« Monday Hot Links | Main | Garrett on 'Jeopardy!' »

Amy Rodriguez Headed to Beijing

Arodu20 USC's Amy Rodriguez was named to the U.S. Olympic team today. She's the first Trojan to make the Olympics in women's soccer.

The 21-year-old is one of only three forwards to make this year's squad. She's the second youngest player on the roster (average age is 26) and one of only two with college eligibility remaining.

"She offers speed, and in international games you really need speed," said U.S. Coach Pia Sundhage. "The way she's been playing and actually running at people has been very good."

Trojan John Carden played soccer for Team USA in the 1956 games. Hugo Salcedo, who got his master's degree from USC, played footie in the 1972 games. And when it comes to a discussion about USC and world-class soccer, you can't leave out Andres Cantor.

Rodriguez will be back at USC as a senior this fall to help the Trojans defend their NCAA championship. Her national team bio is after the jump.

AMY RODRIGUEZ - Lake Forest, Calif. (First Olympics)
This pocket Hercules has remarkable strength and acceleration due to her low center of gravity, powerful legs and world class speed. She has shown flashes of brilliance so far for the USA, scoring four goals this year (including the game-winner against Brazil in the Peace Queen Cup in South Korea) and has created scoring chances every time’s gotten into the game. With just 19 caps, her ability to get into scoring positions and set up her teammates should become even more potent with the sharpening of finishing skills that comes with increased experience. She was a key player in helping USC to a Cinderella NCAA title last season, scoring twice in the NCAA semifinal over rival UCLA and being named the MVP of the Final Four. She has played in two youth world championships for the USA, in Thailand in 2004 where she made her international debut and in Russia in 2006. She scored twice in each tournament. She is one of two players on the roster with college eligibility remaining and will be a senior at USC next season.

UPDATE: For the USC news release, click here.

TrackBack

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8341c630a53ef00e5536a814d8833

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Amy Rodriguez Headed to Beijing:

Comments
steveballmer

I expected something a little difference on this blog.

durai

nice post and informative.. i like to spend ample time with your blog..nice pictures..

gerrrg

Right on...er...Fight On! When the Olympics rolls around, I hope we'll see a list of the diversity of athletes represented by current and former USC students, and how the Pac-10 stacks up against the other conferences. :D

Post a comment
If you are under 13 years of age you may read this message board, but you may not participate.
Here are the full legal terms you agree to by using this comment form.

Comments are moderated, and will not appear until they've been approved.

If you have a TypeKey or TypePad account, please Sign In







All LA Times Blogs

Afterword
All The Rage
Babylon & Beyond
Big Picture
Booster Shots
Brand X
Comments Blog
Company Town
Culture Monster
D.C. Now
Daily Dish
Daily Mirror
Daily Travel & Deal Blog
Dish Rag
Dodger Thoughts
Fabulous Forum
Gold Derby
Greenspace
Hero Complex
Holiday Gift Guide
Homicide Report
Idol Tracker
Jacket Copy
L.A. at Home
L.A. Now
L.A. Unleashed
La Plaza
Lakers
Ministry of Gossip
Money & Co.
Opinion L.A.
Outposts
Pop & Hiss
Readers' Representative
Show Tracker
Technology
Ticket to Vancouver
Top of the Ticket
Varsity Times Insider


Buy Tickets
Search for Tickets
 

LATimes.com now offers tickets to sporting events around the world, including USC football tickets and USC basketball tickets as well as many more college basketball tickets and college football tickets.

Popular Events
Dodgers tickets and Angels tickets are in high demand with the MLB baseball season heating up once again. We're also seeing a lot of NFL fans looking for Raiders tickets, 49ers tickets and Chargers tickets.
Take a look at our awesome selection of Sports tickets, particularly LA Sports tickets. We have MLB tickets, NBA tickets, NFL tickets and NHL tickets to just about any game on the schedule.
Powered by TicketNetwork