Boston Breakers, Barcelona FC, Arsenal FC and Boston College WSOC

VOTE FOR US! Please.

It's that time of the year when you can smell the Thanksgiving turkeys cooking, the Christmas lights are starting to go up, the vacant lots are filling with lush green pine trees and the malls are getting crazy busy. That could only mean one thing: It's time once again to vote for the Best of U.S. Soccer Awards. Now, as always, there are many interesting and competitive categories that should elicit some serious examination and thought from you fans. But there is one category, and we say this without any bias at all, that should be a slam dunk. Yes, we are talking about Best Blog. Sure, some of those "other" blogs give you great and inside information about the soccer world, are well written, timely and entertaining, but let's be serious. Are they as informative, funny and as well-illustrated as the WNT Blog? We think not. And finally, do you like chocolate chip cookies, puppies and winning soccer teams? So do the Women's National Team players, i.e., a vote for the WNT Blog = a vote for cookies, puppies and winners. So please take a moment to cast a vote for the WNT Blog. We've taken Bronze two years in a row (i.e., Brown Gold), and we'd like to finish third once again (hey, we are realistic), so vote every day if you can and let's show the ussoccer.com webmasters the true internet power of the WNT fans.

Lindsey Replaces Heath on Women's Training Camp Roster

Philadelphia Independence midfielder Lori Lindsey has replaced UNC midfielder Tobin Heath on the 24-player roster for the U.S. Women’s National Team training camp taking place from Dec. 5-15 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. Heath, who is heading into the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament with the Tar Heels, is in need of a break after a long year of competition. Both Heath and Lindsey were on the U.S. roster for the match against Germany in Oct. 29 in Augsburg, Germany, but neither saw action. Heath was slated to start the game, but got sick with flu-like symptoms the day before the match and couldn’t play. The 29-year-old Lindsey, who has one senior team cap, played for the Washington Freedom during the inaugural WPS season but was taken in the expansion draft by the Independence with its first pick. Lindsey is one of the few players in the WPS who also played in the WUSA, where she lined up for both the San Diego Spirit and the Washington Freedom.

U.S. Women's National Team Updated Roster
GOALKEEPERS (3): Nicole Barnhart (FC Gold Pride), Alyssa Naeher (Penn State), Hope Solo (St. Louis Athletica)
DEFENDERS (7): Brittany Bock (Los Angeles Sol), Rachel Buehler (FC Gold Pride), Lori Chalupny (St. Louis Athletica), Amy LePeilbet (Boston Breakers), Heather Mitts (Philadelphia Independence), Meghan Schnur (Sky Blue FC), Cat Whitehill (Washington Freedom)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Yael Averbuch (Sky Blue FC), Shannon Boxx (Los Angeles Sol), Lori Lindsey (Philadelphia Independence), Carli Lloyd (Sky Blue FC), Christine Nairn (Penn State), Heather O’Reilly (Sky Blue FC), Leslie Osborne (Boston Breakers), Megan Rapinoe (Chicago Red Stars)
FORWARDS (6): Lauren Cheney (UCLA), Ella Masar (Chicago Red Stars), Casey Nogueira (UNC), Kelley O’Hara (Stanford), Amy Rodriguez (Philadelphia Independence), Abby Wambach (Washington Freedom)

The Buehldozer Strikes in Deutschland

Outside of just having a good game, Rachel Buehler's reputation on the field clearly precedes her. And the German broadcaster clearly reads the WNT Blog!



For a special ussoccer.com feature on Buehler from last March, click here.

Defense Rules the Day

It was another remarkable performance tonight for the U.S. Women's National Team and especially the back five, winning on a cold night, on foreign soil against one of the best teams in the world in front of a sold-out crowd and a nation-wide TV audience. It was overcoming adverse conditions at its finest. You can say it was a lesson about tremendous American spirit and character, but we already knew that about this team. It was also a lesson about how good the Germans are (scary good) and how difficult a challenge it will be to win here come 2011. But what better preparation than tonight's match to draw on during the almost two-year run-up to what should be a spectacular Women's World Cup? We were told that the Germans sold 40,000 tickets today, the first day that 2001 WWC tickets were available to the public, a truly remarkable number so far away from the tournament. We were also told that the Germans have already sold $20 million worth of sponsorship for the tournament. Wow. Needless to say, everyone is expecting this World Cup to raise the bar on the women's game once again.

Pre-Game Reception

The U.S. team attended a very nice reception tonight hosted by the U.S. Ambassador to Germany, Phil Murphy, as well as the Mayor of Augsburg and the DFB (Deutscher Fußball-Bund, which is the German Soccer Federation). It was on the property of the famed Fugger Family, a historic German family whose roots date back to, we kid you not, the middle of the 14th Century. Mr. Murphy, who was a member of the U.S. Bid Committee for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup before accepting his current post from President Obama, gave a rousing speech in both German and English. Murphy is also a former member of the U.S. Soccer Board of Directors and an investor in WPS champion Sky Blue FC. And oh yeah...Field #5 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. at the U.S. Soccer National Training Center is named the Murphy Family Field. Suffice it to say, he loves soccer and will be enjoying the match tomorrow.