US Women's Soccer Team Reached World Cup Final

US Women Reach World Cup Final

VOA - Parke Brewer July 13, 2011

The United States women's soccer team has reached the World Cup final for the first time since it last won the title on home soil in 1999.

The FIFA women's World Cup has been played five previous times, and the United States is the only nation to make the semifinals in every tournament.

But the Americans' only titles came in the inaugural event in 1991 in China and in the memorable victory over China on penalty kicks 12 years ago California.  They finished third in 2003 and 2007.

Now after Wednesday's stirring 3-1 victory over France in Moenchengladbach, Germany, the United States is back in the final for the first time since 1999.

Star U.S. striker Abby Wambach broke a 1-1 deadlock with a header off Lauren Cheney's corner kick in the 79th minute.  It was Wambach's third goal of the tournament and 12th of her career, tying her with fellow American Michelle Akers for third on the all-time World Cup scoring list.

It was Cheney's goal in the 9th minute that gave the United States the early lead.  But she told ESPN she credits Wambach for her efforts.

"Not only is she at the right place at the right time, but she has more heart than anybody that I've ever played with," said Cheney. "And I know that in the last minute, she's going to get it done."

Twenty-two year-old Alex Morgan, the youngest player on the U.S. team, added an insurance goal in the 82nd minute, racing past four defenders on a breakaway and deftly lifting the ball over the French goalkeeper.

U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo told ESPN that after the dramatic quarterfinal penalty kicks win over Brazil, she was confident they would win.

"That's this team's mentality," said Solo. "We do it for our country; we do it for our nation.  It's our mentality, we're going to win.  And there wasn't one point - even though it was a sloppy goal against us, I was very upset - but I knew our team would dig us out."

The United States will play in Sunday's final in Frankfurt against Japan, a 3-1 upset winner over Sweden in Wednesday's other semifinal.

Japan had also upset two-time defending champion and host Germany in the quarterfinals.  

US Women Reach World Cup Final
US Women's Soccer Team Reached Football World Cup Final - Article from VOA

NASL - Division 2 North American Soccer League - 2011 Season

Second-Division Soccer Makes a Return in US

Kelyn Soong February 15, 2011 - VOA

Second-division soccer in the United States is set to make a return.  The on-again, off-again Division 2 North American Soccer League (NASL) has been provisionally sanctioned by the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) for the 2011 season.  The league will be expected to meet certain requirements before receiving permanent Division 2 status.

In a nation where American football reigns supreme, soccer is viewed more as a niche sport.  And while Major League Soccer, the top tier professional soccer league in the United States, has grown slowly and steadily, the leagues underneath it have struggled to stabilize.

U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati this week emphasized the influence the second-tier North American Soccer League would have on the growth of the sport in America. "If we want to see American soccer grow, having additional outlets for fans, whether in some cases it's in very different cities than where MLS may be, in other cases in suburbs of MLS markets or at a different level, I think it's very important," he said.

The re-development of NASL, which originally operated from 1968-1984, has been promising but not without struggles.

The league had been provisionally sanctioned in November 2010 before being revoked last month over financial concerns of some of its teams.  But last Friday, the U.S. Soccer Board of Directors voted to re-instate the provisional sanction.

NASL Chief Executive Officer Aaron Davidson understands that the NASL is a work in progress. "No one is under the assumption all of our teams are going to break even overnight, even now we are provisionally sanctioned and we are a second division league," he said.

With league play scheduled to begin on April 9, NASL is working hard to promote its eight teams (Atlanta Silverbacks, Carolina Railhawks, FC Edmonton, FC Tampa Bay, Miami FC, Impact De Montreal, NSC Minnesota Stars and Puerto Rico Islanders) that are located in major markets across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati believes that with a solid foundation, NASL will be difficult to ignore. "The opportunity and the stability of the league are, obviously, very much related.  If the league is stable, and that's what we're counting on, and the business plan makes sense and you have sensible attendance and so on, then there will be increased interest for people to make an investment in a team," he said.

NASL's Aaron Davidson views the 2011 season as a litmus test to see where the league stands and what needs to be done to create stability in the future.  "This year is really about focusing on [foundation] and making sure we run a league where the teams are happy with the direction it's headed, where the [U.S. Soccer] Federation is happy with the direction it's headed, where the media and fans so we can build a methodical growth plan going forward," he said.

One of the teams, Montreal, will only be on board for one year before joining MLS and the five U.S.-based NASL teams will not be involved in this year's U.S. Open Cup soccer tournament due to delays in sanctioning. For NASL, the promising but difficult journey has just begun.

 

 

Second-Division Soccer Makes a Return in US

Article from VOA

Seaside Boat Show - Ocean City, MD Events

Seaside Boat Show

February 18 - February 20, 2011
Venue:Convention Center
Address:4001 Coastal Hwy
Phone:410-632-3676
Website:
http://www.ocboatshow.com
See over 300 boats, including sail, canoes, kayaks, inshore & offshore boats. Boat accessories, crafts, insurance & finance representatives available. At the "Boat Show that works for Kids," all proceeds go to area youth programs. Admission. Friday, Noon - 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Charlie Dorman, ocboatshow@yahoo.com


St. Patrick's Indoor Soccer Tournaments

February 25 - March 20, 2011
Venue:Northside Park, 125th St. Bayside
Address:125th St & Bayside
Phone:410-250-0125
Website:
http://oceancitymd.gov
Location:Bayside North Ocean City (91st - 146th)

Annual event with estimated attendance of over 150 teams over four weekends! Please check schedule and website for age groups and registration. www.oceancitymd.gov/recreation. 410-250-0125.
Weekend event dates are: Feb., 25-27; March 4-6; March 11-13; March 18-20.


Ocean City, Maryland Event Information sourced from http://ococean.com/events