U.S., Canada meet in Olympic semifinals today at Old Trafford

The U.S. Women’s National Team will meet a familiar opponent in its semifinal clash at the 2012 Olympics, taking on Canada at 2:45 p.m. ET on Monday, Aug. 6, at Old Trafford in Manchester, England. The match will be broadcast live on the NBC Sports Network, NBC Olympic Soccer Channel and streamed on NBC Live Extra. The winner of USA-Canada will face the winner of the other semifinal featuring Japan and France with the gold medal to be determined on Thursday, Aug. 9, at Wembley Stadium in London.

2012 U.S. WNT Schedule

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

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION – Detailed Roster
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 (6): 7-Shannon Boxx, 8-Amy Rodriguez, 9-Heather O’Reilly, 10-Carli Lloyd, 15-Megan Rapinoe, 17-Tobin Heath
FORWARDS (4): 11-Sydney Leroux, 12-Lauren Cheney, 13-Alex Morgan, 14-Abby Wambach

QUARTERFINALS RECAP:

• USA 2, New Zealand 0: Abby Wambach scored her fourth straight goal in this year’s Olympics with the game-winner in the 27th minute and Sydney Leroux added her first Olympic goal as insurance in the 87th minute as the USA improved to 4-0-0 in this year’s Summer Games. The U.S. posted its third straight shutout.
• Canada 2, Great Britain 0: Canada’s Jonelle Filigno opened with a 12th-minute half-volley that found the upper right corner of the goal and Christine Sinclair pushed the lead to two in the 26th minute with her free kick going through the right side of Great Britain’s wall as Canada quickly took control against host Great Britain in front of nearly 29,000 at Coventry Stadium. Great Britain entered the match after having outscored its Group E opponents by a 5-0 margin, capping off the group stage with a 1-0 victory against Brazil.
• France 2, Sweden 1: France overcame an early deficit with its defenders coming through on the offensive end. Laura Georges found the equalizer in the 29th minute, heading the ball into the net when Sweden goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl could punch clear a corner kick and Wendie Renard scored the go-ahead goal off a scramble in front of the net in the 39th minute to earn the victory. Sweden’s Nilla Fischer had the game’s first goal off her left shoulder on a corner kick in the 18th minute.
• Japan 2, Brazil 0: The 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup champion Japan capitalized on its chances with Yuki Ogimi slotting the ball into the right side of the net in the 27th minute and Shinobu Ohno scored in the 73rd minute with a left-footed strike that clipped the crossbar and crossed the goal line. Japan only had three shots on goal to Brazil’s seven, but Japan goalkeeper Miho Fukumoto was up to the task with some key saves, including a clutch stop against Formiga in the first half to maintain a one-goal lead.

2012 Olympic Schedule

U.S. ROSTER NOTES:

• Five players on the U.S. roster have scored in this Olympics and seven total players have scored in an Olympics: Abby Wambach (4 goals in 2004; 4 goals in 2012), Carli Lloyd (2 goals in 2008; 2 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), Alex Morgan (2 goals in 2012), Megan Rapinoe (1 goal in 2012), who had the game-winning tally against Colombia on July 28, and most recently Sydney Leroux who scored the clinching goal against New Zealand.
• Morgan, Tobin Heath and Rapinoe are tied for the team lead with three assists apiece in this year’s Olympics. All 10 of the USA’s goals have been assisted, including goalkeeper Hope Solo’s first career international assist on Morgan’s 32nd-minute goal against France on July 25 en route to a 4-2 win.
• Heath’s next appearance will mark her 50th international cap. There are 13 players on the USA’s Olympic roster who have played in 50 or more career matches, with Rapinoe being the most recent to notch her 50th cap on June 16 during a 3-1 win against Sweden.
• Only three U.S. WNT players have been on the field for all 360 minutes in the 2012 Olympics: Solo, defender and team captain Christie Rampone and 24-year-old defender Kelley O’Hara.
• Morgan leads the U.S. WNT with 19 goals in 19 games, and she has seven multi-goal games this year. Following her two-goal effort for a 4-2 win against France on July 25, Morgan moved into a tie for seventh place on the all-time U.S. WNT list for goals scored in a calendar year with April Heinrichs (1991), Mia Hamm (1995) and Cindy Parlow (2000).
• The USA’s 4-2 win against France marked the first time in Olympic play that the team had come back to win from a two-goal deficit. In all previous Olympic competition, the USA allowed more than one goal only three times – a 3-2 loss to Norway in the 2000 gold medal game, a 2-0 loss to Norway in the opening game of the 2008 Olympics and a 4-2 victory against Japan in the semifinal match in 2008 (the USA was down 1-0 before scoring four straight).

USA vs. CANADA SERIES

• The most recent meeting between the USA and Canada came on June 30 in the USA’s Olympic Send-Off Match, a 2-1 victory at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. Amy Rodriguez scored the game-winning goal in the 85th minute to break a 1-1 tie.
• In 2011, Wambach carried the USA offense in two matches against Canada, tallying two goals during a 3-0 win against Canada on Sept. 22, preceded by Wambach’s lone goal for a 1-1 draw on Sept. 17. Lindsay Tarpley tallied a game-winner on Jan. 23 during the USA’s 2-1 victory over Canada.
• In the only previous Olympic match between the U.S. and Canada, the USA came out on top with a 2-1 victory in the quarterfinals of the 2008 Beijing Olympics on Aug. 15. Natasha Kai tallied the game-winner in the 101st minute, Angela Hucles had the USA’s other goal in the 12th minute and Christine Sinclair had Canada’s lone goal in the 30th minute.

IN THE RECORD BOOKS

• Abby Wambach scored her eighth career Olympic goal during the USA’s 1-0 win against New Zealand on Aug. 3. She is atop the U.S. leaderboard in career Olympic goals, having surpassed the previous record of five held by Mia Hamm and Tiffeny Milbrett.
• Sydney Leroux’s second-half goal against New Zealand on Aug. 3 was her eighth of the year. All eight goals have come off the bench, matching teammate Amy Rodriguez’s 2012 total as a sub. Leroux and Rodriguez are the best off-the-bench duo in U.S. WNT history with their combined 16 goals in 2012, easily surpassing the previous 12-goal record from Debbie Keller and Tisha Venturini in 1998. Keller still holds the WNT record with nine goals off the bench in 1998, but Leroux and Rodriguez are within one goal of matching a mark that has stood for nearly 14 years.
• Veteran U.S. defender Christie Rampone became the USA’s all-time leader in Olympic appearances with 17 during the team’s 4-2 win against France on July 25. Rampone now has 20 career Olympic games following the team’s victory against New Zealand on Aug. 3 and she is now four ahead of previous USA record holders of Joy Fawcett, Julie Foudy, Kristine Lilly and Kate Markgraf.
• Rampone moved into sole possession of fourth place on the all-time WNT list with her 235th career international start on Aug. 3, passing former U.S. defender Joy Fawcett, who had 234 starts in 239 caps in 17 years of play.
• Alex Morgan ranks 16th all-time in career goals with 29 and is one goal away from tying 15th-ranked Brandi Chastain’s career mark of 30. Also with her next goal, Morgan (currently with 19 goals in 2012) will move into a tie for fourth place on the all-time list for goals during a calendar year with Mia Hamm (1998), Kristine Lilly (1999) and Abby Wambach (2007), who all had 20 goals in their respective campaigns.
• Morgan’s 49 points this year (19 goals, 11 assists) are the most for a WNT player in a calendar year since 2004, when Wambach had 75 (31 goals, 13 assists) and Hamm had 50 (14 goals, 22 assists).

BY THE NUMBERS:

• 1: USA’s FIFA ranking
• 3: USA players who have scored at least two goals in this year’s Olympics: Carli Lloyd (2), Alex Morgan (2) and Abby Wambach (4)
• 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)
• 7: Canada’s FIFA ranking
• 8: Career Olympic goals by Wambach, a U.S. WNT record
• 8: Games this year in which Morgan and Wambach both contributed at least one goal (8-0-0 record)
• 16: Combined goals off the bench this year by Amy Rodriguez (8) and Sydney Leroux (8)
• 20: Career Olympic appearances by U.S. captain Christie Rampone
• 92: U.S. victories when Abby Wambach scores a goal (92-2-5 overall)
• 194: Players who have earned a cap for the U.S. Women’s National Team since the program’s inception in 1985, the most recent being Whitney Engen, who earned her first cap against Norway at the Algarve Cup on March 4, 2011
• 499: Games played by the U.S. WNT since team began play in 1985 (388-57-54 record)

PIA SUNDHAGE FACT FILE: Head coach Pia Sundhage is in the midst of her fourth full year in charge of the U.S. Women’s National Team. Below are some of her accomplishments as a player and coach.

• Sundhage is the sixth official coach and second female coach in the history of the U.S. Women’s National Team program.
• Sundhage’s record as head coach of the Women’s National Team is 86-6-10, with 262 goals for and 53 against.
• As a player, Sundhage was one of the game’s best-ever players, finishing sixth in the voting for FIFA Women’s Player of the Century. A legendary player in Sweden, she played for her country in the 1991 and 1995 Women’s World Cups and 1996 Olympics. She scored four goals for Sweden at the 1991 Women’s World Cup, helping the Swedes to a third-place finish. She scored one goal in the 1995 Women’s World Cup (against Germany) and played every minute of all three matches at the Atlanta Olympics.
• Sundhage started her coaching career while still playing, serving as player-coach for Hammarby from 1992-1994. She also coached Sweden’s Youth National Teams for 11 years from 1990-2001, coaching the U-16s, U-19s and U-21s.
• After her retirement from the international game in 1996, she became head coach of the Sweden Under-19 Women’s National Team, leading the team to one gold medal and two bronze medals at the European Championships. She served as a scout for Sweden during the 1997 European Championships, the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the 2000 Olympics. Sundhage has also worked for FIFA on its Technical Study Group staff for the 2004 FIFA U-19 Women’s World Championship in Thailand.
• Since taking over as head coach, Sundhage has given 17 players their first senior team caps.

IN FOCUS: CANADA

• Canada Soccer Association
• Founded: 1912 (Joined FIFA in 1913)
• Head Coach: John Herdman
• FIFA World Ranking: 7
• Best FIFA World Cup Finish: Fourth place in 2003
• Best Olympics Finish: Semifinals of 2012 London Olympics

CANADA ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (2): 1-Karina LeBlanc, 18-Erin McLeod
DEFENDERS (7): 2-Emily Zurrer, 3-Chelsea Stewart, 4-Carmelina Moscato, 5-Robyn Gayle, 7-Rhian Wilkinson, 9-Candace Chapman, 10-Lauren Sesselmann
MIDFIELDERS (6): 6-Kaylyn Kyle, 8-Diana Matheson, 11-Desiree Scott, 13-Sophie Schmidt, 15-Kelly Parker, 17-Brittany Timko
FORWARDS (3): 12-Christine Sinclair, 14-Melissa Tancredi, 16-Jonelle Filigno

CANADA ROSTER NOTES:

• Six players on Canada’s roster have logged 100 or more international caps: forwards Christine Sinclair and Brittany Timko, defenders Rhian Wilkinson and Candace Chapman, midfielder Diana Matheson and goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc.
• Canada’s roster includes 12 players who competed at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing as the team advanced to the quarterfinal phase of the competition and fell in extra time to eventual champion USA.
• Six players won a silver medal at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada in 2002: Sinclair, Timko, goalkeeper Erin McLeod and defenders Carmelina Moscato and Robyn Gayle.
• Canada took third place in Group F, opening the 2012 Olympics with a 2-1 loss to Japan, then rebounding with a 3-0 victory against South Africa and a 2-2 draw against Sweden to close out the group stage.
• Melissa Tancredi is Canada’s leading scorer in the Olympics with four goals, all coming in the group stage. Tancredi’s two goals against Sweden helped Canada overcome an early 2-0 deficit. Sinclair is second on the team with three goals in the Olympics, with two goals coming during the 3-0 win against South Africa.
• Sinclair is one of the most talented goal scorers in the history of women’s soccer and currently has 140 career goals, sitting only behind Abby Wambach (142) and Mia Hamm (158).

LAST TIME
On the field for the USA:
Aug. 3, 2012 – St. James’ Park – Newcastle, England – 2012 London Olympics, Quarterfinal
USA                2   Abby Wambach 27, Sydney Leroux 87
New Zealand  0

Lineups:
USA: 1-Hope Solo; 6-Amy LePeilbet, 3-Christie Rampone (capt.), 16-Rachel Buehler, 5-Kelley O’Hara; 15-Megan Rapinoe (9-Heather O’Reilly, 71), 10-Carli Lloyd, 12-Lauren Cheney (8-Amy Rodriguez, 90+1), 17-Tobin Heath; 13-Alex Morgan (11-Sydney Leroux, 80), 14-Abby Wambach
Subs not used: 2-Heather Mitts, 4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 7-Shannon Boxx, 18-Nicole Barnhart
Head coach: Pia Sundhage

NZL: 1-Jenny Bindon; 2-Ria Percival, 5-Abby Erceg, 6-Rebecca Smith (capt.), 7-Ali Riley; 4-Katie Hoyle (16-Annalie Longo, 90+4), 11-Kirsty Yallop (8-Hayley Moorwood, 57), 12-Betsy Hassett, 10-Sarah Gregorius; 9-Amber Hearn, 17-Hannah Wilkinson (13-Rosie White, 77)
Subs not used: 18-Rebecca Rolls, 3-Anna Green, 14-Kristy Hill, 15-Rebekah Stott
Head coach: Tony Readings

Vs. Canada for the USA:
June 30, 2012 – Rio Tinto Stadium – Sandy, Utah – International Friendly
USA        2   Own goal (Carmelina Moscato) 15, Amy Rodriguez 85
Canada   1   Melissa Tancredi 57

Lineups:
USA: 1-Hope Solo; 6-Amy LePeilbet (2-Heather Mitts, 46), 3-Christie Rampone (capt.) (4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 46), 16-Rachel Buehler, 5-Kelley O’Hara (11-Sydney Leroux, 76); 15-Megan Rapinoe, 7-Shannon Boxx (10-Carli Lloyd, 46), 12-Lauren Cheney, 17-Tobin Heath (9-Heather O’Reilly, 46); 13-Alex Morgan (8-Amy Rodriguez, 51), 14-Abby Wambach
Subs not used: 18-Nicole Barnhart
Head coach: Pia Sundhage

CAN: 18-Erin McLeod; 2-Emily Zurrer (9-Candace Chapman, 46), 4-Carmelina Moscato, 7-Rhian Wilkinson (5-Robyn Gayle, 71), 22-Lauren Sesselmann (19-Chelsea Stewart, 86); 6-Kaylyn Kyle, 8-Diana Matheson, 11-Desiree Scott (20-Marie-Eve Nault, 86), 13-Sophie Schmidt (16-Jonelle Filigno, 65), 17-Brittany Timko (14-Melissa Tancredi, 46); 12-Christine Sinclair
Subs not used: 3-Melanie Booth, 15-Kelly Parker, 21-Sabrina D’Angelo
Head coach: John Herdman