that features six of the world’s top-10 ranked teams, including the top five. Brazil, currently ranked eighth, will be participating for the first time. In all, 11 of the 12 participating countries are ranked in the top-20 in the world. Fans can follow all the U.S. games on Twitter @ussoccer_wnt and @ussoccer_esp, and watch highlights on ussoccer.com.
ALGARVE CUP FORMAT: This will be the 22nd edition of the Algarve Cup, and for the first time in 14 years, it has undergone a change in the competition format. When the Algarve Cup expanded from eight to 12 teams in 2001, a Group C was created that generally consisted of lower-tier teams that were eligible to compete only for spots in the placement matches for seventh, ninth and 11th. This year, for the first time, all 12 teams will be competing for the tournament title. The final will be contested by the two group winners with the most points (or if all three group winners are tied on points, the top two will be determined by a series of tiebreakers). The third-place match will feature the third-best group winner against the best second-place team from the three groups. In addition, the fifth-place match will be played between the two remaining second-place teams; the seventh-place match between the two best third-place teams; the ninth-place match between the remaining third-place team against the best fourth-place team; while the 11th-place match will feature the remaining two teams that finished fourth in their groups.
22nd Annual Algarve Cup Standings
Group A
Team |
GP |
W |
L |
T |
GF |
GA |
GD |
Pts. |
SWE |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
2 |
+2 |
3 |
BRA |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
CHN |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
GER |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
-2 |
0 |
Group A Update: Sweden gave up two goals in the first 160 seconds against Germany but then mounted an epic comeback to score four unanswered. After Dzsenifer Marozsán and Simone Laudehr gave Germany the shock early lead, two goals each from captain Caroline Seger and fleet forward Sofia Jakobsson gave Sweden the victory against the world’s top-ranked team. In the other Group A match, Brazil tied China PR 0-0. Brazil had beaten China 4-1 during the International Tournament of Brasilia last December.
Group B
Team |
GP |
W |
L |
T |
GF |
GA |
GD |
Pts. |
SUI |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
+2 |
3 |
USA |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
+1 |
3 |
NOR |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
-1 |
0 |
ISL |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
-2 |
0 |
Group B Update: The USA currently sits in second place in Group B on goal differential after Lara Dickenmann’s two second-half goals in the 57th and 66th minutes paced Switzerland to a 2-0 victory against Iceland. The USA’s match against Switzerland on March 6 will be crucial to determining the group winner and a possible place in the Algarve Cup title game. Still, a group title does not guarantee a place in the championship game as the two best group winners will advance to play for the Algarve Cup title on March 11.
Group C
Team |
GP |
W |
L |
T |
GF |
GA |
GD |
Pts. |
DEN |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
+1 |
3 |
FRA |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
+1 |
3 |
JPN |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
-1 |
0 |
POR |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
-1 |
0 |
Group C Update: Denmark, which did not qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, pulled off a bit of an upset, downing reigning world champion Japan 2-1. After Sanne Troelsgaard gave Denmark the lead just two minutes into the game, Kozue Ando equalized in the 17th minute. Denmark got the game-winner from Joanna Rasmussen in the 58th minute. Rasmussen played in the USA in Women’s Professional Soccer with the Atlanta Beat and magicJack. In the other Group C match, Portugal held strong against powerful France, but finally succumbed on a 64th-minute goal from Eugenie Le Sommer, who also scored against the USA in France in February.
For a full listing of the 2015 Algarve Cup schedule and results, visit the tournament page on ussoccer.com.
ALGARVE CUP FAST FACTS
ALGARVE CUP BEGINS EIGHT-GAME RUN TO WORLD CUP: The USA heads into the Algarve Cup with eight games remaining before opening FIFA Women’s World Cup play on June 8 against Australia in Winnipeg. The U.S. team will play four matches in eight days at the Algarve Cup and then return home for four matches over April and May, the first of which will be played on April 4 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. More than 30,000 tickets have already been sold for the match. Last year at the Algarve Cup, the USA had its 43-game unbeaten streak snapped when it fell 1-0 to Sweden in its second group game. Prior to that, the USA’s most recent loss was a 1-0 defeat to Japan on March 5, 2012, in the third match of group play at the Algarve Cup. Since last year’s Algarve Cup, the USA has gone 14-2-4.
2015 U.S. WNT SCHEDULE:
Date |
Opponent |
Time |
TV/Result |
Venue |
Feb. 8 |
France |
12 p.m. ET |
0-2 L |
Stade du Moustoir; Lorient, France |
Feb. 13 |
England |
3 p.m. ET |
1-0 W |
stadiummk; Milton Keynes, England |
March 4 |
Norway* |
2 p.m. ET |
2-1 W |
Vila Real de Santo Antonio, Portugal |
March 6 |
Switzerland* |
12 p.m. ET |
FOX Sports 1 |
Vila Real de Santo Antonio, Portugal |
March 9 |
Iceland* |
1:30 p.m. ET |
-- |
Lagos, Portugal |
March 11 |
TBD* |
TBD |
FOX Sports 1 |
TBD, Portugal |
April 4 |
New Zealand |
2:30 p.m. CT |
FOX Sports 1 |
Busch Stadium; St. Louis, Mo. |
May 10 |
Ireland |
11:30 a.m. PT |
FOX Sports 1 |
Avaya Stadium; San Jose, Calif. |
May 17 |
Mexico |
6 p.m. PT |
FOX Sports 1 |
StubHub Center; Carson, Calif. |
May 30 |
Korea Rep. |
4:30 p.m. ET |
ESPN, WatchESPN |
Red Bull Arena; Harrison, N.J. |
June 8 |
Australia |
6:30 p.m. CT |
FOX |
Winnipeg Stadium; Winnipeg, Canada |
June 12 |
Sweden |
7 p.m. CT |
FOX |
Winnipeg Stadium; Winnipeg, Canada |
June 16 |
Nigeria |
5 p.m. PT |
FOX |
BC Place Stadium; Vancouver, Canada |
* Algarve Cup
USA DRAWN INTO GROUP D AT 2015 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP: At the Final Draw conducted on Dec. 6 in Ottawa, the U.S. Women's National Team was drawn into Group D at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup where it will face Australia, Nigeria and Sweden. The seventh Women’s World Cup will take place from June 6-July 5 in Canada. The U.S. will open the tournament against Australia on June 8 at Winnipeg Stadium, face Sweden on June 12 in Winnipeg, and finish Group D play against Nigeria on June 16 at BC Place in Vancouver. The USA, Nigeria and Sweden have competed in every edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup.
25 TO ALGARVE: U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Jill Ellis named a 25-player training roster for the 2015 Algarve Cup but as just 23 can suit up for the games, goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, and captain Christie Rampone – who is still returning to full fitness after recovering from a back injury – will not suit up. The roster includes 22 of the 24 players that were in Europe for the USA’s recent matches against France and England, with midfielder Megan Rapinoe, Rampone and goalkeeper Hope Solo rejoining the squad.
U.S. Women’s National Team Roster By Position:
GOALKEEPERS (3):
24-Ashlyn Harris (Washington Spirit), 21-Alyssa Naeher (Boston Breakers), 1-Hope Solo (Seattle Reign FC)
DEFENDERS (10):
16-Lori Chalupny (Chicago Red Stars), 22-Crystal Dunn (Washington Spirit), 6-Whitney Engen (Western NY Flash), 26-Julie Johnston (Chicago Red Stars),
25-Meghan Klingenberg (Houston Dash), 11-Ali Krieger (Washington Spirit), 5-Kelley O’Hara (Sky Blue FC), 3-Christie Rampone (Sky Blue FC), 4-Becky
Sauerbrunn (FC Kansas City), 19-Rachel Van Hollebeke (Portland Thorns)
MIDFIELDERS (7):
7-Shannon Boxx (Chicago Red Stars), 14-Morgan Brian (Houston Dash), 17-Tobin Heath (Portland Thorns FC), 12-Lauren Holiday (FC Kansas City), 10-Carli Lloyd
(Houston Dash), 9-Heather O’Reilly (FC Kansas City), 15-Megan Rapinoe (Seattle Reign FC)
FORWARDS (5):
2-Sydney Leroux (Seattle Reign FC), 13-Alex Morgan (Portland Thorns FC), 23-Christen Press (Chicago Red Stars), 8-Amy Rodriguez (FC Kansas City), 20-Abby
Wambach (Western NY Flash)
U.S. ROSTER NOTES:
IN THE RECORD BOOKS:
U.S. WNT AT THE ALGARVE CUP
Videos and Photo Galleries:
Releases:
ALL-TIME U.S. FINISHES AT THE ALGARVE CUP: The USA has had some tremendous and remarkable success at the Algarve Cup (eight straight appearances in the championship game from 2004-2012 and nine titles overall), but the USA didn’t win its first title until its sixth try in 2000 when a Brandi Chastain penalty kick defeated Norway in the title game 1-0. It took the USA three years to win it again.
Year |
U.S. Finish |
No. of teams |
Champion |
Runner-Up |
1994 |
Second |
6 |
Norway |
USA |
1995 |
Fourth |
8 |
Sweden |
Denmark |
1996 |
Did not participate |
8 |
Sweden |
Norway |
1997 |
Did not participate |
8 |
Norway |
China |
1998 |
Third |
8 |
Norway |
Denmark |
1999 |
Second |
8 |
China |
USA |
2000 |
First |
8 |
USA |
Norway |
2001 |
Sixth |
8 |
Sweden |
Denmark |
2002 |
Fifth |
12 |
China |
Norway |
2003 |
First |
12 |
USA |
China |
2004 |
First |
12 |
USA |
Norway |
2005 |
First |
12 |
USA |
Germany |
2006 |
Second |
12 |
Germany |
USA |
2007 |
First |
12 |
USA |
Denmark |
2008 |
First |
12 |
USA |
Denmark |
2009 |
Second |
12 |
Sweden |
USA |
2010 |
First |
12 |
USA |
Germany |
2011 |
First |
12 |
USA |
Iceland |
2012 |
Third |
12 |
Germany |
Japan |
2013 |
First |
12 |
USA |
Germany |
2014 |
Seventh |
12 |
Germany |
Japan |
HISTORY OF ALGARVE EXCELLENCE: With the success of the U.S. team in this tournament, the Americans have also taken home several individual awards over the years, including five MVPs and six Top Scorer awards. In 1999, Tiffeny Milbrett was the Best Player and the Top Scorer with four goals. In 2002, Shannon MacMillan was the Top Scorer with seven goals, the most in one Algarve Cup tournament by a U.S. player. In 2004, Abby Wambach was the Top Scorer with five goals and Shannon Boxx was voted Best Player. In 2005, Christie Welsh was Top Scorer with five goals. In 2006, Hope Solo was voted Best Goalkeeper and Boxx took home her second Algarve Cup MVP award. In 2007, Carli Lloyd did the double, taking the Top Scorer (four goals) and Best Player awards. In 2009, Solo was the first goalkeeper to win the tournament’s MVP award. In 2011, Alex Morgan scored three goals, tied with a few others, but won the top scorer award as she played the least minutes of all those tied. In 2013, Morgan was the top scorer in the tournament with three goals while Megan Rapinoe was named Best Player.
BY THE NUMBERS:
IN FOCUS: SWITZERLAND
Current FIFA World Ranking:
18
2015 Women’s World Cup Qualifying:
Finished first in UEFA Women’s World Cup qualifying Group 3 (9-0-1; 53 GF, 1 GA)
Women’s World Cup Finals Appearances:
1 - 2015
Record vs. USA:
0-1-0
Head Coach:
Martina Voss-Tecklenburg
Championship Honors:
None
Leading Women’s World Cup Qualifying Scorers:
Lara Dickenmann (10), Ana Maria Crnogorčević (9), Ramona Bachmann (8), Fabienne Humm (8)
Key Players:
Martina Moser (Hoffenheim), Lara Dickenmann (Lyon), Ramona Bachmann (FC Rosengard), Ana Maria Crnogorčević (Frankfurt), Caroline Abbé (Bayern Munich)
2105 Algarve Cup Switzerland Women’s National Team Roster
GOALKEEPERS (3):
1-Stenia Michel (FF USV Jena), 12-Nadine Böni (FC Basel 1893), 21 Antonia Albisser (FC Luzern)
DEFENDERS (8):
2-Nicole Remund (FC Zürich Frauen), 3-Sandra Betschart (FC Sunnana Sportklub), 4-Rachel Rinast (1. FC Köln), 5-Noëlle Maritz (VfL Wolfsburg), 6-Selina
Kuster (FC Zürich Frauen), 14-Rahel Kiwic (MSV Duisburg), 15-Caroline Abbé (FC Bayern München), 16-Fabienne Humm (FC Zürich Frauen)
MIDFIELDERS (7):
7-Martina Moser (1899 Hoffenheim), 8-Cinzia Zehnder (Zürich Frauen), 9-Lia Wälti (1. FFC Turbine Potsdam) 17-Lara Keller (FF USV Jena), 18-Vanessa Bürki
(FC Bayern München), 20-Florijana Ismaili (BSC Young Boys), 22-Vanessa Bernauer (VfL Wolfsburg)
FORWARDS (5):
10-Ramona Bachmann (FC Rosengard), 11-Lara Dickenmann (FC Olympique Lyonnais), 13-Ana Maria Crnogorcevic (1. FFC Frankfurt), 19-Eseosa Aigbogun (FC Basel
1893), 23-Barla Deplazes (FC Zürich Frauen)
USA VS. SWITZERLAND SERIES
SWITZERLAND ROSTER NOTES
LAST TIME
On the field for the USA:
March 4, 2015 – Municipal Stadium; Vila Real de San Antonio, Portugal
USA 2 Carli Lloyd 55, 62
NOR 1 Ada Hegerberg 43
Lineups:
USA:
1-Hope Solo; 11-Ali Krieger, 4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 26-Julie Johnston, 16-Lori Chalupny (25-Meghan Klingenberg, 46); 10-Carli Lloyd, 12-Lauren Holiday
(15-Megan Rapinoe, 90+1), 14-Morgan Brian, 23-Christen Press (17-Tobin Heath, 78); 13-Alex Morgan (2-Sydney Leroux, 79), 20-Abby Wambach (capt.) (8-Amy
Rodriguez, 56)
Subs Not Used: 5-Kelley O’Hara, 6-Whitney Engen, 7-Shannon Boxx, 9-Heather O’Reilly, 19-Rachel Van Hollebeke, 22-Crystal Dunn, 24-Ashlyn Harris
Head Coach: Jill Ellis
NOR:
12-Silje Vesterbekkmo; 6-Maren Mjelde, 7-Trine Rønning (capt.), 2-Marita Lund, 3-Inger Ane Hole; 17-Lene Mykjåland, 8-Solveig Gulbrandsen (14-Gry Tofte
Ims, 74), 20-Emilie Haavi (19-Marie Markussen, 69); 18-Kristine Minde, 8-Isabel Herlovsen, 21-Ada Hegerberg
Subs Not Used:
1-Ingrid Hjelmseth, 4-Melissa Bjånesoy, 5-Hedda Gardsjord, 10-Maria Thorisdottir, 11-Ida Elise Enget, 13-Ingrid Moe Wold, 15-Anja Sønstevold,
16-Andrine Hegerberg, 22-Cathrine Dekkerhus, 23-Cecille Fiskerstrand
Head Coach: Even Pellerud
On the field for the USA vs. SUI:
Aug. 20, 2014 – WakeMed Soccer Park; Cary, N.C.
USA 4 Rapinoe 3, Lloyd 56, Press 77, Wambach 87
NOR 1 Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic 71
Lineups:
USA:
1-Hope Solo; 11-Ali Krieger (25-Meghan Klingenberg, 46), 4-Becky Sauerbrunn (16-Julie Johnston, 46), 3-Christie Rampone (capt.), 19-Crystal Dunn; 10-Carli
Lloyd, 12-Lauren Holiday (6-Allie Long, 85), 15-Megan Rapinoe (7-Morgan Brian, 78); 2-Sydney Leroux (20-Abby Wambach, 46), 13-Alex Morgan (9-Heather
O’Reilly, 66), 23-Christen Press
Subs Not Used: 18-Alyssa Naeher
Head Coach: Jill Ellis
SUI:
1-Gaëlle Thalmann (12-Stenia Michel, 46); 5-Noëlle Maritz, 14-Rahel Kiwic (8-Sandy Maendly, 82), 15-Caroline Abbé (capt.); 7-Martina Moser (22-Vanessa
Bernauerk, 68), 9-Lia Wälti, 16-Fabienne Humm (2-Nicole Remund, 68), 18-Vanessa Bürki (6-Selina Kuster, 56); 10-Ramona Bachmann, 11-Lara Dickenmann,
13-Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic (19-Eseosa Aigbogun, 74)
Subs Not Used: 23-Fabienne Bangerter
Head Coach: Martina Voss-Tecklenburg