Stephanie's first post

Countdown to Germany (May 26, 2011)

Hi to all Pilot fans! I am excited to give you some of the inside scoop on the US Women’s National Team. After a crazy couple of years being in and out with the team, I was excited when I met with Pia two weeks ago and she told me Congratulations! She said that I had been through a lot but she was glad that I was now going to Germany with the team!

Our team has also been on a bit of a roller coaster in preparation for the World Cup. Last spring and summer we were playing really well, beating Germany 4-0 in Cleveland. We started to feel a bit of fatigue towards the end of the WPS season and by the time that Qualifiers came around in October we were a bit out of sorts. We ended up losing to Mexico and had to beat Costa Rica and then Italy, home and away, to earn the last spot in the World Cup. It was all quite dramatic and a bit more complicated than we would have liked but I think that it was an eye opener for us and we became even more determined to address our areas of weakness so that we could be successful come World Cup time.

We have been traveling a lot this year together. Since January we have been to four countries outside of the US, and played in four different states. It is been a demanding schedule while also trying our best to meet our responsibilities with our club teams. I have played in five games with the Breakers going only 2-3. Our cohesion on the team is tough because we have only trained with the team a total of about two weeks. It reminds me a bit like my last two years at Portland trying to balance national team duty and games with the Pilots. The players at Portland and our coaching staff really made it possible for me to be able to balance all of my different roles and responsibilities.

So with a bit of background to catch you all up, right now, the US team just finished up in Cary, North Carolina. I know, I wish the game wasn’t at Tar Heel central. But with all of the east coast WPS teams all of our games are sadly on the east coast. But hopefully you were able to watch our games against Japan on TV. We played them last Saturday, the 14th and beat them 2-0, and again had the same result last Wednesday. I have been in and out of the starting lineup this year due to injuries and Pia trying out new players in the left back position. The first game I got 90 minutes against Japan, and started with 45 minutes in the second game! This is really exciting to see some solid minutes heading in to the World Cup. I don’t know if this trend will continue but I am confident about how I am playing and working with my teammates out on the field.

Thanks to all of you crazy Pilot fans for your support of the US team! I am so excited that ESPN is going all out for the World Cup and that you guys can watch the games. I will keep you posted on how things are going with the team and with me. Go USA!

And for a little fun off the soccer field go to “Bue at the Zoo” at USSoccer's web site where on a day off a couple of us players go to the Columbus Zoo!

Thanks for posting this. There are so many improved teams out there. I´ll be curious to see what kind of a result we can get.