Game Notes: WNT Visits Hawaii for First Time as Victory Tour Begins Final Stretch

WORLD CHAMPIONS COME TO HAWAII FOR THE FIRST TIME AS VICTORY TOUR BEGINS FINAL STRETCH: Following its historic run to the championship of the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada, the U.S. Women’s National Team has embarked on a 10-game Victory Tour across the country that has served the dual purpose of celebrating the USA’s third Women’s World Cup title with the fans, while also preparing the team for the 2016 CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament which will take place from February 10-21 of next year in Houston and Dallas. With four games remaining on the Victory Tour, the USA has won five matches and drawn one while running its 2015 record to 18-1-4, including a record of 8-0-2 on home soil. Fans can follow all the action from #USAvTRI and #USAvCHN on Twitter @ussoccer_wnt and @ussoccer_esp, and follow the team along its journey on Instagram and Snapchat (ussoccer_wnt).

The Victory Tour hit its mid-point on Oct. 21 when the USA faced Brazil at CenturyLink Field in Seattle. The Americans gave up a third-minute goal to Monica off a corner kick, but as she has all year (and for many years), Carli Lloyd scored a clutch goal in the 85th minute to earn a 1-1 draw. The teams traveled to Florida for the second match of the two-game set on Oct. 25 at the Orlando Citrus Bowl and the USA prevailed 3-1 on goals from Alex Morgan, Crystal Dunn and debutante Stephanie McCaffrey. The USA now has four games remaining on the Victory Tour – all in December. The USA will play Trinidad & Tobago on Dec. 6 in Honolulu (3 p.m. local/8 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports GO) and Dec. 10 in San Antonio (8 p.m. CT on ESPN2 and WatchESPN), and then will finish the tour on Dec. 13 at the University of Phoenix Stadium against China PR (4:30 p.m. PT on ESPN2 and WatchESPN) before playing the 10th and final game of the Victory Tour against China on Dec. 16 in New Orleans (7 p.m. CT on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports GO). The U.S. team’s one loss this year came in the first game of 2015 against France in Lorient, a 2-0 setback in early February that the USA flipped one month later when the teams met in the championship game of the 2015 Algarve Cup in Portugal.

• 2015 U.S. WNT Schedule & Results
• 2015 U.S. WNT Statistics
• 2015 U.S. Lineups
• 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup Tournament Page

OLYMPIC QUALIFYING SCHEDULE SET: The schedule for the 2016 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship has been set and the U.S. Women's National Team will open its Group A play against Costa Rica on Wednesday, Feb. 10 at 7:30 p.m. CT. The USA will then face Mexico on Saturday, Feb. 13 (3 p.m. CT) and finish group play against Puerto Rico on Monday, Feb. 15 (7:30 p.m. CT). The two venues for the competition are BBVA Compass Stadium, home to the Houston Dash of the NWSL and the Houston Dynamo of MLS, and Toyota Stadium, located in the Dallas suburb of Frisco and home to FC Dallas of MLS. The round-robin stage of the tournament will be conducted with three doubleheaders in each group. Group A will play doubleheaders at Toyota Stadium on Feb. 10, 13 and 15 and Group B - which features Canada, Guatemala, Trinidad & Tobago and Guyana - will play doubleheaders at BBVA Compass Stadium on Feb. 11, 14 and 16. The all-important semifinal matches will be on Feb. 19 in Houston, with the winners qualifying for the 2016 Olympics in Brazil. The championship game on Feb. 21 will also be in Houston. Ticket and TV information will be released at a later date. The U.S. will be attempting to qualify for a sixth consecutive Olympic Games and win the CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying event for the fourth consecutive time.

ABBY SAYS GOODBYE: The final four matches of the 2015 Victory Tour will be the final games in the illustrious and legendary career of U.S. forward Abby Wambach. She announced her retirement on Oct. 27 and will step away as not only the world’s all-time leader in international goals – men or women – but also as one of the most important players in the history of women’s soccer. She may or may not see action in the first three games of this final stretch, but she will start and captain the side on Dec. 16 in what will be her final game in a U.S. uniform. Fans can express their thanks and their thoughts on her career via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram using the hashtag #ThanksAbby as well as log onto ussoccer.com for Abby-related content as the tour comes to a close.

MEGAN RAPINOE OUT WITH TORN ACL: Midfielder Megan Rapinoe tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee during training in Honolulu, Hawaii on Dec. 4. It was a non-contact injury. An MRI scan confirmed the injury and Rapinoe has returned home to Seattle to prepare for surgery. She was one of the stars for the USA at the 2015 Women’s World Cup and was named to the FIFA All-Star Team. She was also one of 10 finalists for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year. Her two goals in the opening match of the Women’s World Cup against Australia kick-started the USA’s run to the championship.

RAMPONE SIDELINED: U.S. captain Christie Rampone will not be available for the final four Victory Tour matches due to ongoing issues resulting from a bone bruise in her left knee. Rampone will return home after the Hawaii match, but will likely re-join the U.S. team for the final game of the Victory Tour in New Orleans.

BOXX RETIRES IN SEATTLE; HOLIDAY AND CHALUPNY BID ADIEU IN ORLANDO: Three members of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup Team have officially retired from the National Team and played their final games during the October matches against Brazil. Shannon Boxx played her 195th and final match for the USA against Brazil on Oct. 21 in Seattle. She played 40 minutes before exiting to a standing ovation. Holiday and Chalupny played their final matches in Orlando against Brazil on Oct. 25. Holiday, who left the game in the 56th minute to a rousing ovation and was replaced by Carli Lloyd, ended her career with 133 caps and 24 goals. Chalupny, who left the game in the 21st minute to a rousing ovation and was replaced by Meghan Klingenberg, ended her career with 106 caps and 10 goals. Boxx is 38, Holiday is 29 and Chalupny is 31. All three played crucial roles in some major achievements in U.S. WNT history and all three retire as Olympic and Women’s World Cup champions. Holiday really went out on top after winning the Women’s World Cup and her second consecutive NWSL title with FC Kansas City.

EIGHT PLAYERS ADDED TO ROSTER: U.S. head coach Jill Ellis has added eight players to the roster who were not on the USA’s 2015 Women’s World Cup Team. The roster will be together for the final four matches, but all may not suit up for each match. One of those eight is NWSL Golden Boot winner and league MVP Crystal Dunn, who started both games against Haiti in September and both games against Brazil in October, scoring three goals with three assists over those four matches. For Dunn, who was among the final 25 players vying for Women’s World Cup spots before the roster was trimmed to the 23 players that represented the USA in Canada, these were her first four starts of the year. She took advantage of the increased opportunities with her club to lead the league in scoring with 15 goals (along with three assists) while starting in 19 of the Washington Spirit’s 20 games. She doubled the number of shots of her next closest teammate, firing 84, which led the league. She also led the NWSL in shots on goal with 48. The two games in September marked Dunn’s first WNT action of the year since a 12-minute stint against England last February.

ONE FOOT IN THE DOOR: Three of the players called up that were not members of the 2015 Women’s World Cup Team had earned caps with the senior side prior to this year: forward Lindsey Horan, who is currently playing professionally in France with Paris Saint-Germain; Samantha Mewis, a NWSL Rookie of the Year finalist with the Western NY Flash who started 20 games while scoring four goals with four assists; and Crystal Dunn, who is up to 17 caps to go with her three scores. Horan played two games off the bench for the USA at the 2013 Algarve Cup and then earned her third cap while making her first start against Brazil on Oct. 25 in Orlando. She played 80 minutes and assisted on Crystal Dunn’s game-winning goal when her header was saved by the Brazilian goalkeeper before Dunn finished the rebound. Mewis played in three matches in 2014, two at the Algarve Cup in Portugal and one in Brazil at the end of the year before getting her fourth cap against Brazil on Oct. 21 in Seattle as a 72nd minute sub. Horan will miss the match in Hawaii due to club commitments in France, but will join the USA in San Antonio for the final three matches.

ONE-CAPPERS: Two players on this roster were called to their first WNT camp in October in 22-year-old defender Jaelene Hinkle, who played every minute of all 20 matches last season with the Western NY Flash and 22-year-old defender Emily Sonnett, who recently finished her senior season at the University of Virginia. Hinkle earned her first cap on Oct. 21 against Brazil, coming on at left back and playing well in the last 20 minutes. Sonnett earned her first cap on Oct. 25 against Brazil, playing on 90 minutes in the center of the defense. Twenty-two-year-old forward Stephanie McCaffrey, who started 17 of the 19 matches she played this past season with the Boston Breakers while scoring three goals with three assists, previously trained with the U.S. team during an extended training camp last January, but made her first game roster for the USA’s Oct. 25 match against Brazil. She had an excellent debut, coming on at halftime and creating danger down the right flank. She then became the 18th U.S. player to score in their first cap, volleying home a perfect far post cross from Megan Rapinoe in the fourth and final minute of stoppage time.

NEWBIES: Two players are getting their first call-ups during this camp: midfielder Danielle Colaprico, the NWSL Rookie of the Year from the Chicago Red Stars, and Rose Lavelle, a junior midfielder at Wisconsin, who was one of the top players for the USA at the 2014 Under-20 Women’s World Cup where she started all four games. Colaprico is 22 years old and Lavelle is 20. Colaprico has also been a part of the USA’s Youth National Teams and was the only Red Star to start in every NWSL game. Lavelle’s college season ended with a loss at the Big 10 Tournament as the Badgers did not make the NCAA Playoffs during a season in which she started 19 games while scoring seven goals with three assists. Lavelle was the MVP of the USA’s qualifying tournament (played in the Cayman Islands) for the U-20 Women’s World Cup.

U.S. Women’s National Team Roster By Position:
GOALKEEPERS (3): 18-Ashlyn Harris (Orlando Pride), 21-Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars), 1- Hope Solo (Seattle Reign FC)
DEFENDERS (10): 25-Crystal Dunn (Washington Spirit), 6-Whitney Engen (Boston Breakers), 26-Jaelene Hinkle (Western NY Flash), 19-Julie Johnston (Chicago Red Stars), 22-Meghan Klingenberg (Portland Thorns FC), 11-Ali Krieger (Washington Spirit), 5-Kelley O’Hara (Sky Blue FC), 3-Christie Rampone (Sky Blue FC), 4-Becky Sauerbrunn (FC Kansas City), 27- Emily Sonnett (Univ. of Virginia) 
MIDFIELDERS (7): 14-Morgan Brian (Houston Dash), 32-Danielle Colaprico (Chicago Red Stars), 17-Tobin Heath (Portland Thorns FC), 30-Rose Lavelle (Univ. of Wisconsin), 10-Carli Lloyd (Houston Dash), 29-Samantha Mewis (Western NY Flash), 9- Heather O’Reilly (FC Kansas City)
FORWARDS (7): 31-Lindsey Horan (Paris Saint-Germain), 2-Sydney Leroux (Western NY Flash), 28-Stephanie McCaffrey (Boston Breakers), 13-Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride), 23-Christen Press (Chicago Red Stars), 8-Amy Rodriguez (FC Kansas City), 20- Abby Wambach (unattached)

WNT EXTENDS HOME UNBEATEN STREAK TO 102 GAMES: With a win against Brazil on Oct. 25, the USA extended its current home unbeaten streak to 102 games (90-0-12) which is a team record. The last loss at home came to Denmark on Nov. 6, 2004, in Philadelphia, during the team’s post-Olympic tour to celebrate winning the gold medal in Athens, Greece. The 3-1 loss was one of just two games the USA has lost in which Abby Wambach scored a goal. The next-highest streak is 50 games (48-0-2) from Feb. 10, 1996, through April 22, 1999. The USA tied the record on May 14, 2011 (2-0 win against Japan at Columbus Crew Stadium) and broke the record with the 51st game on May 18, 2011 (another 2-0 win against Japan at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina). The USA’s current streak started on Dec. 8, 2004, in a 5-0 win against Mexico at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California, which was also the final match for Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Joy Fawcett and Brandi Chastain. The U.S. women are 232-16-25 all-time on home soil. Nine of those 16 losses came from 1985 (the program’s inception) through 1993, meaning the USA has lost just seven games at home over the past 22 years. The most home wins in a calendar year came in 1999 when the USA went 23-1-1 in domestic games. The U.S. WNT went 18-1-1 at home in 1996. Not coincidentally, those were two years when the USA hosted world championships. The USA has gone unbeaten at home in 19 years of its 31-year existence.

THE WORLD’S BEST: U.S. Women’s National Team players Carli Lloyd, Hope Solo and Megan Rapinoe were among the 10 players included on the shortlist for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year . Lloyd was named a finalist on Dec. 1 along with Aya Miyama of Japan and Célia Šašić of Germany. WNT head coach Jill Ellis was also included on the 10-person list of finalists for the 2015 World Coach of the Year for Women’s Soccer and also was named one of three finalists along with Mark Sampson, head coach of the England Women’s National Team that finished third in the 2015 Women’s World Cup, and Japan head coach Norio Sasaki, who led his team to its third consecutive major final. The final decision on the winners will be made by the captains and head coaches of the world’s women’s national teams as well as international media representatives selected by FIFA. Lloyd and Ellis will travel to Switzerland where they will hopefully be announced as the winners on Jan. 11, 2016, at the annual FIFA Ballon d’Or Gala in Zurich.

ALOHA HAWAII: The match in Honolulu on the island of Oahu marks the first trip for the U.S. Women to the 50th state and the first international match hosted by U.S. Soccer in Hawaii. It will also be only the second soccer match between national teams staged at Aloha Stadium. The Philippines defeated Chinese Taipei 1-0 at the venue in 1976 in a match that was a part of a triple-header that also featured the Hawaii All-Stars against the San Diego Jaws (which played one season in the NASL) and the New York Cosmos against Team Honda from Japan, a match that featured four goals from Pelé. Hawaii will be the 32nd U.S. state (not including the District of Columbia) that the American women have played in since the program's inception in 1985.

THE FLYIN’ HAWAIIAN: There is only one native Hawaiian to have earned caps with the full Women’s National Team as Natasha Kai played 67 games for the USA from 2006-2009, scoring 24 goals, including one in her first cap on March 11, 2006, against Denmark at the Algarve Cup. Perhaps the Oahu native’s most important goal was the game-winner against Canada in overtime of the quarterfinal match in the 2008 Olympics. The speedy and athletic forward was a member of the USA’s 2007 Women’s World Cup Team and a 2008 Olympic gold medalist. She also scored four goals in the qualifying tournament for Beijing, including two in the 3-0 semifinal victory against Costa Rica that earned the USA its berth to China. She had a fantastic 2008, scoring 15 goals with eight assists.

CROWDS ARE FAN-TASTIC: During its run in Canada, the USWNT played in front of what felt like seven straight home crowds, averaging 37,732 fans per game, all of which it seemed were wearing red, white and blue.The knock-out round matches were the most impressive, with electric atmospheres at each game including crowds of more than 50,000 for the semifinal in Montreal and championship game in Vancouver.

The USA opened the Victory Tour on Aug. 16 against fellow Women’s World Cup participant Costa Rica at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh and rolled to an 8-0 victory in front of 44,028 fans, which set a record for a stand-alone domestic friendly for the U.S. WNT. The teams played again on Aug. 19 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in front of a crowd of 20,535 that was, at the time, largest ever to watch the U.S. Women in a stand-alone friendly match in the southeastern United States. The Victory Tour continued against another CONCACAF opponent when Australia pulled out of two September matches due to a dispute with its players. Haiti agreed to be a replacement and the USA won 5-0 on Sept. 17 in front of 34,538, the largest ever to watch a soccer game in Detroit, and 8-0 on Sept. 20 in Birmingham, Alabama, in front of 35,753 that set a new record for a stand-alone WNT friendly match in the southeastern United States. The crowd of 23,603 for the mid-week 1-1 draw with Brazil at CenturyLink Field on Oct. 21 was the largest to ever watch the U.S. WNT in the state of Washington and the crowd of 32,869 fans that came out to see the USA in Orlando on Oct. 25 was the largest stand-alone crowd to watch the USA friendly in the state of Florida.

HUGE TV RATINGS FOR WOMEN’S WORLD CUP: The 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup was record setting for TV ratings and increased for every U.S. match. FOX scored a new high for its soccer coverage when an average audience of 5.7 million tuned in to watch the United States beat China in the quarterfinal match on June 26. The match was also the third most-watched women’s soccer match on record in the United States, after the 1999 and 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup Finals. Four days later, that record was broken as the USA vs. Germany semifinal on June 30 hit an average of 8.4 million viewers, establishing yet another soccer record as the most viewed semifinal ever in the U.S. (men or women) and third-most watched women’s soccer match of all time. The first six USA matches on FOX and FOX Sports 1 averaged 5.3 million viewers, 121% better than the 2011 tournament averaged through the semifinals (2.4 million).

The Final
The USA’s 5-2 victory over Japan in the World Cup Final averaged 25.4 million viewers, making it the most-watched soccer match in U.S. history, according to Nielsen and an increase of 88% from the 2011 WWC Final (13.5 million) and up 41% from the USA-China on ABC in 1999 (18 million). The match posted a 12.9 household rating/share with 25.4 million viewers and peaked at 30.9 million in the second half between 8:30-8:45 p.m. ET. The previous U.S. viewing record was 18,220,000 for the USA-Portugal game on ESPN at the 2014 World Cup. The average audience exceeded every game of the NBA Finals and pushed the 2015 tournament average to 1.824 million viewers per each of the tournament’s 52 matches across all networks (FOX, FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2), up 21 percent over 1,511,000 averaged on ESPN and ESPN2 for the 32 matches played in 2011. The match earned the second-largest soccer audience ever in the U.S. — trailing only last year’s Germany/Argentina World Cup Final on ABC and Univision (26.5M).

At the end of the Women’s World Cup, the USA-Japan match ranked as the fifth-most watched sporting event outside of the NFL. Only the three-game College Football Playoff and the Duke/Wisconsin NCAA Basketball Tournament title game (28.2M) scored larger numbers. The match had a larger audience than every NBA game since Spurs-Heat Game 7 in 2013 (26.6M on ABC and ESPN Deportes), every Major League Baseball game since Rangers-Cardinals Game 7 in 2011 (25.4M on FOX), and every hockey game since the Canada-United States final at the 2010 Olympics (27.6M on NBC).

En Español
Telemundo’s broadcast of the Final reached 1.27 million viewers, making it the highest viewed Spanish-language game in Women’s World Cup history. During this broadcast, Argentine announcer Andres Cantor’s famed “Goooooool” call for Carli Lloyd’s fantastic hat-trick goal from midfield went on for just under forty seconds.

ONE NATION. ONE TEAM. 23 STORIES: Prior to the Women’s World Cup in Canada, U.S. Soccer produced its "One Nation. One Team. 23 Stories." series so fans could get to know the U.S. Women’s World Cup Team. Fans certainly know them now, but the videos are still piling up the views. Sprinkled with humor, fun and heartfelt stories, the videos give fans insight into the players’ personalities, families, motivations, and some of the challenges they’ve experienced on the different roads they’ve traveled to earn the right to represent the United States in the ultimate competition for a soccer player.

• One Nation. One Team. 23 Stories: Watch all 23 Videos

CARLI LLOYD AND HOPE SOLO WIN FIFA GOLDEN BALL, SILVER BOOT AND GOLDEN GLOVE: Two U.S. players picked up post-tournament hardware in Canada as Carli Lloyd won the Golden Ball as the best player in the tournament. She becomes just the third American to win the award and second at a senior level tournament, following Carin Gabarra at the 1991 Women’s World Cup. Lloyd also won the Silver Boot as the second leading scorer in the tournament. Lloyd and Germany’s Celia Sasic both scored six goals with one assist, but Sasic (who scored three goals in a 10-0 pasting of Ivory Coast in the opening match of the tournament) was awarded the Golden Boot based on less minutes played during the tournament. Lloyd did not get credit for an assist from FIFA for playing the short pass to Megan Rapinoe that she took on an almost half-field run and scored to clinch the USA’s opening match against Australia. The awards and her World Cup performance, which included the historic hat trick in the Final, make Lloyd one of the front-runners for the FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year. U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo, who played every minute of the tournament and registered five shutouts, received the Golden Glove as the best net-minder in the tournament, an honor she also won at the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Defender Julie Johnston and Rapinoe were also on the short list for the Golden Ball.

FIVE AMERICANS NAMED TO FIFA ALL-STAR TEAM: On Aug. 17, FIFA announced its Women’s World Cup All-Star Squad as chosen by the FIFA Technical Study Group. Five U.S. players were among the 23 selected: Golden Glove winner Hope Solo, defenders Julie Johnston and Meghan Klingenberg, and midfielders Megan Rapinoe and Golden Ball winner Carli Lloyd. All but Rapinoe played every minute of the tournament.

U.S. ROSTER NOTES:

• Midfielder Megan Rapinoe has torn the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee. The non-contact injury occurred during training in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Dec. 4. An MRI scan confirmed the injury and Rapinoe will return home to Seattle to prepare for surgery.
• Eighteen different players have scored for the USA this year, led by Carli Lloyd with 17 goals, 15 of them coming since the start of the knockout rounds at the Women’s World Cup.
• Amy Rodriguez will miss the match in Hawaii due to a family commitment, and will join the USA in San Antonio for the final three matches of the year.
• Lloyd 17 goals are a career high for her in a calendar year and 10 more than her closest teammate. Wambach has seven goals and Christen Press and Alex Morgan have six each. Lloyd’s previous high was 15 in 2014 and 2012.
• The 18 players to score for the USA in 2015 are: Kelley O’Hara, Morgan, Wambach, Rodriguez, Press, Johnston, Klingenberg, Rapinoe, Morgan Brian, Lori Chalupny, Sydney Leroux, Lloyd, Lauren Holiday, Tobin Heath, Heather O’Reilly, Whitney Engen, Crystal Dunn and Stephanie McCaffrey.
• Remarkably, O’Hara’s goal in the Women’s World Cup semifinal was her first of the year – and first of her international career – and Holiday’s and Heath’s goals in the Women’s World Cup Final were their first and thus far only scores of 2015. For Holiday, who has retired, it was her final goal in a U.S. uniform.
• When the USA went behind 1-0 in the 3rd minute of the Oct. 21 match vs. Brazil, it was the first deficit for the USA over a span of 18 matches this year. The WNT had not trailed in a match since going down 1-0 in the 43rd minute to Norway on March 4 in the first match of the Algarve cup. The U.S. came back in the second half to win that game 2-1 as Carli Lloyd scored both goals.
• Alex Morgan could be the next U.S. player to hit 100 games as she is currently at 96 and would hit the century mark in 2015 if she plays in all four remaining Victory Tour matches. Becky Sauerbrunn is next in line with 93.
• Sydney Leroux may be available for her first Victory Tour action after recovering from ankle surgery in mid-July. She played in four games at the Women’s World Cup, starting two, and had a key assist to Christen Press for the game-winning goal against Australia in the opening Group D match.
• Carli Lloyd notched her fourth and fifth hat tricks when she scored three times in each of the matches against Haiti in September. They were of course her second and third of 2015. Her first of the year was famously tallied in the Women’s World Cup Final. Her other hat tricks came against Mexico in 2012 and Argentina in December of 2014. The hat trick vs. Haiti on Sept. 20 was the 11th multiple-goal game of her WNT career.
• Lloyd has scored 15 goals in the last nine matches starting with the Round of 16 game at the WWC.
• Crystal Dunn scored her first international goal at the senior level on Sept. 17 against Haiti, and her two assists in the match were her first points for the USA. She added a goal and an assist on Sept. 20 vs. Haiti.
• Four different players scored the USA’s four goals in the two-game series vs. Brazil in October.
• Seven different players scored the USA’s 13 goals in the two-game series vs. Haiti in September, with Carli Lloyd getting six and Crystal Dunn two.
• Eight different players scored the USA’s 15 goals in the two-game series with Costa Rica in August, with Heather O’Reilly tallying four goals over the two matches, while Christen Press had three.
• O’Reilly’s scores and Whitney Engen’s goal against Costa Rica on Aug. 16 were their first goals of the year.
• Three defenders scored in the first match against Costa Rica with Julie Johnston and Whitney Engen each getting a goal. Meghan Klingenberg scored her third international goal, in front of her hometown crowd in Pittsburgh, all of which have come from the run of play.
• Johnston has five goals in 2015. Her goals all came off set pieces, with the first three assisted by the now-retired Lauren Holiday and one each by Megan Rapinoe and Kelley O’Hara.
• Lloyd scored in four straight Women’s World Cup games, tallying in all four knock-out matches (Colombia, China, Germany and Japan). Her three goals in the Women’s World Cup Final gave her seven in Women’s World Cup play.
• Lloyd captained the USA four times at the WWC with Abby Wambach serving as captain in the other three matches.
• Lloyd was the third U.S. WNT player to score in three straight games in a World Cup, joining Michelle Akers (1991) and Abby Wambach (2003) and is the second American to do it in four straight WWC games, but the only one to score in all four knockout round games. Wambach scored in four consecutive Women’s World Cup games in 2011, but the streak started in the third group match when the Women’s World Cup took six matches to win the title before moving the 24 teams and the seven-match format in 2015.
• Lloyd scored both U.S. goals in the 2012 Olympic gold medal game (a 2-1 win over Japan), and the lone goal in the 2008 gold-medal game (1-0 over Brazil). No other American has scored in three major-tournament finals.
• Lloyd, Holiday and Tobin Heath became just the fourth, fifth and sixth players in U.S. history to score in a Women’s World Cup Final. Michelle Akers scored both goals in the 1991 Final, the 1999 championship game ended 0-0 and went to penalty kicks while Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach scored in the 2011 Women’s World Cup Final.
• Kelley O’Hara made her debut in the 2015 Women’s World Cup tournament when she started against China PR on June 26. It was O’Hara’s first career start in a World Cup match. She had only played one WWC game before with 18 minutes as a substitute in 2011 vs. Sweden. She made her second appearance at this year’s tournament when she came in as a second half substitute in the match against Germany and scored her first World Cup goal. It came in the 84th minute to seal the game and propel the USA to the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup Final, where she came off the bench in her third straight game and played the final 30 minutes in place of Megan Rapinoe.
• After allowing a goal against Australia in its opening Women’s World Cup match on June 8 in the 27th minute, the U.S. shut out Sweden, Nigeria, Colombia, China and Germany – a stretch of 513 consecutive minutes. The USA allowed a goal in the 27th minute of the World Cup Final to end its shutout streak at 539, falling one minute short of tying a tournament record. Germany did not allow a goal over its six games of the 2007 Women’s World Cup.
• Defender Becky Sauerbrunn did not play against Costa Rica on Aug. 16, breaking her streak as the only player on the roster to start and play every game for the USA in 2015. She has played 1,914 minutes this year to lead the team. Carli Lloyd has played 1,830 minutes. Meghan Klingenberg has played 1,744 minutes and Hope Solo has played 1,710 minutes in goal.
• Five U.S. players played all 630 minutes of the Women’s World Cup tournament: defenders Julie Johnston, Meghan Klingenberg and Sauerbrunn, midfielder Lloyd, and goalkeeper Hope Solo.
• In 23 games played this year, the U.S. has surrendered 11 goals and has scored 66. The USA hasn’t lost a match since dropping its opening game of 2015 on Feb. 8 to France.
• The USA was the fourth country to reach consecutive Women's World Cup finals (2011 and 2015). The other three are Germany (2003, 2007), Norway (1991, 1995) and Japan (2011, 2015).
• After coming on as a sub in the second half of the Women’s World Cup Final, Abby Wambach played in her 25th and final WWC game, moving into sole possession of second most ever behind Kristine Lilly (30).
• Wambach’s appearance against Costa Rica on Aug. 16 marked her 250th cap. She’s one of only five U.S. players to hit that mark and now has 252.
• Alex Morgan scored her only goal in this year’s Women’s World Cup against Colombia in the Round of 16 match. Morgan has six goals in 2015 and 55 international goals in her career. She has three World Cup goals after scoring twice in 2011.
• Brian, Klingenberg, Johnston, Leroux and Press all made their World Cup debuts against Australia on June 8. All played against Sweden on June 12 as well, with Brian getting her first start. Klingenberg, Johnston and Leroux all saw action against Nigeria on June 16, while Brian, Klingenberg, Johnston and Press saw action against Colombia on June 22. Brian, Klingenberg and Johnston all started against China and Germany on June 26 and June 30, respectively, and Leroux came in as a second half stoppage time against Germany. Brian, Klingenberg and Johnston all started against Japan in the Final and all played all 90 minutes.
• Press and Leroux also recorded their first World Cup points on June 8, with Press scoring a goal and Leroux an assist. Johnston recorded her first World Cup point against China on June 26 when she assisted on Lloyd’s goal. It was Johnston’s first and thus far only assist with the WNT.
• Nineteen of the 20 field players on the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup saw action in the tournament with only defender Whitney Engen not getting on the field.
• Amy Rodriguez made her first appearance of the Women’s World Cup on June 12 against Sweden, and her first start of the tournament on June 26 against China. Defender Lori Chalupny made her first appearance of the 2015 World Cup when she came in for Ali Krieger in the second half against Colombia on June 22. It was the seventh World Cup appearance of her career.
• Heather O’Reilly played the last 10 minutes of the game against China on June 26 after coming in as a sub for Alex Morgan. It was O’Reilly’s 12th World Cup appearance.
• Shannon Boxx and Christie Rampone made their first appearances of the tournament against Nigeria on June 16. Rampone became the oldest player to appear in a World Cup match at 39 years 11 months and 23 days. Rampone also played the final five minutes of the championship game. It was Boxx’s fourth and final World Cup and Rampone’s fifth and final World Cup. Rampone played 19 WWC games in her career, tied for sixth all-time. Boxx played in 16 WWC matches.
• Klingenberg scored her second National Team goal on a long-range blast against New Zealand on April 4. Her first goal was a similar long-range effort that came against Haiti on Oct. 8, during Women’s World Cup qualifying tournament in 2014. Her third came on Aug. 16 vs. Costa Rica in her hometown of Pittsburgh.
• Rampone earned her 300th cap against with Mexico on Oct. 24, 2014, and her 311 games are the most of any active player in the world behind only former teammate Kristine Lilly (352). Rampone has four international goals, but has not scored since 2000, when she got two goals in her 59th career cap.
• Brian was the 2014 U.S. Soccer Young Female Athlete of the Year. She was also named the 2013 and 2014 Hermann Trophy winner while playing for the University of Virginia.
• While Wambach is the USA’s top scorer on the roster with 184 goals, Lloyd is next with 78 career international goals and Morgan has 55. Heather O’Reilly has scored 46.
• Christen Press’ four-goal performance against Argentina in Brazil last December was the ninth such game in U.S. history and second of 2014 after Wambach scored four times against Costa Rica in the final of the CONCACAF Women’s Championship. It was the first-career hat trick for Press, who got her second hat trick on Aug. 16 against Costa Rica when she scored twice in the first half and once in the second.
• With her goal against Haiti on Sept. 17, Press became the 22nd player in U.S. WNT history to score 25 or more goals.
• The WWC Final featured the two oldest teams in the history of the Women’s World Cup tournament with the U.S averaging 29-years-old and six months and Japan having the average age of 28-years-old and five months, giving more empirical proof that older teams tend to win world events, but with the retirements of Shannon Boxx, Lori Chalupny, Lauren Holiday and Abby Wambach, the U.S. team will begin to take on a different look.

IN THE RECORD BOOKS:

• Carli Lloyd became the 10th woman in U.S. history to reach 200 caps, achieving the feat at the WWC quarterfinal match against China PR on June 26. She is the fourth active player to reach that mark and 10th overall American. Christie Rampone, Abby Wambach and Heather O’Reilly are the other three. She also became the third player in U.S. history to score in her 200th appearance. Wambach and O’Reilly are the other two. Lloyd will be honored for earning her 200th cap before the match in Hawaii.
• Lloyd has moved past Tiffeny Milbrett into sole possession of eighth place on the USA’s all-time caps with 208.
• Lloyd is in seventh place on the U.S. WNT’s all-time goal scoring list. Lloyd, now with 78 goals, is the highest-scoring midfielder in U.S. history although she has scored her last 15 goals playing as more of a withdrawn forward.
• Hope Solo recorded her 89th career shutout against Germany in the semifinal of the WWC. It was the fifth straight World Cup clean sheet for the USA, and Solo’s 10th in World Cup play, tying the record for most by a U.S. goalkeeper and most in World Cup play with Brianna Scurry.
• Solo also earned her 177th cap against Japan on July 25. With 183 caps, she is the leader for caps by a goalkeeper in U.S. history. Briana Scurry earned 173 caps in her career (1994-2008).
• Solo has the most starts by a WNT goalkeeper with 176. Solo is also in 9th place on the WNT’s all-time starts list behind eighth place Carli Lloyd, who has 179.
• Solo has 140 goalkeeper wins and is the all-time leader in wins for a goalkeeper in U.S. history. Brian Scurry had 133 during her career (1994-2008).
• Rapinoe became the 31st American female player to reach the century mark in caps, achieving that feat against New Zealand on April 4. She currently has 113 caps. Lori Chalupny became the 32nd player to reach 100 caps, against Ireland on May 10 and retired with 106.
• Tobin Heath was the 33rd player to reach 100 caps.
• Against Costa Rica on Aug. 16, Abby Wambach became the fourth U.S. player to hit 250 caps. She has 252.
• Against Costa Rica on Aug. 19, Shannon Boxx played in her seventh match of the year and reached 193 caps, moving past Brandi Chastain into 11th place on the all-time U.S. list. Boxx finished her career on Oct. 21 with 195.
• Heather O’Reilly was the ninth player to hit 200 caps in U.S. history after reaching the milestone against Korea DPR on March 12, 2014. Now with 225, she is seventh on the USA’s all-time list. Abby Wambach (252) and Christie Rampone (311) are the only active players ahead of her.
• O’Reilly is the second-youngest player to hit 200 caps for the USA. Lilly was 28 years, 9 months and 15 days old when she earned cap No. 200 on May 7, 2000. O’Reilly was 29 years, 2 months and 10 days old when she earned her 200th cap.
• O’Reilly is currently sixth all-time in assists with 54 and 11th place all-time in goals with 46.
• O’Reilly’s two goals against Costa Rica on Aug. 19 represented the fourth multi-goal game of her career and the first time she had produced back-to-back multi-goal performances. Her first multi-goal game came on March 11, 2006 when she scored two against Denmark. Her second came on Jan. 1, 2012 when she scored the lone hat trick of her career against Dominican Republic during Olympic Qualifying.
• In addition to breaking Mia Hamm’s world scoring record, Wambach’s June 20, 2013, performance against the Korea Republic also made her the USA’s all-time leader in multiple-goal games with 39. She has since added six more and now sits at 45. She has 37 two-goal games, five hat tricks, two four-goal games and one five-goal game.
• Sydney Leroux is tied with April Heinrichs in 14th place on the all-time U.S. WNT goal-scoring list with 35 goals.
• With her game-winning goal against England on Feb. 13, Alex Morgan became the 10th player in U.S. history to score 50 or more goals. She now has 55, moving past Carin Gabarra for ninth on the USA’s all-time goal scoring list. Next up for Morgan is to catch Shannon MacMillan’s 60 career goals.
• The 2015 NWSL title was the 10th in Heather O'Reilly's career. She won two NCAA titles with North Carolina. She won the inaugural Under-19 Women's Championship in 2002, Olympic women's soccer gold medals in 2004, 2008 and 2012 and the 2015 Women's World Cup title. At the club level, she won WPS with Sky Blue FC in her home state of New Jersey in 2009 and the NWSL title with FC Kansas City in 2015.

BY THE NUMBERS:
0.48 Goals per game the USA has allowed in 2015
1 USA’s FIFA ranking
2.87 Goals per game the USA scored in 2015
3 Goals allowed by the USA in the 2015 WWC, least of any of the four semifinalists
8 Number of different players to score a goal in the 2015 WWC
14 Goals scored by the USA in the 2015 WWC, second most in the tournament
18 Number of different U.S. players to score a goal in 2015
78 Goals by Lloyd, most ever for a WNT player who has played exclusively as a midfielder
88 Minutes on the field per goal averaged by Alex Morgan in her career
89 Shutouts by Hope Solo, an all-time U.S. WNT record
89 Minutes on the field per goal averaged by Sydney Leroux in her career
99 Minutes on the field per goal averaged by Abby Wambach in her career
117 U.S. victories when Wambach scores a goal (117-2-8 overall)
130 Minutes on the field per goal averaged by Mia Hamm in her career
311 Caps by Christie Rampone, second all-time to Kristine Lilly (352)

WELCOME PRIDE: The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) announced on Oct. 20 the founding of its 10th club and second expansion team, the Orlando Pride. The Pride is owned and operated by Orlando City SC of Major League Soccer (MLS) and will begin play with the start of the 2016 NWSL season. Two U.S. Women’s National Team players will represent the Pride in goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris and forward Alex Morgan, both of whom were acquired via trades. The NWSL is preparing for its fourth season in 2016, a milestone that the two previous women’s professional leagues did not achieve.

AND THE WINNER IS: Current U.S. WNT players that won NWSL post-season awards are Crystal Dunn (Golden Boot and MVP), Defender of the Year Becky Sauerbrunn, and NWSL Best XI members Julie Johnston, Sauerbrunn, Dunn and Christen Press. U.S. WNT players that made the NWSL Second XI are Lauren Holiday, Carli Lloyd and Megan Rapinoe.

2015 FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP FACTS:

• The USA is the first nation to capture three Women’s World Cup titles.
• After scoring three times against Australia in its opening match of the 2015 FIFA WWC, the USA became the second country to reach and then surpass the century mark of World Cup goals scored. The USA currently has scored 112 WWC goals, surpassing Germany who had reached 111 during the tournament. Christen Press had the honor of scoring the 100th goal in U.S. Women’s World Cup history. Germany scored 10 goals in its opener on June 7 to hit 101 and become the first team to pass 100. The Germans finished the WWC with 111 goals after scoring 20 in the tournament, 14 of which came against Ivory Coast and Thailand.
• The USA shattered the record for most goals in a Women’s World Cup Final (the previous record was two) and the teams set a record for most goals combined in a WWC Final with seven.
• The USA and Japan have accounted for the two-highest scoring WWC Finals, (2-2 in 2011 and 5-2 in 2015).
• The USA allowed 18 shots on goal over the 630 minutes in the Women’s World Cup. The USA allowed six against Australia in the opening game, but never allowed that many in a game again, allowing just one against Sweden and Germany, two against Nigeria, Colombia and China and four against Japan.
• The draw with Sweden was the first scoreless draw in U.S. history during group play in a World Cup. It was the second overall scoreless draw for the USA in a World Cup (0-0 against China in the 1999 WWC Final).
• The USA made its seventh appearance in a FIFA Women’s World Cup and is one of seven countries to appear in all seven editions of the tournament, the others being Brazil, Germany, Japan, Nigeria, Norway and Sweden.
• The U.S. is the only country to have reached at least the semifinals of every FIFA Women’s World Cup.
• The USA made its fourth appearance in a FIFA Women’s World Cup Final (1991, 1999, 2011, 2015), the only country to reach it that many times (Germany has reached it on three occasions: 1995, 2003 and 2007).
• Abby Wambach played in 25 WWC matches, the most on the 2015 WWC roster. Christie Rampone played in 19 Women’s World Cup games while Carli Lloyd has played in 18, Hope Solo has played in 17 and Shannon Boxx played in 16. Other players in double figures in Women’s World Cup matches are Ali Krieger (13), and Heather O’Reilly and Alex Morgan with 12.
• The U.S. WNT has won its group in the World Cup every year except 2011, when it finished second to Sweden.
• With her first-half goal against Nigeria during Group D play, Abby Wambach moved into a tie with Germany’s Birgit Prinz for 2nd all-time with 14 World Cup goals. Brazil’s Marta is the leader with 15 goals, including one in the 2015 Women’s World Cup. Wambach had a great chance to break the record, but missed a penalty kick against Colombia in the Round of 16 match.
• Lloyd’s hat trick was the first by any player in a Women’s World Cup Final.
• Lloyd’s two goals represent the first multi-goal game for a U.S. player in a World Cup Final since Michelle Akers scored two goals against Norway in the USA’s 2-1 win in the 1991 WWC Final in Guanzhou, China. She is the third American to score a hat trick in a WWC after Carin Jennings Gabarra (three against Germany in ’91 semifinal) and Akers (five against Chinese Taipei in ’91 Quarterfinals)
• Lloyd’s third minute goal (coming at 2:33) was the fastest goal in a Women's World Cup Final.
• The USA was the first team to score twice in the first five minutes of any Women's World Cup game.
• Wambach scored in every World Cup group stage that she played (2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015). She scored seven goals, tallying three in final group stage matches.
• Six players on this U.S. roster have scored in a Women’s World Cup tournament: Wambach, Alex Morgan, Carli Lloyd, Heather O’Reilly, Christen Press, Kelley O’Hara and Tobin Heath.
• The U.S. WNT is 34-4-5 all-time in the Women’s World Cup, outscoring its opponents 112-35 in 43 games. The 34 wins and 43 games played are FIFA Women’s World Cup records.

IN FOCUS: TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

Trinidad and Tobago Football Association
Founded: 1908 (Joined FIFA in 1964)
Current FIFA World Ranking: 48
CONCACAF Ranking: 5 
Olympic Finals Appearances: None
Record vs. USA: 0-8-0 
Head Coach: Randy Waldrum
Key Players: Kimika Forbes, Kennya Cordner, Tasha St. Louis

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO ROSTER NOTES

• Included on the roster is top forward Kennya Cordner (who played with the Seattle Reign for a spell in 2013) along with regulars from the previous team that participated in the World Cup qualifiers such as defender Arin King, Janine Francois, goalkeeper Kimika Forbes, Ahkeela Mollon, Khadidra Debessette, Karyn Forbes and Mariah Shade.
• Trinidad & Tobago qualified for the 2016 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament by defeating St. Lucia in a two-leg series (6-0 and 8-1) after two of the four times in the final round group withdrew.
• Tasha St. Louis scored four times in the first match and Ahkeela Mollon scored the other two. In the 8-1 win, Mollon had four goals, Lauryn Hutchinson had two, while Naomie Guerra and Annalis Cummings had one each.
• T&T was drawn into Group B opposite of the USA for CONCACAF Olympic qualifying and thus could be the USA’s semifinal opponent should both teams advance out of group play. Group B includes Canada, Guatemala, Trinidad & Tobago and Guyana.
• T&T will play all its group games at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, home stadium for Waldrum’s Houston Dash, and open against Guatemala on Feb. 11. T&T then face Canada on Feb. 14 and Guyana on Feb. 16 to close out group play.
• Trinidad & Tobago’s head coach is Randy Waldrum, one of the top college coaches in U.S. history who won 399 games spanning 24 seasons at Tulsa, Baylor and Notre Dame. He won two NCAA titles with the Fighting Irish and is currently the head coach of the Houston Dash in the NWSL, where he coaches U.S. players Carli Lloyd and Morgan Brian.
• Waldrum also coached the U.S. Under-23 WNT in 2012-2013.

USA VS. TRINIDAD & TOBAGO:

• The U.S. WNT has played eight matches in its history against Trinidad & Tobago with five of them coming in CONCACAF qualifying events. The USA is 8-0-0.
• The most recent meeting came during qualifying for the 2015 Women’s World Cup as the USA opened group play against T&T, which played a tough and gritty match. The game went into halftime tied 0-0 and the USA needed a goal from Abby Wambach to seal the victory despite out-shooting T&T 29-7 and allowing just one shot on goal.
• Prior to that, the teams had not played for 10 years and last met in the Olympic qualifying tournament in 2004, a 7-0 victory in San Jose, Costa Rica, that featured a hat trick from Shannon Boxx.
• Trinidad & Tobago’s best result against the USA came in 1994, a 3-1 U.S. victory in Scarborough, Tobago, in the only match between the two countries that was played in Trinidad & Tobago.
• The USA has gotten into double-figures in goals three times against Trinidad & Tobago; at the first CONCACAF Women’s World Cup qualifying tournament in 1991 (10-0), at the qualifying tournament for the 1995 Women’s World Cup in Montreal, Canada (11-1 in a match that featured a brawl) and at the CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup in 2000 (11-0 in a tournament that was not a qualifying event). The USA’s last three games against T&T have produced just 11 goals combined.

LAST TIME…
On the field for the USA:

Oct. 25, 2015 – Orlando Citrus Bowl; Orlando, Florida

2015 U.S. Women’s National Team Victory Tour

USA 3 Morgan 9; Dunn 45+3; MaCaffrey 90+4
BRA 1 Cristiane 45

Lineups:
USA: 1-Hope Solo; 11-Ali Krieger (30-Gina Lewandowski, 74), 27-Emily Sonnett, 4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 16-Lori Chalupny (22-Meghan Klingenberg, 21); 25-Crystal Dunn (15-Megan Rapinoe, 60), 12-Lauren Holiday (capt.) (10-Carli Lloyd, 56), 14-Morgan Brian, 17-Tobin Heath (28-Stephanie McCaffrey, 46); 31-Lindsey Horan (8-Amy Rodriguez, 80), 13-Alex Morgan
Subs Not Used: 2-Sydney Leroux, 3-Christie Rampone, 5-Kelley O'Hara, 6-Whitney Engen, 7-Shannon Boxx, 9-Heather O'Reilly, 18-Ashlyn Harris, 19-Julie Johnston, 20-Abby Wambach, 21-Alyssa Naeher, 23-Christen Press, 29-Samantha Mewis
Head coach: Jill Ellis

BRA: 1-Luciana; 2-Fabiana, 4-Rafaelle, 5-Andressinha, 6-Tamires (7-Beatriz, 71), 8-Thaisa, 9-Andressa Alves, 10-Marta (capt.), 11-Cristiane, 14-Erika, 20-Formiga (17-Gabi Zanotti, 63)
Subs Not Used: 3-Monica, 12-Andreia, 13-Poliana, 15-Rilany, 16-Rafaela, 18-Bia Vaz, 19-Raquel
Head coach: Oswaldo Alvarez

On the field for the USA vs. TRI:

Oct. 15, 2014 – Sporting Park; Kansas City, Kansas

CONCACAF Women’s World Cup Qualifying

USA 1 Wambach 54
TRI 0

Lineups:
USA: 1-Hope Solo; 11-Ali Krieger, 4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 3-Christie Rampone (capt.), 16-Meghan Klingenberg; 12-Lauren Holiday, 10-Carli Lloyd, 15-Megan Rapinoe (8-Amy Rodriguez, 87), 14-Christen Press (2-Sydney Leroux, 61); 20-Abby Wambach (9-Heather O’Reilly, 77), 13-Alex Morgan
Subs Not Used: 5-Kelley O’Hara, 6-Whitney Engen, 7-Morgan Brian, 17-Tobin Heath, 18-Ashlyn Harris, 19-Julie Johnston
Head Coach: Jill Ellis

TRI: 1-Kimika Forbes; 4-Rhea Belgrave, 5-Arin King, 15-Liana Hinds (18-Khadisha Debessette, 79), 16-Brianna Ryce; 20-Lauren Hutchinson, 9-Maylee Attin Johnson (capt.), 8-Patrice Superville (14-Karyn Forbes, 82), 10-Tasha St Louis (3-Mariah Shade, 46); 12-Ahkeela Mollon, 19-Kennya Cordner
Subs Not Used: 2-Ayanna Russell, 6-Khadidra Debessete, 7-Dernelle Mascall, 11-Janine Francois, 13-Anique Walker, 17-Tenesha Palmer
Head Coach: Randy Waldrum