U.S. Women’s National Team faces China PR in second leg of three-game series in Houston

The U.S. Women’s National Team has posted three straight shutout victories and looks to maintain that momentum when it hosts China PR on Wednesday, Dec. 12, at BBVA Compass Stadium, home of Major League Soccer’s Houston Dynamo. The game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on FOX Soccer.

The game marks the second leg of a three-game set against China and the ninth match of the 2012 Fan Tribute Tour. The USA is coming off a 2-0 win against China on Saturday, Dec. 8. The team concludes the tour with a Dec. 15 game against China at Florida Atlantic University Stadium in Boca Raton, Fla. (7 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network and Univision Deportes Network).

2012 U.S. WNT Schedule

+ CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying tournament
++ 2012 London Olympics
& Algarve Cup
~ Kirin Challenge Cup
^^ Volvo Winners Cup

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (2): 1-Hope Solo, 18-Nicole Barnhart
DEFENDERS (6): 2-Heather Mitts, 3-Christie Rampone, 4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 5-Kelley O’Hara, 6-Amy LePeilbet, 16-Rachel Buehler
MIDFIELDERS (5): 7-Shannon Boxx, 9-Heather O’Reilly, 10-Carli Lloyd, 15-Megan Rapinoe, 17-Tobin Heath
FORWARDS (5): 8-Amy Rodriguez, 11-Sydney Leroux, 12-Lauren Cheney, 13-Alex Morgan, 14-Abby Wambach

MORGAN JOINS HAMM IN EXCLUSIVE 20-20 CLUB
Forward and 2012 U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year Alex Morgan has joined an exclusive club that consists of only two members. With her 20th assist of the year during the USA’s 2-0 win against China PR on Dec. 8, Morgan joined 2007 National Soccer Hall of Famer Mia Hamm as the only U.S. WNT players to ever record at least 20 goals and 20 assists in a calendar year. Morgan has 28 goals and 20 assists in 2012 and Hamm had 20 goals and 20 assists in 1998. Morgan’s assists total ties with Hamm for the third-best ever in a year. Hamm holds the WNT record with 22 assists in 2004 and Carin Gabarra is second with 21 assists in 1991.

• 2012 Female Athlete of the Year Highlight Video | Q & A with Alex Morgan

U.S. ROSTER NOTES

• Alex Morgan (28 goals) and Abby Wambach (23 goals) have combined for 51 goals in 2012 – the second-most goals of any duo in U.S. WNT history. The record is 55 goals in 1991 when Michelle Akers scored a record 39 goals and Carin Jennings tallied 16 goals.
• Morgan notched her second-career hat trick on Nov. 28 during the USA’s 5-0 win against the Republic of Ireland. She also scored three goals on March 7 en route to a 4-0 win against Sweden to take third place at the 2012 Algarve Cup. Morgan became the ninth WNT player to record two or more hat tricks.
• Morgan had a start streak of 25 games broken against China on Dec. 8, coming off the bench at halftime. Before her start streak started, Morgan had earned 30 caps, but only two of them were starts. She had scored 12 goals and 7 assists during those games. Starting the championship match of the 2012 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament against Canada in January – a game in which she scored twice and had two assist – she has 26 goals with 15 assists in those 26 games.
• Only four players in U.S. WNT history have scored more than 20 goals in a calendar year. It’s happened just five times: Michelle Akers (39 in 1991), Tiffeny Milbrett (21 in 1999), Abby Wambach twice (31 goals in 2004, 23 in 2012) and Alex Morgan (28 in 2012).
• Five players on the U.S. roster scored in the 2012 London Olympics and eight total players have scored in an Olympics: Wambach (4 goals in 2004; 5 goals in 2012), Carli Lloyd (2 goals in 2008; 4 goals in 2012), Heather O’Reilly (1 goal in 2004; 2 goals in 2008), Shannon Boxx (1 goal in 2004), Amy Rodriguez (1 goal in 2008), Morgan (3 goals in 2012), Megan Rapinoe (3 goals in 2012) and Sydney Leroux (1 goal in 2012).
• The London Olympics marked the first time the U.S. WNT won every game en route to the gold medal.
• Rapinoe and Morgan led the team with four assists apiece in the Olympics.
• Morgan, Rapinoe and Wambach each had 10 points in this year’s Olympics.
• Only three U.S. WNT players were on the field for all 570 minutes in the 2012 Olympics: goalkeeper Hope Solo, defender and team captain Christie Rampone and defender Kelley O’Hara.
• Morgan’s game-winning goal against Canada on Aug. 6 is the latest tally ever in a FIFA competition. Her strike hit the back of the net at 122 minutes, 23 seconds. Wambach’s memorable game-tying header against Brazil in the quarterfinals of the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup crossed the goal line at 121 minutes, 19 seconds.
• Lauren Cheney is second behind Morgan in assists with year with 11. Both O’Reilly and Rapinoe have 10 assists.
• The USA has scored 112 goals this year (110 individual goals, 2 own goals) in 30 games (26-1-3) for the third-most productive U.S. WNT campaign ever and surpasses the 1999 total of 111 goals in 29 games. The all-time record is 124 goals in 41 games in 2000, followed by 122 goals in 28 games in 1991.
• The U.S. improved to 12-0-0 all-time in games played indoors following its 2-0 win against China on Dec. 8 at Ford Field. The USA has outscored its opponents 70-1 in indoor games.

U.S. WNT IN HOUSTON

• The USA is 3-0-0 in games played in Houston, but Wednesday’s game will be the team’s first at the newly built BBVA Compass Stadium.
• The U.S. defeated Sweden 3-0 on Feb. 17, 1996, at Clyde Abshier Stadium, edged Mexico 3-2 on Dec. 10, 2000, at Robertson Stadium and posted a 5-0 victory against the Republic of Ireland on Oct. 23, 2004, at Reliant Stadium.
• Cindy Parlow scored back-to-back goals in the 70th and 75th minutes to help the USA rally from a 2-1 deficit against Mexico in 2000. The U.S. was by far the more assertive side throughout the match, outshooting Mexico 29-6.
• Abby Wambach became the fourth player in U.S. WNT history to score five goals in a game when the USA beat Ireland in 2004. Wambach’s tallies all came in the second half and Mia Hamm assisted on four of them. The individual five-goal record would not be matched until earlier this year when Amy Rodriguez (Jan. 20, 2012) and Sydney Leroux (Jan. 22, 2012) scored five apiece against the Dominican Republic and Guatemala, respectively.
• The U.S. WNT is 7-0-0 all-time in games played in the state of Texas.

USA vs. CHINA PR SERIES

• The U.S. holds an 18-game unbeaten streak against China PR with a 15-0-3 record dating back to a 2-0 victory on March 20, 2003, in Loule, Portugal.
• Overall, the U.S. Women are 27-8-12 in the series that started with a 2-1 win on July 20, 1986. During that span, the U.S. has a 74-33 scoring margin.
• The U.S. famously defeated China 5-4 in a shootout during the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup on July 10 in Pasadena, Calif. Brandi Chastain tallied the game-ending penalty kick.
• The USA won on its home soil against China in the first-ever women’s soccer event at the 1996 Olympics, earning a 2-1 victory in the gold medal game on Aug. 1 at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga. Shannon MacMillan had the game-opening goal and Tiffeny Milbrett scored the eventual game-winner midway through the second half.
• The U.S. and China have met twice this year. Along with the USA’s recent 2-0 win at Ford Field in Detroit on Dec. 8, the U.S. played to a 4-1 victory on May 27 in front of a sellout crowd of 18,573 at PPL Park in Chester, Pa. Alex Morgan scored twice, Abby Wambach added a goal and the U.S. benefited from an own goal by Zhou Gaoping.

IN THE RECORD BOOKS

• U.S. defender and team captain Christie Rampone will tie for second all-time in career caps should she make her 275th career appearance on Wednesday against China PR at BBVA Compass Stadium. Rampone (274 caps) currently sits one game behind Mia Hamm (275). Kristine Lilly holds the record with 352 caps, and Rampone recently surpassed Julie Foudy’s career mark of 272 caps.
• Rampone has 22 career Olympic appearances and moved six ahead of previous USA record holders Joy Fawcett, Foudy, Lilly and Kate Markgraf.
• U.S. forward Amy Rodriguez became the 28th U.S. WNT player to reach 100 caps when she started and captained the team on Dec. 8 in Detroit. Rodriguez has eight goals this year off the bench and has logged 872 minutes, five starts and 27 total appearances.
• Abby Wambach scored five goals in five straight games during the London Olympics, which is an Olympic record. She has nine-career Olympic goals and is atop the USA leaderboard in that category, surpassing the previous record of five held by Hamm and Milbrett.
• Alex Morgan’s 76 points (28 goals, 20 assists) put her in sole possession of second place for a WNT player in a calendar year. Morgan’s assist against China PR helped her pass Wambach’s 2004 mark of 75 points (31 goals, 13 assists). The U.S. record was set by Michelle Akers, who had 86 points in 1991 (39 goals, 8 assists).
• Hope Solo set a U.S. WNT goalkeeper consecutive minutes played record at 1,163 earlier this year, surpassing the previous mark of 990 set by Briana Scurry.
• Sydney Leroux increased her U.S. WNT record to 13 goals scored off the bench in a year when she tallied a second-half goal during the USA’s 2-0 win against China on Dec. 8. Leroux’s impressive offensive contribution has come in only 469 minutes of work this year. Leroux broke the previous bench scoring record of nine goals originally set by Debbie Keller in 1998.

BY THE NUMBERS

• 1: USA’s FIFA ranking
• 5: Goals scored in a game by Sydney Leroux (Jan. 22, 2012), Amy Rodriguez (Jan. 20, 2012), Abby Wambach (Oct. 23, 2004), Tiffeny Milbrett (Nov. 2, 2002), Michelle Akers (Nov. 24, 1991) and Brandi Chastain (April 18, 1991)
• 9: Career Olympic goals by Wambach, a U.S. WNT record
• 11: Games this year in which Morgan and Wambach both contributed at least one goal (11-0-0 record)
• 12: All-time wins by the U.S. WNT in indoor games (12-0-0 record)
• 19: China PR’s FIFA ranking
• 21: Combined goals off the bench this year by Leroux (13) and Rodriguez (8)
• 22: Career Olympic appearances by U.S. captain Christie Rampone
• 95: U.S. victories when Abby Wambach scores a goal (95-2-7 overall)
• 112: Goals scored by the U.S. WNT in 2012 (110 individual goals, 2 own goals)

OLYMPIC GOLD OVER THE YEARS:
The Fan Tribute Tour embraces a U.S. Women’s National Team that has set a standard in the Olympics. No soccer team – men’s or women’s – has won four Olympic gold medals. Here is a look at all four gold medal-winning performances:

• Aug. 9, 2012: USA 2, Japan 1: U.S. midfielder Carli Lloyd, the gold medal hero of the 2008 Olympics, once again led the way for the USA by scoring both goals to upend 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup champion Japan in front of more than 80,000 spectators at Wembley Stadium in London – an Olympic record crowd for women’s soccer and the largest crowd the U.S. WNT has played in front of outside the United States. Lloyd made a darting run in the eighth minute, heading home the game’s first goal. Then Lloyd unleashed a right-footed shot from 20 yards out in the 54th minute for what would prove to be the winning tally.
• Aug. 24, 2008: USA 1, Brazil 0 (OT): The U.S. held Brazil scoreless for 120 minutes and Carli Lloyd took the spotlight with a game-winning goal in the sixth minute of overtime in front of 51,612 at Worker’s Stadium in Beijing. Lloyd’s left-footed strike from just outside the box was the finishing touch for the USA’s third gold medal in four Olympic Games. Goalkeeper Hope Solo made six saves for the clean sheet.
• Aug. 26, 2004: USA 2, Brazil 1 (OT): Abby Wambach’s snap header from about 12 yards out in the 112th minute flew past Brazil goalkeeper Andreia for the winner as the young Wambach capitalized on Kristine Lilly’s corner kick. Lindsay Tarpley gave the USA a first-half lead in the 39th minute and Brazil’s Pretinha equalized in the 73rd minute. The Athens Olympics served as the final international championship for retiring players such as Joy Fawcett, Julie Foudy and Mia Hamm.
• Aug. 1, 1996: USA 2, China PR 1: Tiffeny Milbrett scored off of a strong setup from Joy Fawcett in the 68th minute to give the USA its first gold medal in front of 76,481 at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga. Fawcett attacked down the right side into the penalty area, drew a China defender and slid the ball to a wide open Milbrett. Shannon MacMillan scored the first goal in the 19th minute, rebounding Mia Hamm’s initial shot that was saved by China goalkeeper Hong Gao and deflected off the post. China’s Lihong Zhao tied the score at 1-1 in the 32nd minute.

JILL ELLIS FACT FILE: Interim head coach Jill Ellis has managed five games for the U.S. Women’s National Team, compiling a 3-0-2 record as she manages the team for the remainder of 2012 before Tom Sermanni takes the reins at the start of 2013. The 46-year-old Ellis was appointed as the Development Director for the U.S. Women’s National Teams in January of 2011. She oversees the women’s youth national team program at the U-14, U-15 and U-17 levels. Below are some of her accomplishments as a player and coach.

• Ellis served as an assistant coach under Pia Sundhage, helping the U.S. Women’s National Team to a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics.
• Ellis twice coached the U.S. U-20 Women’s National Team, guiding the squad to the CONCACAF title in 2010 and the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Germany.
• She also had two stints as the head coach of the U.S. U-21 WNT, the second starting in the middle of 2005, after which she guided the team to the Nordic Cup in Sweden. Ellis also coached the U-21s to the Nordic Cup title in Germany in 2000.
• Ellis spent 12 years as the head coach of the UCLA women’s team, leading the Bruins to eight NCAA Final Fours, including seven in a row from 2003-09. She won six straight conference titles (2003-08) and compiled a 229-45-14 record.
• She also was the head coach at the University of Illinois in 1997 and 1998.
• Ellis grew up in Portsmouth, England, and came to the U.S. in 1981 at age 15. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of William & Mary in 1988.
• The former Williams & Mary forward (1984-87) was a third-team All-American in 1987 and an honorable mention all-region selection in 1985.

IN FOCUS: CHINA PR
Chinese Football Association
Founded: 1924 (Joined FIFA in 1931)
Head Coach: Hao Wei
FIFA World Ranking: 19
Best FIFA World Cup Finish: Second Place (1999)
Best Olympics Finish: Second Place (1996)

CHINA PR ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (2): 1-Zhang Yue (Beijing), 12-Wang Fei (Dalian)
DEFENDERS (7): 2-Wang Lingling (Beijing), 4-Li Jiayue (Shanghai), 6-Lin Yuping (Army), 14-Wang Dongni (Dalian), 19-Liu Shanshan (Hebei), 20-Huang Yini (Shanghai), 26-Wu Haiyan (Beijing)
MIDFIELDERS (7): 7-Bi Yan (Dalian), 11-Pu Wei (Shanghai), 18-Han Peng (Tianjin), 21-Wang Lisi (Jiang Su), 23-Ren Guixin (Changchun), 25-Zhang Rui (Army), 33-Zhang Xin (Shanghai)
FORWARDS (4): 10-Ma Xiaoxu (Dalian), 13-Wang Shanshan (Tianjin), 16-Wang Chen (Beijing), 27-Li Ying (Zhejiang)

CHINA PR ROSTER NOTES:

• Six players on China PR’s roster were part of the 2012 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup team earlier this year, including four of its six defenders: Wu Haiyan, Lin Yuping, Liu Shanshan and Huang Yini.
• Pu Wei, the team captain, played on China’s 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup team that fell to the USA in penalty kicks in the title match. She would later sign with the WUSA’s Washington Freedom.
• China participated in the 12-team 2012 Algarve Cup in Portugal and wound up with a ninth-place finish, defeating host Portugal 1-0 for its lone victory on March 7. The USA settled for third place in the event with a 4-0 win against Sweden in the third-place match on March 7.
• China did not qualify for the 2012 London Olympics – the first time the team has failed to do so. China’s best Olympics finish was in the inaugural 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta, where the team took the silver medal against the gold medal-winning USA.

LAST TIME
On the field for the USA:
Dec. 8, 2012 – Ford Field; Detroit, Mich. – International Friendly

USA    2   Carli Lloyd 50, Sydney Leroux 84
CHN    0

Lineups:
USA: 1-Hope Solo; 6-Amy LePeilbet (2-Heather Mitts, 71), 3-Christie Rampone, 16-Rachel Buehler, 5-Kelley O’Hara (4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 46), 15-Megan Rapinoe (9-Heather O’Reilly, 46), 7-Shannon Boxx, 10-Carli Lloyd, 12-Lauren Cheney (11-Sydney Leroux, 71); 8-Amy Rodriguez (capt.) (17-Tobin Heath, 48), 14-Abby Wambach (13-Alex Morgan, 46)
Subs Not Used: 18-Nicole Barnhart
Head coach: Jill Ellis

CHN: 1-Zhang Yue; 2-Wang Lingling, 4-Li Jiayue (6-Lin Yuping, 88), 14-Wang Dongni (20-Huang Yini, 87), 26-Wu Haiyan; 7-Bi Yan (18-Han Peng, 59), 11-Pu Wei (capt.), 21-Wang Lisi (16-Wang Chen, 72), 23-Ren Guixin, 25-Zhang Rui (27-Li Ying, 66), 10-Ma Xiaoxu (13-Wang Shanshan, 55)
Subs Not Used: 12-Wang Fei, 19-Liu Shanshan, 33-Zhang Xin
Head coach: Hao Wei