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USA Looks to Extend 2012 Winning Streak in Group B Game against Norway
The U.S. Women’s National Team will be looking to extend its 2012 winning streak when the team faces Norway in its second Group B match of the 2012 Algarve Cup. Like the USA’s 5-0 tournament-opening victory against Denmark on Feb. 29, the match will be played at the small Municipal Stadium in Lagos, Portugal. The USA is 7-0-0 for the year and has out-scored opponents 45-1. Against Denmark, Alex Morgan opened the scoring in the 21st minute and added her second in the 84th. Abby Wambach, Carli Lloyd and Sydney Leroux also got on the score sheet to give the team the first-place position in Group B standings on goal differential after just one round of group matches. Morgan has scored twice in three consecutive games and now has a team-leading eight goals on the year. It will take a bit more work to set the U.S. record for consecutive games with multiple goals as Michelle Akers scored multiple goals in six straight in 1991.
GROUP A RECAP: Both Group A games on the first matchday ended with a 1-0 score as Germany and Sweden picked up wins over Iceland and China respectively to share the first-place. Anja Mittag scored Germany’s lone goal in the 25th minute and Antonia Goransson scored for the Swedes eight minutes from the end to secure the victory.
GROUP B RECAP: The U.S. emerged from the first day of Algarve Cup play at the top of the Group B standings with four goals separating the Americans from second-place Japan. The USA’s five goals came courtesy of Alex Morgan (2), Abby Wambach, Carli Lloyd and Sydney Leroux in the opening game against Denmark. Wambach became the highest-scoring American in Algarve Cup history with 16 total goals in the competition. That tied Wambach with former Sweden legend Hanna Ljungberg for the most all-time goals in Algarve Cup tournament history. Norway opened scoring in its game against Japan through Isabell Herlovsen, but the World Cup champions came back to notch unanswered goals from Yuki Nagasato and Nahomi Kawasuni in the second half for the come from behind victory.
GROUP C RECAP: Wales and Hungary earned their 1-0 wins in opposite fashions on the first day of Group C play. In its game against host Portugal, Wales struggled to break through the Portuguese defense – and vice versa – for almost the entire match. It was not until the second minute of second half stoppage time that Angharad James was able to break the deadlock and give Wales the win. The opposite happened in Hungary’s game against the Republic of Ireland, with Reka Sipos putting Hungary ahead in the second minute. The Republic of Ireland could not find the equalizer and is tied with Portugal at the bottom of Group C.
U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION – Detailed Roster
GOALKEEPERS (2): 1-Hope Solo, 18-Nicole Barnhart
DEFENDERS (8): 2-Heather Mitts, 3-Christie Rampone, 4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 5-Kelley O’Hara, 6-Amy LePeilbet, 14-Stephanie Cox, 19-Rachel Buehler, 22-Whitney Engen
MIDFIELDERS (7): 7-Shannon Boxx, 8-Amy Rodriguez, 9-Heather O’Reilly, 10-Carli Lloyd, 15-Megan Rapinoe, 16-Lori Lindsey, 17-Tobin Heath
FORWARDS (4): 11-Sydney Leroux, 12-Lauren Cheney, 13-Alex Morgan, 20-Abby Wambach
NORWAY ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Ingrid Hjelmseth (Stabæk FK), 12-Caroline Knutsen (Røa IL), 21-Christine Nilsen (VIF Football)
DEFENDERS (6): 2-Madeleine Gisk (Røa IL), 3-Kristine Hegland (Arna-Bjørnar), 5-Toril Akerhaugen (Stabæk FK), 7-Trine Rønning (Stabæk FK), 14-Marita Skammelsrud (Lund LSK), 15-Nora Holstad Berge (Linköping, SWE)
MIDFIELDERS (4): 4-Ingvild Stensland (Stabæk FK), 6-Maren Mjelde (Arna-Bjørnar), 13-Gry Tofte Ims (Klepp IL), 17-Ingrid Mo Wold (LSK Kvinner)
FORWARDS (8): 8-Ingvild Isaksen (Kolbotn IL), 9-Isabell Herlovsen (LSK Kvinner), 10-Lindy Melissa Wiik (Stabæk FK), 11-Leni Larsen Kaurin (Wolfsburg, GER), 16-Elise Thorsnes (Røa IL), 18-Cecilie Pedersen (LSK Kvinner), 19-Emilie Havvi (Røa IL), 20-Caroline Hansen (Stabæk FK)
USA vs. NORWAY SERIES
The U.S. WNT and Norway have played each other a total of 47 times since their first meeting on July 5, 1987. The USA is 26-19-2 all-time against the Scandinavians, having scored 88 goals and conceding 59. The most recent match between the two was in last year’s Algarve Cup, when the U.S. posted a 2-0 win in its second group match on goals from Carli Lloyd and Lindsay Tarpley.
In the last 10 meetings between the U.S. and Norway, the WNT has only lost once, that coming in the opening match of the 2008 Olympics.
In the history of the Algarve Cup, the U.S. holds an 8-4-1 record against Norway and has not lost to them in this tournament in more than a decade. The last loss was a 4-3 defeat on March 17, 2001.
The teams have played the Algarve Cup Final against each other three times. Norway won the first tournament in 1994 by a 1-0 score. The U.S. claimed the title in 2000 and 2004, edging out Norway 1-0 and 4-1, respectively.
The U.S. Women have never beat Norway by more than four goals nor have they ever scored more than four goals against Norway. Out of the eight four-goal games for the USA, the team has won 4-0 four times.
IN FOCUS: NORWAY
Football Association of Norway
Founded: 1902 (Joined FIFA in 1908)
Head Coach: Eli Landsem
FIFA World Ranking: 12
All-Time Algarve Cup Results: 41-20-10
Algarve Cup Finals: 7 (1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004). Norway won the Algarve Cup in 1994, 1997 and 1998.
Best FIFA World Cup Finish: Won the World Cup in 1995
Best Olympics Finish: Won the gold medal at the Sydney Games in 2000 and bronze at Atlanta in 1996.
LAST TIME
On the field for USA:
Feb. 29, 2012 – Municipal Stadium – Lagos, Portugal – Algarve Cup
U.S. 5, Denmark 0
USA 5 Alex Morgan, 21, 84; Abby Wambach, 44; Carli Lloyd, 76; Sydney Leroux, 90+3
DEN 0
Lineups:
USA : 1-Hope Solo; 6-Amy LePeilbet, 19-Rachel Buehler, 3-Christie Rampone (capt.), 5-Kelley O’Hara (14-Stephanie Cox, 46); 9-Heather O’Reilly (8-Amy Rodriguez, 46), 7-Shannon Boxx (16-Lori Lindsey, 72), 10-Carli Lloyd, 12-Lauren Cheney (11-Sydney Leroux, 78); 13-Alex Morgan, 20-Abby Wambach (17-Tobin Heath, 46)
Subs not used: 2-Heather Mitts, 4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 15-Megan Rapinoe, 18-Nicole Barnhart, 22-Whitney Engen
Head coach: Pia Sundhage
DEN : 1-Heidi Johansen; 2-Line Hansen (18-Marie Bjerg, 46), 4-Line Jensen, 8-Therese Nielsen, 15-Malene Olsen; 3-Katrine Pedersen (capt.), 6-Mariann Knudsen (20-Anna Thorsen, 46), 11-Katrine Veje (13-Johanna Rasmussen, 65), 12-Nanna Christiansen (14-Kristine Pedersen, 65); 10-Pemille Harder (7-Sanne Nielsen, 78), 17-Nadia Nadim (9-Lise Munk, 68)
Subs not used: 5-Janni Jensen, 16-Stina Petersen, 19-Sofie Pedersen
Head coach: Kenneth Heiner-Moller
LAST TIME
Vs. Norway for the USA:
March 4, 2011 – Estadio Municipal – Vila Real de San Antonio, Portugal – Algarve Cup
USA 2, Norway 0
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 1 1 2 Lindsay Tarpley, 33; Carli Lloyd, 63
NOR 0 0 0
Lineups:
USA : 18-Nicole Barnhart; 11-Ali Krieger (25-Whitney Engen, 78), 3-Christie Rampone (capt.), 19-Rachel Buehler, 14-Stephanie Cox (22-Becky Sauerbrunn, 46); 9-Heather O’Reilly (20-Abby Wambach, 46), 7-Shannon Boxx, 10-Carli Lloyd (16-Lori Lindsey, 71), 15-Megan Rapinoe (17-Tobin Heath, 71); 5-Lindsay Tarpley, 8-Amy Rodriguez (13-Alex Morgan, 46)
Subs not used: 12-Lauren Cheney, 21-Kelley O’Hara, 24-Ashlyn Harris
Head Coach: Pia Sundhage
NOR : 1-Ingrid Hjelmseth (capt.); 3-Maren Mjelde, 4-Nora Berge, 15-Hedda Gardsjord, 18-Guro Knutsen Mienna (5-Ingrid Ryland, 69), 6-Lisa-Marie Woods, 7-Trine Rønning (8-Lena Storløkken, 40), 19-Lene Mykjaland (17-Madeleine Giske, 63), 20-Lise Klaveness (13-Cecilie Pedersen, 63), 9-Isabel Herlovsen (16-Elisa Thorsnes, 63), 11-Leni Larsen Kaurin (10-Lindy Wiik, 81)
Subs not used: 2-Runa Vikestad, 12-Erika Skarbo, 14-Gry Tofte Ims
Head Coach: Eli Landsem
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