The U.S. Women’s National Team begins its quest for the fourth Olympic gold medal in the program’s history when it opens the 2012 London Olympics against France on today at the famed Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland. The match, which kicks off at 12 p.m. ET, will be broadcast live on the NBC Sports Network and the NBC Olympic Soccer Channel. Fans can follow the match via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker and on Twitter @ussoccer_wnt.
LINEUP: USA: 1-Hope Solo; 6-Amy LePeilbet, 3-Christie Rampone (capt.), 16-Rachel Buehler, 5-Kelley O’Hara; 15-Megan Rapinoe (11-Sydney Leroux, 84), 7-Shannon Boxx (10-Carli Lloyd, 17), 12-Lauren Cheney, 17-Tobin Heath; 13-Alex Morgan (8-Amy Rodriguez, 75), 14-Abby Wambach
AVAILABLE SUBS: 2-Heather Mitts, 4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 9-Heather O’Reilly, 18-Nicole Barnhart
PREGAME NOTES:
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LINEUP: USA: 1-Hope Solo; 6-Amy LePeilbet, 3-Christie Rampone (capt.), 16-Rachel Buehler, 5-Kelley O’Hara; 15-Megan Rapinoe (11-Sydney Leroux, 84), 7-Shannon Boxx (10-Carli Lloyd, 17), 12-Lauren Cheney, 17-Tobin Heath; 13-Alex Morgan (8-Amy Rodriguez, 75), 14-Abby Wambach
AVAILABLE SUBS: 2-Heather Mitts, 4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 9-Heather O’Reilly, 18-Nicole Barnhart
PREGAME NOTES:
- The U.S. last faced France in the semifinals of the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup, with the USA posting a 3-1 victory in front of 25,676 at Borussia Park in Monchengladbach, Germany, to advance to the title game against eventual World Cup winner Japan. In that semifinal game, Lauren Cheney, Abby Wambach and second-half sub Alex Morgan provided the scoring production. For Morgan, it was her first World Cup goal.
- The U.S. has faced France 13 times in its history, but only five times in the past 15 years and the meeting in the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup was the first since 2006. The USA has a 12-0-1 record in the series that dates back to the first meeting on July 29, 1988 – a 1-0 USA victory in Rimini, Italy.
- The USA has six career shutouts against France, including four straight shutout victories from 1988 to 1995 to open the head-to-head series.
- As this is the first Olympic Games for the French women’s soccer team, the USA and France have never met in a previous Olympic match.
- Against France, six players made their Olympic debuts: Kelley O'Hara, Amy LePeilbet, Lauren Cheney, Tobin Heath, Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan.
- Megan Rapinoe's two assists are her first two career Olympic assists.
- Alex Morgan's two goals are her first two career Olympic goals.
- Carli Lloyd's goal was her third career Olympic goal and first since scoring in the 2008 Olympics gold medal game.
- Abby Wambach's goal was her fifth career Olympic goal and first since scoring in the 2004 Olympics gold medal game against Brazil.
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