The U.S. Women celebrate their 2012 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament title on Sunday.

The U.S. Women's National Team put up some staggering results to win the CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament to open 2012: five wins, five shutouts, 38 goals and of course a berth into the 2012 London Olympics.

By CALEB SONNELAND

Despite both sides having punched their tickets to the 2012 London Olympics, bragging rights and a No. 1 seed were on the line when the United States Women clashed with Canada last night.

Thanks to the continued brilliance of Abby Wambach and young gun Alex Morgan, the United States trotted out a 4-0 victory to cap off what has largely been a pedestrian Olympic Qualifying.

The US WNT overcame early match nerves and a very game Costa Rican team through goals scored by Tobin Heath, Carli Lloyd, and Alex Morgan. This win qualifies them for the London Olympics. In the other semi-finals, Canada held off Mexico, 3-1, to also book their spot. The final will be played tomorrow and pits two of the most potent goalscorers in the game.

Sawa potentially begins her Ballon d'Or reign as Messi continues his own, picking up his third in as many years.

If history is anything to go by, expect 2011 Women's World Cup winner Homare Sawa to be collecting her second Ballon d'Or prize this time next year. Marta had won five years running as the top female player in the world, but no more.

Images: wps.com, AFP PHOTO / JOHANNES EISELE.

The future of the Women's Professional Soccer league (WPS) has been thrown into doubt yet again after the termination of the majicJacks franchise. The WPS, which comprised six teams prior to the 'Jacks expulsion, was already operating under a one year waiver of the US Soccer rule that a league must have a minimum of eight teams to be recognised.

I had the honor of working with Robbie Church for four years at Duke University, and not only is he one of the top coaches in the women's game, but is also one of the true gentlemen in the sport.
Although his Duke Blue Devils fell short in the national title game to Paul Ratcliffe and Stanford, it was clear that Church has firmly placed his Duke side among the nation's elite.

After pounding ACC tournament champion Florida State 3-0 on Friday night in the first semifinal of the College Cup, Stanford has a chance to play once again for the national title. The Cardinal advanced to soccer's version of the Final Four by completing its third straight unbeaten season, a feat that parallels the great University of North Carolina teams with Mia Hamm in the early 1990s.

It's no secret that since she retired in 2004, U.S. legend Mia Hamm has been very busy. She's embarked on her life as a super soccer mom with her husband, ESPN commentator and former Major League All-Star Nomar Garciaparra, and has been very active with her foundation that is dedicated to raising funds and awareness for families needing marrow or cord blood transplants and continuing the growth of opportunities for young women in sports.

The NCAA Women's College Cup, taking place this weekend at Kennesaw State Stadium in Kennesaw will be the first NCAA soccer championship held in Georgia since 1968. And one thing is for certain there will be a first-time national champion crowned at this year's NCAA final.

All four College Cup teams were seeded first in their respective brackets, and include three ACC schools—Wake Forest, Duke and Florida State—and two-time NCAA runner-up Stanford, making its fourth consecutive College Cup appearance.

Spotted out in San Francisco - Zombie Mia Hamm, Hope Solo, Alex Morgan and Julie Foudy!

In her soccer career, Mia Hamm became the most prolific scorer the sport has ever seen. That is saying a lot for a woman who began life with a club foot and corrective shoes. Hamm began playing soccer at a young age and made the United States National Team at the age of 15. She is the youngest ever to make the squad.

U.S. holding midfielder Shannon Boxx of Torrance shadows Canada's Kelly Parker Thursday in Portland (AP Photo).

*Hermosa Beach resident Abby Wambach paced the U.S. with a brace as the Americans beat Canada 3-0 Thursday in the second of two-game post-World Cup series between the two nations.

The 4th Annual Mia Hamm Celebrity Soccer Challenge made it's first ever appearance in Washington, D.C. on Sunday at Kastles Stadium at the Wharf and it was a huge success. Despite the brutal heat...
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The 4th Annual Mia Hamm Celebrity Soccer Challenge made it's first ever appearance in Washington, D.C. on Sunday at Kastles Stadium at the Wharf and it was a huge success. Despite the brutal heat...
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more!

The fourth edition of the annual Mia Hamm & Nomar Garciaparra Celebrity Soccer Challenge turned out to be quite a success in the D.C. area on Sunday.

The charity event, which is dedicated to raising awareness about registering as a bone marrow donor, featured NBA superstar Kobe Bryant along with several U.

The fourth edition of the annual Mia Hamm & Nomar Garciaparra Celebrity Soccer Challenge turned out to be quite a success in the D.C. area on Sunday.

The charity event, which is dedicated to raising awareness about registering as a bone marrow donor, featured NBA superstar Kobe Bryant along with several U.

The celebrity partipant list is starting to shape up for the upcoming Mia Hamm Celebrity Soccer Challange. For the first time in its history Washington, D.C. will host the annual Mia Hamm and...
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The celebrity partipant list is starting to shape up for the upcoming Mia Hamm Celebrity Soccer Challange. For the first time in its history Washington, D.C. will host the annual Mia Hamm and...
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more!

Word out of New Zealand is that Kansas City will have another international match at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park this year. According to the NZ Herald, if it's finalized, the US Women's National Team will be at LSP on September 17th to take on New Zealand. The game would be part of a two game series between the sides with the other game being in Portland.

Barcelona have released the itinerary for their upcoming U.S. tour. From July 28 to August 6, the team will be visiting Washington, Miami and Dallas.

The following is a detailed explanation of the expedition, including training sessions, matches and events that the players Hill be attending.

Abby Wambach is feeling it!

The 1991 US team broke new ground winning the first ever World Cup and repeated the feat eight years later. By that time Michelle Akers, Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, and Kristine Lilly were household names. US women's soccer and success are so inextricably intertwined with those names leaving each succeeding squad aspiring to reach the same heights and write their names into history.

By Sean McElroy My Grandmother, who is ninety-three, has absolutely no reason to care about soccer. She is sharp as can be—her memory for her age is quite remarkable—and when I visit her she often asks about the various matches I am going to go see or have seen. Always, one conversation or question seems [.

Frankfurt, Germany. Sunday, July 17, 2011.

FIFA Women's World Cup Final: Two stories. One dream.

Story 1:

Japan. A thriving culture devastated by unstoppable power. A once strong body now undergoing the most meticulous reconstruction.

Billy Witz has a nice piece up about how the USA Women winning the World Cup tomorrow could be bad for the team and the women's program in the long run. However, I don't agree with all of it. Yes, I do think the USA is now relying more on athleticism instead of skill to squeeze out wins against teams who have advanced their programs at a faster rate, but I guess I have more faith than Billy in Pia Sundhage.

‪1998 Women's World Cup Soccer Barbie Doll Commercial With Mia Hamm‬‏ - YouTube ‪1998 Women's World Cup Soccer Barbie Doll Commercial With Mia Hamm‬‏ - YouTube
‪Michael vs Mia.mov‬‏ - YouTube ‪Michael vs Mia.

High fives, high pressure: Abby Wambach, right, high-fives teammate Christie Rampone during a U.S. training session Friday ahead of Sunday's World Cup final (AP Photo).

There were virtually no American reporters outside of those working for ESPN - which holds the broadcast rights to the tournament - planning to follow the U.

You remember that famous 1999 World Cup victory, don't you?

Watch:

And it has cast a long shadow, as Associated Press Writer Nancy Armour points out:

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) -- Lauren Cheney was just 11 during the 1999 World Cup,
watching from the stands and imagining what it would be like to be on that field with Mia Hamm and Michelle Akers and Julie Foudy and Brandi Chastain.

Rising sun: Japan, a nation that is a sentimental favorite of many soccer fans because of the recent disasters the nation has endured and a former lightweight in the sport, is now a legitimate World Cup contender displacing such former powers as China (AP Photo).

Associated Press National Writer Nancy Armour explores the new world of international women's soccer that can be summed up in one word - parity:

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) -- It wasn't long ago that you could predict the lineup for the final four at the Women's World Cup even before the tournament began.

Germany with its many weapons fall silent after Karina Maruyama's brilliant finish off a pinpoint pass by Homare Sawa. The defending champions were sent packing as Japan showed skill and true grit throughout the match. A well deserved win for the Nadeshiko.

Kim Kulig was an early exit suffering a knee strain as the Germans absorbed her absence to create a number of opportunities.

Please forgive me for not having presented the best football being played in the world right now (apologies to MLS, Copa America, and the "racially biased" Russian league), and you need look no further than the Women's World Cup in Germany. Not only are there as many group stage goals now, twenty games in, as there were in South Africa last summer (51 compared to 39), but a number of them are some of the best pieces of technique and brilliance you will see all year.

Former U.S. Women's national team star and Washington Freedom alumn Mia Hamm along with her husband Nomar Garciaparra are bringing their annual Celebrity Soccer Challange to Washington,...
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Former U.S. Women's national team star and Washington Freedom alumn Mia Hamm along with her husband Nomar Garciaparra are bringing their annual Celebrity Soccer Challange to Washington,...
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Pressure is a privelege. That's the perspective of our Women's USA squad this World Cup. Ranked #1 according to FIFA world rankings, the United States Women's National Soccer Team are the team at the top. We are team to defeat. This, however, is a new era. An era that follows the staunch legacy of 1999's Michelle Akers, Mia Hamm, and Brandy Chastain when the USA hosted and won the World Cup claiming World Dominance in women's football.

Far removed from the powerhouse days of Michelle Akers and Mia Hamm, the USWNT enters as one of the odds on favorites to win the Cup, along with Brazil and hosts Germany. North Korea has been getting steadily better as a team over the past 10 yrs with a draw against Holland earlier this year and numerous draws with Japan.

By Eric Beard, writing from Boston

FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid. Brazil vs. Argentina. England vs. Germany. And yes, the United States vs. Mexico. All are historically-backed traditions that are able to offer the best the beautiful game has to offer.

Carson winners: Germany celebrates after winning the 2003 World Cup at Home Depot Center; can they repeat as hosts? (AP Photos).

The FIFA Women's World Cup begins Sunday and while it has a low profile in the U.S. - at least compared to the heady days of 1999, Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain and that Rose Bowl sports bra - that's not the case in the host nation.

Editor's Note: This is another piece in our US Women's World Cup Send-Off Series, written not simply by The Yanks Are Coming writers but by some of our favorite soccer writers around the internet, as well as TYAC readers and general American soccer fans. This piece was written by Wesley Pickard, who is a writer [.

By Eric Beard of A Football Report Editor's Note: This is another feature in our USWNT World Cup 2011 Send-Off series, and the first piece written by a writer from another excellent football website. We are very grateful to Eric and A Football Report for their participation. The aroma of American masculinity, ahem, I mean [.

USA soccer legend Mia Hamm is now a co-founder and endorser of a new line of sun care products. The new line is called MISSION Athlete Care. Here are some more details on it: Who would have thought that Dwyane Wade, David Wright, Serena Williams and Mia Hamm would come together to help design a line of [.

Editor's Note: We continue with yet another random, new series on the Free Beer Movement. Soccer fans come in all shapes, colors, and sizes and how they became fans of the sport are as diverse as they are. While most of us are engrossed in the on-field action, the tactics, the drama.