Hold On To Your Hats

When the WNT blog said 2011 was going to be a huge year, they meant it. The hectic and busy schedule is about to begin, for many teams around the globe. All of the teams worldwide will be keeping very busy, all in preparation for this year's pinnacle event: the Germany 2011 Women's World Cup. Let's take a look at some upcoming games and events, shall we?

USWNT Training Camp- This will be taking place from January 8th to 13th, and will serve as preparation for the Four Nations Tournament, another event on our list. Once again, here's the roster (borrowed from ussoccer.com):

GOALKEEPERS (5): Nicole Barnhart (Out of Contract), Ashlyn Harris (Western New York Flash), Jill Loyden (Out of Contract), Alyssa Naeher (Boston Breakers), Hope Solo (Out of Contract)
DEFENDERS (5): Stephanie Cox (Out of Contract), Whitney Engen (Western New York Flash), Becky Sauerbrunn (Washington Freedom), Meghan Schnur (Out of Contract), Brittany Taylor (Sky Blue FC)
MIDFIELDERS (12): Jordan Angeli (Boston Breakers), Yael Averbuch (Out of Contract), Tobin Heath (Sky Blue FC), Meghan Klingenberg (North Carolina), Kristine Lilly (Boston Breakers), Lori Lindsey (Philadelphia Independence), Joanna Lohman (Philadelphia Independence), Kristie Mewis (Boston College), Kelley O’Hara (Boston Breakers), Leslie Osborne (Boston Breakers), Megan Rapinoe (Out of Contract), Lindsay Tarpley (Out of Contract)
FORWARDS (4): Lauren Cheney (Boston Breakers), Sydney Leroux (UCLA), Alex Morgan (California), Amy Rodriguez (Philadelphia Independence)

A couple of veterans have been given extra time off, which is why you don't see them there, unless that player is Lilly. She's not there because she retired. To read about this in more depth, visit my earlier post on the training camp itself.


Four Nations Tournament- An annual competition hosted by China. This year, they've invited the USA, Canada, and Sweden. Each team will play each other and at the end, the team with the most points wins. The competition takes place from January 21st to 25th. Here's a list of the games:


Jan 21st:
USA vs. Sweden
China vs. Canada

Jan 23rd:
USA vs.Canada
Sweden vs. China

Jan 25th:
USA vs. China
Canada vs. Sweden

So far, nothing has been mentioned as far as televising goes. As of now, looks like it's just us and some good ol' match tracker.


International Friendlies- Other teams will be getting down to business to, and have not wasted any time scheduling friendlies to feel out possible opponents, and to get in some good training and experience before the World Cup. Here are some upcoming friendlies:

England vs. Norway (January 21st)

USA vs. Japan, Sweden vs. Iceland (March 2nd)

USA vs. Norway, Sweden vs. Denmark (March 4th)

USA vs. Finland (March 7th)

I know some of these might be a long ways away, but they're really not when you think about it. Throw in some training camps, some other possible friendlies, WPS events, and an Algarve Cup in late February, and you realize it's going to be pretty busy! Can't wait for it though. Who wouldn't love an abundance of Womens soccer? A nutcase, maybe.

See you again soon!

Denise