U.S. WNT to Face China on Sunday, May 27, in Front of PPL Park Capacity Crowd in Chester, Pa.

U.S. Women’s National Team vs. China PR
PPL Park; Chester, Pa.
May 27, 2012

USA FACES CHINA IN TUNE-UP MATCH FOR OLYMPICS: With the 2012 London Olympics right around the corner, the U.S. Women’s National Team hosts China PR in an international friendly at 7 p.m. ET Sunday, May 27, at PPL Park in Chester, Pa. A sellout crowd of 18,500 will be on hand at Sunday’s match, marking the second-largest Pennsylvania-area crowd to watch the U.S. Women. Fans can follow the game via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker and on Twitter @ussoccer_wnt.

LONDON CALLING: With just four full international matches remaining before the 2012 Olympics, every game is valuable for U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage and her staff as they work to pare talented and deep pool down to the 18-player roster that will compete in the Olympics. Twenty-one players have earned caps for the USA in 2012 and that number won’t grow much, if at all, as Sundhage is now developing a starting lineup and individual roles heading into the Olympics.

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION – Detailed Roster
GOALKEEPERS (4): Nicole Barnhart, Ashlyn Harris, Jill Loyden, Hope Solo
DEFENDERS (9): Rachel Buehler, Stephanie Cox, Whitney Engen, Meghan Klingenberg, Amy LePeilbet, Heather Mitts, Kelley O’Hara, Christie Rampone, Becky Sauerbrunn
MIDFIELDERS (9): Shannon Boxx, Tobin Heath, Lori Lindsey, Carli Lloyd, Kristie Mewis, Heather O’Reilly, Megan Rapinoe, Amy Rodriguez, Keelin Winters
FORWARDS (4): Lauren Cheney, Sydney Leroux, Alex Morgan, Abby Wambach

2012 U.S. WNT Schedule

* CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying tournament
^ Algarve Cup
** Kirin Challenge Cup

U.S. ROSTER NOTES:

• U.S. forward Abby Wambach, who has started in 155 matches since debuting for the U.S. WNT in 2001, could potentially tie for 11th all-time in career starts this Sunday as Tiffeny Milbrett’s had 156 career starts. Shannon Boxx is 10th on the list with 157 starts.
• Alex Morgan leads the U.S. WNT with 12 goals in 11 games, scoring six goals in her past nine matches and 11 total goals during that stretch.
• Morgan netted a hat trick to lead the U.S. past Sweden 4-0 on March 7 in the third-place match of the 2012 Algarve Cup. With that effort, Morgan became the 15th player in U.S. history to reach double figures in goals during a calendar year.
• No player has played all 1,080 minutes for the USA so far this year, but team captain Christie Rampone has come close, sitting out just two halves while playing 990 minutes.
• Goalkeeper Hope Solo posted her eighth shutout of the year during the USA’s most recent 3-0 victory against Brazil on April 3. That eight-shutout total is the fourth-most in her 11 years with the U.S. WNT. Solo’s top clean sheet performances include 13 shutouts in 2008, 10 in 2006 and nine in 2007. Solo has 62 shutouts for her career, gradually inching toward Briana Scurry’s record 71.
• U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Pia Sundhage has a brief history in the Philadelphia area, serving as an assistant coach for the Women’s United Soccer Association’s Philadelphia Charge in 2001 and 2002.
  

USA VS. CHINA SERIES

• The U.S. is riding a 16-game unbeaten streak against China with a 13-0-3 record dating back to a 2-0 victory on March 20, 2003.
• Overall, the U.S. Women are 25-8-12 in the series that started with a 2-1 win on July 20, 1986. During that span, the U.S. has a 68-32 scoring margin.
• China’s best FIFA Women’s World Cup and Olympics finishes were second-place outcomes at the hands of the USA in each title game. The U.S. famously defeated China 5-4 in a shootout during the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup on July 10 in Pasadena, Calif. Brandi Chastain tallied the game-ending penalty kick. The USA also won on its home soil against China in the first-ever women’s soccer event at the 1996 Olympics, earning a 2-1 victory in the gold medal game on Aug. 1 at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga. Shannon MacMillan had the game-opening goal and Tiffeny Milbrett scored the eventual game-winner midway through the second half.
• The last time the U.S. and China met, Carli Lloyd and Amy Rodriguez each tallied a goal during a 2-0 win against China to win the 2011 Four Nations Tournament on Jan. 25 in Chongqing, China. Nicole Barnhart, who made two saves in that match, was named the Best Goalkeeper of the Four Nations Tournament.
• Sunday’s match at PPL Park marks the second meeting between the U.S. and China at the home of Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union. The two sides played to a 1-1 draw on Oct. 6, 2010, with Alex Morgan scoring her first international goal in the 83rd minute to tie up the score.

IN THE RECORD BOOKS

• Captain Christie Rampone surpassed 20,000 minutes played for her career during the USA’s 3-0 win against Brazil in the Kirin Challenge Cup on April 3. With 990 minutes logged this year, she now has 20,003 in her 14 years with the WNT. She becomes the fifth U.S. Women’s player to reach such a feat, joining Kristine Lilly (28,700), Julie Foudy (21,669), Mia Hamm (20,694) and Joy Fawcett (20,527).
• Carli Lloyd scored her 36th career goal against Brazil, putting her in sole possession of 11th place all-time in U.S. history, passing April Heinrichs (35).
• Lauren Cheney contributed her 10th assist of the year during the Brazil win, becoming the first player to reach double digits in that category since Heather O’Reilly and Abby Wambach each posted a team-high 10 assists in 2008.
• The U.S. Women’s scoring rate of 4.58 goals per game (55 goals in 12 matches) this year is ahead of any previous pace. The current record is 4.38 goals per game in 1994 (57 goals in 13 games). That 1994 figure does not factor in Norway’s own goal (Aug. 7) and Canada’s own goal (Aug. 21).
• The USA is 85-2-5 all-time when Abby Wambach scores a goal. The most recent of those two losses came in the 2011 Women’s World Cup against Sweden.
• U.S. center back Christie Rampone made her 250th career international appearance during the USA’s 2-1 victory against New Zealand on Feb. 11. Rampone (256 caps) ranks fourth all-time in U.S. WNT history, with Kristine Lilly (352), Mia Hamm (275) and Julie Foudy (271) ranking No. 1 through No. 3.

BY THE NUMBERS:

• 4: Goals allowed by the U.S. in 12 matches this year
• 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)
• 8: Shutouts for Hope Solo this year
• 40: U.S. goals in 2011 in 20 total games (this number does not factor in Brazil’s own goal)
• 55: U.S. goals in 2012 through 12 games
• 56: The current unbeaten streak for the USA in domestic matches in which they are 50-0-6
• 194: Players who have earned a cap for the U.S. Women’s National Team since the program’s inception in 1985, the most recent being Whitney Engen, who earned her first cap against Norway at the Algarve Cup on March 4, 2011
• 240: Goals scored during head coach Pia Sundhage’s 94 games as U.S. WNT head coach

ON USSOCCER.COM

• Feature: Rampone Reflects on Olympics
• Feature: Roster Twists Common in World Cup-Olympics Cycle
• Feature: Becky Sauerbrunn’s Semifinal Step-Up
• Feature: 11 Questions with Amy LePeilbet
• Feature: Sydney Leroux: Syd the Sub
• Release: PPL Park Sold Out for U.S. WNT Match Against China on Sunday, May 27
• Release: Sundhage Names 28 Players to U.S. WNT Training Camp in N.J.
• Release: U.S. WNT to Face France, Colombia, Korea DPR in Group G at London Olympics
• Studio 90: Productive in Princeton
• Video: Ali Krieger: On the Road to Recovery
• Video: New Jersey in New Jersey
• Podcast: Q & A with Sydney Leroux
• Podcast: Rachel Buehler Looks Back on World Cup, Ahead to London
• Podcast: Shannon Boxx Talks About Going Public with Autoimmune Disease
• Podcast: Stephanie Cox on Olympics Preparations

PIA SUNDHAGE FACT FILE: Head coach Pia Sundhage is in the midst of her fourth full year in charge of the U.S. Women’s National Team. Below are some of her accomplishments as a player and coach.

• Sundhage is the sixth official coach and second female coach in the history of the U.S. Women’s National Team program.
• Sundhage’s record as head coach of the Women’s National Team is 78-6-10, with 240 goals for and 47 against.
• As a player, Sundhage was one of the game’s best-ever players, finishing sixth in the voting for FIFA Women’s Player of the Century. A legendary player in Sweden, she played for her country in the 1991 and 1995 Women’s World Cups and 1996 Olympics. She scored four goals for Sweden at the 1991 Women’s World Cup, helping the Swedes to a third-place finish. She scored one goal in the 1995 Women’s World Cup (against Germany) and played every minute of all three matches at the Atlanta Olympics.
• Sundhage started her coaching career while still playing, serving as player-coach for Hammarby from 1992-1994. She also coached Sweden’s Youth National Teams for 11 years from 1990-2001, coaching the U-16s, U-19s and U-21s.
• After her retirement from the international game in 1996, she became head coach of the Sweden Under-19 Women’s National Team, leading the team to one gold medal and two bronze medals at the European Championships. She served as a scout for Sweden during the 1997 European Championships, the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the 2000 Olympics. Sundhage has also worked for FIFA on its Technical Study Group staff for the 2004 FIFA U-19 Women’s World Championship in Thailand.
• Since taking over as head coach, Sundhage has given 17 players their first senior team caps.

IN FOCUS: CHINA PR
Chinese Football Association
Founded: 1924 (Joined FIFA in 1931)
Head Coach: Li Xiaopeng
FIFA World Ranking: 18
Best FIFA World Cup Finish: Second Place (1999)
Best Olympics Finish: Second Place (1996)

CHINA ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (2): 1-Zhang Yue, 22-Wang Fei
DEFENDERS (5): 3-Zhou Gaoping, 4-Li Jiayue, 5-Wang Dongni, 12-Zhao Hongli, 17-Pang Fengyue
MIDFIELDERS (9): 6-Ren Guixin, 7-Gao Qi, 14-Liu Shukun, 16-Wang Xin, 18-Han Peng, 19-Zhou Feifei, 21-Wang Lisi, 23-Ii Wen, 25-Zhang Rui
FORWARDS (4): 8-Wang Shanshan, 10-Ma Xiaoxu, 11-Lou Jiahui, 15-Xu Yanlu

CHINA ROSTER NOTES:

• China did not qualify for the 2012 London Olympics – the first time the team has failed to do so. China’s best Olympics finish was in the inaugural 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta, where the team took the silver medal against the gold medal-winning USA.
• Eight players on China’s roster were born in 1990 or later, including both goalkeepers Zhang Yue and Wang Fei.
• Forward Ma Xiaoxu is dubbed “Lady Wayne Rooney” by her homeland faithful. A left knee injury forced Xiaoxu to miss the 2008 Olympics.
• China participated in the 12-team 2012 Algarve Cup in Portugal and wound up with a ninth-place finish, defeating host Portugal 1-0 for its lone victory on March 7. The USA settled for third place in the event with a 4-0 win against Sweden in the third-place match on March 7.

LAST TIME
On the field for the USA:
April 3, 2012 – Fukuda Denshia Arena – Chiba, Japan – Women’s Kirin Challenge Cup
USA      3  Carli Lloyd 18; Shannon Boxx 23; Amy Rodriguez 83
Brazil   0

Lineups:
USA: 1-Hope Solo; 6-Amy LePeilbet (14-Stephanie Cox, 32), 3-Christie Rampone (capt.) (4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 46), 19-Rachel Buehler, 5-Kelley O’Hara (2-Heather Mitts, 83); 12-Lauren Cheney, 7-Shannon Boxx, 10-Carli Lloyd (17-Tobin Heath, 62), 9-Heather O’Reilly (15-Megan Rapinoe, 46), 13-Alex Morgan (8-Amy Rodriguez, 71), 20-Abby Wambach
Subs not used: 16-Lori Lindsey, 11-Sydney Leroux, 18-Nicole Barnhart, 21-Ashlyn Harris, 23-Meghan Klingenberg
Head coach: Pia Sundhage

BRA: 12-Barbara; 6-Maurine, 4-Daiane, 5-Erika, 20-Daniele; 7-Ester (13-Beatriz, 88), 8-Formiga (3-Aline, 46), 17-Francielle; 15-Thais (16-Grazielle, 46), 18-Rosana (19-Maria, 78), 11-Cristiane
Subs not used: 1-Andrei, 9-Renata, 21-Gabriele
Head coach: Jorge Barcellos

Vs. China PR for the USA:
Jan. 25, 2011 – Yongchuan Sports Centre Stadium – Chongqing, China – Four Nations Tournament
USA     2   Carli Lloyd 31, Amy Rodriguez 67
China   0

Lineups:
USA: 18-Nicole Barnhart; 22-Becky Sauerbrunn, 6-Amy LePeilbet (14-Stephanie Cox, 42), 3-Christie Rampone (capt.), 19-Rachel Buehler (27-Meghan Klingenberg, 82); 11-Tobin Heath, 7-Shannon Boxx (4-Yael Averbuch, 46), 10-Carli Lloyd, 9-Heather O’Reilly; 12-Lauren Cheney (15-Megan Rapinoe, 46), 8-Amy Rodriguez (13-Alex Morgan, 71)
Subs Not Used: 5-Lindsay Tarpley, 21-Kelley O’Hara, 24-Ashlyn Harris, 25-Brittany Taylor
Head Coach: Pia Sundhage

CHN : 13-Zhang Yue; 2-Liu Huana (19-Li Wen, 46), 3-Zhou Goaping, 5-Yuan Fan, 4-Li Danyang, 11-Gu Yasha (14-Wang Lingling, 46), 16-Zhang Na, 17-Pang Fengyue (25-Xu Wenjia, 82), 18-Qu Shanshan (capt.) (24-Zhang Jieli, 54), 23-You Jia, 9-Ma Jun
Subs Not Used: 1-Huang Luna, 10-Zhou Feifei, 20-Wang Dongni, 21-Zhang Nan
Head Coach: Li Xiaopeng