U.S. Women’s National Team set for two-game set against Germany in Fan Tribute Tour

In a matchup of the world’s top two teams in the latest FIFA Women’s World Rankings, the top-ranked U.S. Women’s National Team takes on second-ranked Germany in its next two matches of the Fan Tribute Tour. The USA gold medal-winning team from the 2012 London Olympics hosts Germany at 5:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, Oct. 20, at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill., home of Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire. Then the two teams square off for a 7:30 p.m. ET match on Tuesday, Oct. 23, at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn. The Oct. 20 match will air live on FOX Soccer and the Oct. 23 game will be broadcast live on the NBC Sports Network.

STEPPING IN: Jill Ellis, who is currently the Development Director for the U.S. Women’s National Teams (a position she was appointed to in January of 2011) will be the interim head coach for the two matches against Germany. Former head coach Pia Sundhage completed her tenure with the U.S. WNT with an impressive 91-6-10 record, capped off by the team’s 6-2 win against Australia on Sept. 19 at a sold-out Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo. U.S. Soccer is in the process of interviewing candidates for the WNT head coach position, but there is no set timetable to make a final decision.

RELIVE THE MOMENTS: The NBC Sports Network will sandwich the USA-Germany match in East Hartford, Conn., with the re-air of two of the most memorable matches of the 2012 Olympics, showing the thrilling 4-3 semifinal victory against Canada at 5:30 p.m. ET – two hours before the Fan Tribute Tour match kicks off on the network. Following the match, NBCSN will then run the United States’ Olympic gold medal victory against Japan at 11 p.m. ET as part of its “Return to London” programming. The U.S. WNT defeated the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup champion Japan 2-1 in that gold medal game on Aug. 9 in front of more than 80,000 spectators at Wembley Stadium.

FAN TRIBUTE TOUR CURRENTLY SPANS SEVEN CITIES: In celebration of the team’s third straight gold medal and fourth overall, the USA is hosting the Fan Tribute Tour, which currently consists of seven matches that will from September to early December with three matches still to be confirmed. The USA opened the tour with an 8-0 victory against Costa Rica on Sept. 1 at Sahlen’s Stadium in Rochester, N.Y., and twice defeated Australia 2-1 on Sept. 16 at The Home Depot Center and 6-2 on Sept. 19 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo. Following the Oct. 20 and 23 matches against Germany, the U.S. hosts two matches against Ireland on Nov. 28 at JELD-WEN Field in Portland, Ore., followed by a Dec. 1 game at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.

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, 19-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, 20-Abby Wambach

U.S. ROSTER NOTES:

• Alex Morgan (24 goals) and Abby Wambach (21 goals) have become the first duo to surpass 20 goals apiece in the same year. In 1999, Tiffeny Milbrett had 21 goals and Kristine Lilly had 20.
• Only four players in U.S. WNT history have scored more than 20 goals in a calendar year: Michelle Akers (39 in 1991), Milbrett, Wambach twice (she also had 31 goals in 2004) and Morgan.
• 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.
• Morgan leads the U.S. with 24 goals in 24 games played, and she has eight multi-goal games this year following her recent two-goal effort during a 6-2 win against Australia on Sept. 19.
• With that Sept. 19 victory, the USA reached 100 goals for a calendar year for the fifth time in the program’s history (98 individual goals, 2 own goals). The 2000 campaign ranks first with 124 goals in 41 games, followed by 1991 (122 goals in 28 games), 1999 (111 goals in 29 games) and 2004 (104 goals in 34 games).

NO. 1 vs. NO. 2 HISTORY

• The U.S. WNT is 6-0-2 all-time in games pitting the No. 1 and No. 2 FIFA-ranked teams.
• The USA is 5-0-0 when ranked No. 1 and playing the No. 2 team.
• The U.S. is 1-0-2 when ranked No. 2 and playing the No. 1 team.
• In the 39 editions since the women’s rankings began in July of 2003, only the USA and Germany have been ranked No. 1. The U.S. has held the top spot 23 times and Germany has been No. 1 on 16 occasions.
• Norway and Brazil are the only two other countries ranked in the No. 2 spot. Norway was second in July and August of 2003 and Brazil was No. 2 in March and June of 2009.
• Here is the breakdown of the eight USA games featuring No. 1 vs. No. 2, with the top-ranked team listed firstin the score:
  • Oct. 1, 2003: USA 1, Norway 0; Foxborough, Mass.; Women’s World Cup Quarterfinal
  • Aug. 23, 2004: USA 2, Germany 1; Heraklio, Greece; Olympic Semifinal
  • March 15, 2005: Germany 0, USA 1; Faro, Portugal; Algarve Cup Final
  • March 15, 2006: Germany 0, USA 0; Faro, Portugal; Algarve Cup Final (3-4 in PKs)
  • Jan. 26, 2007: Germany 0, USA 0; Guangzhou, China; Four Nations Tournament
  • Oct. 29, 2009: USA 1, Germany 0; Augsburg, Germany; International Friendly
  • March 3, 2010: USA 3, Germany 2; Faro, Portugal; Algarve Cup Final
  • May 22, 2010: USA 4, Germany 0; Cleveland, Ohio; International Friendly

USA vs. GERMANY SERIES

• The USA is 17-4-4 against Germany all-time and has only one loss in the past 16 matches (11-1-4) since 1997. The scoreless draw on March 15, 2006, resulted in Germany winning the match 4-3 on penalty kicks in the Algarve Cup Final in Faro, Portugal.
• The U.S. has outscored Germany 52-23 all-time.
• The series dates back to a 4-2 U.S. victory on May 30, 1991, in Kaiserslautern, Germany, as Carin Jennings and Michelle Akers had two goals apiece for the USA.
• The two teams have met once in the Olympics, with a 19-year-old Heather O’Reilly scoring a 99th-minute game-winner to upend Germany 2-1 in the semifinals on Aug. 23, 2004, in Heraklio, Greece. The USA would win the gold medal against Brazil three days later, while Germany settled for bronze against Sweden.
• The U.S. is 2-1-0 against Germany in Women’s World Cup play. In the 1991 FIFA Women’s World Cup Semifinals, the USA defeated Germany 5-2 on Nov. 27. Jennings had a hat trick and April Heinrichs had two goals as the U.S. would win the World Cup against Norway on Nov. 30. The U.S. also posted a 3-2 victory on July 1, 1999, in Landover, Md. Germany’s one World Cup win against the USA – a 3-0 decision – came on Oct. 5, 2003, in Portland, Ore.
• In the most recent meeting between the U.S. and Germany on May 22, 2010, Abby Wambach scored two goals – her 106th and 107th – to pass Michelle Akers (105) for third on the U.S. WNT all-time scoring list during the USA’s 4-0 win against Germany at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Defender Kate Markgraf was a second-half sub in that match for her 199th cap and her first after having twins in 2009.
• Saturday’s game will be the third time the USA has played Germany in the Chicago area. The USA defeated Germany 4-2 on June 28, 1998, and 4-1 on Sept. 9, 2001, with both games played at Soldier Field.

IN THE RECORD BOOKS

• Sydney Leroux set a U.S. WNT record for goals scored off the bench in a year with her 10th of 2012 against Australia on Sept. 19. Her 82nd-minute goal passed Debbie Keller’s nine-goal record off the bench in 1998. U.S. forward Amy Rodriguez has had a productive performance in a substitute role in 2012 with eight goals.
• U.S. defender and team captain Christie Rampone ranks fourth all-time with 269 caps and is just four behind Julie Foudy (272) and seven behind Mia Hamm (275). Kristine Lilly holds the record with 352 caps.
• Rampone has 22 career Olympic appearances and moved six ahead of previous USA record holders Joy Fawcett, Foudy, Lilly and Kate Markgraf.
• Hope Solo set a U.S. WNT goalkeeper consecutive minutes played record at 1,163, surpassing the previous mark of 990 set by Briana Scurry.
• 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 Tiffeny Milbrett.
• In her three years with the U.S. WNT, Alex Morgan already ranks 14th all-time with 34 goals and sits one behind April Heinrichs (35 goals from 1986-91).
• Morgan’s 24 goals in 2012 rank third for goals scored in a calendar year, trailing only Michelle Akers (39 in 1991) and Wambach (31 goals in 2004).
• Morgan’s team-leading 63 points this year (24 goals, 15 assists) are the most for a WNT player in a calendar year since 2004, when Wambach had 75 points (31 goals, 13 assists).

BY THE NUMBERS:

• 1: USA’s FIFA ranking
• 2: Germany’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)
• 14: Straight wins for the U.S. (USA drew Japan 1-1 on April 1, 2012, before 14 consecutive victories)
• 18: Combined goals off the bench this year by Leroux (10) and Rodriguez (8)
• 22: Career Olympic appearances by U.S. captain Christie Rampone
• 95: U.S. victories when Abby Wambach scores a goal (95-2-5 overall)
• 100: Goals scored by the U.S. WNT in 2012 (98 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 is managing her first game for the U.S. Women’s National Team on Oct. 20 against Germany. 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: GERMANY
German Football Association (Deutscher Fußball-Bund)
Founded: 1900 (Joined FIFA in 1904)
Head Coach: Silvia Neid
FIFA World Ranking: 2
Best FIFA World Cup Finish: Champion in 2003 and 2007
Best Olympics Finish: Third place in 2000, 2004 and 2008

GERMANY ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Nadine Angerer, 12-Almuth Schult, 21-Laura Benkarth
DEFENDERS (7): 2-Bianca Schmidt, 3-Saskia Bartusiak, 4-Babett Peter, 5-Annike Krahn, 15-Verena Faibt, 22-Luisa Wensing, 23-Leonie Maier
MIDFIELDERS (7): 6-Simone Laudehr, 7-Melanie Behringer, 8-Kim Kulig, 10-Linda Bresonik, 17-Viola Odebrecht, 18-Svenja Huth, 20-Lena Goebling
FORWARDS (6): 9-Alexandra Popp, 11-Anja Mittag, 13-Celia Okoyino da Mbabi, 14-Dzsenifer Marozsan, 16-Martina Muller, 24-Lena Lotzen

GERMANY ROSTER NOTES:

• Goalkeeper Nadine Angerer leads the team with 109 career appearances. The 33-year-old has been a part of Germany’s national team since 1996, serving many of her early years as a backup to Silke Rottenberg.
• Forward Martina Muller has 100 international caps and 37 goals. She scored three goals during Germany’s 10-0 rout of Turkey on Sept. 19.
• Seven players on Germany’s roster play for 1. FFC Frankfurt, but one member of the club who is not on the national team is star midfielder Fatmire Bajramaj, who tore her ACL several weeks ago.
• Two players are looking for their first cap – goalkeeper Laura Benkarth and defender Leonie Maier, both of whom played for Germany at the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Japan.
• Head coach Silvia Neid is a former German international who scored 48 goals in 111 appearances. She has been in a coaching role with the team for the past 17 years, serving as an assistant from 1996 to 2005 before taking on the head coaching duties following Tina Theune.
• Germany recently finished its qualification run for the 2013 European Women’s Championship to be held next summer in Sweden. The Germans took 28 points from 10 matches, with the only blemish a 2-2 tie with Spain, that finished well behind with 20 points.
• Germany has won the last five European Women’s Championships, meaning no other country has lifted that trophy in almost 20 years.
• The European Championships feature 12 countries, of which nine are set: host Sweden, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Norway. Scotland will face Spain, Ukraine will face Iceland and Austria will face Russia in two-game playoffs for the last three spots.

LAST TIME
On the field for the USA:
Sept. 19, 2012 – Dick’s Sporting Goods Park – Commerce City, Colo.
International Friendly
USA   6   O’Reilly 25; Morgan 43, 63; Wambach 53; Boxx 69; Leroux 82
AUS   2   Lisa da Vanna 32, Sarah Walsh 34

Lineups:
USA: 1-Hope Solo; 6-Amy LePeilbet (2-Heather Mitts, 46), 3-Christie Rampone (capt.), 16-Rachel Buehler, 5-Kelley O’Hara (4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 46); 9-Heather O’Reilly (15-Megan Rapinoe, 46), 12-Lauren Cheney (7-Shannon Boxx, 46), 10-Carli Lloyd, 17-Tobin Heath (8-Amy Rodriguez, 62); 13-Alex Morgan (11-Sydney Leroux, 74), 14-Abby Wambach
Substitutions Not Used: 21-Jill Loyden
Head coach: Pia Sundhage

AUS: 18-Brianna Davey; 19-Stephanie Catley, 8-Danielle Brogan, 10-Servet Uzunlar, 7-Caitlin Foord; 4-Clare Polkinghorne (23-Alanna Kennedy, 74), 14-Collette McCallum (15-Emily van Egmond, 61), 17-Kyah Simon (22-Michelle Heyman, 76), 2-Teigen Allen (12-Kathryn Gill, 86); 9-Sarah Walsh (capt.) (3-Ashley Brown, 57), 11-Lisa de Vanna
Substitutions Not Used: 20-Samantha Kerr, 21-Mackenzie Arnold, 24-Emily Gielnik
Head coach: Tom Sermanni

Vs. Germany:
May 22, 2010 – Cleveland Browns Stadium – Cleveland, Ohio
International Friendly
USA   4   Abby Wambach 29, 63; Heather O’Reilly 35; Kristine Lilly 62
GER   0

Lineups:
USA : 1-Hope Solo; 2-Heather Mitts (16-Ali Krieger, 46), 26-Rachel Buehler, 6-Amy LePeilbet, 14-Stephanie Cox (15-Kate Markgraf, 63); 9-Heather O’Reilly, 7-Shannon Boxx (capt.), 5-Lori Lindsey (12-Yael Averbuch, 79), 13-Kristine Lilly (11-Megan Rapinoe, 69); 8-Amy Rodriguez (21-Alex Morgan, 64), 20-Abby Wambach
Subs not used: 18-Nicole Barnhart, 22-Brittany Taylor
Head coach: Pia Sundhage

GER : 11-Nadine Angerer; 3-Saskia Bartusiak, 5-Annike Krahn (23-Navina Omilade), 10-Linda Bresonik, 15-Sonja Fuss, 17-Ariane Hingst (14-Kim Kulig, 60), 6-Simone Laudehr, 7-Melanie Behringer (13-Célia Okoyino da Mbabi, 60), 18-Kerstin Garefrekes, 9-Birgit Prinz (capt.) (27-Alexandra Popp, 69), 8-Inka Grings
Subs not used: 12-Ursula Holl, 16-Martina Müller, 26-Bianca Rech
Head coach: Silvia Neid