The U.S. Women's National Team begins its quest for the 2011 World Cup today against North Korea in the opening match for both teams (11:45am, ESPN).
The Americans will be led by strikers Abby Wambach and Amy Rodriguez, as well as midfielders Heather O'Reilly and Carli Lloyd, and will look to open with a win against a North Korean side that tied the United States in the last World Cup opening match.
If you will be watching today's match, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.
Enjoy the action.
any live feeds?
ESPN3 should have it, but it’s having issues for me.
USA!
Hope Solo give me a funny feeling deep down in my tummy.
rooting for the girls! Maybe they can bring some excitement to the US soccer scene.
Pia Sundhage does not.
Speak for yourself
I have a girl crush on Abby Wambach…such a bad@ss
Has the match started? ESPN3 seems to not be working
Hope solo is soooo hot
National Anthem is being played atm. It should start shortly.
you have got to be kidding me espn
Granted, but she has nothing on Heather Mitts
Alright let’s kick some North Korean behind.
is ESPN3 working for anyone?
nope. grrr.
It’s on in English here:
link to rojadirecta.es
I know this is unlikely, but does anyone know of a radio feed? I’m at work and espn3 would be frowned upon.
God I hate Julie Foudy as the color commentator. She still thinks she is part of the team.
Women’s soccer has come a long way, but our girls need to show some creativity and real possession if they want to win over the fans in this tournament.
But I’m very impressed by their technique.
She will always be a part of the team on some level.
Once a NATalie always a NATalie.
Natalie = I just made that up! WOW!
I got some catching up to do. Currently doing some web research/stalking of all the players on the field.
Ahh she needed to leave it off there
They do play a much more attractive game than the North Koreans. They play like Mexico (men’s) do
Pleasantly surprised so far at our ball possession in the back and middle thirds. Now just need to finish it off in the final third. Come on ladies!!!!
Sauerbrunn for Buehler would be nice though. Becky is quicker and doesn’t give the ball away near as much.
I agree. No creativity anywhere on the pitch. It’s like watching the third-string men’s team against Guatemala or El Slavador at the 2009 Gold Cup.
The British guy is WAY worse. He has no clue about women’s soccer. If they are looking for foreign expertise, they should turn to Germany which has a rich women’s soccer history.
Hahahaha. I tried to write that with a straight face but it’s just so corny. You’re right, Colo colo…you can tell she wants to lace up and get out there today.
Boxx looks really slow out there. We definitely need new blood in our center midfield. They lose possession too much. Buehler still have an absolute nightmare in the center back, too.
not impressed with the US women…at all
It seems to me that the rest of the world’s women have caught up to the US. They better win today, I need to wash the bad taste out of my mouth after suffering through that loss at the Rose Bowl.
It’s only a matter of time now
Pia has not assembled the best possible team imho. She, like Bradley, relies on her favorites at the expense of others.
This team could desperately use a Tasha Kai off the bench to inject energy and fearlessness…that attitude that this team seems to lack. There are others that would help, but Tasha seems like the most glaring omission.
Morgan > Kai. Don’t know if you’ve watched WPS this season, but Kai is way too inconsistent. She is rail thin and has never regained her 2008 form.
and we get torched at LB regardless of which team is playing
We miss Lori Chalupny at left back. OMG.
this is my problem w/ the women’s game…I get that they are athletically inferior to men…whatever, it is what it is. But you can’t blame bad pass after bad pass, bad touch after bad touch on athleticism…how many errant passes have these 2 teams made. In a top level men’s int’l game a bad pass is RARE, but here at the highest level for women, it’s commonplace.
who’s at left back now? She is getting toasted.
Back line is getting massacred
Must be Bornstein…
Ian darke is a legend. The wwc is def. Honored to have him.
The LB (can’t spell her name) doesn’t know how to take a line against the right wing, the LB is running right at the NK player instead of straight down the field to cut off the angle for the NK player. She’s letting the NK player run right by her…
A-rod needs to pass that to Lloyd not wambach. No excuses there. If that goes to lloyd a sure goal
Or Alex Morgan.
Hahah yea the womens team has their own “bornestein”
That Boxx with _another_ turnover in the midfield? Hard for me to tell on this feed.
rail thin…LOL…
Never said she’s the be all end all…she’d be a super sub only and add some needed energy and desire. And ,yes, I’ve seen her in the WPS. In fact, over the last couple of games, she’s really stepped up her game. Her strike rate is almost 0.5 goals / game…not bad…
I beat your Bornstein reference by 3 minutes!! (below)… Whooo!
A legend where? Not in his utterly mediocre commentary for the WWC. He calls O’Reilly by the wrong name. He also owes an apology for his pre-opening match sexist comment, too, about the WWC looking just like a men’s world cup game. I’m watching in Espanol because I can’t stand his ignorance.
Yep, Bradley-esque.
It’s difficult to believe that the USA side is ranked #1. In the games I watched they were poor, against Mexico and Italy. N. Korea has better skills on attack, a USA short-coming. The LM and LB of USA are getting toasted.
yes, I agree, borstein like skills
Any words on if the North Korean have any fans there and, if so, if they are in fact N. Korean or paid actors?
That is the media story line, but the USA talent has dropped off considerably.
I saw a German looking guy with a NK flag, not sure if he’s paid or just feels bad for NK…
Only a matter of time
And now the backline is scaring me again
I believe the LB and left winger just had a player squeezed between them and still lost
The crowd noise is interesting to say the least. Absolute silence and then a slow clap builds up for about 20 seconds…and then silence again…and then the clapping again…
You miss the vuvuzelas don’t you!
Wow was that bad work by the North Koreans.
Who scored and how? my feed crapped out on me for a bit
Cheney off a cross from Wambach who got an excellent long ball to the left side from Lloyd.
I really like A-Rod
What feed are you using?
Well that one was confusing
the only one my work does not block… a t d h e n e t . t v
So, if the Mens National team vs Womens. Who will win???
The ladies are really putting the hammer down on them now
I think English language proficiency was more important to them.
Interesting that there is so much less whining, crying and diving in the women’s game. These ladies are so much mentally and physically tougher than our “men.” Angel Di Maria should watch a women’s game and curl up in shame. The “men” playing football are such wusses.
Psha, that should have been a goal.
totally
I think it depends on the team. I seem to remember the US-Italy game during WWC qualifying had lots of diving.
Our women’s team is effing way better than our mercurial men’s team. They rock.
So apparently Ian Darke had something to say about the disallowed goal (invoking Rules of the Game)? I’m watching a EuroSport feed and so didn’t hear it. Anyone care to share?
Our USWNT play with more heart, are in better shape(running and marking all game long….insane!!), play their position better, have better vision, pass the ball better and look better than the USMNT!!!!
I love you Solo!!!!!!….and Rodriguez too
Relative to their competition I think we’re approaching the point where they’re even.
if a goalie has a hand on the ball then the goalie is deemed to have possession of the ball, even if the goalie is not in complete control…
I dunno about that…
yeah, I disagree. I follow the WNT and WPS pretty closely. They picked it up in the second half, but they had HORRIBLE possession in the first – lots of giveaways. Also, Pia still makes questionable management decisions.
If the goalie is touching the ball, even if they are bobbling it, they are considered “in possession” of the ball. Thus, according to the rules of the game, the NK goalie was in possession of the ball and thus it was a foul, not a goal.
Still wish they had chosen to develop younger players – lots of old legs on this team.
…Or hates USA.
What a joke this is!
on fifa.com, it shows USA 2-0
For a quick education on this US team, go here for a decent rundown:
link to bigsoccer.com
What a crock, can’t believe ESPN hypes up the women’s world cup and then blow it w/ technical difficulties up the ying yang, bush league. Espn hates soccer, i don’t get it. Annoyed
True dat. Eff the men’s team they are always a rollercoaster to disappointment.
Well, ESPN Soccernet is no way as tricked out as it was for the Men’s WC. What’s up with that?
Because I can’t watch anything @ work, I rely on their GameCast as well. The feed crapped out at about halftime.
I kind of agree that Ian Darke is maybe not the most knowledgeable guy for this job, but I don’t think he’s being condescending (aside from referring to a German team player as the one with “long blonde hair” or that horrible “Mex factor” pun a few weeks ago … lol). Besides, as leader of espn’s “soccer broadcast team” he’s gonna be there no matter what.
I’m a lot more satisfied with Bob Ley as being a de facto host of the ESPN broadcast because he seems genuinely happy to be doing any kind of big international soccer tourney. Adrian Healey and Kate Markgraf (sp?), however, are great.
I enjoyed them as well. Also Beth Mowins. Cat Whitehill kind of annoys me, but she wasn’t bad.
Don’t care how “horrible they are to you” they are world champions…number 1 in the world…the team to beat. USMNT get beat by teams higher up in the FIFA ranking like paraguay, Mexico, Panama etc…and will never be in the vicinity on Italy, Spain, Germany, England…….and Mexico
The Joke was blowing a 2-0 and losing 4-2…..to Mexico Not Germany, Not spain, Not Brazil…Mexico. Level to level the USWNT are light years ahead of the USMNT….
+1
They take 1 step for and 2 steps back…..
It is what it is…..in womens soccer USWNT are queen…..in mens soccer we’re not even the cook….
Explain Level to level.
USWNT’s level/place(Number 1 in the world) in womens soccer.
USMNT’s Level/place ((Number 22 but destroyed by Mexico 28th and beat and then barely got by Panama 67th) in Mens soccer.
Level to level
You’re kidding right? The WNT with Mia Hamm and Michelle Akers used to play the U-17 boys in Bradenton and it would be an even game (women would lose some and win some).
Are you talking about the guy who called the famous Landon Donovan goal using completely improper English grammar? He said “You couldn’t write a script like this”. That is completely improper English.
It is soccer, not football. It is 2 to zero, not 2 to nil. He should use American terms when addressing an American audience.
I know soccer so it is not a problem for me. But for AMERICANS tuning in for the first time, these terms are alien. They won’t be able to understand what he is talking about.
And English soccer sucks. Why do Americans make that their prototype? If we want to study success, why not look at Spain or Germany?
I’m going to go out on a limb and say if someone tuning in for the first time can’t figure out what “it’s two to nil” means, there’s not much hope of them understanding anything, regardless of the accent of the commentator.