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The U.S. women's soccer team, the defending Olympic gold medalists, lost to Norway on Wednesday night in Qinhuangdao, China, in their opening match of the Beijing Games. Norway scored twice in the first four minutes, and the U.S. never recovered, losing 2-0.
The Americans next play Japan on Saturday.
Photo: Shannon Boxx, right, and Norway's Trine Roenning jump for the ball during the first-round match. Credit: Silvia Izquierdo / Associated Press
Just a few days away from its opening game at the Beijing Olympics, the U.S. men’s soccer team heard some unsettling words it didn’t want to hear on Saturday.
“Maybe we’re still a little naïve about international football,” Coach Peter Nowak said after the U.S. had been beaten, 1-0, by Cameroon in Hong Kong in its final warm-up match before the Games.
The loss was the second shutout in a row for the Americans, who were held to a 0-0 tie by the Ivory Coast in another warmup game last Wednesday.
Nowak, a former World Cup midfielder for Poland with extensive international experience as a player, said his team appeared hesitant.
“Going into games like this we have to expect that they’ll be physical, with a lot of contact,” he said, “so we have to prevail.”
After being shoved around in the first 45 minutes, during which Cameroon, the 2000 Olympic gold-medal winner, scored on a 24th-minute penalty kick by Aurelian Chedjou Fongang after a foul by Michael Bradley, the U.S. did better in the second half.
But whereas Cameroon also hit the post and had a shot cleared off the line in the first half, the U.S. again failed to score, stretching its streak without a goal in competitive play to 312 minutes, including a 1-0 overtime loss to Honduras in its final Olympic qualifying game in March.
Cameroon outshot the Americans, 8-7, including 5-1 in shots on target. The U.S. squad will travel to Tianjin on Sunday for games against Japan on Thursday (4:30 a.m., MSNBC) and against the Netherlands on Aug. 10. It then goes to Beijing for its final first-round game, against Nigeria on Aug. 13.
-- Grahame L. Jones
Photo: Freddy Adu, center, of the U.S. dribbles past Cameroon's Stephane Bikey Amougou (4), Stephane Mbia Etoundi (6), and Albert Legrand Baning in a warmup match Saturday in Hong Kong ahead of the Olympics. Credit: Jerome Favre/Associated Press
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Berne, Switzerland, will have the final say on whether European soccer clubs must release players for next month’s Beijing Olympics.
FIFA sparked the dispute by ordering soccer clubs to release players 23 years of age and younger if their national teams want them to play.
“Taking part in the Olympic Games is a unique opportunity for all athletes of any sporting discipline,” FIFA said in a statement. “It would not be justifiable to prevent any player younger than 23 from participating in such an event if his representative team had qualified.”
But the Beijing Games' schedule is in conflict with the start of the European soccer season, which prompted two German clubs to argue that FIFA overstepped its authority because the Olympics are not on FIFA's international match calendar.
The German clubs want to keep Brazil from recruiting Diego, a 23-year-old midfielder, and 22-year-old defender Rafinha. Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports that Spain will join the CAS bid in order to keep forward Lionel Messi from having to report for duty with Argentina's Olympic team.
-- Greg Johnson
Photo: Rafinha, left, and Ronaldinho stretch during a Brazilian national team practice in Singapore on July 25. Credit: How Hwee Young / European Pressphoto Agency
The U.S. men's Olympic soccer team has started off with a whimper, escaping with a 0-0 tie in a warm-up friendly against Ivory Coast today thanks only to the fine goalkeeping of Brad Guzan.
The game, the first of two in Hong Kong for the Americans before they head north, was dominated by the African side, which out-shot the U.S., 7-3 overall and 4-1 in shots on target.
Former Chivas USA goalkeeper Guzan, who is waiting to hear this week whether he has been granted a British work permit so that he can join Aston Villa in the English Premier League, was in top form.
He made four saves, one of them an exceptional kick-save on a point-blank shot by Ivory Coast striker Sekou Cisse in the 71st minute after Guzan had earlier denied Cisse with a diving save off a sharp downward header.
Peter Nowak, the U.S. coach, used 17 players of his 18 players in the match, changing the team’s formation from a 4-4-2 to a 4-5-1 at the half.
But the U.S. attack was toothless as the team concentrated on holding the faster, more athletic Ivory Coast squad in check. Forwards Brian McBride, Jozy Altidore and Charlie Davies each managed only one shot on goal; a weak header by Altidore went straight to Ivory Coast goalkeeper Vincent de Paul Angban.
“These matches are tune-ups for the Olympics, so we want to make sure the stuff we’ve been working on will translate into the games,” Nowak said on the U.S. Soccer website.
The U.S. plays another African team, Cameroon, on Saturday in Hong Kong before its three first-round games in the Olympics against Japan, the Netherlands and Nigeria. The first two matches are in Tianjin, the third in Beijing.
“Our preparations, mentally and physically, will show through these two games both offensively and defensively,” Nowak said. “We want to make sure to get the full package together by next week.”
-- Grahame L. Jones
Photo: US Olympic team goalkeeper Brad Guzan during a pre-Beijing Games practice session in Hong Kong on July 27. Credit: Philippe Lopez / AFP/Getty Images
Updated at 10:25 a.m. Ryan Babel and Roy Makaay scored late goals to give the Netherlands a 2-0 victory over Cameroon in a pre-Olympic soccer tournament game in Hong Kong.
The United States and Ivory Coast played to a scoreless tie Wednesday during a pre-Beijing Games soccer match in Hong Kong. The Netherlands, which hopes to win a gold in Beijing, plays Cameroon later Wednesday at Hong Kong Stadium.
Ivory Coast dominated the first half but failed to convert. Kafoumba Coulibaly had two shots on goal late in the half, but U.S. goalkeeper Brad Guzan stopped both of them. Momentum subsequently shifted to the U.S., which also failed to convert.
The U.S. will play Cameroon on Saturday and the Ivory Coast will play the Netherlands during the ING Cup tournament that runs through Aug. 2.
-- Greg Johnson
Photo: Freddy Adu of the U.S., center, falls during a soccer match with Ivory Coast on Wednesday in Hong Kong. Credit: Vincent Yu / Associated Press
Abby Wambach sounded amazingly cheerful for an athlete whose Olympic dreams ended so cruelly.
Wambach, a consistent scoring threat for the defending champion U.S. women's soccer team, fractured her tibia and fibula in a collision with a Brazilian defender last Wednesday in San Diego during the team's final pre-Beijing Games friendly match. She underwent surgery the next day and already has begun rehab.
"Life isn't so serious," she told reporters during a conference call earlier today that marked her first interview since the accident.
"You've got to take it one step at a time, no matter what kind of injury you have, no matter what kind of recovery time you're looking at. I'm proud of who I am and glad to be alive and faced with a circumstance that's going to challenge me and I'm going to grow from."
She's being looked after by her roommate and her mother, Judy, who flew to Southern California from the family's home in Rochester, N.Y. She admitted to not being the most cooperative of patients, but she hasn't had much experience at it. The worst injury she had suffered before this was a sprained ankle. She had never ridden in an ambulance before being transported to a San Diego hospital for evaluation.
Wambach also sounded genuinely grateful for the calls, e-mails, text messages and bouquets of flowers and fruit that friends and fans have sent her. "Realizing that I don't have to deal with it alone is really special," she said.
She said her teammates shouldn't have a hard time dealing with her absence on the pitch. Without her, the team can play the ball-possession style that Coach Pia Sundhage favors.
"That's the most positive way you can look at the situation. Now they're faced with a different sort of challenge," she said. "They have to play possession. Not that the other forwards can't play the way I play. I possess some skills some of the other ones don't as forwards.
"It's going to be important for the team to stay dedicated to that process. It would be a tragedy if they strayed away and started changing, because one player doesn't change a team."
She added that her teammates must play with "the U.S. passion, high-pressure defense. That is the thing that can separate this team from winning gold or not, if they're willing to dedicate themselves to high pressure defensively."
-- Helene Elliott
Photo: Abby Wambach grimaces as she's taken off the field July 16 after breaking her left leg during an exhibition soccer match against Brazil in San Diego. Credit: Robert Benson/US Presswire
Real Madrid has asked the Brazilian football federation to drop Robinho from its Olympic squad because a medical examination discovered that the player has a groin injury.
"Real Madrid [has] contacted the Brazilian FA via fax, explaining the injury and requesting the player's absence from the national squad list for the Olympic Games," the club said in a statement on its website.
Real Madrid said that the injury was discovered when the player arrived for a medical examination and light training along with most of the club's squad. "The best thing for the player is to complete preseason training with the squad where he will be given rehabilitation tailored to his injury and where he will be under constant supervision," said the statement.
The Associated Press reports that the 24-year-old forward is disappointed but will heed Real Madrid's wishes: "Unhappily, I can't go with Brazil to the games, but it is Real Madrid's decision and I respect it," said Robinho, who first unveiled his Olympic plans back in May.
Robinho's agent, Wagner Ribeiro, said he has never seen the player "so sad."
"He is an extremely happy person," Ribeiro told the UOL website. "The last time I saw him like this was when his mother was kidnapped."
-- Greg Johnson
Photo: Robinho controls the ball during a friendly match against Rio de Janeiro's state soccer team in Brazil on June 22. Credit: Ricardo Moraes / Associated Press
Soccer player Abby Wambach underwent surgery today to repair a broken left leg that will keep her out of the Beijing Games. A titanium rod was inserted into her lower left leg during an operation in San Diego by Dr. Damion Valletta, U.S. Soccer's orthopedic surgeon.
Wambach was resting comfortably this afternoon, the Associated Press reported, and will be able to start full, weight-bearing activities in five to six weeks.
"Everything went according to plan, there were no complications and small incisions were used to minimize the soft tissue irritability from the surgery,” Valletta told AP. “We’ll have her stay in the hospital until tomorrow, monitor the pain and control the swelling in her leg. We anticipate that she will be discharged tomorrow on crutches and will start being able to put a small amount of weight on the leg.”
Wambach broke her leg on Wednesday night in San Diego during a match with Brazil. She collided with a Brazilian defender during the first half and immediately signaled for help.
“It can sometimes take a year to return a professional player to her previous level of activity," Valletta said, "but the expectation is that we will have an aggressive rehab program and progress her weight-bearing rapidly to minimize her time lost for competition.”
Forward Lauren Cheney has replaced Wambach on the Olympic squad. The 20-year-old athlete was an alternate and has trained with the U.S. team all year. She has three goals in 12 international matches.
“There are obviously tons of emotions going through me right now,” Cheney said. “I have the deepest sorrow for Abby, but I am excited to be part of the 18 going to the Olympics."
The U.S. team's first Olympic game will be on Aug. 6 against Norway.
-- Greg Johnson
Photo: Lauren Cheney, foreground, in blue, and Rhian Wilkinson of Canada vie for the ball during a June 21 match in South Korea. Credit: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
The broken leg suffered by striker Abby Wambach during Wednesday night’s 1-0 victory over Brazil in San Diego is a huge blow to the U.S. women’s soccer team but will not necessarily cripple its medal hopes.
Over the past two decades, the American women have time and again shown resilience in the face of misfortune, and Beijing 2008 should be no different.
The loss of Wambach, with her 99 goals in 127 international matches, subtracts significantly from the team’s offense, but Coach Pia Sundhage has other options up front--notably Natasha Kai, Amy Rodriguez and Heather O’Reilly.
Replacing Wambach on the Olympic roster will be 20-year-old UCLA forward Lauren Cheney, a former under-20 world champion who had been an Olympic alternate.
"Abby is one of the players who took all of us young players under her wing," Cheney said on U.S. Soccer’s web site. "She has always been there to help us out and guide us.
"Abby is irreplaceable, but I’m ready for any role I am asked to fill, and I’ll do anything I can to help the team win the gold medal. In China, we’ll be playing for our country and ourselves, but also for Abby."
What the U.S. will lack in China is the physically intimidating presence that Wambach brings to games. It takes a courageous defender to be willing to step in Wambach’s path when she is bearing down on goal at full speed.
If there can be such a thing as a thundering herd of one, Wambach is that herd.
Now, the U.S. will have to rely more on subtlety and guile. Speed and finesse come into play rather than brute force and finishing power. The ability to string together passes that can unlock defenses becomes paramount. Fortunately for Sundhage, her team has players who can do just that.
Rodriguez and O’Reilly provide the speed. Carli Lloyd, Aly Wagner and Lindsay Tarpley provide the passing skills. All five, along with Cheney, provide the goal-scoring ability. And if power is needed, midfielder Shannon Boxx is a more-than-able fill-in for Wambach when it comes to battling in the air for corner kicks and free kicks.
The U.S. will be fine. A medal is still a very real possibility. All Sundhage has to do is teach her players a little history.
In 1991, defender Megan McCarthy, a starter, tore knee ligament just before the first Women’s World Championship (it wasn’t yet called the Women’s World Cup) in China. Joy Fawcett was moved from midfield to defense, a teenage Mia Hamm took Fawcett’s midfield spot and the rest is history. The U.S. won its first world title.
In 1995, forwards Carin Gabarra and Michelle Akers, both world champions four years earlier, were injured. Gabarra hurt her back just before Women’s World Cup began in Sweden and Akers was injured seven minutes into the opening game. The U.S. still finished third and earned the bronze.
In 1999, Akers was battling chronic fatigue syndrome throughout the Women’s World Cup in the U.S. and had to be helped off the field at the Rose Bowl during the momentous final against China, but the U.S. nevertheless won the gold.
In 2000, Akers, still fighting CFS, withdrew from the Sydney Olympics just before the team was named, but the U.S. went on to win the silver medal.
In 2003, defender Brandi Chastain broke her foot in the first game of the Women’s World Cup, but the U.S. finished third and earned another bronze.
In 2007, defender Heather Mitts was injured just before the Women’s World Cup in China, but the U.S. still managed to finish third and collect the bronze.
In fact, in all eight world championship and Olympic tournaments, the American women have never come home without a medal. Chances are, they’ll have another by the end of August, and who is to say it won’t be gold.
-- Grahame L. Jones
Top photo: Abby Wambach (12) goes airborne after colliding with Brazil defender Andreia Rosa Wednesday night in San Diego. Credit: Robert Benson / US Presswire
Inset: Coach Pia Sundhage. Credit: Chung Sung-Jun / Getty Images
U.S. Men’s Soccer Olympic Team head coach Peter Nowak has named 18 players to represent the United States at the Beijing Games.
The roster includes 12 players with experience at the full national team level. Among the athletes named were Freddy Adu, Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley. The most senior member of the team is Brian McBride.
The full roster (name, team):
Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake)
Defenders: Patrick Ianni (Houston Dynamo), Michael Orozco (San Luis), Michael Parkhurst (New England Revolution), Nathan Sturgis (Real Salt Lake), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC)
Midfielders: Adu (Benfica), Bradley (Heerenveen), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Benny Feilhaber (Derby County), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Danny Szetela (Brescia)
Forwards: Altidore (Villarreal), Charlie Davies (Hammarby), McBride (no club), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew).
-- Greg Johnson
Photo: From left, Sacha Kljestan, Freddy Adu, Eddie Lewis and Michael Bradley celebrate during a June 22 match against Barbados. Credit: Andres Leighton / Associated Press
Abby Wambach, the leading scorer for the U.S. women's soccer team this year, is out of the Olympics after suffering a broken left leg Wednesday night during an exhibition game against Brazil. She is scheduled to undergo surgery today.
Losing Wambach is a serious blow to the team's gold medal hopes at the Beijing Olympics.
She has a mid-shaft oblique fracture of the tibia and fibula, the two bones that make up the lower leg. The injury occurred after she collided with Brazilian defender Andreia Rosa in the 31st minute, according to U.S. soccer officials.
The U.S. won the game, 1-0, but lost a veteran player on what is essentially a very young team.
Wambach, who was carted off the field and taken to Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego, is scheduled to have surgery today to have a titanium rod inserted. Injuries of this sort usually require a 12-week recovery, according to the U.S. soccer website.
“I want to thank all the fans, the doctors, the players on the team and Tasha Kai for scoring the winning goal,” said Wambach from the emergency room. ”Obviously, it’s devastating, but above everything else, I’m only one player, and you can never win a championship with just one player. I have the utmost confidence in this team bringing home the gold.”
The match was the final tuneup for the team before it begins defense of its Olympic title on Aug. 6 against Norway.
Wambach has 13 goals and 10 assists this year and is one of the top scorers in U.S. history with 99 goals in 127 games.
-- Debbie Goffa
Photo: Abby Wambach signals for the team doctors after injuring her leg. Credit: Donald Miralle / AFP / Getty Images
Abby Wambach, leading scorer for the U.S. women's soccer team, went down in a heap in the 33rd minute tonight after colliding with Brazil's Andrei Rosa in an exhibition game in San Diego and had to be carted off the field.
Wambach, her left leg in an inflatable brace, was taken to a local hospital for X-rays, team spokesman Aaron Heifetz said. Though the U.S. beat Brazil, 1-0, the threat of losing Wambach with the Olympics only weeks away dampened the team's spirits afterward.
The U.S. is scheduled to open defense of its Olympic title Aug. 6 against Norway.
Natasha Kai, who replaced Wambach at striker after the injury, scored the only goal on a header in the 84th minute off a free kick from Carli Lloyd. Wambach, who has 99 career goals, leads the team in scoring this year with 19 goals.
Photo: Abby Wambach gives a thumb's-up sign before being taken to a local hospital for X-rays. Credit: Associated Press / San Diego Union-Tribune, Sean M. Haffey
It took a powerful kick by USC's Amy Rodriguez in the 71st minute, but that finally got the U.S. women’s soccer team on the scoreboard as they held on to beat powerhouse Brazil ,1-0, today in an exhibition match in Commerce City, Colo.
It was sixth straight shutout for the U.S., which is 21-0 in match play this year.
The teams meet again Wednesday in San Diego in their last match before the Olympics. The U.S. begins Olympic play on Aug. 6 against Norway.
“Any time we go out on the Olympic or national level it’s important to us,” said Rodriguez, who has five goals in 17 games this year. “Every win counts, and with every game we want to get better so not only is the win important but the overall play and chemistry of the team. We just want to be ready for the Olympics.”
Of her winning goal, she said, "I wasn’t really expecting that ball to pop through. Fortunately, the defender took a bad touch and let it sneak by to me and I was able to hit it first time and it went in, so I was excited.”
Abby Wambach had sent a pass through the box to Rodriguez, and Brazil defender Tania initially blocked the ball onlt to see it squirt away -- to Rodriguez, who fired a high blast that was out of the reach of Brazil's goaltender.
The U.S. has been impressive under new coach Pia Sundhage: 10 straight wins and the team hasn't allowed a goal since a 2-1 victory over Australia on June 15.
-- Debbie Goffa
Photo: Amy Rodriguez, left, controls the ball as Renta Costa of Brazil defends during today's match. Credit: Doug Pensinger / Getty Images
The decision by U.S. women's Olympic soccer Coach Pia Sundhage to leave Olympic veteran Briana  Scurry off the Beijing team was a huge disappoinment for the veteran goalkeeper, as The Times Grahame Jones found out today after talking with her. Read what she had to say.
But the coach's decision also brings to mind what happened during last year's World Cup. It wasn't pretty, and it involved an aging Scurry (she's 36) taking over in goal for Hope Solo (she turns 27 next month), despite the fact that Solo was coming off three consecutive shutouts. Yes, three straight shutouts. And going into what would have been the biggest -- and toughest -- game of Solo's career, against powerful Brazil. Well, Brazil won after
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