Photos by ISIphotos.com

The U.S. women's Olympic team's worst nightmare has happened.

U.S. forward Abby Wambach broke her left leg during the U.S. team's match against Brazil on Wednesday night in San Diego (a 1-0 USA win) and now she will miss the Olympics.

As the Senate gets ready to vote on a new bill to stave off economic disaster, and Sarah prepares (feverishly) to debate, and George Will joins the ranks of those who see her as unqualified to serve ... and some (unfortunately) find themselves feeling sorry for the lipsticked pitbull ... my thoughts turn (feverishly) to [.

Abby Wambach underwent a successful surgery Thursday morning to repair the broken tibia and fibula in her left leg, with a titanium rod inserted to reinforce the tibia. She is expected to begin rehabilitation in five or six weeks, though it will take much longer than that to reach her former level of play.

Some have already mentioned "karma" in the situation of Abby Wambach's broken leg. Even in a context where it should have no bearing, it's impossible to ignore the previous controversy of team members who were angry with Hope Solo's statements at the past World Cup.
Now, do I believe that Hope Solo had a little voodoo doll of these players that she stuck pins into?

The Final and a tournament wrap up by du Nord's Women's Soccer Major Tournament Correspondent Adam.
In a fairytale ending to their Olympic tournament, the underdog US team saved its gutsiest performance for last, beating Brazil 1-0 to win its second straight gold medal.
Here are some final thoughts about the tournament.

Tonight I saw history repeated. I saw a real warrior knocked down. In the final USWNT game before departing for China and the Olympics, Abby Wambach broke her leg while trying to score her 100th goal for the USWNT.
She managed to force a smile and showed amazing inner strength and fortitude while being treated on the field.

WPS Player Allocations – U.S. Women's National Team
WPS Team
Players Listed in Alphabetical Order
Bay Area: Nicole Barnhart, Rachel Buehler, Leslie Osborne
Boston Breakers: Angela Hucles, Kristine Lilly, Heather Mitts
Chicago Red Stars: Carli Lloyd,Kate Markgraf,Lindsay Tarpley
Los Angeles: Shannon Boxx, Stephanie Cox, Aly Wagner
Sky Blue FC: Natasha Kai, Heather O'Reilly, Christie Rampone
St.

Photo by ISIphotos.com

Four minutes, two goals, one stunning loss.

The U.S. women's Olympic team got off to a terrible start on Wednesday, giving up two goals in the first four minutes as Norway shut down the Americans, 2-0, in the opening match of the tournament.

The U.S. women entered the Beijing Olympics with the odds stacked against them. They will leave the Games with more gold. Despite losing key veterans, including star Abby Wambach, to injury prior to the Olympics, the Americans never lost sight...

John McCain made another Bush-worthy geography gaffe yesterday - this time on "Good Morning America." Sorry, John, Iraq and Pakistan don't actually share a border. (As an aside, I've always wished that some brave member of the press would ask Bush, during a press conference, to point to Iraq on a map.

July 17, 2008 - It started out a friendly soccer game Wednesday night between the U.S. Women's National Team and Brazil in preparation for next month's Olympics. With only 32 minutes played, team forward and former Gator star Abby Wambach rushed to try to reach a ball that was closer to Brazilian defender Maria Rosa.

In her conference call about her injury, Abby Wambach mentioned receiving cards and emails of support from players around the world on different teams. Not everyone was feeling sad on her behalf, though. Here's an email I received:
Just wanted to comment on your article on Abby Wambach.
As a football journalist, I usually have a lot of sympathy for players when they get injured, especially in the course of a game.

Maybe the photo gives you a clue as to whom I'm picking to win the Gold Medal match. The only remaining question is whether or not the US will score a goal. Game time is 8:00 am and it's being broadcast live on USA Network channel.

The player pictured is Formiga, I'll point you to From A Left Wing and Jennifer Doyle's commentary on Brazil's decisive 4-1 win over the World Cup champion German squad in the semifinal Monday.

The USWNT plays China in snowy Detroit today (while the UAW and the rest of us wait for news of the auto industry bailout ... and snow falls in Michigan, and here in NH .. and presumably pretty much everywhere in between)!  After what Pia did with this team in the Olympics ... Obama might [...]

The USWNT defeated Norway 4-0 yesterday in Fredrikstad, and Abby Wambach scored her 99th career goal! Next up is Sweden on July 5th. Interestingly, the US had not defeated Norway in Norway before - losing and tying their two previous matches there. The Norwegians must love it that the USWNT's first win [.

In a game featuring lots of possession, lots of tough tackles, and lots to build on, the USWNT prevailed over Brazil, again by a 1-0 score. Unfortunately, they lost stalwart forward Abby Wambach who went down after a first half collision and, as it turns out, broke two bones in her leg. She's [...

Is the U.S. women's team doomed to silver, bronze or worse after Abby Wambach's injury? I ponder that question on the Going for Gold blog, which everyone should bookmark or add to your favorite RSS reader. Also check out our Beijing soccer page if you haven't already.

Michael Phelps broke Mark Spitz' gold medal record last night -an amazing feat, indeed. I don't know about you, but I find such milestones diminished by the hype ... the marketing ... the hoopla ... the commentary. The events and the raw footage about the events is enough. The look on Michael [..

Abby Wambach flew to Portland, Maine this past week to be present for the opening ceremonies of the US Youth Soccer Region I Championships. Here's a link to Blog entries by the players and coaches at the tournament. And guess who was there with his team? Our own Morgan, of Final Four Fame! [...]SHARETHIS.

The USWNT and Coach Pia Sundhage are settled in China (Qinhuangdao to be exact) training and doing a little touring, as you can see. The WNT Blog is proving to be a very entertaining source of information for USWNT aficionados. Check it out. It's often updated these days, as the team settles in and [.

Yeah, I know it's been quiet around here lately. But frankly, there hasn't been much that I've felt like writing about. I'm choosing to ignore Toronto FC's terrible run of form, and the transfer window is no more exciting than it was a month ago, which is to say, not at all.
But finally, we have some games that actually matter.

A match report by our dear reader Adam. He covered the 2007 World Cup for us here at du Nord. Give him some good feedback won't you. -Bruce
Group Stage Match 1
USA 0-2 Norway
For the first time ever in a major tournament, the US lost its first game and now finds itself in last place of its group.

It sounds like Lindsey Dolich likes the USWNT's chances - but is NOT taking Canada lightly (nor are we). There were major doubts that Swede Pia Sundhage would pull the strings for a team left reeling after the loss of superlative striker Abby Wambach. But, somehow, Sundhage delicately guided a vulnerable U.

Perennial NBA All-Star Steve Nash talks about the love for the women's game that led him to become an investor in WPS and take a role in today's allocation announcement, while Abby Wambach talks about her recovery and how the Olympic team pulled together:

NASH
Being part of the allocation announcement
It was really exciting.

Thanks to an MLSR reader we now have an answer to a burning question we have had since we started..."Where are the Colorado Celebrity Fans???" Of course looking at most games at Dicks Sporting Goods park the question paled in importance to ones like, "When will Fernando Clavijo get the sack?, "Why is Colorado's best player, Christian Gomez riding the bench?

The Women's Professional Soccer League announced its allocation of members of the U.S. women's national team on Tuesday, establishing a foundation for the seven-team league set to kick off next spring.

U.S. Olympic team star Hope Solo and U.S. national team striker Abby Wambach were among the 21 players assigned to the seven teams.

Ah, the Home Depot Center - acres of athletic facilities, a number of sporting personalities, and one frazzled me, trying to get stuff for stories.
I ran from the Galaxy's practice field to try to catch Claudio Suarez before he left with his teammates on a bus to the airport. I waited by the front entrance of the complex as various Chivas USA players walked by from the practice field.

Okay, I'm not quite letting go yet.  Here's a bit about the chaos in Philly, post World Series win!  We begin in an anonymous house, somewhere in Philly, as the Phils close it out and some college students watch ... then spill out into the street. From there we move along toward Broad Street ... [.

The injury to Abby Wambach was a big blow of course, and they're also missing key players in Kristine Lilly (pregnant) and Cat Whitehill (ACL). Even without those three, the US are still looking like one of the teams to beat. Since Pia Sundhage took over as coach last November, the US have gone from strength to strength.

June 10, 2008 - Get Ready! On June 14, 2008 South Korea will host the second annual Peace Queen Cup. The Peace Queen Cup is a women's soccer tournament  created after the success of the Men's Peace Cup. The goal of the Peace Cup is "to harness the splendor and energy of football, the most popular [.

The Galaxy announced today they are selling tickets for Friday's game against the New England Revolution on the grass berm at the north end of the stadium - for $36 a pop.

Considering the cheapest seats in the stadium are $15 for the game that seems more than a little pricey, especially considering you have to bring your own blanket.

A group of reporters were in the Home Depot Center press box when we found out that Abby Wambach was probably out of the Olympics. Since I was covering the Chivas USA/Santos SuperLiga game in LA, I was there instead of San Diego. Billy Witz checked the Internet for the score of the match and read the news.

Star USA forward Abby Wambach has been ruled out of the Women's Football Tournament in th Beijing Olympics after fracturing her tibia and fibula in a match against Brazil on Wednesday. A collision with a Brazilian defender in the 31st minute of the game resulted in a multiple fracture i her ...

Hermosa Beach resident Abby Wambach spoke to reporters today for the first time since breaking her leg in the final U.S. game before the Olympics July 16 against Brazil.

Here's what she said she thought about when the injury occurred:

"I realized in that moment and accepted in that moment that my Olympic dreams were not going to be what I had planned.

Tomorrow at 6AM we'll start the next leg of the Olympic tournament journey. There's not a lot in the way of soccer news in the interim. The WNT Blog is a good place to track the USWNT's travels and preparation for tomorrow's showdown with Canada. An upbeat and determined Canadian squad is [...]SHARETHIS.

The US defeated Brazil for the second time this week, this time at San Diego's Torero Stadium, in their final match before heading off to Beijing. Once again they managed to secure a 1-0 victory - this time via an 84th minute taken by Carli Lloyd and headed in by Natasha Kai. Before the match, most of the hype centred on Abby Wambach, who seemed destined to be one of the stars of the Beijing Olympics.

March 12, 2008 - Abby Wambach scored her 88th international goal today to help the United States win the Algarve Cup for a record sixth time with a 2-1 victory over Denmark. The Algarve Cup is a prestigious invitational tournament for national women's soccer (football) teams held annually in the Algarve region of Portugal.

Interestingly despite some relatively heavy losses to Japan and North Korea in the Asia Cup recently Australia seem to run the World Number 1, USA, close, again and again and again.
Recent 4-3 and 3-2 losses in the US have been followed up by a narrow 2-1 defeat in the Aussies Peace Cup opener in Korea today.

CHICAGO -- Goalkeeper Hope Solo is among 18 players picked for the U.S. Olympic women's soccer roster, nine months after she was kicked off the team at the World Cup.

Briana Scurry, who took over from Solo for last year's World Cup semifinal loss to Brazil, was left off the roster by coach Pia Sundhage, who replaced Greg Ryan following the World Cup debacle.

So you read in today's story that Women's Professional Soccer may add an eighth and ninth team for its 2009 launch. Which cities are in the running? Let's ask WPS commissioner Tonya Antonucci:

- San Diego: "We're really actively involved in conversations with a group in San Diego.