Hope Solo denies an Alex Morgan blast
Can't say there is much to report from U.S. WNT training in chilly Frisco, Texas. All the players are healthy and gunning for spots on the 18-player roster for the New Zealand game, but since there's not much new, we decided to put together a top-10 What's New?

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.

The US Women took down Costa Rica 3-0 to book their ticket for this summer's London Olympics. Tobin Heath scored in the first half, Carli Lloyd continued her current run of form with a goal in the second half, and Alex Morgan sealed the win with a late goal of her own.

Pia Sundhage made two changes from the team that faced Mexico on Tuesday, preferring Tobin Heath over Amy Rodriguez and giving converted striker Kelly O'Hara a start at right back.

The U.S. Women's National Team faced a tougher test than expected, but ultimately the Americans proved too tough for underdog Costa Rica and eventually punched their ticket to the Summer Olympics.

A first-half goal by Tobin Heath gave the U.S. women the lead and despite a courageous fight from the Costa Ricans, the United States held that one-goal lead before Carli Lloyd blasted home a long-range blast in the second half to give the Americans a 2-0 victory in the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying semifinals in Vancouver.

If Costa Rica had any hope of qualifying for the Olympics this summer, it was extinguished in the second half of tonight's match against the USWNT. While Costa Rica played hard all match long, it wasn't enough, as the US scored two late goals to secure their fifth straight Olympic appearance. The US Women's National Team now awaits the 2012 Olympic Summer Games in London, where they will defend their 2008 gold medal from Beijing.

It was no walk in the park, but United States claimed an Olympic berth after withstanding a spirited and stubborn Costa Rica to earn a 3-0 win Friday night.

Tobin Heath put the U.S. on the board with a 16th minute goal while Carli Lloyd followed up with an insurance strike in the 74th minute.

Photo: Paul Rudderow.

I tried to tune in to watch the USWNT take on the Dominican Republic at the appointed 10:30 pm start time last night. In the 10 or so minutes it took me to update the stupid Silverlight player and get the game to load, I missed the opening 3 goals, which all happened inside the first 7 minutes of the game.

They scored, they scored again...and they scored again. In the opening game of the 2012 Olympic qualifying tournament, the United States women showed no mercy, completely showing up the Dominican Republic. The star of the night was Amy Rodriguez who despite not coming into the game until the second half, managed to score five goals, tying the tournament record.

It started as a soccer game. It ended with a football score.

Former Boston Breakers' striker Amy Rodriguez grabbed a record-tying five goals in the United States' record-setting 14-0 demolition of the Dominican Republic in the first game of Olympic Qualifying at BC Place in Vancouver.

While MLS has in the last few years reached a level of stability that will hopefully give us a break from our perennial worrying about "the future of the game", the women's pro game is still struggling for survival in this country. The Women's National Team is currently preparing for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament this month and the roster is officially listed as:

GOALKEEPERS (2): Nicole Barnhart (out of contract), Hope Solo (out of contract)

DEFENDERS (7): Rachel Buehler (Atlanta Beat), Ali Krieger (FFC Frankfurt), Amy LePeilbet (Atlanta Beat), Heather Mitts (out of contract), Kelley O'Hara (Atlanta Beat), Christie Rampone (out of contract), Becky Sauerbrunn (Sky Blue FC)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Shannon Boxx (out of contract), Tobin Heath (out of contract), Lori Lindsey (Western New York Flash), Carli Lloyd (Atlanta Beat), Heather O'Reilly (Boston Breakers), Megan Rapinoe (out of contract), Amy Rodriguez (out of contract)

FORWARDS (4): Lauren Cheney (out of contract), Sydney Leroux (Atlanta beat), Alex Morgan (Western New York Flash), Abby Wambach (out of contract)

That's 10 players out of 20 who don't currently have a club team, which is remarkable for a country that has dominated the sport internationally for decades.

U.S. WNT head coach Pia Sundhage has named the roster for the January training camp in Los Angeles, after which she will name the 20-player roster for Olympic Qualifying being held in Vancouver, B.C. from Jan, 19-29. Sundhage will bring 20 players to Canada, but will only be able to suit up 18 per game.

USWNT almost atoned for it's group stage blemish on Saturday..

TSG's Maura Gladys brings us home on the USWNT in 2011. Thanks for hard work, Maura.

If she didn't prove it with her two goals and one in the 2011 World Cup, Alex Morgan proved last night that she deserves a spot in USWNT the starting lineup.

After a first chilly day in Phoenix/Scottsdale for the U.S. WNT, the weather has been perfect for the "hit-the-ground-running" training camp as the team prepares for Olympic Qualifying being held in Vancouver, B.C. in January.
Despite the long layoff, the players have looked fit and sharp and there will be plenty of competition for the 18 rosters spots for the Sweden game on Nov.

The U.S. WNT players did a lot of different and fun stuff on their six-week breaks before the team opens camp this Monday in Arizona, but only one of them traveled to a different country to support their favorite club.
That would be Tobin Heath, the U.S. WNT resident soccer junky, who traveled with best buddy and Sky Blue FC teammate Casey Nogueira to London to take in an Arsenal match at The Emirates.

We've started a new feature on our Blogs and, for now, we're calling it Rewind. This is where we pull an old video from our archives that we think was really good, historic, just plain fun or all of the above.
We'll start with this little gem from 2008 in which we feature current U.S. WNT regulars Amy Rodriguez, Lauren Cheney and Tobin Heath when they were all just breaking into the team.

Shambolic, catastrophic, embarrassing, shocking, unprecedented, entertaining, humorous all accurate descriptions of Brazil's role in the penalty shootout with Paraguay last night. In becoming the first team in history to miss every spot kick in a Copa America shootout, Brazil exited unceremoniously from a tournament in which they never looked the threatening force everyone expected.

By FRANCO PANIZO

The feel-good story that was the U.S. women's national team at the World Cup has come to a close, and it does so without the fairy-tale ending.

The U.S. team lost in the World Cup final on Sunday, falling to Japan 3-1 on penalty kicks after playing to a 2-2 draw.

The Women's National Team has returned to the United States and made their first stop in New York City. They received a very welcome homecoming, and fans greeted the team as they arrived in Times Square.
Although the tournament is all wrapped up, the team is busy visiting your favorite news and entertainment shows to talk about their experience at the Women's World Cup in Germany.

The U.S. players trained in the stadium today, going through the customary short training session the day before the game. It was a short bus ride to the Frankfurt stadium, which looks to be an awesome venue for a World Cup Final.
Off the field the team shifted its focus completely to Japan and the game on Sunday.

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.

Official WWC Team Photo (Courtesy: US Soccer)USSoccer.com has been putting together these mini-profiles of each of the USWNT players that will complete in Germany for the 2011 Women's World Cup.
Here are the rest of the profiles of each player on the roster. See the first set of profiles here.

Lauren Cheney and Megan Rapinoe celebrate Rapinoe's 50th minute goal
There was a tremendous atmosphere inside Rhein-Neckar-Arena tonight, the likes of which have probably never been seen before for the U.S. WNT match on foreign soil. The sold-out crowd of more than 25,000 was decidely pro-American, bolstered by a large presence from the U.

Lauren Cheney scored a huge goal for the USA in the opening game of the 2011 WWC against North Korea, but before that, she and Tobin Heath stood for yet another of our WNT Player Profiles.

Official Women's World Cup Team Photo (Photo Credit: USSoccer.com)USSoccer.com has been putting together these mini-profiles of each of the USWNT players that will complete in Germany for the 2011 Women's World Cup.
Here are the first six videos featuring 13 of the 21 players on the roster.

Lauren Cheney wants the ball...and she wants it now.
Yesterday, the U.S. WNT held what was the last training in an excellent pre-tournament camp in Austria. The players got the chance to adjust to the time zone, train in a serene enviroment and sharpen up many areas before heading to Dresden, Germany tomorrow morning.

The U.S. WNT has been training in (what they tell us) are unseasonably warm weather in New Jersey (80s and 90s), but that should be good preparation in Germany where it could be quite hot during the Women's World Cup. The squad has been taking some long drives to training, which means the players have had to find things to occupy their time.

The U.S. WNT is back together for its final domestic game and game before leaving for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. Yes, the tournament is so close, you can feel it. The team is training in New Jersey in preparation for meeting Mexico this Sunday at Red Bull Arena (2 p.m. ET on ESPN2) and had its first session yesterday afternoon in the sticky heat of the impending NJ summer.

Yesterday US women's coach Pia Sundhage announced her 21-player roster for the upcoming Women's World Cup: Goalkeepers - Hope Solo, Nicole Barnhart, Jillian Loyden Defenders - Heather Mitts, Christie Rampone, Becky Sauerbrunn, Amy LePeilbet, Ali Krieger, Stephanie Cox, Rachel Buehler Midfielders - Lindsay Tarpley, Shannon Boxx, Heather O'Reilly, Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe, Lori Lindsey, Tobin Heath Strikers - Amy Rodríguez, Lauren Cheney, Alex Morgan, Abby Wambach I am struck by how old this US team is, especially in the back line.

Coach Pia Sundhage named her 23 player roster for this summer's Women's World Cup in Germany.
Want to know more about the USWNT? Check out our contribution to The Shin Guardian, "The ABCs of the USWNT".
Goalkeepers (3): Nicole Barnhart, Jillian Loyden, Hope Solo
Defenders (7): Rachel Buehler, Stephanie Cox, Ali Krieger, Amy LePeilbet, Heather Mitts, Christie Rampone, Becky Sauerbrunn
Midfielders (7): Shannon Boxx, Tobin Heath, Lori Lindsey, Carli Lloyd, Heather O'Reilly, Megan Rapinoe, Lindsay Tarpley
Forwards (4): Lauren Cheney, Alex Morgan, Amy Rodriguez, Abby Wambach
Support the Movement.

Via All White Kit, the United States Women's National Team 2011 World Cup Roster:

Goalkeepers (3): Nicole Barnhart, Jillian Loyden, Hope Solo
Defenders (7): Rachel Buehler, Stephanie Cox, Ali Krieger, Amy LePeilbet, Heather Mitts, Christie Rampone, Becky Sauerbrunn
Midfielders (7): Shannon Boxx, Tobin Heath, Lori Lindsey, Carli Lloyd, Heather O'Reilly, Megan Rapinoe, Lindsay Tarpley
Forwards (4): Lauren Cheney, Alex Morgan, Amy Rodriguez, Abby Wambach

Jenna called it all but Loyden before it happened.

Goalkeepers: Nicole Barnhart (Philadelphia Independence), Jill Loyden (magicJack), Hope Solo (magicJack)
Defenders: Rachel Buehler (Boston Breakers), Stephanie Cox (Boston Breakers), Ali Krieger (out of contract), Amy LePeilbet (Boston Breakers), Heather Mitts (Atlanta Beat), Christie Rampone (magicJack), Becky Sauerbrunn (magicJack)
Midfielders: Shannon Boxx (magicJack), Tobin Heath (Sky Blue FC), Lori Lindsey (Philadelphia Independence), Carli Lloyd (Atlanta Beat), Heather O'Reilly (Sky Blue FC), Megan Rapinoe (Philadelphia Independence), Lindsay Tarpley (magicJack)
Forwards: Lauren Cheney (Boston Breakers), Alex Morgan (Western New York Flash), Amy Rodriguez (Philadelphia Independence), Abby Wambach (magicJack)

Alternate title: "Meet the cast of Galaxy Quest 2!!!"See the photo on the USsoccer.com front page to see why. Then read about the team here.G: Nicole Barnhart, Jillian Loyden, Hope SoloD: Rachel Buehler, Stephanie Cox, Ali Krieger, Amy LePeilbet, Heather Mitts, Christie Rampone, Becky SauerbrunnM: Shannon Boxx, Tobin Heath, Lori Lindsey, Carli Lloyd, Heather O'Reilly, Megan Rapinoe, Lindsay

We know you never get tired of pictures from training, right? Here are a few from today.
Tobin Heath makes a diagonal run to the ball

The USA's four GKs train with Ashlyn Harris between the poles

Epic Battle: Rodriguez vs.

The U.S. WNT will play in England for the first time in its 27-year history when the Americans and the Three Lionesses meet on April 2 at Leyton Orient's Brisbane Road in east London. All the players are looking forward to the trip, but U.S. midfielder Tobin Heath more than most. You see, she's a HUGE English Premier League fan, especially the Gunners of Arsenal, and can't wait to experience some of the English soccer culture.

Beeeeeeeeeep!

A day of fitness testing is in the books for the U.S. WNT and the rest of the camp will be focused on, as Pia Sundhage said in the first team meeting, "play, play, play." But after a morning of VO2 Mac testing on the treadmill, the U.S. team hit the field in the afternoon for its usual quartet of timed 20 and 40-yard dash, agility test, jump test and Beep Test.

After a loss to Sweden in the Four Nations Tournament, the USA came back strong against Canada winning 2-1, and then finished it off with a win against China by a score of 2-0. The USA and Canada were tied for first place in the end, but the first tie-breaker was the head-to-head result, and since the USA defeated Canada, they took the title.

Just seconds into the first of the 4 v 4 games during today's training, Tobin Heath pulled off a move that really only Tobin (and your top Brazilians) can do. Squared up on Heather O'Reilly, she put her foot on the ball, pulled it behind her leg and in one motion, swept it through the legs of O'Reilly, illiciting whoops and hollers from her teammates.

Tobin Heath and Yael Averbuch do some ground juggling. They are pretty good at it.
Almost all the players attended the training today, although a few stayed behind to rest and do treatments. The day between games training is always a bit tricky as some players played a lot of minutes and others played none, so a few players had lighter sessions than others.

If you are an avid WNT Blog reader, you may recall that Tobin Heath and Kelley O'Hara decided to refine their knitting skills at the beginning of this trip. Well, the hats are done and that's a good thing as they are certainly coming in handy (or heady?) in China where the temps haven't gotten out of the 40s.

U.S. players get a good warm-up in the chilly climes of Chongqing

The U.S. team finished a busy day of training (which also included a post-dinner meeting) at a different field from the one it had been training on. The trip into the foothills was a bit odd (some small fields of vegatables, broken down brick structures, what looked to be an old damn, a road that definitely needed a guard rail where there was none, a few stray chickens, and some amazing art work upon entering the school where college was well), but after the team got there, they found another excellent field on which to train.